“I want you guys to lower me into the sewer.”

See, it would have been too risky to allow anyone else to get a hold of the envelope that held her cash.

“Hmm, all right!” they said in unison.

The man with the cap and the man with the hair each took hold of Elyse's hands and slowly lowered her down to the sewer.

A couple feet between her sandals and the concrete floor was nothing, and she landed safely. She ducked under a concrete slab to enter the area beneath the grating and easily found her envelope. Returning back, she stepped under the manhole opening and called up.

“Okay guys, I got it. I need someone to help lift me out of here.”

She could see the three heads peeking through the manhole above, but they sure seemed to be taking their time to take any action.

“Hey, what's that?” said the ball cap, “What's in the envelope?”

“Oh,” Elyse shouted, “It's what I came down here for.”

“What's in it?”

“Money!”

Upon this answer, all three men turned to each other, speaking. Elyse couldn't, however, make out what they were saying.

Finally, the bald man said:

“If we get you out, you've gotta do somethin' for us.”

“What? Are you kidding? I don't think so.” Elyse shouted. “I've got a cell phone. You can't keep me in here.” Then, she shot her hand in her pocket to pull it out and prove it to them. But, just as she raised the cellphone sky high (to ensure that they could see it) it flung right out of her hand, smacked against the sewer wall and shot down one of the sewer pipes!

The three men laughed.

“Not any more! Huh!” said the hair.

Elyse's curses bounced all about the sewer walls.

“Come on, hun,” said the ball cap, “just listen us out, you haven't heard what we're asking.”

“Well, I'm sure it's not something I'm gonna like!” she responded, hoarsely.

“Will you listen us out?”

“I don't really have a choice, do I?”

“Look, All we're asking is...”