In the most ancient times, animals and people did not live on the surface of the earth. They lived below the ground with Kaang, the master of life. People and animals were the same then and lived together peacefully. Although they lived underground, there was always light and plenty to eat.
But Kaang desired that they should move to the World Above. And when this happened, everything changed.
From a tale told by the San People of Southern Africa
Kong Monitoring Station, Hollow Earth,
Two Months Later
Ilene Andrews had spent the morning studying a form of proto-writing inscribed on ruins that preliminary dating suggested were older than the Sumer civilization by ten thousand years. If she was right, that made it the oldest form of graphic communication ever to be discovered. And they had only been back in Hollow Earth for a couple of weeks. Who knew what she might discover in a month, two months, a year? At this point, it wasn’t even clear to her who or what had made the inscriptions. Ancient humans, possibly, or some race of beings entirely unknown to science. This was the place where the myths came from, after all—the prototypes of the gods, the demons, the monsters, the heroes. The tales of hell and paradise and everything in between.
Behind her, she heard a slight sound and turned.
Good morning, Jia, she signed. Good morning, Nathan.
She smiled. Behind them, the Monarch team was still setting up equipment, for what was to be an ongoing, open-ended project. They had been fully funded this time, and she meant to make the best of it.
Good morning, Mother, Jia signed.
I am incontinent, Nathan signed. Ilene smiled wider, then laughed.
“What?” Nathan said. “Did I get it wrong?”
“Has Jia been teaching you?” Ilene asked.
“Yes, I…” He broke off. “Okay,” he sighed. “What did I just say?”
“Nothing we can’t iron out later,” Ilene replied. “Come on, how about a walk?”
“That sounds good,” Nathan said. But Jia tugged on his arm.
“Right,” he said. He took his walkie-talkie off his belt and spoke into it. “All right. Is he ready for his morning walk?”
A moment later, Kong landed ahead of them with a tooth-rattling thud. He turned back, and for a moment he and Jia stared at one another. Then Kong raised his hand.
Home, he signed. Then, with a happy roar, he swung off ahead of them.
He is home, Ilene thought. Then she glanced over at Jia. And so are we.
In the distance she heard Kong beating his chest, and his triumphant cry echoing through the valley.