Episode 3: The Dark Cave and the Old, Old Worm
Emil and three of the worms — including his good friend Tom the scout worm — set off through the entire worm city in search of the missing artifact. They peeked into the bakery. They searched behind the hat shop. They looked under the bridges and inside the lantern stalls. They asked everyone they met.
But no matter how hard they hunted, they found nothing.
"We've looked everywhere," sighed Tom, his little explorer's cap drooping. "Every street, every corner..."
"Not every corner," said one of the worms slowly. He pointed a wiggly tip toward the very edge of the city, where the warm lantern light faded away into shadow. There, set into the rock, was the mouth of a dark cave — black and silent and cold.
"No one has gone in there for a very, very long time," the worm whispered. "It is said to be... dangerous. We stay away."
The three worms shivered and shrank back. But Emil reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, sturdy flashlight. He clicked it on, and a bright beam cut clean through the darkness.
"Don't worry," Emil said kindly. "I have a light. We can investigate together, and I'll go first. If the artifact is anywhere left to look, it might just be in here."
The worms looked at one another. Then Tom raised his lantern and wriggled bravely to Emil's side. "Together, then," he said.
In they went.
The flashlight beam swept across the cave walls — and Emil gasped. For there, buried beneath the ground, was an ancient road. Old worn cobblestones stretched away into the dark, lined with crumbling pillars and strange carvings worn smooth by time.
"This road is older than the whole city," Tom breathed. "I never knew it was here."
They followed the forgotten path deeper and deeper, the worms huddling close in the glow of the light. The air grew still. Their footsteps echoed. And then, at the very end of the road, the tunnel opened into a great stone chamber — and in the warm flicker of candlelight, someone was waiting.
It was a worm. But not like any worm Emil had met. This one was ancient, with a long flowing white beard that pooled on the floor, and eyes that twinkled with a thousand years of stories. And cupped gently in his hold was a small, smooth, brown thing.
"The artifact!" the worms cried.
The old worm smiled softly. "Yes. I took it," he admitted. "But I did not steal it, little ones. I could never bear for it to be hidden away in a glass case any longer." He held it up to the light. "I wanted to share with all worms what a wonderful thing this truly is. For this is no mere trinket. This is a seed."
Emil's heart leapt — he had been right!
"Long, long ago," the old worm went on, "our planet looked very different. Still green, oh yes — but green in another way entirely. Few remember it now. But I do." His eyes shone. "And I think it is time someone learned the truth. Will you come with me? Further down, deeper still, into the heart of the world?"
Emil and the worms nodded, spellbound.
The old worm rose, took up a lantern, and led them down a winding path that sloped ever downward. For several minutes they walked in hushed wonder — until a low rushing sound grew louder and louder ahead.
They rounded one last bend, and there it was: an enormous waterfall, thundering down from the cavern roof into a vast, glittering underground lake. Mist sparkled in the air. Glowing crystals shimmered on the water.
Emil stood at the shore, eyes wide, hardly able to breathe.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" said the old worm quietly. "And this... is only the beginning."
To be continued in Episode 4...