I Have a Tunnel

I was supposed to have the crew come during the first week of June to brick in my patio. Unfortunately, we had a spate of rain and the work was postponed and postponed until, of course, a crappy week. It could have been worse, I guess. They could have manifested last week. So, yesterday found me in a nervous state while shovels and a small backhoe ripped apart my back yard.

And, as with all contract work, nothing goes to plan or estimate. The crew found that the topsoil was far deeper than assumed. Normally, they told me, the topsoil only extends downwards about 8 inches. Mine descends through several feet of the Earth. That meant more gravel fill would be needed under the brick and, therefore, more money. Ok. If that was all that would happen, I would count myself lucky.

Seated on the upstairs throne, I hear the disconcerting sound of machinery against brick. My patio already has a bricked section (used as my parking space), and that was to remain intact. My heart starts to pound as I begin to fear they've wrecked the existing brickwork. Wipe. Flush. Open mini-blinds. See big hole.

Strangely, the big hole is surrounded by some very nice brickwork forming what looks like a rounded enclosure. I have a tunnel. This town is known to have tunnels running here and there and various underground chambers. First, it was a shipping and merchant town. Storage and transport of legal and illegal goods was part of daily business. Further, it did function in the Underground Railroad system. The guy who broke into this structure first thought it was an old well, but examination showed it had an extensive horizontal run. Of course, its not totally open anymore; you can't jump into it and run around. However, it's course can be visualized and it definitely runs into this house and appears to intersect with my neighbor's side of the basement.

So, the hole is going to be plugged with largish stones and nothing else has been touched. They stopped digging at that level, leaving the rest undisturbed. Even though it is no longer in any condition to be functional, it seemed a shame to desecrate it further. So, it will be covered with gravel and brick and again go into hiding. Always fun to have a little mystery. Priestess Sci and the Secret Tunnel. Where is J.K. Rowling when you need her?