A Terrible Storm

Now, our journey felt even more dangerous. The professor was frightened, but nothing could stop him from going to the centre of the earth. Hans continued to sail the boat, but we did not see land. We travelled for hours, but we did not hear or see anything. Then, there was a sound like fast running water. We couldn’t see it, but we could hear it.

It got louder. Then we saw it.

«Look, it’s water shooting up into the air!»

«And it’s coming from the body of a huge sea creature.»

We tried to turn the boat, but the waves pulled us near the creature. For a moment, I thought that this was the end of our journey. The water went up 500 feet high into the air. An animal that could do this, could kill us easily. Then, we saw that the long black body we thought was an animal, was an island. It was like a small volcano, shooting up water, instead of lava.

«That’s where all this water is coming from.»

«Axel, check the temperature of the water here.» I took a thermometer out of my inside jacket pocket and I put it in the water for a few seconds.

«163 degrees Fahrenheit.»

«We’re close to the centre.»

«We can’t go on, uncle. It’s too hot.»

«We must.»

The electric light coming from the rocks over our heads began to make explosions. The clouds were now near the water. Small lines of light that looked like snakes exploded all around us. The waves were bigger now and pushed us away. I was very scared.

«What’s happening?»

The explosions were too loud for us to hear each other.

«It’s an electrical storm, Hans!»

Hans tried to keep the boat from sinking. The wind pushed us through the water like a race car. Suddenly, a large ball of white electric light fell on the boat. None of us could move. It held our feet with its electric power. We shouted to each other, but none of us could hear anything. The boat moved by itself, and there was nothing we could do. Suddenly, the ball of electricity exploded.

We all fell down and a huge wave threw us into the water.

Hans had the professor in one arm and me in the other. I don’t know how he did it, but he got us to land safely. I began to think that all the energy he saved by not talking, made him the strongest man on earth.

The storm stopped and we saw the boat, still on the water, a hundred feet away.

Hans swam out to save our food and equipment. The professor and I tried to understand where we were.

«I think that sea is 800 miles wide.»

«That means we went under Europe. The Mediterranean sea is now over our heads!»

«Let’s wait for Hans to bring back the compass.»

When Hans brought back the compass, the professor and I could not believe what we saw. It said we were north and not south. That meant the wind took us back to the place where we started.