Running Scared by Gloria Skurzynski Page B

walking down this path.” She disappeared into the second trail. “And when I turn around,” she said, her voice distant and muffled, “I can still see the reflector, too.”
    Jack blinked. Mentally, he tried to retrace the trail, but all of the formations had begun to look the same. Melted columns and stalactites marched alongside the trail, row after row of lifeless gray rock. Wasn’t that large pear-shaped formation the exact one he’d seen earlier? Yes, now he was sure of it—he remembered thinking how round the bottom of the stone had swelled. He’d seen that formation before, which meant he was going the right way, and this time, he would listen to his own gut. Ashley would have to follow him, for once.
    When his sister reappeared, he tried to sound more confident than he felt. “Ashley, I remember this trail.
    If we think it’s wrong, we can turn back and go your way. OK?”
    She hesitated, until Jack reminded her that he was the one with the light. Then, lantern high, he turned resolutely down the path he’d decided on.
    As they walked, Jack wavered between absolute certainty and absolute doubt. A stalagmite that stretched up like a witch’s finger was one he’d seen before; yes, he convinced himself, he was going the right way. But then he saw a group of rocks that looked like turtles crawling one over the other, and he wondered if Ashley had been right, after all, because he sure didn’t remember anything that looked like that. Twice more there were splits in the path, and each time Jack tried to stay on the main trail, studying the ground for footprints that weren’t there. He could make out smudges, but were they from their feet or from others who’d been there long ago? In this windless tunnel, footsteps could last for years, couldn’t they? Ashley had grown quiet, which made Jack even more nervous. He almost wished she’d insist that they go back. One thing was sure, they should be hitting the main trail any minute. Any minute now…any….
    He tried to mark their progress by the time that had passed, but because he hadn’t checked his watch when they’d started, he wasn’t sure how long it had been.
    His instincts told him the trail should be right up ahead. The passageway narrowed so that he had to turn sideways, his right arm outstretched. No, he hadn’t had to do that before. This was all wrong! Good grief! Where were they?
    Ashley, for once, didn’t say “I told you so.” Instead, she flattened herself as much as she could against the rock and motioned for Jack to step around her and go first.
    â€œWe haven’t lost that much time,” she told him. “We’ll get back to that one fork, and then we’ll get back to the main trail. It’s no big deal.”
    Sometimes it seemed as if his sister could read his thoughts. He just nodded and moved to the front, the lantern swaying in his hand.
    The first thing he realized was that he could no longer see the reflector. It had disappeared from view, which meant that they’d definitely gone the wrong way. Jack rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand and tried not to panic. They’d stay on the trail and retrace their steps. Simple.
    Another five minutes crawled by, and they came to another split in the trail, or maybe it was the same one. How many times might they have doubled back to the same fork in the dark without even recognizing it? Bewildered, Jack had no clue which way to go. He hoped Ashley would.
    Apparently she didn’t. “Oh-h man,” Ashley wailed. “Do you know which direction we should take?”
    Jack put his arm around his sister’s thin shoulders in reply. “It’s not time to panic yet,” he told her.
    â€œWhy not?” Her voice was shrill.
    â€œBecause there can’t be that many trails back here. Because even if we do get lost, the rangers will come looking.