Chapter 54—Black Dust

Chaz sat in the backseat of Jojo's old car, Woody, afraid to die. In between rushes of stark terror from Jojo's driving, he tried to focus on his gratitude for meeting a real cave guide. Without Jojo, he would have been clueless where to start and the expedition—and the quest—would have failed. But right this minute, he hoped that they'd make it to the crystal mine alive, and that his breakfast would remain inside his stomach where it belonged.

Jojo accelerated around a corner and Tip slid across the wide backseat, crushing Chaz. Taylor merely laughed, as she did at all of Jojo's escapades. Chaz hoped Jojo wasn't as reckless inside the caves as he was on the road.

"Blast it, Jojo!" Tip straightened his glasses.

"Sorry, mate," Jojo said, slowing down but only slightly.

"Some of us like to go fast, Tip," Taylor said, turning to her brother. "What about you, Chaz? Do you like fast driving?"

Chaz held his stomach and mumbled something inaudible.

Taylor's smile disappeared. "Are you going to spew?" Chaz shook his head.

"Almost there, mate," Jojo said. "You can hold on a bit longer, eh?"

Chaz gritted his teeth and, with a weak "f-fine," leaned his head on the backseat and commanded his stomach to settle down.

Twenty minutes later, and with no spewed breakfast from anyone, the car zoomed into a parking area kicking up dirt. Jojo hit the brakes inches short of a giant kauri tree. Chaz let go of the front seat and crawled out. He stretched and filled his lungs with the cool morning air. Color returned to his face.

Jojo slapped him on the back. "Feeling better then, mate?" Chaz stumbled forward and made an important mental note: Jojo doesn't know his own strength.

"Let's get on with it then," Jojo said, opening the tailgate.

The Woody—the vehicle of choice for surfers—was in good shape mechanically, but the interior had seen better years. The once-shiny wooden panels had been bleached by the sun, and the fenders were decorated with scratches and dings. The discolored windows didn't roll up all the way, and the seats were ragged, but the car ran fine.

The team pulled their gear out of the back end, and Jojo began to bark orders.

"Click your headlamps on high," he said. "Keep your torches in your waist pack ready to pull out. Under no circumstances ever stray from the group. These caves are hostile to the solitary explorer. They're just waiting to get someone alone and then..."

"And then what?" Tip asked, his eyes growing wider by the minute.

"It doesn't matter, does it? No one is going to find out."

"We're going to trek slowly," Jojo said. "And I'll tell you when to shine your torches." He looked at Chaz. "Sorry, mate—flashlights. Shine them onto the walls around you. We're looking for a glint, something shiny or reflective, to catch our eye. Right then."

They moved toward a medium-sized opening in the mountain. "This was an old crystal mine, as you know," Jojo said. "It hasn't been worked for years, but it's mostly sturdy." He slapped one of the wooden beams that bolstered the opening.

Tip shifted his pack and began to sweat. "What if a wall collapses while we're inside?"

"I doubt that's a concern," Jojo said. "I've been in this mine. Most of the weak areas have been reinforced."

Most, Tip thought. That's reassuring. He looked at Chaz, who had removed his hat and was brushing his hair as if it itched. Thick, wiry strands stuck out everywhere. Replacing his hat and readjusting the headlamp, Chaz asked, "Anything else to look for?"

"Yes," Jojo said. "Glowworms."

"Who-worms?"

"Glowworms," Tip said. "Arachnocampa luminosa, a type of insect living underground. They stick together in large numbers, and in their larval stage they put out a distinctive blue glow."

"Yeah," Taylor added. "And they're only found here in New Zealand."

"That's cool," Chaz said. He couldn't wait to see some.

They turned to Jojo, who had pulled his amulet out from under his jacket. His eyes were closed. After a few minutes he opened them. "Kuthumi says glowworms are a sign."

"Great," Chaz said. "We'll keep our eyes peeled for glowworms too."

"No need to, mate," Jojo said, entering the cave. "They'll be bloody obvious."

* * *

After twisting and turning for several hours inside the cold, dark hollows, Chaz thought the tomb-like atmosphere might drive him crazy. Jojo stopped to look back at his team. He noticed even Taylor's usual upbeat manner was wilting.

"Are you backing out mates? It's not all gold and glory, this spelunking. At this rate you won't last more than a day." Jojo pointed his flashlight toward a carved-out area that held a wooden worktable. "We'll stop here for lunch."

His teammates trundled over to the marred, rotting table and lowered their packs. Tip gave his sister a telling look. Chaz pulled out his peanut butter sandwich and vitamin water, and wondered how long he could endure this unwelcoming environment. The team ate in preoccupied silence, and in ten minutes Jojo gave the sign. They packed up and pushed on.

Beams of light rolled around the cave walls and ceilings until everyone started to feel hypnotized. Taylor's voice broke the spell. "I think I see something."

"Where?" Chaz ran toward her. The others followed quickly.

She held her light steady and something glinted back. Jojo dropped his pack with most of their gear and pulled out a chisel and another tool that looked like a thick metal spatula.

"Keep the light right on it, Taylor. You too, mates, add light and don't move." He pulled his neck scarf over his mouth, walked close to the rock wall, and began to gently tap and scrape. Rock dust and debris fell to the floor. After a small pile had formed, Jojo shrugged and turned to the others.

"False alarm," he said, pulling down the scarf. Everyone's shoulders sagged, and someone grumbled. There would be seven more false alarms before the day was over.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky as Jojo and his weary team spilled out of the cave system exactly where they had entered that morning. Although the air was cool, everyone breathed in deeply as if they had been deprived for weeks of life's most precious element—air. Disappointed silence pervaded as the team let their packs slide off into the back of the Woody.

"Cheer up, mates," Jojo said. "You didn't expect to score on the first excursion, did you?"

No one answered. Chaz and Tip dragged their tired bodies into the backseat. Taylor opened the front door and slid onto the wide leather bench. She pulled out her bandana and blew her nose. "Eww," she said. "Black stuff's coming out."

"Wait till you wash your ears," Jojo said. "You'll see plenty more of that, eh? Black dust is what miners can die from if they're exposed to it long enough."

"What's long?" Tip coughed. His lungs didn't seem right on the best of days with all his allergies.

"It takes years of exposure. A few trips in won't do much damage. Your body will purge it eventually." Great, Tip thought, now my body has to do extra duty for that too.

The sky blackened on the drive back, matching the mood in the car. Jojo didn't get out. "Aren't you coming in for supper?" Taylor asked.

"Naw, gotta get back. See you early tomorrow." Before the last door was closed, the Woody pulled out like it was headed to a six-alarm fire.