Sulfur Springs

Chapter Seven

“No way!” Tommy stepped closer to the hole and placed his hands on his hips. “It’s huge!”

“I know. I’m speechless.” Victoria shook her head, incredulous at her find. Although there probably wasn’t any archaeological significance to the sinkhole, her fascination with geology piqued her curiosity to explore.

“This is so cool. We don’t get these in Scotland.” Stepping carefully, Tommy walked along the perimeter of the hole.

“We don’t get these in Charleston, either. Remember, Florida originally came from Africa before the tectonic plates shifted.” Placing her hands on her hips, she followed Tommy around the circumference of the sinkhole. She estimated that the hole was at least one hundred feet in diameter, and fifty feet deep.

“One hundred feet across, at least.” He pointed.

“I reckon.” Cringing for letting her Southern slang slip out, she recalled the recent news stories about sinkholes in Florida.

“My mother said there have been a lot of sinkholes in the news, about two or three a month.”

“The water table must be low.” He walked around to the opposite side of the hole.

“I’ll say. I wonder if Disney knows about this?”

“Probably not. They’re lucky this didn’t happen in one of the parks. We’re so close to the Magic Kingdom.” He waved his arm towards the direction of Cinderella’s Castle.

“Should we tell someone?” She regretted the question because her curiosity made her want to jump right in and explore.

“Maybe, eventually, but I’m dying to explore this hole. You Americans with their bureaucratic red tape would keep us from exploring.” Tommy pointed at her.

Phew. "Don't tell Jiminy Cricket."

He laughed. Stepping on a tree, which lay horizontal, Tommy tested his weight. “I think we can climb down. There’s a bunch of uprooted trees that fell into the sinkhole.” He extended his hand to hers.

“What about our golf cart and clubs?” She remembered how they got here in the first place, her sliced drive into the woods from the second tee.

“I booked the last tee time of the day. That’s how I knew there was no one behind us.”

“Oh, cool. We have time to explore.” She took his hand and walked on the horizontal timber.

“At least until the sunlight runs out.”

“It must’ve happened recently, because these pine needles are still green.” Letting go of Tommy, she pointed to the tops of the trees.

“Easy there. I’d say don’t look down, but we have to in order to climb down all of these trees.”

“I’ve climbed worse heights than this.” Looking down, she could almost see the bottom. “Besides, even if we fall, a tree branch would break our fall before we hit the bottom.”

“I don’t suppose you have a flashlight with you?” His expression pleaded.

“In the hotel, of course, but I think we can get down without one.” She sat down on the limb, reached down to the next tree with her leg, and climbed one level down.

“Okay, I’ll follow you then. It’s your find, after all.”

“Our find, if there’s anything to find.” She grabbed the next branch below and eased herself down another level.

“Hey, wait up, you little monkey.” He followed her down the same route.

“I practically lived in trees growing up.” Recalling her childhood summers in Charleston’s gigantic oak trees, she descended two more levels with ease.

“We won’t have much sunlight soon.” He pointed to the rapidly setting sun.

“I know, but we can always come back tomorrow with our gear.” Climbing her way to the center and then down again, she easily traversed the next three levels.

“What do you think is down there?” Tommy asked from two levels above.

“Caves.” Her curiosity, and short time frame, aided her rapid descent to the bottom.

"Caves?"

“Underground caverns. Think back to Geology 101 in college. Sinkholes are caused by underground caverns filled with water. When the water level drops, the cavern system weakens and sometimes the ground above collapses in. The ground in central Florida is riddled with limestone caverns. The underground is like swiss cheese, filled with holes,” she recited a section of her college geology textbook from memory.

“Ah, so you’re hoping that this sinkhole will expose an entrance to an underground cave system.”

Jumping down off the last tree trunk, she hit the soft pine needles covering the ground. Standing up, she surveyed the bottom of the hole. Exploring the bottom of the once water-filled cavern, she peered through the waning sunlight. A seven-foot hole in the cavern wall beckoned her.

She smiled. “I love being right!”