Journey: The Center of Gaea

  Me, Quillton, and Sunset were screaming as we fell down through the Muscovite. We stopped screaming to look at each other. "We're still falling!" I yelled before screaming again. We linked our hands and fell as a triangle. "Quillton, what's at the bottom?!" I asked Quillton.

   "Well, if your dad's journal was right, these tunnels could go down for about hundreds to thousands of miles!" He told me.

   "Quartz's journal was not right!" Sunset snapped at him.

   "Quill, finish, what's at the bottom?!" I asked.

   "His theory was that it probably just ends!" He told me. My eyes widened.

   "Ends?!" I exclaimed. "Got any other theories, buddy?!" I asked him. He nodded.

    "Well dearie, the walls of this tunnel could've been gently eroded by water which still runs through them providing a huge break to our fall, kind of like a water slide at Splash Down!" He told me.

    "Water slide. OK, now that's a theory!" I said.

    "Quillton, wouldn't have the water formed stalagmites pointing straight up at us?" Sunset asked him. He nodded.

    "Yes dearie, possibility is that we could be skewered too." He told me and Sunset. I almost froze up when he said that. We continued screaming until I felt something cold and wet against my skin. Sunset did too.

    "Is that water?" She asked. Quillton nodded.

    "Yes! Water." He said.

    "Oh, water slide. Water slide!" I prayed. We held our hands together to prepare for impact.

    "Here it comes! Hang on!" Quillton said. "GERONIMO!!!!" He yelled as we slid into the water and into a pool of it. We surfaced and gasped for air.

    "You had to say that!" I coughed water out of my mouth. Our hair was soaking wet, same as our clothes. Quillton nodded.

    "That was the prefect time to say that, dearie!" He told me. I face palmed and swam towards the rocks. I slid off my right shoe and water poured out. I then slid it back on as he helped Sunset towards the rocks. They fell on their backs. Sunset coughed water out of her mouth.

    "Thanks." She said.

    "Anytime, dearie." Quillton said. He looked up at the ceiling.

   "What is that?" I asked them as I looked up. He squinted his eyes.

   "That's just the ceiling of the cave, I think." Quillton told me and Sunset as he slipped on a pair of circular black glasses. He then glanced at the ceiling. "Well then." He said, astounded by the light above us. "Glow birds." Quillton said. "They're bioluminescent as well. These birds that went extinct over at least 50 million years ago. Incredible." Quillton was amazed. I whipped out my phone, and saw I had a signal.

    "I have service?!" I asked as I turned it on and went through my contacts. I saw a message. It said: From: Crimson Ink. I checked the message.

   "Hey big bro, it's Crimson. Call me back when you can please? You're not answering and I'm starting to worry." The message said. I sighed. My little sis had tried to call me. I looked at my watch. Above ground, it was at least 11:00 PM. Crimson would be asleep by now. Quillton and Sunset looked at me.

   "Crimson?" Sunset asked. I nodded. I checked the time of the message. My eyes widened, for it said Crimson had sent it earlier today.

   "Well, we need to find a way out of this cave." Quillton said, just before noticing one of the glow birds flying down towards us. I held out my index finger and it perched on it. Quillton and Sunset gasped.

   "Fluttershy taught me how to talk to animals." I smiled before listening to the bird's chirps. I nodded. "OK, this little one here said to go down that cave." I said, point to a cave to my right. Quillton whipped his screwdriver out and scanned the cave entrance. He nodded as the readings agreed with the directions. "Hmm?" I asked as the bird said something else. "You want to come with us and help us out?" I asked her. She nodded. "Alright then, you'll need a name." I said. I then thought of a good name. "Ah, Crystal. Perfect." I smiled. Crystal chirped happily, for that seemed to be her name. She flew off my finger and lead us down the cave, coming out of a bigger exit. Me, Quillton, and Sunset gasped. We were staring at the very center of Gaea.

   "The center of the world." Quillton gasped. "Galaxy, Sunset, I give you the Center of Gaea." He said. "Quartz was right!" He whooped. He patted my shoulder. "Your dad was right, dearie!" Quillton laughed in delight. "He was right!" Quillton's voice echoed. Crystal landed on my shoulder and chirped something.

    "Crystal tells me that light up there is their sun, but, technically, it's the inner core of the planet." I explained. Then I put on my own glasses. Quillton gasped.

   "Since when do you wear glasses?" Quillton asked me.

    "Spoilers." I laughed. Quillton muttered something under his breath. We then walked down a ledge towards a huge forest. Meanwhile, Crimson was getting her hiking gear together. Our mom poked her head from the kitchen.

     "Going to find your brother?" She asked. Crimson nodded. Mom hugged her and crimson bolted out the door and got on her bike to find an entrance to the Center of Gaea.