The Nibiru Effect

Memory 82

Lava. It stretches as far as the eye can see. Its orange glow illuminates every centimetre of the vast cavern, but the sheets of hot air that waft up from the molten rock keep everything hazy. I can barely make out the island that stands at the very centre of the ocean of lava.

"Is that a city?" I ask, struggling to make out the distant island.

"Korrigania," says Korri.

"Excuse me?"

"Korrigania," repeats the lava korrigan. "That's the name of the city."

"Oh. Is that where you grew up?"

Korri nods, but he seems worried.

"What's wrong?"

"It's the lava. It's much higher than when I left."

"Let's go," says the leader of the rescue team before I can think of anything comforting to say. He heads off, followed by the four other korrigans. Korri hesitates for a moment, then follows. I do the same, but first, I revert to my normal appearance. There's nothing wrong with being small, but I feel better in my own skin.

The korrigans lead me along the edge of the cliff until we reach what appears to be a staircase. Like the remains I encountered on the way up the Mountain of Fire, it has been carved directly into the cliff. The only difference is that this one is still intact.

"Oh no," I groan at the sight of it.

"What's wrong?" asks Korri.

"I'm afraid of heights."

"Don't worry. We're not using the staircase."

"How will we get down?"

Korri doesn't answer. He doesn't need to. His rescue team has gathered around a hole in the nearby wall, and one of them is now in the process of climbing in.

"Wee!" he cries out as he vanishes from sight. His voice grows more and more distant until I can no longer hear it. As soon as that happens, a second korrigan climbs in and vanishes. It's not until the third one enters the hole in the wall that I realize it's some sort of slide, carved directly into the stone.

"Are you sure it's safe?" I ask once all five korrigans have vanished.

"Don't worry," says Korri with a wink. "You'll love it." He climbs into the hole and vanishes.

I'm alone. I hesitate for a moment before entering the hole. I may be afraid of heights, but I have no issue with sliding. As long as I don't realize how high up I am, I'll be fine.

I take a deep breath, close my eyes and release the edges of the hole. I barely have time to tuck my arms by my side before gravity grabs me. Within seconds, I'm speeding along in total darkness.

At first, I'm terrified, but I soon relax when I realize the slide is safe. I cry out in glee as I speed along the twisting, turning, and looping stone tunnel. The journey lasts a full minute, and I enjoy every second of it. It's not until I finally reach the bottom that I realize my mistake.

I emerge from the slide like a bullet leaving the chamber. I skid across a long, narrow surface. To the left stands the cliff. To the right is the lava. It's so close I can feel its heat. But that's not what worries me.

I'm going too fast. The end of the landing area is growing closer by the second, and I'm showing no signs of slowing down.

"Damn!" I mutter when I realize my mistake. I'm heavier than the korrigans, which means my velocity is far superior to theirs. This, in turn, means it will take much longer for my momentum to plummet to the point of inertia. In other words, I won't be able to stop before reaching the end of the landing area, which, quite unfortunately, ends with a drop into an ocean of molten rock.