We left the inside-out globe of mirrors through the exit doors on the opposite side. Gee told us to act confident. After this experience we just had, confidence was not a problem. I was surgin' with the power of knowin' I was connected ta ever' livin' thing. I was more hopped up than revival meetin'. The Three Musketeers said it best, "One for all, and all for one."

I mind-spoke to Freck, "Are ya still nervous?"

"Are you kiddin'? I have so much power flowin' through me right now that I could take on anythin' and win. How 'bout you?"

"Me too. I feel unstoppable."

Gee cautioned, "Do not get carried away. We still have an enormous responsibility before us. It will not do if they get the idea that you are cocky. Quiet confidence is better. You must humbly present yourselves as the intelligent, caring people you are. Humility will go a long way. Respect them because they deserve your respect. Do not cower, though. Approach them with a surety of purpose."

We both said, "Thank you Gee."

His advice was good, but I, and probably Freck too, warn't at all sure on how to proceed. I hoped somethin' would come to us b'fore we stood in front the Rule Makers and had nothin' ta say. Where would that get us; just a great big F is all.

With all the thinkin' and mind-speakin' I was doin' I warn't payin' attention to my surroundin's until Freck exclaimed, "Wow!"

I blinked and looked around. Spectacular is a word I don't usually use, but spectacular was what it was. This room was round and as big as a baseball stadium. It had a very high domed ceilin'. We've seen big before, so it warn't the size that impressed me, it was the walls.

Finny in a kind of whisper spoke, "By the looks on your faces, I can tell you are intrigued by our mural. Would you like to know the story behind it?"

"Sure 'nuff", replied Freck.

"As you probably already know, my people came to Hollow Earth by traveling North over the ice. Earthlings have aptly named that era, the ice age. It was over 20,000 years ago. The journey proved treacherous. Three quarters of them died along the way. It wasn't just the freezing temperatures that killed them. Supplies were scarce, illness ran rampant, and starving wild animals attacked them for food. Sometimes the beasts won and at other times the tribe won. When the humans conquered, it meant food for those who remained. They didn't even have wood for fire because the ice shelf covered all the forests. What they killed was eaten raw. They couldn't fish for food because the ice was nearly two miles to three and a half miles thick.

"Returning wasn't a consideration because where they came from wasn't any better than where they were. They had to press forward pursuing the unlikely dream of finding someplace safe. No one expected what they discovered. All they hoped for was bare survival.

"We consider them to be heroes. In truth, they were humans with nothing to lose. Finding Hollow Earth was an act of pure desperation, not heroism, but none of us would be here if they failed.

"As you look around the hall, start on the left side of the door we just entered, and go right. The entire history of our people is portrayed in this rotunda. There is a saying, 'A picture is worth a thousand words.' We have thousands of pictures. School children come here to learn of our history. Scholars come here to examine minuscule details for undiscovered clues about the lives and times of our ancestors. They've written volumes about their research and as you can guess they have heated conferences where they argue their findings. Of course, no one actually wins. The game is to persuade more people to your view than the opposition's. Some come here for inspiration in their endeavors, and we hold our community meetings here as well."

"Excuse me, Finny."

"Yes, Wishes."

"Is this where your Rule Makers meet?"

"Heavens no. This hall is always open to the citizens of Shangi-La. It wouldn't do to have the public wandering through and disturbing important business. Straight ahead, under the arch on the far side is the Rule Maker's Chamber.

"Let's move to the middle. I have something very impressive to show you."

Do ya know that walkin' a straight line is very difficult when yur head is turnin' this way and that tryin' ta catch it all? Freck took my arm ta keep me from wanderin' off. She ain't as easily distracted. Once we got ta the center Finny instructed us ta look back toward the entrance door. He clicked somethin' in his hand and the mural began ta move.

"The Rule Makers ordered this improvement a long time ago. If you focus on one spot you will see something fascinating."

Freck and me stood shoulder to shoulder lookin' at the mural by the door. Gosh," I whispered under my breath. As them pictures go 'round, the people move."

Finny told us, "The panorama progresses to give the illusion of motion and the passing of time. It makes it come alive, don't you agree?"

Up until now Freck ain't said a word. "Finny," she asked, "when your ancestors arrived they look pretty much like ordinary people. You no longer refer to your race as human, and you've changed physically. You don't look like them anymore. What happened?"

"You will notice the people do gradually change as you watch. The earth's gravity is stronger on the surface. Here in Shagri-La we are closer to the earth's core where gravity is less. Did you feel it? With less gravity to push us down we grew much taller.

"You have probably noticed it's warmer here too. The high moisture content and warm air is just right for tropical forests. On your flight in you may have seen animals that look similar to the ones Topside. They too evolved to fit the environment. There are also creatures here that you call dinosaurs. Some arrived prior to the astroid collision that wiped out all the surface giants. A few survived."

Freck had more questions, "Uhm . . . you don't call yourselves human anymore. Why is that?"

Finny looked us over carefully. I guess it was to see if we could handle the truth. After a moment he spoke, "When our ancestors arrived, Hollow Earth was not like you see it now. They were delighted that they had a place where they were warm and could thrive. The problem was light. The only available sunlight came through the opening at the North Pole. For a long time it was enough to grow crops, build shelters, and hunt for meat. As populations do, our people began to multiply. The sunlit areas got overcrowded. Everyone wanted and needed a piece of the light. Fighting commenced. Blood was spilled.

"Watch the mural. The time period I am talking about is coming up.

"While you are watching, I will continue. For a decade or so murder was common. The population decreased. The survivors were able to settle in their own spaces. It was a solution, but a bloody, awful, hateful way to temporarily fix a long term problem.

"All of the survivors agreed that they would never allow this to happen again. They meant to stop it. One way, they decided, was to enact very harsh penalties for anyone breaking laws. Instead of cooling off in a prison, they were sent to the gallows. Hangings kept population growth down for a time, but harsh punishments also slowed crime. There were fewer to hang which reduced its effectiveness as a population control. Something else had to be done. What they mutually agreed on was establishing a life standard based on usefulness. If anyone was unable, because of age or disability, to care for themselves they were declared not useful. Everyone knew someone who was no longer useful, but as long as they, themselves still had value, they didn't care. The old and disabled were herded together and taken to the very edges of the light. They were forced to go into the dark and never return. Armed guards were posted and an un-scalable fence was erected to prevent them from returning. They were told that this was a kindness. Instead of hanging they would have a chance to create another life in another place if they could.

"No one was fooling anyone. The non-useful were given a death sentence, but the still useful didn't witness their deaths. The NU's (non-useful) disappeared in the night without witnesses. One day they were there, and the next they were gone. It became so commonplace that no one gave it any thought. For the community it was painless, but for the banished it was horrible."

"That's awful," Freck whimpered, "but what about the babies? Babies cain't take care of themselves. Did they kill babies too?"

"No," replied Finny earnestly, "unless the infant had a birth defect, or another suspected problem, they were spared. Otherwise the entire race would die off."

I asked, "What did they do with those defective babies?"

"No one had the heart to kill them, so they were taken to the dark side too."

"Ya mean the babies were just laid down on the ground outside the gate?" That picture runnin' around in my head was too gruesome ta contemplate."

"Wishes, they weren't laid just outside the gate. Soldiers carrying torches took them far enough into the dark until no one could hear their screams. It was a savage solution, but necessary to prolong the community."

Nobody talked for a minute. That was horrible, but we didn't need ta imagine it 'cuz the movin' paintin' came 'round to it. I thought I was gonna be sick. Freck looked a little green too. "Finny," I croaked, "They don't still kill all the NU's do they?"

"Of course we don't!"

He sounded offended.

"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't know it was a touchy subject."

"I am sorry too, Wishes. I really don't know why that rankled me. It's a very ugly part of our history and it makes me emotional. Your question is good and deserves an answer.

"This ghastly practice of removing the NU's became a great blessing. You see, contrary to everyone's belief at the time, a few NU's managed to survive in the dark. No one knows how, but they did. A young woman who was cast out because of a bad leg took pity on a particular infant. She picked him up in one arm and with the other used a crutch. Her name was Onni. She saved him with the help of a small group of survivors. They named the baby Airy.

"Airy was a spark of life in their otherwise dismal existence. When he was no more than five he came across a smooth object. A He took it back to his adopted mother Onni. She felt it and asked him, "What will you do with this thing?"

"He said, 'I like the way it feels. Can I keep it?'

"From that day forth the object never left his possession. It became his friend. He would talk to it and move it close to his ear in case it responded. As Airy grew older he wandered out further from the tribe. One day he found himself near the dreaded fence his mother spoke about. Curiosity got the better of him and he crept right up to it. There was a tiny glow of sunlight that came through a gap under the fence. He took out his pocket companion and moved it into the light. It grabbed that tiny ray of sunlight and sent it out into the dark. He was able to see things he had never seen before. It was a great and wonderful discovery.

"Airy returned to the place where he originally found it. As he felt around the ground he soon came across one, then a second, and a third one. He went back to the fence with all of his smooth things. It became a great game. If he laid them all side-by-side they would illuminate a bigger area. He was fascinated, so he went back many more times carrying even more of the shiny objects. He discovered if he placed them just right on an angle to each other he could make the light bend. He could send it up to a mountain face, or ahead toward their camp.

"His mother noticed strange blinking glows. She was drawn to it. What she found was her young teenaged son doing miracles. She recognized light. Ariy didn't. He didn't know what to call it. She hobbled into a circle he made that was very bright. After so many years in the dark it pained her eyes. Nonetheless, she returned to camp to alert the others to this amazing thing. They came forward with their now light sensitive eyes. When they entered the ring they saw faces of loved ones that they had never seen before. "What Airy has done is a miracle," they said. "He has brought sunlight into the darkness!"

To Airy it was just a toy, but to the outcasts it represented a way back. They asked him if there were more of the objects. He was certain of it so he led them to the place of shiny objects. Hundreds if not thousands were collected and brought back to the fence. While they were gone Onni found a thin flat stone that she used to shovel more dirt from under the fence. Her endeavors were rewarded with a larger pool of light to draw from. Airy began to arrange the stones to take advantage of the increased glow. Within hours a large area behind the fence was lit up.

"What happened next?" asked Freck excitedly. I has to admit this story got me goin' as well.

"What happened next, is someone noticed a strange glowing over the fence. She called out to others and pointed to the anomaly. A crowd gathered. It didn't take long before uniformed guards came and looked toward the light behind the wall.

"You wouldn't be surprised that the guards, who had the responsibility of protecting the city from the outcasts, hustled right over to the gates. They pushed the gates wide open. What they saw bewildered them. First, the presumed dead were alive. Second there was light in the darkness. They did as all startled guards do, they yelled, "What in the hell, is going on here?!"

Onni stood bravely in front of them and exclaimed, "My son has brought us light!"

"Where is your son?"

Airy stepped out of the ring and said, "I am here. Am I in trouble?"

At that the guards huddled together speaking in low tones. "Is it illegal?" Some said yes but most didn't know. Nothing like this had ever been done before. "What should we do?" asked one. Another said, "Take him to the Rule Makers and let them decide." With that they grabbed Airy's arms, tied his hands behind his back, and headed toward the open gate.

Ooni got in front of them and screamed, "You get your stinking hands off my son! He will go with you, but not alone. I am coming with him."

The leader ordered his men to grab ahold of her too. They did, and marched rapidly to see the Makers. Once there a sentinel asked, "What business do you have with the Rule Makers?"

"We caught this young man on the other side of the wall making light. We want to know if it is a crime."

"Mischievous light making, huh? You had better come in."

Once inside they pushed the pitiful scraps of human beings forward. The chief Rule Maker scowled at the guards. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?"

The now humbled guards let their chief answer for them. "Some villagers noticed a strange glow on the dark side of the wall. We went to investigate." He paused.

"Well what did you see?"

"Well, your immanence, it is difficult to explain. What we saw didn't make any sense."

"Quit dawdling. Tell us what you saw."

"There were un-dead people milling about in a circle of light."

"What?," one Rule Maker shouted.

"That is a lie," yelled another, "there's no light in the darkness!" A great hubbub occurred between the twelve Makers as they all tried to speak at once.

The Chief Rule Maker rapped his gavel. "Silence. Everyone stop the arguing right now, or I will clear the room." Then she commanded the guards to leave. They did. The Chief glared down at the two pitiful specimens of humanity. All eyes bored into Onni and Airy. "Well," he spat out, "what is the meaning of this nonsense?"

Before Finny could continue with the story, a sentinel came over. He announced that the Rule Maker's would now see us. My heart clacked like a yard full of chickens. My palms were drippen' buckets. Freck was wild eyed. Gee interrupted, "Remember, be confident."

We took deep breaths and followed Finny into the room.