That evening, Tepic had taken Lisa down to the waterfront, dragging open the door to an abandoned boathouse. Proudly, he pulled on a rope which lifted the tarpaulin off one of his prized possessions, the Swimming Vole! To Lisa, it looked like a large upturned washtub, with a glass dome bolted on top, barely large enough for one, let alone two! Through the glass she could see the floor was covered in oily water, not encouraging for a craft which was supposed to keep the water out! It was clear that the boy was pleased to be showing his friend the wonderful contraption, and when he lifted the dome it pivoted up with ease on it’s greased brass hinge. Leaning in, the vessel tipping alarmingly with his weight on one side, he pumped on a lever and the water level dropped to reveal the still wet but visible floor. Grabbing some convenient sacking, he dropped it in to make some dryer seating, and told the girl to get in and scrunch up in the front.
Rather dubiously, she clambered in, and crouching forward found there was a window through which she could see. The effect was made more alarming as the boat sank under her weight, and most of what she could see was murky water. The boy dropped in behind her, slamming the dome shut behind him, which was just as well for the additional weight drove the boat almost under, with water lapping around the upper glass!
“Right, let’s get movin!” he exclaimed, testing various levers and cranks, “if yer gettin wet, just pump that lever by yer side a couple of times, it’s the bilge pump.”
“It let’s water in?” Lisa asked, terror beginning to creep into her mind.
“A bit, specially if we goes deep, but she’s generally sound.”
His cheerful demeanour, and total lack of fear encased in this fragile, makeshift craft eased Lisa back from screaming to mere fright, but worse was to come. Placing his feet on pedals, he began to propel them forward while turning a wheel on the side of the vessel. As they gained speed, they sank deeper and deeper, until they were completely submerged, the doors to the boathouse passing above their heads. Beads of water formed between the wooden joints, growing before spilling downwards to gather on the floor. Lisa immediately grasped the handle, pumping on it with urgent rapidity.
“No, Lisa, not like that! Yer wasting yer effort, wait till it gets a couple of inches deep, then three or four yanks an we’re dry again!”
The girl, eyes wide and staring into the murky water needed a huge effort of will to control her shaking body and slowly cease her moving arm.
Just how the lad knew where they were going through the dark waters was uncertain, but some half an hour after they started, he sat back and let the submarine drift downwards to settle on the canal bottom.
“There, yer can see the Asylum Water Gate in front of us, we just gotta wait until the evening coal delivery arrives, an scootch in behind it!”
In the dim light forcing through the water above them Lisa could see the metal plates of the armoured door. The idea of having to wait still longer in this underwater tomb was almost unbearable, her cat heritage yowling at her to fight her way up and out, back into, if not the sunlight, but the lamp lit streets of the City.
“Let’s have a bit’o light, a bit ter eat an a drop ter drink while we wait, eh?” the boy asked, uncovering a lamp which flooded the tiny craft with a dim, flickering glow.
“Fireflies…. bit of sugar in the bottom of the jar, an yer got light anytime yer want! Now, i got some vole an veg stew in the hotbox, an some bread someone left fer any passing person on their windowsill, still warm, see?”
As he spoke he ladled out a helping of stew and tore off a hunk of bread, handing it to the astonished girl, the combined comforting smells driving the fear from her bones. They ate in companiable silence, and after finishing, Lisa watched as the boy stowed away the dishes and released a catch to one side of the roof. A block of something detached from the vessel, dragging with it what looked like a hose. He undid a brass pipe end and put a small pair of bellows into the opening, then started to gently work them.
“Yer gotta do this when yer not moving, sort of move
fresh air it, can’t do it when we’re movin or water comes down the pipe!” he explained, “you just pump when the water gets up a bit an we can stay down here fer as long as we need.”
The idea of being down there any longer than necessary brought back her fears, but the cool air filling the cabin was reassuring, and having control of the pump gave her something she could do and keep her attention. They drank milk from a flask as they worked, passing it between them, waiting for the coal barge.
Eventually, they could hear the distant thudding of a steam engine. Tepic sealed the air pipe, wound down the snorkel and stowed everything away before closing the door on the firefly lamp, leaving them in virtual darkness. He pedalled backwards and forwards, ensuring they were free of the bottom, then held them steady as the huge flat bottomed boat glided over them, the doors of the Asylum opening before it, outlining it’s shape in bright gaslight. Now was when they had to act fast, the doors would only be open for a fraction of time after the barge had cleared them, and if they didn’t get it right the thin wooden hull would be crushed, them inside it! Lisa could see the twin barge screws churning the water mere feet in front of her eyes as Tepic pedalled for all he was worth, clearing the closing doors with inches to spare. As soon as he knew he was over the edge, he turned to the side, away from the lethal spinning propellers and let the sub glide to a halt snuggled up against the side of the dock, hidden in the shadows cast by the lights.
In less than quarter of an hour, the sacks of coal had been unloaded and the barge backed out to continue their rounds. It was with relief that the two children saw the lights flick out, meaning the staff had stowed the coal and gone about their business. Although they could not risk the light, they could raise the snorkel and replace their hot and stale air. There was nothing they could do now except wait….
Aessesser stretched its wings while keeping its gaze upon the asylum expectantly.