Dis-Covery, Pt. 2

Well, I didn't actually see much down there. A few cobwebs, a small trickle of water from a nearby storm drain, and an odor I'd describe as "novel."

In fact, as I neared the bottom of the shaft, it slowly dawned on me that the adjoining tunnel was not large enough for a person at all -- just an 8- or 10-inch PVC pipe embedded in the concrete. I shined my flashlight inside, ran my fingers over the edge to make sure, and let out a moan of disappointment that echoed in the chamber as a cold Venusian wind blew through.

I'd love to tell you that the floor of the tunnel then gave way, dropping me down to a second tier of passageways, but it didn't. That's actually in Turkey.

Which is why I kind of wanted to leave the last post as it is, and not continue it. The expedition didn't turn up much, but I consider it a success... sort of. And I suppose that if I had known all along what was down there -- or not down there, in this case -- well, I probably would have just mowed the lawn or cleaned out the garage that afternoon and gone on with my life.

The beauty lay in not knowing. So I'm sorry to have gotten your hopes up, Jake, and just know that I was right there with you.

And I'll try to remember it from now on when I wake up in the morning -- that whatever awaits me today, even if it's crappy, especially if it's crappy, I'm glad I don't know yet.

I still get to find out.