Underland Chronicles: 1 - The Border's Edge (A Gregor the Overlander FanFic)

Chapter 8

"Anything that falls into the Underland from above is brought to this room," Howard explained as he gestured at the many items. "You are welcome to take any you feel are necessary to bring with you on our journey."

Pandora paused to look at the items in turn. "Do you think I'll need any of this stuff?"

"I have traveled with Gregor numerous times, and he has always carried a backpack full of provisions from the Overland with him. The things he brought with him differed from time to time, save a few."

"What did he carry?" she asked, leaning forward to pick up a basket full of different balls from a shelf. She rolled a tennis ball around her hand; it was slightly flat. She replaced it with a golf ball, its stark white grandeur now tarnished with brown spots of dirt and a yellowish appearance, from age, Pandora guessed.

"He always brought with him flashlights and batteries. As you have seen, the Underland is a world of darkness and we need to bring light with us wherever we go. Where our torches failed us, his flashlights prevailed. He also carried this sticky, gauzy, gray material that came on a roll. It was useful for attaching things, like a flashlight to a forearm. I do not remember what he called it," he recalled with a shrug.

Pandora thought for a moment before the name for the object Howard was describing came to her so fast, it was like a slap to the face. Her lip curved upwards into a grin. "Duct tape," was all she said.

He grinned back. "Yes, I am sure that is what he called it."

Pandora quickly glanced around, now looking for some tape. "I don't see any here. But, hey, here's a flashlight."

Howard picked up the child's bright yellow backpack. "Put everything you need in here. Gregor always put his things in a backpack." He opened it and leaned it towards her so she could place the flashlight inside.

As she was looking for more things to fill up the backpack, her mind pondered the whole Overlander-Underlander concept. "How many Overlanders have fallen into the Underland?"

"Countless over the past few hundred years. Unfortunately, some do not make it to actually experience the Underland; they either perish from impact or shortly thereafter," he replied.

What a chilling thought, Pandora contemplated. "And how many Underlanders travel up to the Overland?"

This baffled Howard for a second or two, his eyebrows furrowing for an instant before he replied. "None, as far as I am aware of. It's easier to fall down than it is to climb up, I suppose."

Pandora came closer to the shelves and searched more thoroughly for items she might have need of. Some things just seemed silly: an accordion, an action figure, a small brightly colored bow that probably fell off a birthday present.

She unearthed some good finds: a package of peanut butter crackers and a granola bar, a miniature flashlight on a key chain, an energy drink, a pocketknife with many gadgets, and, although she couldn't find duct tape, she found a roll of half-used Scotch tape.

"Howard, check out this pocketknife," she moved towards where he stood, backpack in hand, to show it to him.

Pandora placed it into the palm of Howard's hand. "Are you sure this is a knife?" Howard asked, staring at it.

The gadgets, including not one but three knives, were all safely folded into the wooden handle. "You'll see."

"Where is the blade?" he asked, still not getting the knife part of the word pocketknife.