It was pathetic. A tiny dent in an impossible problem. They could work for a week and still not clear it all. But then she noticed something. Water.
Just a trickle, barely visible, seeping through the debris they'd moved. It was collecting in a small depression, dark and cold and unmistakably real. "Holden," she called. "Look." He came over, followed by the others.
They all stood there staring at the tiny puddle like it was a miracle. "It's working," Jonah said quietly. "It's a puddle," Cain corrected. "It's a start." Holden knelt down and touched the water, then looked up at the blockage with new determination.
"We need to focus here." He pointed to the area where the water was seeping through. "If we can widen this gap, the pressure might do the rest of the work for us." They attacked the blockage with renewed energy, concentrating their efforts on the weak point Evelyn had found. More water started to flow, then more.
It was still just a trickle, but it was growing. "Come on," Caleb muttered, prying at a large rock with a crowbar. "Come on, you stubborn piece of" The rock shifted. Suddenly, violently, came loose all at once and with it came a rush of water that knocked Caleb off his feet and sent him tumbling backward. "Caleb!"
Cain dove for his brother, catching him before he could crack his head on another rock. But the water kept coming. What had been a trickle became a stream, then a torrent, as the pressure that had been building for decades found a way out. The blockage began to collapse on itself, chunks of earth and stone washing away in the sudden flood. "Get back!"
Holden shouted. "Everyone back!" They scrambled away from the channel as it tore itself open, water roaring through with enough force to reshape the landscape. It was terrifying and beautiful, watching nature reclaim what humans had tried to control. When the initial surge passed and the flow settled into something steadier, they stood at a safe distance and watched the water race down the channel toward the valley below.
Toward Dust Hollow. Toward the empty well. "Did we just do that?" Levi asked, his voice filled with wonder. "I think we did," Jonah said.
Caleb was sitting on the ground, soaked to the bone and grinning like an idiot. "That was either the coolest thing I've ever done or the dumbest. I can't decide which." "Both," Cain said, hauling his twin to his feet. "Definitely both."
Holden turned to Evelyn. His face was streaked with mud and exhaustion, but his eyes were bright. "You did it." "We did it," she corrected. "No, this was your idea.