Escape from the Trap

The colonel stopped at a small door, unlocked it, and led me into a tiny room. He explained that this was where the hydraulic press was kept. He wanted me to examine the machine because it wasn’t working properly.

I looked at the press carefully. It was enormous — far more powerful than anything needed for mining fuller’s earth. I began to feel suspicious.

I found the problem: a worn seal on a rod failed, causing a water leak. I explained how to fix it.

But as I examined the floor, I noticed something else. The metal had a strange crust — deposits of a shiny grey metal. This was not the colour of earth. I suddenly understood: the machine was not for mining at all. It was a press for making counterfeit coins.

While I was crouching on the floor, the colonel saw my face and understood that I knew the truth. His expression changed. He locked me inside the room and started the machine.

The ceiling began to move down slowly. I watched in horror as it inched towards me. I shouted for help and hammered on the door, but it was locked from outside.

Then I noticed a small gap in the wooden wall — a hidden door. I pushed it open and threw myself through just in time.

Elise appeared from the shadows. “Hurry,” she whispered. “They are coming.” She led me through the house to a bedroom and pointed to the window. “Jump. It is the only way.”

As I prepared to jump, the colonel burst into the room. He held a large meat cleaver — a heavy blade — and his eyes were wild with rage. Elise tried to block him, but he pushed her aside and swung the cleaver. I threw myself from the window.

I landed in the garden below. I was alive. I ran into the bushes but soon felt dizzy. Then I looked at my hand — and realised my thumb was gone. I fainted.

When I woke, it was morning. I was near the station. I arrived there by train the night before. The house and the garden were gone. But my bandaged hand was proof that everything really happened.