“Anton! Anton!” He heard his name shouted from a far-off place. He wanted to open his eyes but could not. Something was wrong with them. He felt as if an enormous weight was pressing down on his eyelids. And even when he managed to pry them open, his world was still shrouded in darkness.

“Anton!” the voice cried out again.

Slowly, his memory returned. The voice belonged to Daniel. Uncle Dmitri had sent them to explore the cave’s tunnels. And he had thought he might have found a back way out of the cave. And then the rocks fell. Though his head ached, he was glad he could remember what had happened. It must mean he was not terribly injured.

“Anton!” Daniel called again.

Anton tried to answer but his voice was an awkward croak. His mouth and throat were clogged with dust. When he coughed, pain shot through his ribs and head. The weight of the fallen rocks pressed down on top of him, holding him immobile.

“I’m here,” he moaned.

“Are you injured?”

“I don’t … maybe … my ribs … I don’t know for sure,” he said.

“Can you move?”

Feeling was slowly returning to Anton’s extremities; he didn’t think anything was broken, but his ribs hurt and his head was pounding. He tried moving his legs and arms. Nothing budged. He was completely pinned beneath the stones. He coughed to clear his throat of the dust and mud.

“I don’t think so. The rocks are too heavy.”

“Hold on!”

Daniel grunted and Anton heard the grinding sound of rocks sliding against one another above him. He tried again to move his legs and arms, but they were still stuck.

“Can you move now?” Daniel asked. Anton could tell that his friend was frightened.

“Daniel, I don’t think I’m seriously injured. Be careful that you do not hurt yourself. These rocks could still shift. I don’t want you to get trapped, too.”

Daniel did not answer. Anton could hear him straining as he struggled to move the stones between them. As the minutes passed, the ache in Anton’s ribs worsened and he could only take short, shallow breaths.

“Anton, the rocks are too big for me lift by myself. I’m going to have to go back for help.”

The thought scared Anton. He would be left alone in the dark and unable to move. Yet he could think of no other option. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but the ache in his lungs made tranquility impossible. “Please hurry.”

As Daniel scurried away, the sound of his footsteps faded into what felt like impenetrable silence.

But once Anton got used to the solitude, he began to notice things he would normally overlook. The drip of water on stone. The squish of mud beneath his legs. Rustle. Swish. Flap. He was not alone after all. He was sure he heard the skittering claws of a rat moving over the rocks above. Anton tried to remain calm, but the fact that he could not move terrified him.

He lurched his chest upward as hard as he could, straining to push the rocks off him, but it was no use. He would not be able to move without help. If the spot he had discovered, where the rocks had fallen, was a way to the surface, then rats and mice and snakes and all manner of creatures would use it to enter and leave the cave.

Something chirped in the darkness. Skree! Skree! He recognized the rat’s call. They were plentiful in the granary and barn at home. Ordinarily, he would not give a rat a second thought. He’d set a trap or rely on the barn cat they had to keep the rats under control. But this was different.

Here he was flat on his back. If the rat had friends—which they usually did—they could make a meal of Anton at their leisure. Perhaps if he lay completely still, if he controlled his breathing, they would leave him alone.

Yet the more he attempted to remain calm, the more nervous he became. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He wished more than anything for a light so he could see his enemy before it attacked.

Skree, skree, skree, came the sound again. The rat was creeping closer.

“Stop!” Anton hissed. His voice was quickly swallowed up in echoes off the thick stone walls.

Skree, the rat replied. Anton wanted to shout, but he did not dare. What if a platoon of Nazis was patrolling above? No, he must be brave. It was only a rat, after all. It was not the gestapo. It was just a rat.

He pushed against the rocks that pinned down his feet, and somehow one of them actually moved! It was only a small crack, but to Anton it may as well have been an open door. The mud must have settled and freed some space. Working his right foot back and forth, he pushed again at the small boulder and moved it a little farther. Another push and the rock rolled off his foot. The lower half of his leg was free! Anton felt as if he had won a gold medal. Rock pushing was not an Olympic sport, but if it were, Anton would be the champion!

He placed his right foot on the rock pinning his left foot and pushed again. But this boulder was bigger. It wouldn’t budge. He tried pressing his foot on the floor of the cave and pushing upward to see if he could slide the rocks off his upper body. The effort took every bit of energy he had. He strained and shoved, but nothing moved. He paused to catch his breath.

Skree!

He’d almost forgotten about the rat. At least his foot was now free. If the rat came close enough, he might be able to stomp it.

Anton had no idea how much time had passed. Surely, Daniel was coming back with help by now. A dark thought entered Anton’s mind. What if Daniel had gotten lost? They had clearly marked the way, but Daniel was anxious in the best of circumstances. What if his fear distracted him into taking a wrong turn?

Skree. Skree.

Enough of this, Daniel thought to himself. He ground his teeth, put his right foot against the boulder pinning his left leg, and heaved with all his might. Just as he was about to give up, he felt the boulder move just a few millimeters.

“Yes!” he groaned.

Skree. He did not think the rat was cheering his success.

Taking a deep breath, he wedged his foot against the boulder again and shoved. The rock teetered for a moment, then rolled over. His left leg was free. It was cramped and shaking with exertion, but free.

“Praise God!” he sighed.

His upper body was still pinned. The rat was out there in the darkness somewhere. But he was winning. If only he could somehow get one of his arms free.

Skree.

“No, Mr. Rat,” Anton whispered. “You will not make a meal of me.”

Suddenly, another noise startled him. It was coming from farther down the passage. Footsteps.

“Anton! Anton!” Daniel called. “We are coming.”

“It looks like you are outnumbered, Mr. Rat,” Anton whispered. He heard the rat scamper away.