The CAVE of Good Hope

By Ernie Rich

About the Book

Dan Goodwell, a troubled man, has been following subtle signs that indicate the possible re-occurrence of the Little Ice Age, a time of dangerous social upheaval. He conceives a plan to protect his family from the approaching danger. A second group finds a different a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ernest J Rich
• Release date: Feb 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781087934884

Book preview

The CAVE of

Good Hope

By

Ernie Rich

Copyright © 2021

Ernie Rich

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopy, recording, scanning, and methods not invented or in common use at the time of this publication, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing 2021

ISBN: 978-1-0879-3488-4

Table of Contents

THE CAVE OF GOOD HOPE  (Introduction)

DAN’S NEW LIFE  (Introduction Continued)

CLAIRE  (Introduction Continued)

THE LOVERS MEET  (Introduction continued)

THE CAVE OF GOOD HOPE Prologue

Chapter One FATEFUL DECISION

Pottstown Grande Caverns

Owner and Proprietor

Chapter Two

Chapter Three POTTSVILLE, ALABAMA

Chapter Four 13 PROVIDENCE WAY, GLENDALE, MASS

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Heat Distribution in Cave

Things The Cave Must Be Supplied With:

Chapter Sixteen THE FORGOTTEN ROAD

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen PREPARING THE CAVE

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two BAD BOY BOBBY JOHN

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four THE INTRUDER

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six DESHAWN AND THE NEW BABY

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One RUMBLING THUNDER

Chapter Thirty-Two PROGRESSING

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine DESHAWN FIGHTS

*Chapter Forty WOUNDED DESHAWN

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven WILLARD RESCUED AGAIN

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Five

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-One

Chapter Sixty-Two

Chapter Sixty-Three INFATUATION

Chapter Sixty-Four MUSINGS

Chapter Sixty-Five THE CARAVAN STARTS OUT

Chapter Sixty-Six DEPARTURE

Chapter Sixty-Seven THE CARAVAN STOPS

Chapter Sixty-Eight THE TRAITOR RETURNS

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Chapter Seventy

Chapter Seventy-One

Chapter Seventy-Two

Chapter Seventy-Three

Chapter Seventy-Four

Chapter Seventy-Five

Chapter Seventy-Six DESHAWN NEGOTIATES

Chapter Seventy-Seven FAREEDA’S COUNSEL

Reference

Epilogue

THE CAVE OF GOOD HOPE

(Introduction)

Young Daniel Goodwell stretched and yawned as he got out of bed. He stared out the small window of their upstairs bedroom. The early morning air was brisk as the Massachusetts sun burned away the remnants of mists rising from the gently rolling hills of the D&L Acres horse farm.

Brian, rise and shine. I smell breakfast. I bet I’ll be dressed and be downstairs before you.

He was wrong.

His brother woke up quickly, and pulled on the clothes he had laid out on the chair next to his bed.

The younger boy laughed as he jumped in front of his brother as they both raced for the stairwell.

At the breakfast table in the kitchen, Daniel Goodwell, Sr., was sipping his coffee as he looked with pride at the two handsome young boys; their hearty breakfast rested on the table before them. An aproned mother, Lucille, stood back a little away from the group. She was holding her own modest breakfast in her hands. She smiled and sat down, joining the group that was waiting for the start of the prayer before the meal. Heads were bowed, Grace was recited, and the boys began to eat with gusto.

Daniel, Jr. was fifteen and exceeded his brother Brian’s age by a year and a half. Young Dan was the more serious of the two boys. Brian was bright, mischievous and somewhat hyperactive. Dan was very protective of his younger brother. The bond between them seemed unbreakable.

Finish up, boys, if you want to get your horseback riding in before you have to leave for school, said the mother. Don’t forget to give your horses a little hay before you start out.

Okay, Mom. We’re only going to be out on the trail for about a half-hour.

The boys hurried out to the stable and entered the tack room.

I’m going to ride Midnight, declared Brian.

"I don’t think he’s a good horse for you. He’s too skittish, and you’ve never ridden him before. I haven’t even ridden him."

I can handle him. I’ve been petting him, whispering to him, and rubbing him down. He likes me.

Liking you is one thing. Riding him is something else. Dad says he’s unpredictable. Look, you could ride Pepper… he’s spirited but not so skittish,

No, I want to ride Midnight. He’s so beautiful.

Dan hesitated, but then gave in.

Okay, but be careful, and use your regular stirrups. Those on Midnight are too large. Your foot could slip.

I’ll be fine… and I’ll be careful.

Let’s give them a little hay. That should calm both our horses down.

The boys retrieved their saddles from the tack room and mounted their horses. Brian slipped his left foot into the stirrup, and easily hopped up onto Midnight. The stallion shuddered a little, but Brian patted the horse’s neck and scratched his ears, and Midnight turned slightly to look back at his rider.

Dan gave Onyx, his black male, a soft pat on the hip and mounted him carefully. Onyx responded with a soft whinny.

Dan usually preferred for Brian to take the lead. That way, Dan could watch for any signs of distress in the horse or rider. It was a beautiful day, and the woods were alive with cheerful sounds. Birds fluttered and trilled, and small animals scampered off as the riders approached. Brian was using a soft trot, relaxing to both the horse and the rider. Brian was savoring the feeling of success in doing well on this spirited stallion that was showing no signs of skittishness.

As the two boys continued down the trail, they entered a wooded section. The lead horse reared up suddenly as it saw a timber rattlesnake on the side of the trail. The younger brother was struck by a low-hanging branch, and was unseated. The horse bolted, but the young boy’s foot was caught in the stirrup. He was being dragged to the ground by the runaway horse.

Dan saw his brother frantically reaching out to grasp the boles of the small trees that sped past him. Those he managed to catch hold of were torn from his grasp. Dan spurred his animal to race after his brother. He reached the boy’s side and leaped down and grabbed onto his brother’s trailing leg. Dan tried desperately to pull himself forward to free his brother’s foot from the stirrup, but the lead horse was sprinting erratically.

Dan’s head was dragging on the rough ground, and it was tearing off of a large patch of hair from the side of his scalp. His legs were flailing uncontrollably. Saplings along the path were being bent and fractured as the horse wildly zigzagged along the path.

One of the horse’s hind legs caught a stout sapling. It snapped, leaving a spear-like section of the stump jutting forward. As the horse moved past, the stump-spear snapped backward and was now threatening the two boys being dragged along the path. It missed the first boy but was now at the perfect angle to penetrate the leg of the second boy. It gouged out a large piece of muscle from Dan’s thigh and the spear sprang back up and was left behind bearing a piece of Dan’s torn and bloody flesh.

Dan, still struggling to pull himself up against his brother’s body, reached desperately for the boy’s foot, still trapped in the stirrup. The frantic horse zigzagged back and forth across the narrow trail, dragging the boys in the same zigzag pattern. Suddenly, a large tree stump appeared on the edge of the path. With a ferocious jerk, the leather strap holding the stirrup snapped, releasing the two boys from their ensnared predicament. They came to an abrupt stop, and Dan lay panting on the trail. Are you okay, Brian? Dan shouted.

But there was no reply.

DAN’S NEW LIFE

(Introduction Continued)

Second cousin… once removed. That’s all Lucille was to me… but the State said I’m the closest relative to her kid that they could find… the only relative they could find, said Great Aunt Esmeraude to herself. ‘It’s your duty to care for him till he comes of age,’ they said.

So I’m stuck with taking care of him until he’s eighteen! Damn, I’ve got my own worries without taking care of her kid for the next two years.

The gray-haired woman shifted her feet, grumbled, and, still speaking aloud to herself, changed the subject.

That husband of mine… well, I guess I should be saying ‘Rest his soul….’

"But I cooked and slaved for him for forty-five years, and he up and died on me… left me alone to fend for myself.

Well, I got me this house, such as it is, and his investments… stocks and bonds and stuff…

Damn those investments! We could’ve had a better life, done more things. But he kept putting all our extra money into those bonds and stuff instead. I wanted to have more fun in life. Now I’m too damn old.

I guess I should thank him for those investments. They’ll keep me okay if I skimp enough. And his SS money helps. But I’m stuck watching Lucille’s kid now.

There was a knock on the door, and when she opened it, she saw before her a tall and lanky young boy accompanied by a buxom, official-looking woman.

May I come in, Ma’am? I’m Margaret Hernandez from the Children’s Service, and this is Mr. Daniel Goodwell, Jr. I guess you were expecting him? We sent you the letter….

Yeah, yeah. Come on in.

Would you like to talk a bit? Do you have any questions? I know the lawyer assigned to this case met with you, so you should know what your duties are. But first, please, I need you to sign here that I delivered Daniel to you in good health.

Great Aunt Esmeraude grabbed the paper and signed it without looking at it, and handed it back to the Children’s Service Agent.

"Don’t have no questions. I know what I have to do for the boy. Till he’s eighteen.

You can go.

The woman looked chagrinned and left. Dan stepped inside, and his aunt closed the door.

Daniel stared at his aunt briefly and set his suitcase down. He approached her to thank her, and attempted to give her a hug.

Whoa, I ain’t no hugger. Come into the parlor now. I need to talk to you.

In the parlor, there was an old-fashioned sofa covered with clear plastic, and a straight-back chair set off to one side.

"Sit.

You need to know my house rules.

She peered in fascination at the scar on Daniel’s head.

"That ugly patch on your head… that come from the horse accident? Hurt your leg, too, I hear. You don’t look like you have a limp, though.

"Seems your parents could have taken better care of that younger brother of yours. You could have watched out for him better, too.

Damn shame what happened. They say your mother died of a broken heart, and your father drank himself to death after they lost your brother.

A look of anguish washed over Dan’s face, but he did not respond to his aunt’s comments.

Why didn’t your parents get that head of yours fixed? Looks terrible!

Dan did not reply.

"Well, anyway, sit.

Not on the couch, that’s for company. Sit on that side chair.

Dan sat sideways on the un-cushioned straight-backed chair. He stared straight ahead as his great aunt continued.

"Your bedroom is in the back. When we’re done here, take your stuff back there.

Now, here’s my rules. I do the cooking, and you eat whatever I cook, nothing else. Stay out of my fridge. You want more than what I cook, you buy it from your allowance from that Trust Fund from your parents.

State trusted me to take care of you, but didn’t trust me to take care of that damn Trust Fund, and what a lousy bit of money they’re paying me for this job, she thought.

Then she continued, You do your own laundry in the basement, including the sheets on your bed. You keep the room clean and make up your own bed. I ain’t your maid. There’s cleaning stuff in the hall closet.

You make your own breakfast and your school lunch and walk or take a bus to wherever you’re going. I ain’t your chauffer neither.

When I speak to you, it’s ‘yes Ma’am, Aunt Raud’ or ‘No Ma’am, Aunt Raud, ya hear?

With that, Aunt Raud abruptly left the room and headed for the garage. Shortly, Dan heard her car drive away.

Dan carried his suitcase to the back bedroom, and his new life under Great Aunt Esmaraude’s care began. For the next year and a half, Dan ate his meals alone and walked to school. Aunt Raud seldom spoke to Dan, and when she did, it was to correct whatever minor infraction to her rules that had happened recently. Dan, at first, attempted conversation with her, but soon found that it was always one-sided. After a few sentences, Aunt Raud would leave the room, so most encounters were short.

Dan survived the unhappy year and a half under the loveless eye of Aunt Raud. She commented occasionally about the injury Dan had suffered in the tragic accident that killed his beloved younger brother. She seemed fascinated with the scar on Dan’s head.

Why don’t you get that thing fixed? she had once said. The lawyer for your Trust Fund said she would take care of the expense. If you don’t want to get it done, at least wear a hat.

The ‘Mark of Cain’, Aunt Raud had once called the scar.

Dan started to wear a cap in the house, but took it off when he went anywhere else. Away from the house, he deliberately did not cover the scar on his head, feeling it was punishment for his negligent part in his younger brother’s death.

In high school, Dan had few friends. He shrank from the thoughtless stares at the scar on the side of his head and from the whispered comments from some of his classmates. Most teenagers are not noted for compassion, but the few classmates who became his friend appreciated his intelligence and his dry humor that occasionally surfaced.

Rick Miller was a late transferee to the high school Dan was going to. He became a good friend of Dan and was Dan’s defender against the thoughtless remarks of some of their less compassionate classmates.

Dan pursued his studies with persistence, and he did very well. He went out for Track and Field. He was a tireless runner and won several second places and a few firsts. His unassuming nature and persistence were admired by his coach and his teammates, who always cheered his wins.

He volunteered at the Disabled Veterans Hospital.

Here’s our good friend, Dan. Good to see you again, young man, was the usual greeting he got. The injured men related well to this thoughtful young man and eagerly awaited his visits. He chatted and joked with them. Occasionally, he brought them small, thoughtful gifts. They appreciated them, and Dan would frequently see his presents displayed on their bedside stand.

Dan put time in at the local soup kitchen, mostly doing the prep and cleanup work. The other volunteers greeted him warmly whenever he arrived.

Would you like to serve the food today? All you ever do is work in the back. It’ll be a nice change for you.

Thanks, but I’m okay back here, Dan would reply.

Dan coached junior soccer teams, and the young boys loved that he never criticized them, but praised them when possible and gave them tips on game strategy. He enjoyed coaching the boys, and they reciprocated with their loyalty to him.

He was selected to be the valedictorian at his high school graduation, but he declined, feeling unworthy of the honor.

Come on, Dan, said Rick. You’ll do great.

But his friends could not persuade him to accept it and they were stunned when he continued to turn the honor down.

Mom and Dad and Brian wouldn’t be there to hear me anyway, he thought.

After graduating from high school, Norma, the State appointed attorney for his case, met with him.

Daniel, you are smart enough, so you should apply to MIT University. There’s certainly enough money in your fund to cover your tuition, dorm fees, and meal plan. And you are very well qualified.

Dan was immediately accepted based on his stellar high school record and his participation in the several charitable and volunteer organizations that he served on in his junior and senior high school years.

Norma wisely made a donation from the Trust Fund to the school, which helped grease the path. Dan was glad, at last, to get out of that unhappy household and be on his own.

CLAIRE

(Introduction Continued)

The cancer that took Albert Delaney’s beloved wife Sarah, could not be controlled even with the most aggressive treatment. Her death was so devastatingly quick that spring, that even four months afterwards, the beauty of the New England fall colors could not distract him or his daughter from their grief.

The distraught Albert took his fifteen-year-old, Claire, on an Alaskan tour to comfort and possibly distract her… and himself, from their loss. They boarded a small vessel in late September. As they toured the Alaskan Inland Waterway, they saw humpback whales thrust themselves into the air broaching, and then slam back down. The pair watched as the tail fins slid beneath the surface.

They were fascinated by the playful antics of rafts of sea otters. Several of the animals could be seen floating on their backs, holding their cubs on their chests. The life-joy of these creatures gave Claire and Albert some measure of softening to their grief.

The ship cruised leisurely along the shores of the narrow land barrier between the bay and the open sea. The bayside was lined with jumbled arrays of huge boulders that gave nesting sites and refuge for varied and colorful sea birds. One of the naturalists aboard stood among the group of passengers and pointed out the various sea birds.

"Those nesting on the rocks over there are mostly kittiwakes. See, those are the white birds with the dark blue wings. They lay eggs that are fatter at one end, so they roll in a small circle if they accidentally get out of the nest. That way, they don’t roll off the edge and into the water below.

"Look! There’s a harlequin…he’s a male… dark head, white stripes, and brown sides. But, even better, there’s some puffins on the water. They’re the ‘Clowns of the Sea.’ Those huge beaks with the orange and blue stripes can hold up to twenty fish. He’s an amazing diver. He’s been known to dive 400 feet deep.

I think his eyes always look sad to me.

Yes, he does look sad! echoed one of the young women.

Off to the left is a black oystercatcher. He’s easy to spot with his yellow eyes and long thin orange bill. Sorry I can’t point out and name all the birds, but there’s murres, turnstones, dowitchers, and buffleheads over to the left. I spotted a king eider with his big bulgy head, but he flew off before I could point him out. We’re going to go by here again in a couple days, and I’ll try to name some more sea birds for you.

As Albert and Claire watched the many beautiful forms of God’s creatures, it reaffirmed in them the value of life’s continuing on, and it began to help resolve, without diminishing, their sad loss.

Memorable scenes would come back to Claire whenever she thought about that inland waterway trip. One time, when they were away from the ship and paddling a sea kayak, she and her father entered a small silent cove. They watched quietly as a kingfisher perched in silence on the limb of a tall tree. With a loud caw and a sudden swoop, it dove straight down, disappeared under the water, and emerged with a small fish in its beak.

Patience and skill has its reward, said Albert.

Claire nodded.

But the most memorable and the most dangerous event occurred when they were members of a small party in a Zodiac rubber raft. They approached close to a small glacier. As they peered into a huge cleft in its wall, they could see into its intense blue interior.

The Zodiac driver suddenly shouted, We’ve got to get back to the ship! The outboard engines roared as they swerved around and zoomed back. Whatever warning clue he saw, none of the passengers had noticed it. But his quick action assuredly saved their lives. The Zodiac barely reached the cruise ship in time. The party was back on board the cruise ship, and the empty Zodiac was drawn up to hang from its davit. From the rail, they watched as a calf, a huge section of the glacier, slowly parted from the main glacier. It majestically slid down into the bay.

Claire and her father watched in fascination. Soon a huge wave reached the ship and lifted it up. As the wave reached its crest, the propellers of the ship, freed briefly from the weight of the bay water, spun wildly. The ship shuddered, the ship’s captain was shaken up, and some of the passengers panicked. Several people standing at the ship’s rail shouted and screamed in fear.

Claire’s father, reacting with fright for his daughter, pulled her close to him. Claire reacted, but not with panic. Her electric blue eyes mirrored the newly exposed azure face of the glacier. Those eyes were bright with excitement and awe at the power exhibited by the interaction of the glacier and bay waters. That scene was etched into her mind and, consciously or not, affected her life’s direction, especially as Dan Goodwell’s wife-to-be.

THE LOVERS MEET

(Introduction continued)

Dan Goodwell chose Mechanical Engineering at MIT as his major there, and he began his studies with his usual drive and persistence. Claire Delaney entered Wellesley woman’s college with Hydraulic Engineering as her major. The thirteen-mile distance between MIT and Wellesley posed no barrier to the meeting of these two souls, orphaned too early in life.

When Claire found out that there was a series of lectures on the properties and evolutions of glaciers and their interactions with salt water was being offered at MIT, she signed up immediately. Dan had also chosen this course as one of his electives. He was already seated near the front of the small class when Claire took the seat next to him. She looked at him briefly. He had his good side facing toward her. She thought, what a handsome young man. When she turned those electric blue eyes towards him, Dan was sunk. He thought: I’ve got to get to know this girl.

Then he remembered his disfigurement. I’d never have a chance. She must have dozens of boyfriends. But his heart leaped when this beautiful creature spoke directly to him.

Hi, my name is Claire. Is this class a part of your major requirements?

Dan stammered an answer, carefully keeping his good side turned towards Claire.

Uh, yes…I mean no. No, it’s an elective. I thought it sounded interesting.

My name’s Daniel. Dan, Jr. My Dad’s name was Daniel, too, he added, feeling rather stupid at stating the obvious.

Well, I hope these lectures turn out to be as interesting as I hoped them to be. I saw the listing in a brochure they sent over to Wellesley. Would you like to get together and discuss the lectures after class and maybe study together?

Dan could scarcely believe his ears.

That would be wonder…uh, uh…great.

Your dad not still alive? Claire asked.

He died when I was sixteen and a half. Dan looked away to hide the pain on his face. That was two and a half years ago. He touched the scar briefly.

When Dan turned back to her, he saw that those blue eyes had begun to mist with tears.

My dad passed away almost three years ago.

At that point, the instructor entered the room and stood before the students.

"This first lecture is part of a series of lectures about the hydrology of fresh and salt-water with emphasis on the generation and dissolution of glaciers.

For those of you that are here by mistake, please leave as quietly as you can. For the rest of you, those intelligent enough to participate in these marvelous lectures, I congratulate you. You may stay.

Dan made a move to stand up, stretched, and yawned, stood looking as though about to leave.

Not funny! whispered Claire loudly. Sit down, you silly goose, she continued, smiling broadly.

The instructor chuckled a little and said, Now I know which goose to keep an eye on during these lectures. I hope some intelligence accompanies that silliness.

There was a rustle of quiet laughter that travelled around the small room.

The instructor was interesting and competent, and both Dan and Claire were pleased with the presentation.

At the end of the lecture, Claire turned to Dan, Would you like to stay a bit and talk about the lecture? I feel the class is off to a good start. And I like the Instructor.

Dan hesitated briefly but said, I’d love to, but I have a make-up class across the campus, and I don’t want to be late. But I’m usually free after these classes, and I’m looking forward to us getting together after the next lecture.

Oh, said the electric blue eyes, looking disappointed. Well, I’ll be here for the next lecture, and we can get together then.

I’d like that. See you next week, he said, smiling broadly.

Dan didn’t really have a make-up class. He felt he was not effectively hiding his scar. I’ll wear a cap to the next class, he thought.

At the following lecture, Dan appeared wearing a hat that covered his scar.

What’s with the cap? Why are you hiding that scar? It doesn’t bother me, said Claire.

Dan winced. I didn’t know she saw it. I kept my head turned all the time, and she still saw it!

"Next week, after class, we’re going to discuss the lecture, but you are going to tell me all about that scar and why it is that you’re hiding it.

But this time I can’t stay. I’ve got to get right back to my dorm.

Dan felt a panic rise in him. What am I going to do? I can’t tell her the truth…and I can’t tell her a lie. That damn scar! Things were going so well… but now…I can’t lose this opportunity. I’ve never seen such a beautiful… wonderful girl.

A week went by, and the