Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth
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Destruction! We have angered Zeus! Upon placing the final crystal, everything seemed to be working. The sounds emitted were wondrous, like nothing mortals had ever heard. The sparkling lights started to get brighter and brighter. The light overhead became brilliant. Then, the sound started to resonate, getting louder and louder. Zeus was angry that mortals had heard the music of the gods! Pain in our ears grew and grew. I watched as blood started to pour from my fellow priests’ ears, and suddenly, everything was quiet. My ears were now bleeding. Punishment for our sins! Then, I head the sound again. It was inside me! My body started to shiver. Pain came from the music. Louder and louder. The ground began to tremble. I watched in horror as my fellow worshippers began to writhe in pain. One by one, their bodies dropped to the ground, arms and legs withering and melting away. I started to lose my will, and ran into the inner sanctum of the temple. Upon sealing the doors, the pain in my body disappeared. The ground began to tremble, but the temple remained intact. It had been designed to withstand enemy attacks, every piece laid out in special fashion. Why is Zeus angry? Why is he killing all of his worshippers? Suddenly, the temple lurched. I was thrown to the floor. It sounded like water was rushing outside, but my chamber remained dry. The floor shifted again, and I was thrown against the wall. I lost consciousness for a period of time, and now I am writing to let others know what happened. I am afraid to breach the seal of the inner sanctum, but I must face the punishment Zeus wishes. My prayers go out to all the people of Atlantis, whatever their fate.

According to my best calculations, the light in the night sky seems to refer to McKenzie’s comet. Its reappearance every 78 years over different parts of the earth seems to correspond to the timing of the feast of Zeus in that region. My calculations also point to the fact that the comet will be reappearing next year over the exact same region. If this is the case, and the temple has remained intact in the vicinity of the Lidenbrock Sea, I fear it might set into motion the same chain of events that sank Atlantis - A great harmonic distortion due to the interacting ionic particles in the atmosphere. But, this time the crystalline structure will penetrate deeper into the earth’s core, possibly releasing magma and causing a chain reaction bringing down the entire cavern. Thousands would be killed in the ensuing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions! I must prevent this from happening. I must make another journey to the centre of the earth!