“Why are you so interested in plants anyway?” Derek asked

Samuel paused before answering him.

“Here is an example of the way I look at things. Most people credit fire or the wheel as the catalyst that changed us from cavemen to countries. In reality the discovery and development of agriculture is what changed the destiny of the human race forever. When humans finally had the chance to put down roots…” He winked.”...they began the creation of wonders. But the first wonder was changing wild plants into domesticated crops. It was virtually magic, before people had a written language they genetically engineered wheat.”

During his short but passionate speech his friend Derek had assumed the same blank look he did whenever Samuel talked about his major. 

“I regret asking. Sure magic wheat is cool but you think you are going to get any girls talking about the length of stems in pea plants? You’ll bore even the nerds with how you go on.” Derek teased.

“Doesn’t matter the subject we start on, you always seem to talk about women, which bores me to tears. How do you even talk to them when you wear one down enough to go on a date with you? Since you also have a grand total of one conversation topic yourself I can't imagine you do anything but wax poetic on the shape of her breasts.” Samuel ribbed him right back

“See this is part of what I’m talking about. Who calls them breasts? It's like you’re a time traveling farmer from the 19th century.” 

Samuel dramatically looked back and forth. “How didst thou guess? Methought myself perfectly hidden amongst ye.” 

They had just grabbed dinner at a fast food place joking and talking. They’d been friends since the third grade, grew up in the same neighborhood with almost the same deadbeat parents. Only difference was Derek’s mom drank while Samuel’s did cocaine. Even though they were fairly different in personality, they had always been the only constant in each other's lives. 

They were walking down the street leading toward their dorm as the sun dipped behind the taller buildings downtown. Long streaks of day’s last light shadowed the ground. One by one they disappeared as the sun sank lower. Until one stretched long right down the center of the road, highlighting a particular manhole cover. Or, what looked like one anyway. Samuel and Derek were still talking and laughing as they crossed the street, approaching the manhole cover bathed in the singular streak of gold. If they had been paying attention, they would have noticed it twitch several times as they got closer. 

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

But instead Samuel stepped right on top of it. As he went to continue his stride, his foot stuck tight to the “metal” cover and he nearly fell over. 

“What in the…” Samuel muttered as he looked down and noticed his foot slowly sinking through the solid “metal”. An eerie laugh suddenly rang out, or more accurately, creeped him out. 

“What the *bleep*”(Your humble narrator never liked that word. Why insult someone with a word that sounds so much like waterfowl? As such you will not see it in this text. Until I forget of course.)  “-is wrong with your foot?” Derek yelled. He immediately bent down and grabbed hold of Samuel’s leg with both hands and attempted to heave it out of the rather handsome manhole cover. When that achieved jack diddly (A much better exclamation in my opinion) he tried and failed to let go of his leg. Another laugh echoed around the street from seemingly nowhere and both Samuel’s leg and now Derek began to sink faster. 

Derek and Samuel continued to struggle fruitlessly for a few moments before they stopped and looked at eachother, Derek craning his neck from being stuck bent over. “You know, this is a rather dumb way to die.” Samuel remarked. 

“Ha, that’s what you think. This is obviously a drug trip from someone spiking my shake. Being this hot has its disadvantages.” Derek theorized

“Ah yes the infamous McDonalds date rape strategy.” Samuel deadpanned.

“Do you really want sarcasm to be your last words?” Derek asked

“Of course.” Samuel said with a grin.

They were both quite terrified, but the masculine urge to hide their fear was just too strong. That and the situation was a little too ridiculous for shrieking terror. Although the inner thoughts of both of them sounded a little like this; “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT.” They both knew what eachother was thinking from long familiarity (some would say too much) but both refused to let it show.

And so they slowly sank deeper into the hole. Right before Derek’s head disappeared he looked at Samuel and said, serious for the moment, “See you on the other side. At least we go together.”

“Like we always do.” Samuel replied.

The body parts that had already sank beneath the lid felt… gone. No feeling at all. As soon as Derek’s head passed beneath the lid Samuel began screaming and crying simultaneously. How no cars or people passed he had no idea. This had to have been going on for 15 minutes. Finally he too sank beneath, and all that was left was an empty street.