_Inhabitants of Earth's Interior Come to Alvarez_
by Franklin Williams, Staff Writer
Alvarez, May 9, 2204.--An almost unbelievable event of the greatest
significance not only to Alvarez, or the United States of the Western
Hemisphere, but to the entire world, occurred in our Alvarez County
yesterday. Visitors on the early morning tour through Alvarez Caverns,
came upon an astonishing spectacle. Two men and a young girl of
indescribable strangeness of manner and dress were seated on the floor
of Atom Cave. All were in the last stages of exhaustion and exposure,
and even the little light from the electric hand lamps seemed to blind
them. Fortunately, in the tour was Dr. and Mrs. Ferguson of New
Washington, and Dr. Ferguson, appraising himself rapidly of the
situation, led the trio out of the Caverns and drove them to Alvarez
Hospital. Dr. Ferguson says they seemed completely dazed and unable to
speak. They came with him without resistance.
After an examination by Dr. Stutfeldt of Alvarez Hospital which
completely confirmed Dr. Ferguson's earlier diagnosis, the strange
visitors were put in a darkened room, in which they surprisingly had no
difficulty seeing, and were given simple nourishment.
Late in the evening, after they had slept and rested for many hours,
they were questioned. In the presence of a distinguished group which
included Mayor Whitehead, Professor Lorraine Johnson (a very charming
young lady) of the Alvarez University, J. W. Wilson, Chairman of the
Alvarez Chamber of Commerce, and your reporter, they told an amazing,
but according to Professor Johnson, entirely credible story.
Speaking slowly with an accent strongly reminiscent of twenty-first
century North American, but with somewhat peculiar grammatical
formations, the oldest of the group told of their having walked for many
weeks from their State deep within the Earth.
Undoubtedly, they will have much more of interest to tell, but Dr.
Stutfeldt refused to let them talk for more than a few minutes. He says
it will be many weeks before they will regain their strength, and much
longer before they will be able to adjust to the tremendous differences
between their old life and life on the surface of the earth. It is
entirely possible, Dr. Stutfeldt says, that they may never be able to
make this adjustment.
An interesting sidelight of their within-the-earth civilization is that,
although they apparently have the same calendar system as ours, in some
way their time seems to have gotten out of step. According to their
reckoning it is now some three years and two months later than it is.
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