The Tunnels Below by Nadine Wild-Palmer (best short novels of all time .TXT) 📕

“It’s not like they have to become sigh riders. Most of the sigh riders are professionals,” said Luke. “They choose to do it and train really hard. Though some dwellers just have an innate gift. Most of the riders are middle-aged and most of them don’t have families so they have less to lose. That’s why Aubrey’s case is such a big deal—he’s very young so his father doesn’t want him to ride right now. He could potentially spend most of his life shovelling everyone else’s poo if in the next couple of races he lands in sixteenth place. Plus, just to make sure the riders are committed, no one is not allowed to pull out of competing. That is, unless you’re dead, seriously ill or injured. And if it’s discovered that you’ve sawn off your leg to back out of the competition, like loud and proud Collin McCloud did, that’s life imprisonment in the Nest.”

Cecilia and Luke perused the crowd until they spotted the mole-face and walked towards him to collect their winnings.

“So once you’ve entered and been accepted, it’s a lifelong sentence whatever way you look at it?” she summarised.

“Pretty much,” said Luke as the mole-face counted out twenty-six large buttons into his palm and let out the tiniest puff of a sigh—they seemed to be dying away now the competition was over.

“Then why would anyone ever want to compete? It could ruin their lives!”

The mole-face stared at them blankly. Cecilia stared back and realised moles have poor eyesight.

“Because, Cecilia, it could also change their lives for ever too! Imagine: the power, the influence… the fame!” Luke gesticulated dramatically. “After Jacques d’Or, Madame Midnight is one of the most powerful and revered folk in the entire tunnels. She has a colony of mice at her fingertips and a murder of crows at her feet and she came from nothing.”

He paused and watched a few wisps of a colourless sigh fade weakly. As he returned to his senses, he found himself looking into the big round eyes of a bear-face cub. She had a stack of papers roped onto her front, and Luke greeted her with glee. “Ella Bear!”

She looked up into his face; he seemed to tower over her. “Lukey Bear!” she teased back and he extended his hand for a high-five and she walloped him.

“How’s my favourite bear-face cub then?” Luke had softened upon the sight of such a sweet, endearing creature. Cecilia had to stop herself from saying awwwww! out loud.

“You wan’ a programme or what Lukey Bear? I’m a busy bear, you know!” she joked.

Cecilia and Luke laughed and Luke made to reach in his pocket to see what they could spare but Ella Bear tossed a programme at them and started walking away.

“This one’s on the house for your pig-face friend but you owe me next time, ’K? See ya, wouldn’t wanna’ be ya!” She waved and smiled as she padded off into the frenzied crowd.

Luke slipped the programme into Cecilia’s pocket. “Here’s a souvenir of your first race.” Cecilia rubbed her nose and watched the bear-face cub disappear.

“Thanks, Luke!” she said, taking it back out of her pocket and looking at the front cover of the programme with its embossed gold lettering and shiny picture of Jacques d’Or.

Her daydream was broken by the sound of a kindly animated voice behind them, and the two of them turned to see Jasper shuffling around and around in a circle trying to locate them.

“You two.” He had his silver ear horn jammed in his ear, “Yoooo-hooo, Loooo-uke, Ceceeeeee-lia?”

Cecilia and Luke were mortified. It was like when your mum or dad start calling your name down the aisles of the supermarket and you’ve just bumped into a bunch of kids from school and you’re the only one still in your uniform.

“Oh no! He’s got his ear horn out!” Luke clapped a hand over his eye and pulled his hoody further up over his head.

“Nooooo,” Cecilia moaned. “Why? I didn’t realise he used it in public!”

“There you are! I’ve been waiting for you, but luckily I’ve got this handy contraption with me so I could hear you clear as a bell gossiping away! I can’t believe we’ve won, you’re definitely going to turn heads with so much to spend at Mrs Hoots’!” He was so delighted it was really rather sweet.

“Thanks so much!” said Cecilia, hugging him. He patted her uncomfortably on the back.

“So now we have just about all we need, the rest is up to fate…” Jasper continued enthusiastically, “and I hate to say it but you’ll want to be on your way already.”

“Already? But we will miss the pom-pom parade!” said Luke.

“Yes, I’m afraid so but there will be other times, Luke,” Jasper replied.

Luke grumbled for a minute until—

“Luke, stop it, would you? A friend in need is a friend indeed. So, I happened to have a catch up with Madame Midnight briefly, and it seems that this whole thing with ol’ Koof is bigger than you or I had imagined. She was very worried when I told her the Corvus Community had tricked him and taken him away. So, I think getting Kuffi safely away from the Corvus Community is our primary objective.”

“Onto the next then, hey, Cecilia? Mrs Hoots’ Haberdashery, here we come,” said Luke.

“That’s the spirit,” said Jasper, patting him hard on the back then he pulling him into an embrace, which Luke did not return.

“Look after one another,” said Jasper. It was clear how special Luke was to him.

“Knock it off, Jasper,” said Luke.

“Of course we will, won’t we, Luke? That’s what friends do.”

Luke looked a bit surprised but she could tell he was trying to hold back a smile. Hester did it all the time. You can tell because a smile doesn’t just happen in a person’s mouth and cheeks, it really happens in their eyes.

14This Little Light of Mine

Cecilia and Luke made their way away from the revelry, leaving the pomp of