10 A Visit to the Underworld

CHAPTER 10 A Visit to the Underworld Before I knew about the Morlocks, I thought the world was a peaceful place. Now that I knew the Eloi were not alone, I felt uneasy. Just like the Eloi, I began to fear the dark nights. I now knew that the Morlocks prowled the darkness, and the idea that these strange creatures roamed freely while I slept was very

disturbing. I remembered waking with the feeling that an animal had disturbed me while I was asleep. I could understand why Weena and her people huddled together in large rooms at night. I thought about my machine. It now seemed as if I could get it back by going underground to find it. If only I had someone to go with me— someone who was stronger and braver than the Eloi. The thought of climbing down one of the dark wells by myself frightened me. But I was alone. So I told myself once more that the best thing for me to do would be to learn as much as I could about the Morlocks, the Eloi, and their world. Perhaps then I could figure out an easier way to recover my machine. I began to take longer hikes to explore more of the countryside. On one of these walks, I saw a green building towering in the distance. It was larger than any building I had seen in the world of the future. I wanted to explore it, but it was

getting late and I didn't want to be out at night. So I returned home and told myself I would visit it tomorrow. But by the next morning, I knew I didn't really need to visit the green building. Exploring it wouldn't help me find my Time Machine. It was just that the thought of climbing down a well frightened me terribly. The green building was just an excuse to stay aboveground. No—what I really needed to do was visit the Underworld. And so I made up my mind to climb down into a well that morning. I remembered seeing one nearby and I headed in that direction with Weena. She walked along happily until we reached the dark hole. When I leaned over the edge and looked down, she became very upset. I kissed her on the cheek and said, "Good-bye, little Weena." Then I put one leg over the edge of the well. My little friend let out a cry and began pulling at my arm. I took her hands from my arm, grabbed

hold of the side of the well, and put my other leg over the edge. I tried to make her feel better by giving her a smile. Then I grasped the metal ladder and lowered myself into the darkness. The well was deep, and the climb down was difficult because the ladder was made for small hands and feet. One of the metal rungs bent when I stepped on it, and I almost fell into the blackness. I hung in the air by one hand until I recovered safely. Down and down I went. My arms and back began to hurt, but I kept going. I looked up and saw a small blue circle of sky. I also saw Weena, staring down at me from high above. The thud-thud-thud of a machine grew louder as I got farther from the surface. I was now very tired and in pain, and I didn't know how much farther I could go. I looked up again and saw that Weena had gone. Then I looked around and saw a tunnel in the side of the well. I climbed into it and lay down for a much needed rest.

I don't know how long I lay in the tunnel, but suddenly I felt a soft hand on my face. I sat up quickly, found my matches, and lit one. In the light, I saw three Morlocks crouching in the tunnel looking at me. Their eyes were large and sparkled with the light of the match. Now that I saw them up close, I could see that they had sharp teeth. But the flame was too bright for them, and they quickly crawled into the shadows. I could still see their eyes staring at me from the dark. I tried to talk to them, but their language must have been different from the Elois', and they didn't reply. I wanted to climb back up the well, but I knew I couldn't turn back now. So I lit another match and crawled down the tunnel. As I made my way, the Morlocks stayed ahead of me, just beyond my small circle of light. Soon, I came to a large cavern. It was big, and the light of the match didn't reach the far wall. In the cavern, I could just see the dark shapes

of large machines. Morlocks crouched in the shadows, watching me. The air was stuffy and warm. The throbbing sound of the machines filled the air and echoed off the cavern walls. Just then, my match flickered out. Right away I realized how helpless I was. I didn't have any of the things I needed to explore the Underworld safely. I only had a handful of matches left because I'd wasted some of them by showing fire to the Eloi. I hadn't brought any medicines or first-aid supplies with me from the past. I hadn't even thought to bring a camera! Instead, all I had with me in the tunnel were four matches.