"But what does that have to do with the black hole?" you ask Bruckner.

The professor pauses to fill his pipe. "As I ex- plained in my published theory, a tiny black hole lodged in the center of the earth more than a billion years ago. It pulled the interior of the earth—everything except for the crust and man- tle—into itself, leaving the earth hollowed out like a Halloween pumpkin. That is what the gravity readings tell us."

"Then where is the Underground Kingdom?"

"It is the whole interior surface of the earth. And if you stood there and looked straight up, you would see the black hole. It would look exactly like our sun except that it would be jet black."

Professor Bruckner lights his pipe, then says, "I did not expect to undertake this mission for some months. I only planned to inspect the crevasse and test the Vertacraft, but the crevasse is closing rapidly. I must make the descent today. Other- wise, my return path might be blocked. Who will volunteer to come with me?"

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