'Mystery Lode,' chapter 6: 'Stuck in Bellingham'

Welcome to "Mystery Lode," a six-part serial adventure written by Whatcom County residents.

The adventure runs July 11 through Aug. 15, with a new chapter in each Monday's edition of The Herald.

In our story so far, college student Ben Avery, a man in a hot-dog suit, a black Lab, a Herald photographer, a kidnapped chicken, and a homeless man who doesn't believe in ancient curses find themselves trapped by a cave-in at an old coal mine near Fairhaven. Could the Chinese curse be true?