Ten feet down the captain dropped into near total darkness. He paused to switch on his helmet lamp, and then continued his steady pace downward. He descended quickly, his feet walking backwards down the wall. Thirty feet down the sounds of the helicopter had faded away. He had heard nothing more from the bottom of the pit since the anguished cry from the man trapped below. He directed his helmet lamp downward but still could not see the bottom. He was far enough down now so that his feet only lightly stepped against the sides, so he pushed off from the side and allowed the rope to slip quickly through his hands. He gripped the rope tightly as he swung back toward the wall, and then loosed it as he pushed off again. He kept the light pointed downward at all times now as he watched for the bottom to come into view. He descended rapidly this way and within a few minutes was at the bottom. He felt for and found good ground under his feet, and then stood and detached himself from the rope. There was a shuffling noise behind him.

      “I’m on the bottom,” said the captain into the radio. He heard the answering “10-4”, and then returned the radio to his belt. He turned around and began sweeping the beam from his helmet lamp around the pit. The floor was sandy and was reasonably flat except for a great many rocks strewn about. He ran the beam of light along the wall where it met the floor. He thought he saw a quick movement at the far side of the pit, but then it was gone. He watched for again for a few moments, but all was still. Noting the spot in his mind, he directed the beam down toward his feet and began to carefully thread his way to the other side of the pit.

      About halfway across the floor of the pit he pointed the beam back to the spot where he had seen the movement. This time he saw the edge of a leg that just barely stuck out from behind a large rock. As he watched, the leg retreated from the light, and thus from his view.

      “Randall?” he called gently. “Randall, are you all right?”

      There was no answer so he directed the light back down at his feet and continued. He paused every thirty seconds or so to look up at the rock again, but saw nothing more. In a few minutes he was at the place where he had seen the leg. He slowly leaned over the desk-sized rock, illuminating the space behind it. He saw a man lying on the sand, his face covered by his hands. The man’s shorts and a shirt were dirty and torn. He was barefoot and his toenails were worn and splintered. His right great toe had dried blood on the nail. There was a gash on the man’s left shin that oozed fresh blood. The man’s hands were calloused and worn and the fingernails were chipped and cracked. There was dried blood on several of the knuckles.

      “Randall?” said the captain again, gently.

      “What do you want?” said Randall from behind the screen of his hands.

      “Randall, I’m here to get you out of here.”

      Randall shook his head slowly. “Leave me alone.”

      “Randall, please let me take you up now. Look at your leg.”

      “It’s fine.”

      “You need to have a doctor look at it.”

      “It’s fine.”

      The captain took a deep breath and sighed. He took off his helmet and placed it on the rock so that the light illuminated both of them. Then he reached down and patted the man’s foot. “Come on, Randall,” he said gently, “come on up with me.” Randall retracted his foot. “Come on up with me. There’s a helicopter standing by right now. We’ll fly you back to town. You can get a nice hot bath, new clothes, a tall, cold glass of water, or tea. We’ve got a doctor there who can fix up your leg. You can have anything you want to eat. What do you say?”

      “I don’t want anything. Leave me alone.”

      “Why do you want me to leave you alone, Randall?” asked the captain. But Randall gave no reply. “Are you still worried about what your friends will say? Randall, maybe those people aren’t really your friends. They lured you down here after all. And where are they now? I’ll tell you where they are. Each one is at the bottom of his own pit, too proud to let someone help him.” The captain paused a moment. “And another thing, I think each of them wanted to see you down here so they could justify in their own minds why they were at the bottom of their own pit. Randall, people like that aren’t really your friends.”

      “It’s not just about them,” said Randall, removing his hands from his face. “It’s that…” He hesitated.

      “What is it, Randall?”

      Randall took a deep breath. “How am I supposed to go up there looking like this, like some kind of beggar or outcast? And everyone up there will know that I failed. I got myself in this mess and I couldn’t get out. I didn’t have what it took to get out. And then I come limping up, groveling for help.”

      “Randall, no one up there is going to laugh at you. They understand where you are. They really do.”

      “How could they understand?”

      “Because they were once where you are. Many of them haven’t been out of the pit for very long. They know what it’s like down here. And they know what it’s like up there. That’s why they are so eager to help. They want to share what they’ve found. That’s also what makes them so good at what they do.”

      “And how much is all this expert help going to cost? How much will I owe? I can’t imagine how much a helicopter ride will cost.”

      “Randall, you’ll never be asked to pay a thing. These people give of their own time and resources. The reward for them is to see someone else made whole. You can ask any of them yourself.”

      “What if I don’t fit in with them up there? What if I’m not accepted?”

      “Randall, you will be accepted. But at the very least, I’m your friend. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.” The captain reached out and patted Randall’s leg again. This time Randall did not withdraw. “Will you come with me now?”

      “I can’t.”

      “Why not?”

      “I…” Randall’s voice started to break. “I’m afraid.”

      “Why are you afraid?”

      “Because I’ve fallen so many times, and I’ve been hurt so many times. It’s such a long way to the top. What if the rope breaks half way up?” As Randall tried to hold back his tears, his voice became a whisper. “I don’t want to be hurt again.”

      “Randall, that rope’s been tested with the weight of four men. It’s not going to break. But if it makes you feel better, we can go up one at a time. Or I can put two ropes on you. I don’t mind.” He paused a moment. “I am not going to let you fall.”

      They both were silent for a moment. The captain paused, giving Randall time to regain his composure. Then he reached out and took Randall’s hand. “Come on with me, Randall.”

      Randall sat quietly for a few moments more, and then he started to sit up. The stiffness of his bruised body caused him to wince. The captain came around the rock and crouched down next to him. Taking Randall’s arm around his own neck, and embracing Randall around the back, he supported the fallen man’s weight as Randall struggled to get up. When they were both standing, the captain replaced the helmet onto his own head. Then they both hobbled slowly to where the ropes hung against the wall, winding their way through the jumbled maze of rocks.

      About halfway across Randall glanced up at the sheer wall, which was still invisible in the darkness. “It is a hard climb, isn’t it?”

      “Yes, it is,” said the captain. “And I’ll let you in on something. It’s an impossible climb.” He tilted the lamp upward. “There are some handholds down here, but about halfway up the walls are completely smooth. No one can make it.”

      “But someone had to make it.”

      “No one has ever made it.”