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.""It stinks," Doug croaked, pinching his nose."That's where the smell is coming from, all right.Just like that other hole earlier, out there in the graveyard." Timmy's eyes sparkled."It's the caves you were talking about.Has to be! Another sinkhole opened up right here, and you and your dad didn' t know about it because it was underneath the woodpile."Barry looked doubtful."You think?""Sure I do.No animal dug this, and like you said, your dad wouldn't have, either.It's got to be a cave entrance.""But they're made out of rock, not dirt.""Not always," Timmy disagreed, even though he wasn't sure himself.He wasn' t about to let science get in the way of what could be their coolest summer adventure ever."We've got to explore it, guys.Claim it before anyone else finds out.We could be on TV, man!"He searched the floor, found an old rusty nail, tossed it down into the hole, and listened."We can't explore it now," Doug reminded him."It's almost dinnertime.You know what your mom said.""Yeah," Barry added, "and we still haven't found my watch." In his excitement, Timmy had forgotten about both.Disappointed, he reluctantly conceded that they were right."We'll come back tonight," he said."Sneak out after our folks are asleep.Doug, you're staying for dinner, anyway.Might as well spend the night.We' ll wait till like one o 'clock, and then meet up here.We'll have to remember to get the flashlights and lantern from the Dugout, and maybe the map, too.""What do we need the map for?" Doug asked."So we can outline this tunnel on the back of it.If we've got the surface mapped out, we ought to do the same for below.""Then we'll need some clothespins, too."Timmy frowned."For what?""To cover our noses with," Doug replied."I'm not breathing in whatever that is if we go down there."Chuckling, Timmy turned to Barry."You gonna be able to get out tonight?""Yeah, I guess.If I don't get killed for losing my watch first.""Well, then let's find it before your father finds us." They covered the tunnel entrance back up, making sure the plywood concealed the entire opening, and then searched the rest of the shed for the missing watch.Doug' s suspicions proved to be correct.They found the silver watch hanging from the riding Page 51mower 's gearshift.Sighing with relief, Barry fastened it around his wrist."All's well that ends well." He grinned."Sure is," Doug agreed.They noticed that Timmy hadn't responded, and when they turned, they found him staring down at the plywood.Barry groaned."Come on, man.Let it go for now.We'll see it tonight.And since you're so eager, you can go first."Timmy looked up at them, smiling."Sounds like a plan." In truth, he'd have had it no other way.He was eager to be the first one to step inside the subterranean chamber."I still don't think it's a sinkhole," Doug said."It looks dug, not sunken.And that smellGod!"They crawled back out the window and fastened the boards back into place, tapping the rusty nails into the rotten wood with a rock.Over the sounds of pounding, they didn 't notice when another twig snapped in the nearby tree line."Okay," Timmy said, "so we meet at the Dugout after our parents are asleep, and then we'll explore the underground.Lets say one o'clock in the morning." Doug and Barry agreed.Then they went their separate ways, Barry to his house and Timmy and Doug to the Graco home.On the way back, Timmy wondered what they'd find inside the tunnel, deep below the earth.After the boys had departed, a slender figure emerged from the shadows of the trees behind the shed.It had been watching them the entire time.Now that they were gone, it crept forward and investigated the loose boards around the window.Then it crawled inside the shed.Rustling sounds drifted out of the buildingwood sliding across wood.Then came a gasp of surprise.Minutes later, the figure reemerged into the sunlight.Blinking, it let its eyes adjust again.Then it ran across the cemetery as fast as it could.Its expression was one of satisfied determination.Chapter Seven"It' s gonna rain," Steve Laughman complained as they trudged across the field.The tall grass swished against their blue jeans."The weatherman on Channel Eight was calling for it tonight.""Quit fucking whining," Ronny Nace said."Christ, you're like a little girl, man.""They said there was a severe thunderstorm warning until six in the morning.Gonna rain buckets.""So? A little rain never hurt nobody.""We could catch pneumonia," Steve said."I don't want to be sick in the summer.""Shut up.""Or maybe even a tornado could blow through
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