Dig

The earth was soft and humid. The spade cut through it easily. Gaia shoveled some of it aside as she started digging her hole. Memories from her childhood came flooding. "What's in the center of the earth?" she had asked her mother as a five-year-old, she had told her something about molten rocks and an inner metallic core, showing her some drawings made by scientists. Yet Gaia wanted to see it for herself, she had to see it. She became obsessed with it, but everyone told her it was impossible. The more she was told it couldn't be done, the more she wanted to do it. Ignoring everyone, she saved enough money to buy one hundred spades and some ladders and one spring day she got out on her yard to start digging.

That first day she focused on making a wide hole, one that was barely one foot deep but that covered half of her yard. On the second day, she barely advanced another foot deeper. It took her several weeks to have a hole deep enough to use the ladder to get out of it. Summer came and went and by winter, the hole was almost ten-stories-deep. It took her years to dig deep enough but one day she made it. By then she had installed artificial lightning and a pulley system to get in and out. That day the floor gave way when she shoveled. A large cave opened underneath her feet, warm air rushing out. The shadows of the flames danced on her face. She looked inside the cave, flames were all over and a dark figure was sitting on a chair. The figure signed at her to get inside the cave.

Gaia climbed down and walked through the fire. The figure was still sitting on his throne, its face in shadows, its eyes red as coals. She stopped in front of it.

-Welcome.- his voice resonated through the cave.- You reached the center of the earth.

-Who are you?- she asked.

-Lucifer.

-Cool. Can I sit now?

-WHAT?- Lucifer couldn't believe his ears.- You just met the King of Hell and you want to sit?

-Hey! I dug all the way down here! How many people have done that? Get out of that chair!- Gaia protested forcing Lucifer out of the throne.

Lucifer stared at her, unable to believe it, as Gaia sat on the throne and dismissed him.

-Hell has a new queen.- she announced laughing.