4.

Down, down, down, and down. Nowar felt like he was on a journey to the very center of the earth. The passage dove down steeply at first, almost as steep as a ladder, hewn stone steps so steep that Nowar had to use both hands and feet to keep from tumbling head-over-heels down them. But after a while, the slope lessened, and the steps gave way to a smooth stone passageway that wound it's way into the earth, gradually but inexorably down.

At first, sunlight had streamed in through the secret hole behind Nowar, lighting his way and casting a long wavering shadow. Soon though, the light faded and became dim, and before long, the bright morning sunlight that washed over Budsurry School was just a faded memory.

Nowar had, of course, brought a flashlight, and he was just about to take it out of his backpack and turn it on when he noticed a strange thing: down here, the rock softly glowed. The stone seemed to be covered in a kind of phosphorescent powder or mold that emitted a soft, greenish light. Nowar could actually see quite well; it was like outside at night under a full moon.

At the beginning, the passageway had been quite narrow, almost claustrophobically tight, even for a boy Nowar's size, but gradually it had opened up. Now Nowar found he was walking (still downward mind you) along an underground highway the size of a subway tunnel. The floor and walls were nearly as smooth as glass. There was no mark or decoration, and still the road (for Nowar was sure now that it was some kind of road) led down, deeper and yet deeper still.

Then, without warning, the passage opened up, and the walls and ceiling disappeared. Nowar found himself in a strange, silent, monochromatic city. There were buildings, tall and short; huts, towers,, and arches; high bridges and open squares, spires and domes, all carved from the same cool, grey, glowing rock, all still and silent, a great abandoned subterranean city, a mile or more beneath Budsurry school.