seven

when he awoke, he spoke to no one for days, weeks even. his parents sought out experts on the tunnels, trying to find out what may have caused this lack of communication. they were told the stories of ghosts, the slave trade, prostitution, of the many horrible tales to come from those unholy halls. then they brought in therapists, priests and ministers, to talk to and pray over their child, to try and get him to speak of what he had seen. they seemed desperate to know.

but the boy never spoke of what he saw. after a couple weeks, he did speak again, but never once did he tell a soul what he experienced. of course, his parents continued to occasionally press him for answers, but every time they asked him any question about his time away, he would refrain from speaking altogether. over time, they let the subject go. their son was back, that had to be enough for them.

life moved on, another mystery created and unsolved. and yes, as you may have guessed, that boy was me.