As they continued to press forward, they came across some crystal-coated mine carts sitting quietly near rail tracks, with the ceiling having wires hanging and dangling from it.
“Interesting,” Ruth said, scratching his chin. “They might take us out of here if we’re lucky, so let’s hop in.”
“But wait, why are they shiny looking?” Antonio questioned. He wasn’t too fond of getting into those intimidating mine carts. “And who’s pushing the carts for us? Those vehicles don’t seem to be very light.”
“I will. We may not look like it, but Orso Loobas are vigorous and reliable. Hang on.”
Tommy and Maggie entered a minecart while Antonio and Ruth went to the other one. As promised, the bear pushed the vehicles over to the tracks. Once he had momentum going in his cart, he jumped in. The carts hovered off the ground momentarily as the suspending wires gently guided them onto the tracks.
As Tommy, Maggie, Antonio, and Ruth rode on the carts, they enjoyed watching the dazzling display of color that moved past them. Glowing crystals attached from the ceiling, walls, and floors, each of them being a variety of hues and saturation. They were much more prominent and shinier looking compared to the ones from before.
Maggie wondered if perhaps those shards could help. She pondered about reaching from inside her cart to at least touch one of them and see if she could use their powers for their own benefit, but Tommy advised against this. She might topple the cart over or could get hurt. Maggie thought about it and sighed in defeat, staying in the vehicle and pouting.
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Just then, with no warning, the wagons wobbled and made loud creaking sounds. Tommy saw that Maggie wasn’t the cause. What caused the vehicles to act up? Were they too heavy? Are the carts too old to capacitate and operate anymore?
The wires on the wagons snapped, leaving the mine carts to move at colossal speed and with no way to control.
The mine cars swerved around on different tracks as they tried their best to hang on. Ruth lost his balance and fell off of the mine cart, landing on the one with Tommy and Maggie. The three of them were now crammed into a single small cart as Antonio’s cart started heading for an unfinished track straight off the cliff.
Everyone panicked as the tracks intertwined for a short while. Maggie squeezed herself out of the cart and extended her arms so Antonio could grab hold. Antonio looked over in confusion.
“Come on, take my hands, and jump!” Maggie shouted.
“I don’t know if I can make it!” Antonio whined, clinging onto the edges of the cart.
“Just hurry, and I’ll catch—”
He leaned out toward her outstretched arms when a bump caused her to fall off her cart and land squarely in the cart that Antonio rode in. The wagons and tracks separated again as they neared the end of the tracks.
“Maggie, Antonio!” Tommy and Ruth cried out as they saw the other cart fly off the tracks while their friends tried desperately to hang on their cart as they fell.
“NOO!” Tommy screamed in despair.
Ruth looked over at what’s in front of them and panicked once more. “Oh no, we better hang on tightly because this is going to be a rough—”
Before the bear could finish, the two entered a drop. It felt like the mine cart was a wild roller coaster with no seat belts. The tracks went in zigzags, loop de loops, and long drops until the paths disappeared altogether. The two held on for dear life as they both tumbled and fell into the dark abyss.