The Mines of Youth (Robert Lowe)

It was 1907 and the mines had just reopened. They had to be shut down after the last cave-in. I was sixteen and had to drop out of school to take up a job cause my daddy got hurt. The cave-in took a few workers so they were lookin for more. So, crack of dawn the next mornin' I was already in the elevator goin' down. The sound of the whistle grew dimmer as the night closed back around us. We flicked on the lights of our hard hats and walked out the door into the heavy air of the mines. The wind that did blow through made an eerie whistle through the caverns, but was soon covered by the sounds of picks and shovels as we went to work. I happened to be working beside a veteran of the hole, Patrick McCullen. He was a tall Irishman with a thick, scruffy beard and a frame built for digging.

"Bring ya pick above ya head and ya might get some more force outta it ya know." I knew he was talking to me, I wasn't having much success in getting through the rock.

"Thanks."

"Ya ain't gotta be so shy either. We're all men down 'ere. My name's Pat by the way." I stopped for a moment to shake his hand. "So why are ya down 'ere, shouldn't you be in school?"

"School's overrated. Besides, pa needed some help with the bills."

"Ah, I see. Well lad, if need any help, just call for Pat." He gave me a wink that I could barely see in the dim light then walked off. I continued picking away at the rocks for the next nine hours until we knocked off. That night went by too fast and before I knew it the whistle was ringing again. Pat was there again at the same spot and coached me for the next few weeks. One day the air seemed thicker than usual, but no one really noticed. The first few hours went by as usual, but then something happened. The wind wasn't blowing as much as usual.

"Stick close to the walls lad, I'm not sure what's coming, but it doesn't feel good." He continued to glance down the halls for the next hour. Finally the air got to be almost unbreathable and the next thing we knew a fireball was roaring through the tunnels. The few of us who could take cover managed to survive the blast, but the caves soon came down around us. I looked around but didn't see Patrock anywhere.

"PAT!" I screamed over the rumbling of the rocks, "PATRICK!" I scrambled to my feet. The explosion had left a small area I could move around in. The rocks above settled and then there was silence. As I continued to call my voice would echo around through the holes in the rocks. Finally I heard something. It was a low moan. Then I realized it was Pat. I rushed over to where I heard the sound and threw the rocks aside. I finally reached him and he was a horrible sight. His face was charred from the flames and his voice hoarse.
"Pat! Hold on, I'm going to get you out!"
"No lad, you're not. It's not worth the risk. These rocks above me could fall back onto ya."
"Pat," I said quietly holding back tears, "I'm going to. You've helped me, and now I'm going to help you." He protested again before he passed out. I slowly pulled rocks from him. Finally I pulled him free. I laid him out in the clearing before I too pased out. Next thing I knew we were in a hospital.
"Good you're awake." I heard the doctor come in, but he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to the man behind the curtains. "You owe your life to that kid over there. If he hadn't of pulled you free, you would have died no doubt."
"I know Doc, and believe me, he will too... is he ok?"
"Yes I do believe so. The fire scorched his back, but overall he's fine." I tried to roll over to see if it was me he was talking about, but the pain from my back assured me of the fact. "If you don't mind, I still need to check on him." He strolled over to the curtain and slowly pulled it aside.
"Ah, so you're awake too!"
"I think so."
"It's good, you've been out for about three days. That man over there has aksed about you for every one." I glance through the curtain at Pat. "You saved his life. He's not much for a face, but he's alive."
"How bad was the accident?"
"Bad. I have only seen a few survivors including you two. The lord himself must have been watching over you two." I just shook my head as he left. After we got out, Pat and I remained good friends. He died many years ago now...