A Crack in the Timber

I didn't hike back through the briars just to admire a rusted ring in the mud. I planted both boots against the slippery stone rim of the well, hooked the fork of my dowsing stick through the iron loop for extra grip, and threw my entire weight backward. The rotted pine gave a wet, screeching groan as the center plank pulled free of its corroded spikes. Before the lid could drop back down, I kicked a thick slab of slate straight into the gap. A blast of freezing air smelling of deep mud and dark water rushed into my face, revealing a heavy iron chain anchored right beneath the stone lip.