Chapter 8: Any Landing You Can Walk Away From

As I dropped into the two-by-two foot shaft, I spread my legs to the opposite walls and expected to fall for a while, but after only a second my right foot caught on a small shelf. I threw my left knee against the other wall to keep myself from falling further through the shaft and bit my lip to stop myself from hollering over a bruised kneecap. I struggled to remain braced about six feet below the door to the chute.

I didn’t have time to wait for my eyes to adjust. I could barely make out the...