The Prospector's Daughter

The Accident

It was the year 1900, the start of the new century, and Father and I had lived in Creede for ten years now. I was 19 years old, and finally reclaiming my childhood passions. I spent hours exploring the caves, climbing through the abandoned mine shafts that had been stripped naked of ores. Though, being in the caves made me much more susceptible to potentially running into Nicholas again, being that Creede was his town, and that he had been spending a lot of time watching over the miners from what Father told me. There must have been something going wrong for Nicholas to be out there overseeing everything himself. 

It wasn't long at all before I'd ran into Nicholas for the first time since I'd stormed out of his house all those years ago. I was making my way back out of the mines when he had crossed my path. I stopped, startled by seeing him. "Oh, uh Nicholas! Hello. You're looking well." I had no clue what to say, all I knew was that was the most awkward encounter I'd ever had. "You look like you haven't aged a day, actually." I looked up again when my brain had registered what I'd just said. "Well, I guess you wouldn't have, would you?" The embarrassment grew with every words that escaped my lips. I decided I needed to just shut the hell up, but Nicholas spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

"I didn't know you came down here. It's nice to see you, Sylvia. You've grown quite well." He eyed my body up and down. Did he really just do that? I gasped and he continued. "I see you haven't lost your passion for exploring dark caves, huh?" He chucked joyfully, easing the discomfort, then got a serious look in his eyes. "I have missed you, I hope you know that. I never stopped worrying about you or watching over you from afar to be sure nothing happened to you. I'm not sure it matters to you at all, but I wanted you to know either way. I truly did care for you, Sylvia. Just because I'm physically different than you doesn't make it any less painful for me to lose someone that's important to me, or to live with the fact that I lied to you. I apologize. Whether or not you forgive me is up to you, but I really would enjoy being able to speak with you every once in a while again. I'll leave you to your exploring now, have a great day, Sylvia. Be safe." Nicholas was about to turn and walk away when I did something that I never would have expected myself to do. I lunged toward him and wrapped my arms around his wait, squeezing as tightly as I possibly could while a single tear dropped from my cheek to his shirt. 

"Nicholas..." I had to steady my breathing to keep from weeping in that moment. "I've missed you too. I don't know what got into me that day, but I never should have left like I did. All I had to do was think for a moment and then you followed me out to the kitchen, and I thought you were going to do something to me. I was scared you wanted to kill me for knowing your secret and not wanting to stay around, but all I wanted to do was stay with you. You were my best friend, Nicholas." He pushed my body back from his for a moment to look me in the eyes, and I tried as hard as I could to keep from crying. I swear I could have seen a tear drop from his face as well, but as soon as I'd seen it, it was gone. 

"Sylvia, will you stay with me now? You don't understand how it was for me. I don't age like you do. Ten years feels like ten minutes to me, I've felt the pain of you leaving every single moment since. It took everything I had to not burst through your door to bring you back to me so many times." I nodded my head, agreeing to spend my time with him once again, and shoved my way past his arms to wrap myself around him again. His body felt cool against my skin, but I wouldn't let go. I felt more loved and needed in that moment than I ever had before. I needed it back. I didn't want to go on without it. As much as I'd tried to convince myself over the years that it hadn't hurt me, all that time was wasted. 

"Nicholas, I'm not going anywhere this time, I promise you that. I accept who you are, and what you are doesn't change that even in the slightest bit." I couldn't see him with my face buried in his chest, but I could tell he was smiling, just from the way his embrace softened. 

"You're old enough now, would you come and stay with me in my home? I think I'd very much like to have you around all the time. You would be able to continue on with your lessons if you'd like." I mumbled the word "yes" through his chest, and yet refused to let go of him. "You know, I didn't expect this to happen today, but I'm so very glad it did. I've been waiting for this moment since the day you left, Pup." Hearing him use his silly little nicknames for me warmed my heart. I felt as if I could just melt in his arms. The happiness I'd felt was more radiant than anything I had felt in years. This was where I needed to be, I just knew it. Nothing could tear me from him again, I was sure of it. "Young one, I've got to get back to my duties out here. Are you alright to navigate your way out of here by yourself?"

"I think I can manage. I'll be at your house when you arrive back home, if that's alright?" 

"Of course it is alright, Pup!" He hugged me tight one last time before turning to head back farther into the mines. "I can't wait to see you later! We'll catch up more!" I turned and found myself smiling cheerfully as I made my way back through the mine shaft and to town. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I knew one thing for sure, I was never going to let Nicholas go this time, or more rather let myself leave him. 

I'd arrived back at Nicholas's house shortly after with a sack full of my clothing and a few other items in tow. I entered through the door and searched for where to put my things. Not much had changed there much at all, everything was still in the same place. I made my way to the room Nicholas had put a bed in years ago for me on the nights that I would stay over at his house, and found it empty. There was no longer a bed, no dresser for me to put my clothes in, even the clothes I had left here had been taken out. I laid my sack on the floor and made my way back to the study where I sat on the comfortable chair he had sitting at his desk and drifted off into sleep while waiting for his return. 

I was startled awake some time later when I heard Nicholas burst through the door, calling my name. I smiled at the sound of his voice, and rose from the chair to go see him. I approached Nicholas standing in the doorway, his hair looking disheveled and his clothing covered in dirt. He definitely did not look as excited to see me. A somber expression loomed over his face as he peered into my eyes. 

"What's wrong? This isn't like you to not be in good spirits, you're nothing like you were earlier."

"We need to go back to the mines. One of the mineshafts caved in, Sylvia." My heart skipped a beat.

"Was Father in--" He nodded his head and without hesitation, I ran past him and started sprinting toward the mines as fast as I could push myself. I had to make sure he was okay. If Nichols was already this dirty, he would have tried to help. I didn't have time to think as I ran. I just kept going until my lungs were gasping for air, and yet I continued to push on. 

I finally arrived at the mine, and darted into the mouth of the cave without thinking. Nicholas quickly caught up to me, calling out behind me that it was dangerous and that I needed to wait for him, but I couldn't. I had to go in, I had to see that Father was alright. 

"Where is he Nicholas?" I screamed while panting. Each breathe stung more than the last as I breathed in the dust from the collapsed mine shaft farther down. "Tell me, NOW!" I kept going, now waiting for an answer. Nicholas finally caught up and pulled me back to him, pushing me behind him so he could go first and lead the way. 

"Stay behind me Sylvia. If anything happens, I will protect you. This didn't just happen on accident. Someone did this purposely. Be cautious." I slowed down until my breathing slowed with my movements. I was itching to find Father, but I needed to obey Nicholas, I knew he would be my only chance at staying safe. My heart was leaping through my chest as we approached the mine shaft that had been sabotaged It was the mineshaft that all the miners had been mining in earlier. Nicholas quickly ran up to the wreckage and started pulling rocks out of the way, digging his way through the piles of dirt and stone. He pushed and pulled rocks aside until we were able to step through the doorway, only to find rocks scattered all over the place. Nearly everyone that had been in there had been injured or killed by the rocks falling on them. Father was nowhere to be seen, though. I wouldn't give up, and I think Nicholas already knew that as well. I continued digging with his help and kept making my way down the shaft until we finally reached the end of it. 

There was only one person left in here, and without seeing his face, I already knew it was Father. His body had been nearly entirely covered in rocks. All that was visible was his legs and feet, but he was wearing the trousers I'd laid out for him that morning, the ones I had sewn patches into the weekend before, and the same boots he wore to work everyday. I closed my eyes hard and started bawling. He wasn't moving. There was no way he could have survived that. If the impact of the rocks hadn't killed him instantly, he would have suffocated. I didn't know what to do. I was unable to even pick myself up off the ground where I'd collapsed. 

Nicholas lifted me up into his arms and whispered in my ear, "My dear Sylvia, I'll take care of all this. You need to go back home and rest. I will seal off the mines and remove the bodies so they can have proper burials. Can you walk home?" I continued crying so hard I barely had time to breathe between sobs. Nicholas didn't say another words as he started back out toward the mouth of the caves, carrying me still. He took me home and laid me in his bed, kissing me on the forehead before leaving again. I just lied awake, unable to move, unable to breathe or think. I felt numb. I never could have foreseen this happening or prepared for the heartbreak I'd have to feel. Why him? Why did it have to be Father? Why couldn't it have been anyone else? Why couldn't he have just been injured like so many others? 

Nicholas returned and tried to console me, but there was no use. I was entirely unresponsive. His words sounded muffled, and I couldn't bring my eyes to focus on anything. I was lost in my own head, a prisoner of my grief and pain. Nicholas realized quickly that trying to help me at that time was of no use, and laid down next to me in his bed and wrapped his arms around me until I was finally able to fall back asleep. 

My dreams were riddled with Father's screams along with mine. I couldn't tell you how many times I'd awoke, screaming and covered in sweat, until I finally fell into a deep enough sleep that I could no longer dream. I enjoyed the vast nothingness that riddles my mind.