The Brandon crew had been in the cabin for almost two weeks. It was as if the outside world didn’t exist. The contractor finished his work, and the daily coming and going of trucks was over. All were in love with the privacy and views of the forest-covered mountains. Jack loved to run down the grassy slope with Rip and jump in the creek. Peter enjoyed going to town in the new four-wheel drive Ford pickup truck and was putting the skills he had learned as a carpenter’s helper in Canada to good use. He was happy. He loved working with his hands and he had a natural skill both with weapons and tools.

With Terry’s help, he replaced the outside door with a modern steel-line door and a dead-bolt locking device. They also added an alarm system that covered all the outside windows and door as well as the driveway. Motion-activated sensor lights were put on the cabin’s four corners.

As they were standing at the entrance to the mine, Terry said,“I think the first 100 or so feet of this mine is the original cave. At some point, maybe a 100 years ago, a family living on or near this site used this cave as the first part of a coal mine. Notice where it narrows severely. That is where they started digging.”

Peter said, “I want to extend the master bedroom into the cave to create a hidden room to store weapons and use as an escape route from the cabin if ever necessary. My plan is to prepare the entrance to the cave, pour a six-inch concrete slab inside the cave, and then build the extension room inside the cave. Later I’ll simply join it to the bedroom by a hidden door.”

Terry said, “No problem. With some hard work and a rented backhoe, we could easily build the extension into the mine. When we’re finished, it would look as if the cabin’s back wall was flush with the hillside. Six months after it’s completed, I doubt anyone could tell from looking at the outside.”

Peter said, “Are you telling me that you can run a backhoe?”

“Yes and a bulldozer, if necessary. Part of the skills I picked up between jobs and summers, when I was struggling to get through Furman University without owing anybody anything.”

“Let’s go rent a backhoe and I’ll call the contractor and get him to pour a floor in the cave for a storage area.”

“If we get a backhoe today, your contractor can come tomorrow to get ready to pour the floor. A couple of hours to do the pouring and a couple of hours to finish off the floor. In three days we should be able to start building your secret room,” Terry said.

“I think we could finish by two weeks from today,” Peter said. “I’ll have the contractor run power to the storage area, too.”