• 10/27/2009
    I have discovered something amazing on my latest spelunking trip!! I was in Reykjavik, [rey-kyuh-veek] inside an abandoned mine doing a study on the decomposition of wooden support beams. While I was taking a sample, there was a cave-in around me, I ran for shelter under what seemed to be a safe area under a support beam. My assistant ran to join me, but just as he was about to make it to safety under the beam, a falling rock crushed his skull. I was trapped all alone in a small cavern with no way of escape, and all my team was killed. One of the falling rocks severely smashed my hand. As I sat there waiting for immanent death, the light on my helmet began to falter.
    All of a sudden one of the rocks began to move! I was afraid it was an aftershock from the cave-in and feared the room was going to collapse on top of me! Instead, the rock smashed apart like a giant ball of Lego, but it did not collapse as I surmised. On the other side, was a tall husky man! Something was “unusual” about him though. He had no hair on his head and his skin was bleached white! His eyes were larger too; they were about the size of golf balls. He wore a leather jacket as pale as his skin, black gloves, and carried what seemed to be a pickaxe, except instead of a metal head it appeared to be of crystalline structure. Emitting from the crystal was an unearthly glow that gave me just enough light to see ahead.
    The strange man motioned for me to follow him. I gladly did, for anything was better than rotting in that infernal place. I followed him to what appeared to be one of the mine’s many elevators that go to and from the surface. I stepped inside with my silent hero; I refer to him as such for he had not spoken a word since he rescued me. The elevator began moving slowly, but we did not ascend to the surface as I was expecting, instead we descended yet deeper into this mysterious place. I looked down to see that the chasm below was deeper than the empire state building was tall. In fact, I could not see the bottom at all!
    As I took the time to inspect the compartment that was taking us into the bowels of the earth, I realized it wasn’t old or rusted; in fact it looked brand new! With that, the man said with an unearthly heavy accent; “You go fast?” I nodded a yes, and before I realized it, we were flying down the hole with no breaks at all! We probably met speeds of up to 250 miles per hour! I could not tell, because after a few seconds, my stomach got weak from the extreme heat and speed and I passed out.
    11/2/09
    When I came to, I was on a padded cushion, on the floor of an odd looking room. It was completely made out of stone, like it was carved into the earth. The floor was a circular shape, with a spiral staircase leading up three stories. The room was approximately half a football field in diameter and there were many doors leading out from the staircase. On the lower level, where I lay, there was one larger door. As I got up to take a look around, I realized there were no windows, just crystals resembling the ones I had seen on the head of the pickaxe, except it was like a giant chandelier towering above me. Smaller crystals were placed by all the doors too, like torches in a medieval hallway.
    I looked across the room and saw a table made out of stone as well, and on it were strange roots and mushrooms. As I took the opportunity to fill my stomach, I turned around and saw the man who had rescued me along with another person whom I later discovered to be a translator. He explained to me that I was in the City of the Earth, as it was called in my language, because it’s real name could not be pronounced in human tongue. As for my friend, I will call him James, for just as his city, his name could not be pronounced.
    They call their species the Geosapiens and are from the same evolutionary line as humans. According to the Geosapein’s mythology, their species has been living in the mantle of the earth for thousands of years.
    With the help of the translator I discovered that the mine I had been in was to be sealed off from use, because it had run out of the “Crystoid” supply and was too close to the surface to be used for colonization. When the first portion was sealed off, I was trapped in the wreckage. Feeling responsible, and not wanting me to die, James chose to save me from the jaws of death. I was now in his house under his care, until I was strong enough to make the journey back to the surface.
    There have been other people like me, who I have seen on my walks around the city. Their ideas from the “Overworld,” as it is called here, helped the city grow and become more advanced.
    The city is inside of a massive cave stretching on for miles. A monorail system connects every part of this massive metropolitan center. The middle of the city is the industrial center with the power grids and the market, where everyone goes to sell their skills. In this civilization, there is no currency. If you want food, you trade your services for it.
    The Geosapein’s have six basic job types. The lava workers make sure that magma from the earths core is funneled properly so it does not consume their civilization. This is necessary for people living lower down near the bottom of the city. The Crystoid workers keep the city’s power grid up, using the crystals to power the monorail system, all the lights in the city, and everything that has to do with power. The third group are the hunter/gatherers. They enter the abyss on the west side of the city to gather food from the vast unknowns. The furs and meats they hunt are extremely expensive in the markets, due to the high risk involved in obtaining them. The fourth group are the farmers, who tend to the fields of mushrooms and other fungi. The geosapiens eat fungus, because it is the most common edible food around. The fifth job group is the police force, who make sure the trades in the market are fair and protect the city from outside threats and from ruffians inside the city. They are elected by members of their segment of their community. Everyone gives a small portion of their time and services to help out these people, because they work for free. The sixth and final job type is the miners. These people build the houses, and mine for more Cystoids. James and his family are well established in this industry. He is known as one of the best builders in the city, and he has no problem getting work where ever he looks. He is very proud of how far his family name reaches.



    11/15/09
    Today James and the translator brought me to the marketplace! I was blown away by the many different smells and sights! Exotic spices, lingered in the air. Glowing fish and eel slithered in tanks, giving off an eerie green shine. Small mushrooms were growing behind some of the stalls, they seemed to be selling them off as food. Others were selling the glowing crystals. People were yelling out accolades for their wares like in the ancient markets of Cairo. I was awestruck by the sheer volume of the merchants!
    12/20/09
    I have now spent a few months here. James and I have become very good friends. I have been staying in his home and eating his food. I have noticed that I need less and less of the crystals to see, and my skin has become almost as pale as his. I have picked up bits and pieces of his language. I regularly go down to his mines with him, where I help him with his work. It is almost time for me to return to the surface. I wonder what my family is thinking about my disappearance. Do they think I am dead?
    1/27/10
    It has been three months since I have been introduced into the Geosapein culture. I can now have basic conversations with the townspeople. I work alongside the Geosapiens In architecture and design. I have been hearing rumors in the marketplace about strange things happening in the Abyss to the west of town. The Hunters are saying that the cave creatures are getting restless and moving closer to the city. Why is this happening?