Chapter 26A Rapid Recovery

When I came back to myself, I was surrounded by a kind of haze, lying on some seriously comfy blankets. My uncle was watching me - his eyes glued to my face, a really serious look and a tear in his eye. When I let out a sigh, he grabbed my hand.

When he saw my eyes open and lock onto his, he yelled, "He's alive! He's alive!"

"Yeah, my good uncle," I whispered.

"My boy!" the serious Professor said, pulling me into a hug. "You're safe!"

I was genuinely touched by the way he said it, and even more so by how nice he was taking care of me. But the Professor wasn't exactly the affectionate type - you had to put him through a lot to get any feelings out of him. Just then, our friend Hans, the guide, came over.

He saw my hand in my uncle’s, and I bet even though he was quiet, his eyes lit up with relief. "God dag," he said.

"Good day, Hans, good day," I replied, trying to sound as cheerful as I could.

"So, Uncle, now that we’re together, where are we? I have no idea where we are, or anything else, really."

"Tomorrow, Harry, tomorrow," he replied.

"You’re way too weak today. Your head is wrapped in bandages and stuff you can't mess with. Just sleep, my boy, sleep, and tomorrow you’ll know everything you need to."

"But," I said, "can you at least tell me what time it is - what day it is?"

"It’s eleven o’clock at night, and it’s Sunday again. It’s the ninth of August. And I’m telling you not to ask any more questions until the tenth."

I was, if I’m being real, super weak, and my eyes just shut on their own. I seriously needed a good night's sleep, and right before I drifted off, it hit me - my crazy adventure deep inside the earth, totally in the dark, had lasted four whole days!

When I woke up the next morning, I started looking around. My bed, made from all our travel stuff, was in this awesome little cave. It was decked out with these huge, sparkly rock formations in every color imaginable, and the floor was covered in soft, silvery sand.

It was kind of dim. No torch, no lamp was lit, but there were these weird beams of light coming from somewhere outside, shining through the cave’s opening.

I could hear this low, vague sound, like waves going in and out, and sometimes I swear I could hear the wind sighing.

I started thinking maybe I wasn't even awake - maybe I was dreaming. Was my brain messed up from the fall? Were all those things from the last twenty-four hours just crazy visions? But after thinking about it, testing myself, I realized I wasn’t wrong.

My eyes and ears couldn't both be playing tricks on me.

"It’s gotta be sunlight," I said to myself. " But what’s with the sound of waves? It’s like the ocean, for sure. And I can hear the wind whistling. Could I be totally off? Did my uncle bring me back to the surface while I was sick?"

"Did he ditch his awesome expedition for me, or did something weird happen to it?"

I was racking my brain over all this when the Professor came in.

"Hey, Harry!" he said, sounding super happy. "You seem way better!"

"I'm feeling way better," I said, actually sitting up in bed.

"I figured you’d snap out of it, you slept like a rock. Hans and I took turns keeping watch, and every hour we saw you getting better."

"You're probably right, Uncle," I replied.

"I could totally chow down on anything you put in front of me."

"You’re gonna eat, my boy, you’re gonna eat. The fever’s gone. Our awesome friend Hans rubbed my wounds and bruises with some crazy ointment - only Icelanders know the secret. And he healed them, like, amazingly. Smart dude, Master Hans."

While he was setting food in front of me, I devoured it, even though he kept telling me not to. Once the worst of the hunger was gone, I bombarded him with questions, and this time he didn’t dodge them.

I learned, for the first time, that my lucky fall landed me at the bottom of a practically vertical gallery. As I fell, a whole bunch of rocks rained down - any one of them could have crushed me. They figured I was basically riding a giant, dislocated rock down.

I was thrown headfirst into my uncle’s arms, and I went down like a sack of potatoes, totally out and covered in blood.

"It’s a total miracle," the Professor said finally, "that you weren’t killed a bunch of times. But let's stick together, for real - we’d risk never seeing each other again if we didn't."

"Let's make sure we never separate again."

Those words kinda hit me hard. So the journey wasn't over. I looked at my uncle, super surprised. My uncle, after checking out my face, said, "What's wrong, Harry?"

"I need to ask you something really serious. Are you saying I'm okay health-wise?" "Totally."

"And are all my limbs working, ready for action?" I asked. "Without a doubt."

"But what about my head?" I asked, feeling anxious.

"Well, your head, aside from a couple of bumps, is exactly where it should be - on your shoulders," my uncle said, laughing.

"Honestly, I don't think my head's right. I think I'm a little delirious, actually." "What makes you say that?"

"Let me explain why I feel like I've lost it," I cried.

"Haven't we come back to the surface of Earth?" "Not at all."

"Then I must be crazy! I can see the sunlight, hear the wind, and feel the ocean waves!"

"Is that what's freaking you out?" my uncle said with a smile. "Can you explain?"

"I'm not even gonna try - it's completely beyond explanation. But you're gonna see for yourself. You'll realize that geology is basically just starting out - and we're destined to school the world."

"Let's go, then!" I cried, totally buzzing with curiosity.

"Hold up a sec, my dear Harry," he responded; "you gotta take it easy after being sick before heading outside." "Outside?"

"Yeah, my boy. Just a heads up - the wind's pretty intense - and I don't want you getting blasted by it without protection."

"But I'm totally fine - I'm completely recovered from being sick!"

"Just hang in there a bit, my boy. A relapse would be a major hassle for everyone. We don’t have time to waste - our upcoming sea voyage could be a long one."

"Sea voyage?" I cried, more confused than ever.

"Yep. You gotta chill and rest for another day, and we’ll be ready to board by tomorrow," my uncle replied with a weird smile.

"Get on board!" The words totally floored me.

Get on board - what? And how? Had we stumbled onto a river, a lake, or maybe found some hidden sea? Was a ship waiting somewhere deep inside the earth?

My curiosity was through the roof. My uncle tried to hold me back, but it was no use. Finally, he realized my eagerness was just making things worse - and that getting what I wanted was the only way to calm me down - so he gave in.

I got dressed super fast - and then, just to keep my uncle happy, I wrapped myself in a blanket. Then I bolted out of the grotto.