Week 7 Story: Escape from Agartha

Escaping from Agartha

The current updated version of this story is here: Adventurers from Agartha

"Smack!" Agghhh, what the heck. I really need to get a bigger bed. Almost every week I roll out of bed at least once and smack my face. I guess it's already ugly, but I would rather it not get uglier. Especially if I ever hope to talk to Chloe. Well, I better get up and go meet my best friends Fishlegs and Snotlout. It is almost time for us to enact our grand plan. 

Early mornings in Agartha just do not compare to the upper lands of Earth. Down here at the core, we don't get any sunlight. It's always gloomy. There are no trees down here. It is as if the rocky mountains collapsed into the core and lost all their trees along the way. The only light down here is artificial, and the light in the people. If there is one thing I love about moving down here to Agartha it is the people. Up on the surface, everyone is at war. Dragons have overtaken much of the known Earth, and all the humans are fortified in colossal fortresses.

Many years ago, our founders were digging for obsidian stone under the fortress Shadaa, and they discovered a tunnel. As any curious person would do, they followed it. As you would expect, they faced many challenges on their journey, but when they almost ran out of food and supplies they found it. A giant open space in the rock. Agartha, they named it. 

The stories amaze me every time, and for some odd reason, there are no dragons down here. At least that we have discovered. I would knock on wood if there was any near me on this rock. 

"Hey Hiccup, what are daydreaming over here?" snickers Snotlout. "Oh, I see that dazed look. You must be thinking about Chloe again." 

"No, and don't act like you know my every expression." I joke back to him. "Besides, if our plan works, I likely will never see Chloe again."

"Hey, you should express your feelings to her before we leave!" Fishlegs shouts as he trips and rolls down the rocky hill to meet us. "Oof, maybe up on the surface rolling down a hill won't hurt as much." 

Months ago, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and I decided we wanted to sneak back up to the surface despite our parent's disapproval. We just did not feel like we fit in here. All the people are nice and all, but it just does not feel like home. I especially do not fit in here. In school, they teach us how to live here. How to mold stone, grow food, and maintain our light source. Which, I still do not understand. All the while wars are raging on the surface. Don't get me wrong I am no fighter like Snotlout, but I am a defender. I care deeply about people, and I can no longer stand by helplessly. 

Snotlout is the warrior of our group. He can slash and beat up any rock down here. Even with his fists. Fishlegs is fascinated by the dragons. He wants to study them and learn everything he can about them. Fishlegs even wants to know how they poop. Yeah, it grosses me out too. But the three of us are family. We grew up together, and while we are but teenagers, we feel like we have spent an entire life together. We met when I was 5 years old, I was reading about the wars when my dad came home and saw what I was reading. Angrily, he sent me outside because he was ashamed of me. As a curious boy, this happened often, but that day there was someone else at my tree that I go to sit at. 

It was Fishlegs, he was there crying because his family too sent him away in shame. A few minutes later, Snotlout came crying as well for the same reason. For hours we shared our pains, and we made a pact that when we feel rejected by our parents, our by our friends that we would come together. We would always have each other. 

Today is a big day. Today is the day that we plan to make our trip to the surface. Months of planning, and we finally have all the supplies and the confidence needed. 

I am so ready to begin. I decided to write a letter to each of my family members. Fishlegs convinced me to write a letter to Chloe, so I wrote a letter to her explaining my feelings for her. Maybe I'll see her and my family again someday. I do love my family, I just feel called to a place they will not follow. 

Everything is prepared. Snotlout has the mechanical supplies needed for us to climb, and he packed plenty of backups and safety features. Fishlegs is carrying a lot of food that he secretly grew, and a little bit that he stole but we don't need to address that. I am carrying some of our personal items, and a giant crank rechargeable light on my back. 

Late at night, we sneak out of the town and head for the tunnel. Each of us is feeling a mixture of excitement, fear, anxiety, hope, and guilt among every other feeling it seems. We reach the tunnel and say a quick prayer. We each say something we will miss about home, and then we say something we are looking forward to. It's time. We line up with me in the front. 

I take my first step in the tunnel, and it feels....... thrilling. 

Author's Note

My story Escape from Agartha is inspired by The Three Friends: the Monkey, the Dog, and the Carabao by Dean S. Fansler (1921). In that story, the three animals move from the city to the countryside to live a more solitary life. The three eventually encounter the antagonist of the story. The antagonist more or less bullies the animals a few times before they trick him. He later escapes and kills two of them. The monkey escapes and eventually takes revenge on the antagonist. From this story, I pulled the idea of going on an adventure as a team. Three close friends on a journey. I also pull inspiration from the movie series How to Train your Dragon. 

I wanted to write a story about three friends on an adventure similar to The Three Friends: the Monkey, the Dog, and the Carabao. Unbeknown to me, I thought of the word "Agartha." I looked it up and loved the idea of that city. I added the character Chloe because I want Hiccup to have a love interest. I think it gives him more depth. My description of Agartha comes from me imagining what it might actually be like. I imagine it'd be misty-like. My description of the surface world is largely inspired by How to Train your Dragon. The tunnel to and from the surface was an idea to simply connect the two worlds. I chose to have Hiccup, Snotlout, and Fishlegs have similar backstories to give a reason for them to be friends. I ended the story on a cliffhanger because I want you, the reader to imagine what happens next. Do they make it to the surface? How are they greeted there? Are dragons actually nice like in the movie? Maybe I will write a follow-up to this story. 

Bibliography

The Three Friends: the Monkey, the Dog, and the Carabao. By Dean S. Fansler (1921)