Mother Earth Inc.

 

Wilberforce had been scrubbing his hands for nearly an hour. The dirt, though mostly a dense red clay, refused to retract its hold on the space beneath his nails. Even though he was the president and CEO of Mother Earth Inc. he still took his turn digging soil in extraction point number thirty-one. The work was not easy, but he needed to show his unfailing support for the project to move mankind beneath the surface of the earth. “We came from the earth, and we should show our respect for her by finding our life in her,” was the company mantra and though the number of surface dwellers exceeded one million, the goal was to create enough space in the belly of Gaia to make room for them all.

Turning off the water and dropping nail scraper on the edge of the sink, he returned to his family, now sitting around the dining room table, awaiting his presence before starting their meal. Joining hands with his wife and two children, he offered the traditional thanksgiving before eating. “We thank you Gaia for this food that you have provided for us. All life comes from you, and we too will one day soon be in your bosom. Amen.”

Finishing their meal, consisting of vegetable matter solely grown from the soil, they retired to the living room for their evening update. “So how much longer, father, until we can move into Gaia?” the boy asked.

“It seems that every extraction point is one schedule,” he answered, so we are still on track for the end of the month. Are you all ready?”

“Yes sir,” they all answered in unison. “We will soon be free of the curse of the sun, the moon and the sky.”

“Very good,” he answered. “We must be packed and ready for the big day. It will come quicker than we can even imagine. The foolish land dwellers may laugh at us now but soon they will see but their understanding will come too late. They will all perish while we will live in the loving embrace of Gaia.”

Rising from his bed in the darkness of their windowless home, Wilberforce checked his email and read over his instructions for the coming week. Returning to his bedroom, he woke his wife. “Dana, wake up,” he said. “It seems that I will be traveling this week to visit some of the other extraction points. The board wants an official update on everyone’s progress. I need to leave by eight this morning.”

Arriving at extraction point fifteen on the far east coast, he approached the main gate and pressed the buzzer. After a moment, a crackling voice answered. Providing his identity, the gate crept open, and he pulled up in front of the business trailer. Climbing the steps, he punched in his employment ID and let himself in.

“Ah, Wilberforce, you’re here already,” the secretary said as he entered the room. “We weren’t expecting you for a couple more hours. I hope your trip was good.”

“Hello, Nancy,” he answered. “Yes, my trip was smooth and uneventful. When will the site manager be available?”

“He was planning on surfacing at noon, but I’ll call down to him now. The ascension takes about ten minutes. I just put a fresh pot of coffee on if you’re in the mood.”

“Coffee, yes, that sounds good,” he answered. “I’ll be in the conference room while I wait.”

Leaving the trailer after a brief update from the site manager, Wilberforce proceeded to repeat this process later that day and then twice a day for the rest of the week. Pulling up into his own driveway well past midnight, he half-slept walked into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed.

“Oh, Wilberforce,” his wife said as he jostled the bed. “I didn’t expect you until morning. Did everything go okay?”

“Yeah, everything is on schedule like everyone had reported,” he answered. “I was so close to home after seeing extraction point 30 that I figured I would just drive straight home and sleep in my own bed. Sorry to wake you.”

“No, no, that’s fine, I’m glad to see you,” she said. “And the kids will be excited to hear about the progress. But I’ll let you get to sleep. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

Sitting at the kitchen counter the next morning before anyone else had gotten up, Wilberforce sat drinking his tea and watching the news.

“Though private and nearly reclusive, the Mother Earth Inc. foundation has released an official statement regarding their progress. They are reporting that the projected thirty-one subterranean living spaces will be complete within the month and their entire following will be descending into their new homes,” the reporter said. “Today, we have with us Dr. Philbus Cunningham from Johns Hopkins Hospital to explain the extremely dangerous nature of this undertaking. Dr. Cunningham, thank you for joining us.”

“Yes, Paul, I’m glad to be here,” he said. “Because we aren’t talking about a simple scientific project but what is really a borderline cult, there is no reasoning with the leaders of this group. All of the science points toward the physical and psychological devastation that will, and I mean will, overtake these people. Man was not meant to live in the darkness and stagnation of holes in the earth. If they go ahead with their plans, this will not end well.”

“Thank you, doctor,” the reporter said. “If anyone is interested in further details about the danger this group is placing themselves under, please go to the website address that is scrolling across the bottom of your screen.”

Turning off the screen, Wilberforce could only mutter under his breath. Finishing his coffee, he turned to see his family join him in the kitchen. “Good morning, everyone,” he said, embracing each in a warm hug. My trip went very, very well and all of the extraction points are on schedule to be complete as projected. This is very exciting.”

Standing in front of their now empty home, Wilberforce and his family watched their shipping container filled with all of their earthly belongings load onto the flat bed semi. Following their truck to extraction point thirty-one, they joined a long line of cars and semis all waiting to descend into their new home, nearly 7000 feet below the surface of the earth.

Leaving their car behind and finding their seats on the platform as it descended with their possessions, they all looked up as the circle of blue sky slowly disappeared, sinking into the ground at a forty-five-degree angle. The dull glow of a red tinted light filled the vast chamber that would now be their home. Following the container as it jostled toward their new living quarters, the kids hurried inside to choose their bedrooms.

As Wilberforce and his family walked through their new home, three brief chirps sounded, alerting them to gather in the main conference hall. Standing among tens of thousands of people, a number of elderly men ascended a small stage in front. “The day has finally arrived,” one of them said. “I have been informed that the last container has been loaded and the surface level hatch will be closed. If you all listen carefully, you will hear the cover as it is locked and sealed. Welcome to your new home.”

The crowd, in rapturous delight, broke into cheers and applause. Raising his hands as the crowd erupted in their excitement, he motioned for silence. Within moments of the crowd going silent, a large boom sounded followed by several metallic clicks. The sound echoed through the hall and once again the crowd broke into a raucous cheer.

As everyone returned to their new homes, Wilberforce plugged in the family television and found the news. “The final reports are in,” the reporter said. “All thirty-one extraction points across the country have been sealed. In an interesting change of mind, the leaders of Mother Earth Inc. have agreed to maintain occasional contact with their state governments. We will keep you posted as things develop.”

Albrecht Jones sat on his front porch watching the news on his phone. “Hey Edna,” he yelled into the house. “Looks like the news has an update on those weirdos underground.”

Turning up the volume, an image of the sealed entrance to extraction point thirty-one came across the screen. “We have received regular correspondence from the leaders of Mother Earth Inc. every two weeks since they first made their descent,” the reporter said. “But the last six weeks have been silent. State and federal officials have been in discussion about possible next steps. There is concern that something has gone wrong.”

“Ha, told ya,” Albrecht said. “Anybody with half a brain could’ve seen that this whole thing was weird and not right. They’re probably all dead.”

“Oh, don’t be so morbid, Albrecht,” Edna said. “They are still people after all. It would be terrible if they all died, especially the kids.”

The next morning, Albrecht turned on the news as he ate his breakfast. “Hey, it’s another report about the Mother Earth people,” he said. “Come here, Edna.”

“State and federal officials have made the decision to break open the extraction point seals at each location overnight,” the reporter said. “And reports are coming in that there are no survivors. The thousands of people in each location appear to have succumbed to some sort of toxin in their ventilation system. We have invited Dr. Pomplius DeGaard to explain exactly what took place. Dr. DeGaard, thank you for joining us.”

“Of course,” he answered. “From our preliminary findings, almost every detail of Mother Earth Inc.’s plan was based on faulty science and faulty logic. It was merely a matter of time. If this unexpected toxin had not killed them all, then something else, one of many possibilities, would have.”

“Thank you, doctor,” the reporter said. “In light of this current tragedy, the federal government has set aside the third Monday of this month as a special day to remember this terrible loss. May we all learn from their mistakes.”