1.
The tunnel was dank and it's air had an acrid tang. The men coughed and shifted uncomfortably in the tightly packed hole they had escaped to during the collapse. Having no lamps or candles they sat in relative darkness, each with their own private thoughts. They talked very little and only out of necessity, trying to conserve what air trickled through the tiny cracks in the rock that sealed them in. But when they heard knocking from the wall of rock they couldn't help but give out shouts of surprise and faint desperation.
The knocks were uniform and regular, an unrelenting pounding that shook the wall causing lose rock to fall in places. The men all scrambled to pull at the holes the falling rock had left behind. Their pace became frantic as more rock fell under the unceasing blows coming from the other side of the encasing wall. Blow after blow brought joy to the men's faces. Trapped for hours, feared given up for dead, they had very nearly abandoned all hope of rescue.
They gave out a cheer as one large hunk of rock feel from the center of the wall and a shaft of light burst into their musty chamber. The cheer was echoed by the workers on the other side. The hand of a giant thrust itself through the newly created opening. The hand motioned at the same time a booming voice called in, "You boys stand back now." The men did as they were bidden, pressing themselves against the left and right sides of the chamber.
The hand disappeared back through the opening and the men heard a loud intake of air. They held their breathe in anticipation. A loud smack, of metal on stone resounded and the caved-in rock crumbled. Light and air poured into the tiny alcove. Each man took in lungfuls of breath, uttering prayers to their gods. Workers from beyond the collapsed wall rushed in to assist the men, carrying out those who no longer had the strength to walk.
As each one emerged they looked for the owner of the hand that had brought them out of the darkness. The mountain of a man waited by the newly fashioned entrance. He stood quietly smiling as each man uttered their thanks. When all the men had been removed he wiped his brow and hoisted his large hammer onto his massive shoulders. Other workers began hauling out the smashed rock and depositing it into carts that they then pushed out into the daylight. The gruff bellow of the foreman barked over the din of working men and congratulatory cheers. "Back to work! John Henry get back to the rail!"
John Henry didn't speak. He simply picked up the torn and sweat drenched shirt he had taken off before breaking the wall and walked into the sunlight smiling.
