Miss Patterson stood in front of the classroom. “We’re going to talk about something very interesting today,” she said.
As the students quieted, Jackson bounced his knees and tapped his pencil on the desk. He loved learning new things at school. He smiled across the table at Max, his best friend in the second grade. As usual, Max was wiggling excitedly in his seat and humming to himself.
When the class was finally quiet, Miss Patterson took the big round globe off of her desk and held it up for everyone to see.
“Today we’re going to talk about the inside layers of our planet. We all know that the top of the Earth is where people live— where we build houses and drive our cars. But what’s on the inside of the Earth?”
Jackson had never thought about what was on the inside of the Earth. He could tell that the rest of the class had not thought about it either. Maybe the Earth was filled with something delicious, like chocolate or ice cream.
“Think about the last time you played in the dirt,” Miss Patterson continued, “Dirt is the top layer of the Earth. In fact, you can think of it as the skin of the Earth.”
“The Earth has skin?” piped Sarah. “That’s weird.”
“Yes,” said Miss Patterson. “And below the dirt, there is a whole fascinating world inside the Earth.”
Max raised his hand. “Yes, Max?” said Miss Patterson.
“My brother says that if you dig a really big hole in the ground, you can dig all the way to the other side of the world!”
Miss Patterson laughed. “Well, it would have to be a very very big hole. And you would have to bring special tools and supplies.”
“Why would you need special tools?” asked Jackson.
“Well,” said Miss Patterson, “The inside of the Earth is very special. There are big rivers running underground and giant layers of rock. Some places might be very cold. You might find dinosaur bones or even oil, which we use to make fuel. And the middle of the Earth is hot like the lava from a volcano. So if you were going to dig to the other side of the world, you would need to be prepared for anything.”
As Miss Patterson continued with the lesson, Jackson leaned across the table and whispered to Max. “Can you really dig to the other side of the world?”
*
After school, Jackson climbed onto the school bus and sat down in a seat by himself. As the bus began to pull away from the school, he stared out the window. The trees were going by so quickly that the leaves looked like green blurs. The other kids on the bus were telling jokes and laughing, but Jackson was deep in thought. He wondered about the other side of the world. Did kids ride on school buses? Were there houses and green trees?
By the time the bus stopped on his street, Jackson had decided that he would be the first kid to dig all the way through the center of the Earth. He felt excited and couldn’t wait to get started. Through the window of the school bus, he saw Papa and his little sister, Ella, waiting for him on the sidewalk. As he climbed down the steps of the bus, Ella bounced up to Jackson and gave him a hug.
“Did you pick out your own clothes again, Ella?” Jackson asked, laughing. Ella was wearing cowboy boots and a super hero costume. She nodded proudly, stretching her superhero cape out behind her.
“How was your day at school?” Papa asked, kissing Jackson on the forehead.
“It was great,” said Jackson, skipping a little as they walked towards their house. “Can I play outside for awhile?”
“Sure,” said Papa. “Maybe Ella could play with you. She missed you while you were at school today.”
“Okay,” said Jackson. He paused and then said, “Do we have a shovel?”
“Yes, I think Dad put it in the garage,” said Papa. “Why do you need a shovel?”
“I’m going to dig to the other side of the world,” said Jackson, a serious expression on his face.
Papa was quiet for a moment, and then his face broke into a huge grin. “What an excellent idea,” he said. “You might get thirsty, though. Would you like me to bring out some lemonade?”
“Definitely,” said Jackson. “And maybe a chocolate chip cookie, too.”
“Of course,” said Papa, still smiling. “You definitely need cookies if you’re going to dig to the other side of the world.”
*
Jackson put his backpack down inside the hallway and then ran to his room. He found his gym bag and began packing supplies for his journey to the other side of the world. He packed his swimsuit and goggles, just in case he needed to cross any underground rivers. He packed his junior tool set, just in case he needed to hammer some rock out of the way. He packed a hat in case it was sunny and a flashlight in case it was too dark to see. Last but not least, Jackson packed the camera that Dad and Papa had given him for his birthday. He wanted to be sure to take pictures of the kids on the other side of the world to show Miss Patterson.
When Jackson’s bag was packed, he ran to the garage. Ella followed behind him, her boots making a loud stomping noise on the floor. Jackson found the shovel leaning up against the wall. Then he found a bucket for Ella so that she could help too. They carried their tools and the gym bag to the backyard and began looking for the perfect spot to dig. Jackson decided that it would be best for the tunnel to be close to the house so he could reach the cookies easily.
He found a soft spot in the grass and pushed the shovel into the ground. The grass gave way, exposing dark soil beneath it. Jackson guessed that this was the top layer of the Earth, just like Miss Patterson had said. He began to make a pile of soil a few feet away from the hole. Ella helped by carrying rocks and clumps of grass away in the bucket. She sang a little song as she filled the bucket.
As Jackson continued to dig, he became more and more excited about his journey. He imagined climbing out of the tunnel on the other side of the world, tired and happy from his long trip through the Earth. People would be cheering for him, and the President would be waiting eagerly to meet him. They would eat giant ice cream sundaes, and Jackson would tell stories about his adventures. He might even be on TV.
Jackson dug until he was out of breath. His face grew red, and he was beginning to sweat. He decided to take a break. He sat down next to the hole and ran his fingers through the pile of soft dirt. A few feet away, Ella was collecting sticks and twigs. The afternoon sun felt hot on Jackson’s face. He rummaged around in the gym bag and pulled out his hat.
Just then, Papa and Dad came outside with cups of lemonade and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Sammy the dog bounded along behind them.
“Hi, Sammy!” said Jackson, patting his dog on the head. Sammy sniffed the pile of dirt and wagged his tail.
“Do you want to help too, Sammy?” asked Jackson. Sammy barked and pawed at the ground. Jackson imagined that Sammy could become the first dog to make it through the center of the Earth, and he decided to let him come with him on his adventure.
“Papa tells me you’re digging all the way to the other side of the world,” Dad said, handing Jackson a cookie and a cup of lemonade.
“Yep,” said Jackson, taking a bite of his cookie. He kept a serious expression on his face. “It might take me awhile, so I might have to be late to school tomorrow.”
“I see,” said Dad. “Well, would you like some help? Maybe if we all work together, we can make it go faster.”
“Sure,” said Jackson, taking a drink of lemonade.
Dad went to find another shovel, while Papa helped Ella fill her bucket with dirt and rocks from the hole.
“Wow, these rocks are really beautiful,” said Papa. He placed several different ones in his hands and held them out so Jackson and Ella could see. There were big rocks, small rocks, and rocks that were so tiny that they looked like pieces of sand. There were red rocks, white rocks, striped rocks, and rocks that glittered like silver. Papa even found a white seashell that looked like it had come from the beach. He explained that a long time ago, the backyard used to be an ocean. Jackson tried to picture the entire neighborhood as an ocean, but it was hard to imagine.
As they dug, the hole got bigger and bigger. It was definitely going faster with the whole family helping. As they worked, Jackson told Dad and Papa all about school and Miss Patterson’s class. Papa tried to remember a joke he had heard on the radio. Ella played in the pile of dirt, burying her boots and making little towers out of the rocks. Sammy chewed on a bone a few feet away.
“Look!” exclaimed Dad suddenly, pointing to his shovel. Three red worms wiggled in the dirt. He picked up one of the worms and held it in the palm of his hand. They all stared down at its little worm body.
“Where are its eyes?” asked Jackson.
“Worms don’t have any eyes,” said Dad, touching the worm gently with one finger.
“But how do they see?”
“They can sense light,” said Papa, “Which is probably why this little worm is wiggling around like that. He wants to go back underground.”
“Let’s put him back in the soil,” said Jackson. “I don’t like to see him upset.”
Papa smiled and placed the worm back into the dirt. “Worms are very good for the Earth. They help plants grow and make the soil healthier.”
“It’s a good thing that they live in our backyard,” Jackson said, starting to dig again. Papa and Dad nodded in agreement.
All of a sudden, Jackson’s shovel hit something very hard at the bottom of the hole.
“I think you’ve hit a rock,” said Papa. “Why don’t you climb down there and see if you can move it out of the way.”
Jackson climbed down into the hole. He liked the musty smell of the dirt. The bottom of the hole was cool to the touch. Jackson felt around with his hands for the edges of the rock. As he pulled the rock out of the dirt, a colony of little gray bugs scurried out from under it. Some of them curled up into tiny silver balls. Jackson watched as they crawled frantically into the dirt again. He thought about all of the animals and insects that lived deep underground.
Jackson climbed out of the hole and stood again in the grass. The tunnel would need to be much deeper to reach the other side of the world. He was starting to wonder if it might take longer than he thought. Maybe it would take an entire week.
Jackson noticed that the sun was starting to dip behind the trees. He could hear the neighbor kids being called inside for dinner. Just then, his stomach growled.
“You know,” said Papa, “I was planning to make pizza for dinner tonight.”
Ella’s face lit up. “Pizza!” she said. She had a smudge of dirt across her cheek.
“That does sound good,” Dad said, glancing at Jackson out of the corner of his eye. “With pepperoni and pineapple?”
“Yep,” said Papa. “Jackson’s favorite.”
Jackson had to admit that he was feeling pretty hungry. “I guess even famous explorers need to eat dinner,” he said.
Jackson and his family put down their shovels and started to walk towards the back door of the house. Sammy trotted along behind them.
“Wait!” said Jackson, running over to his gym bag. “I almost forgot.” He rummaged around in the bag until he found what he was looking for.
“We need to take a picture of our digging crew!” exclaimed Jackson, pulling the camera out of the bag.
“Great idea!” said Dad. Together, Dad and Jackson balanced the camera on the steps of the porch and set the timer. Then they ran to stand next to Papa, Ella, and Sammy.
“Everyone make a funny face!” said Papa, closing one eye and wrinkling his nose at the camera. Ella stuck out her tongue. Jackson roared like a dinosaur. Papa pretended he was going to take a bite out of Sammy’s ear just as the camera flashed.
“It was fun digging to the other side of the world together,” said Jackson, smiling at his family.
“Well, Dad and I are lucky to have such talented explorers in the family!” exclaimed Papa. “It’s always an adventure with you two.”
Dad drew Ella and Jackson in for a hug. “Let’s go eat,” he said.
The illustration to this story is by Mary Sievert. She grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She now lives in New York City with her fiancé and their two pugs, Weezy and Sophie. She enjoys bagels, coffee, and spending time at the dog park. In addition to working as an illustrator, Mary also works as a costume designer and stylist.
