Alisha watched her father leave for work again today. It was Wednesday and she looked forward to the weekend. She spent a lot of her time outside in the sun, getting to know nature and what creatures were available in the dome when not being home schooled. Lucky for her she had finished all of her school work for the week already and her mother let her go for the day.<br/><br/>Ali was very curious to know about what her father did down at the mines. She always saw him come home dirty and he was always so tired. It must have been hard work. She really looked up to her father and so today she decided that sheâ€™d follow him. She wanted so badly to help out, to know what it was like to earn a real living in the hard times that were coming about. She knew about the shortages but her parents tried their best to keep it from her. Alisha was grateful that her grandmother was very honest with her, not believing in keeping the truth from the young ones.<br/><br/>Hiding in the bed of her fathersâ€™ truck, she tucked her small self away in the tool box. It was a large and black, she had put his things away for him many times after making small fixes around the house. Alisha eventually felt the truck come to a halt. She froze and waited for silence. She heard some of the other miners greet her father. â€œMorning foreman.â€ She knew heâ€™d just smile and tip his hat as he always did. Her father wasnâ€™t much of a speaker but his eyes were very easy to read.<br/><br/>Footsteps walked away and she waited for another minute to pass. Ali exhaled and smiled to herself, slowly opening the cover of the tool box to peek out. She looked around quietly and as stealthily as she could, crawled out into the bed of the truck. She inched her way out onto the ground on the opposite side of the entrance to the mine. Her black dress was a bit dusty and she feared her mother would scold her when she got home, but that was a price she was willing to pay.<br/><br/>Alisha could see that the entrance to the mine wasnâ€™t guarded. She supposed the check point they passed earlier was where the guard resided. She would feel a bubble well up inside her. The excitement was fantastic. Ali quickly covered her mouth so she didnâ€™t giggle. After a quick breath she bolted to the entrance of the mine, peeked around the corner and saw a string of lanterns within. Her eyes widened, â€œNo turning back nowâ€¦â€ she whispered to herself.