Love's Helper

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Minnie was bending over as she made her way into the underground tunnel leading between her house to the storm cellar next door. Her guardian angel warned her she was in danger. Her stepfather and two of his friends were in the living room drinking and talking loudly. Minnie heard them say her name several times. She had been afraid to go out the front door by them, but she knew of another way out, so she grabbed her backpack and stuffed a couple of changes of clothes, her phone, and purse in it. Minnie put on her coat and picked up a flashlight. She went into the closet and pushed the button on the side of the wooden box holding extra blankets. The box slid out to show the opening below.

Minnie climbed down the stairs and lay her backpack down. She then climbed back up and pushed the button to move the box back in place. and turned the lock to keep the box from being opened from above.

While she was standing there on the stairs, she heard someone enter her room. She stood very still, not daring to move.

“Hey, Arnie, I thought you said the girl was in her room,” shouted one of her stepfather’s friends.

Minnie heard more footsteps.

“She must have gone somewhere when I was in the bathroom,” said Arnie. “No matter, we’ll catch her when she comes back.”

“Yeah, okay,” said his friend.

Minnie heard footsteps go out. They must have left the door open. Minnie did not hear it close. She sat quietly in the dark tunnel, holding her breath in case one of them came back.

The tunnel had been dug ten years before by her brother and his friends, Sandy and Sal Mase. The boys had dug the tunnel and built the storm shelters during the summer while they were out of school. Bobby had made her promise not to tell anyone about the tunnel. Minnie had known about the tunnel from the time it was built. The boys had let her help by watching out for anyone coming while they were working underground. She was nine at the time and would do anything for her big brother and his friends. Minnie and Bobby’s mother had been at work. She worked at the school as a janitor. Summer school was in session, so she didn’t get off for the summer. She was glad for the paycheck.

The Mase boys’ mother was at home, but she only knew about the storm shelter in their back yard. She did not know about the tunnel or about the storm shelter room the boys had built underneath Bobby’s room. The boys had built a secret door in Bobby’s closet. It had stairs leading down into the room and the tunnel.

The Mase boys had worked part time with their father in his construction business. He had given them left over material to build the storm shelter with. He had not known they were building one for Bobby, too. The tunnel was hidden from view. The boys had built a hidden door in the side of the Mase storm shelter so their mother or father would not see the tunnel when they came to see their storm shelter.

Minnie was hoping the tunnel was still in good shape. It had not been used in a long time. When Bobby had moved out and got his own place, after going to work at the newspaper, the room had become Minnie’s.

Minnie eased down the stairs, quietly, making sure not to make any noise. She picked up her backpack and, turning on the flashlight, she bent over and started down the small tunnel toward the storm shelter in the Mase’s back yard.