THE MOON CITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 162, 11 July 1925, Page 26

THE MOON CITY.

I was lying in bed looking at the moon and wondering what it would be like to live there, when suddenly I found that my bed was racing through space at a terrific rate, and the moon was getting nearer and nearer, and larger and larger; but, while all the other stars were getting brighter, the moon was getting paler. I hardly had time to wonder at this before I found myself over the moon, about 1000 feet up. then the bed glided down to the ground and I found myself in a city—a city in very truth—but a city of the dead. People, or ghosts of people, glided, rather than walked, abouv silently. I wrapped a blanket around mc and jumped out, and, to my horror, the bed rose from the ground and raced away. I gazed after it, stranded in a land of the dead. I looked around mc wonderingly, and saw tall buildings and steeples of ghostly grey stone. The streets, that were paved with the same material, and the pavement, felt like ice beneath my feet. Grey skeleton trees grew down the centre of the road. At one time it must have been a wonderful city. A pale, ghostly light hung over all. As I stood there, one of the people came to mc. He was taller than any of the others, and he wore long, grey, flowing robes, and sandals on his feet. His yellow skin was like parchment; and was stretched tightly over his fieshless bones, and his eyes burnt like coals, lie spoke to mc in a deep, sad voice: "You have come from that small planet which we call Arius," he said. I looked down where he pointed, and I saw a small, yellowish star, which I judged to be the world. He began to speak again. "This land is Luna," he said. "We wero once a happy nation. Our land was beautiful flowers and trees bloomed. Children laughed and played in this very street, and a glorious 6un smiled down on us all." He looked into space with unseeing eyes, then continued: 'And I—l was the king, and now " He sighed. "Come with mc and I will show you Luna as it is." He took mc to the street. "This was once our principal street," he said. "This was the museum, this the art gallery, and this the public library," pointing out three magnificent buildings, which stood side by side. We came presently to a huge building with gardens all around it. "This was my palace," he said. He took mc In the front door and we looked in every room. The floor resounded beneath my tread, but my companion made no sound. I saw the huge state room with the wonderful carved throne at one end, and the chairs for the public ail around. We passed grim skeleton guards at every turn. I walked down the loftj-- corridors at the side of my silent guide. I saw the large dining hall with its bare tables and empty chairs. I saw on every hand the remains of a departed glory. Wondrous ornaments crumpled to elust at my touch, draperies came away in my hand, as I pushed them aside, but still my guide said no word. We stood alone in a great ballroom, and I tried in vain to people it with happy guests; to imagine it ablaze with lights and resounding with music, song and laughter. We walked out into the gardens, and I looked on skeleton trees and plants, still fountains, empty streams, and leaden skies. Again I tried to imagine the song of birds and bees, the glory of bright flowers and trees, the many-hued butterflies, sparkling streams and spouting fountains, but again I failed.- We entered an aeroplane and flew away over the city. I saw the beds of streams and lakes and seas. I saw many mountains and valleys covered with skeleton trees. We flew over many magnificent cities in ruins. I saw mills and factories standing idle. There were the ruins of ships lying on the beds of the seas and rivers —the ruins of wonderful bridges with the remains of trains and trams lying on them. Hours later we reached the place where I first landed, and there we alighted. As soon as we got out of the machine it crumpled into dust. My guide turned to mc, and I noticed a faint hint of forgotten pride in his voice as he thought of his country as it used to be. "What do you think of Luna?" he asked, and his eyes bored mc through and through as I spoke.

I think I said: "At_one time this wajj a wonderful planet—the earth could not equal it—it was more advanced than our earth is now; its streets and bridges its aeroplanes were better than ours. This city must have been in existence when our earth was forest. For the first time my guide smiled and inclined his head. "It was all as you say," he answered, and again I noticed a hint of pride in his voice, and then he sighed. "Luna grew colder and colder. Our trees withered and the seas and streams emptied, and a great coldness fell upon us. Our cattle were no more, our children died in great numbers, and the sun that gave us light, went out, and I now, now we are no more. We are ghosts doomed to roam our streets in silence until an 'Ariun' came to visit us, ! even as you have come, and now we ; will all go to sleep, never to re-awaken." The people had gathered round us while he spoke, and now they cried out, "Let the Ariun die. 'Why should he live while we are dead?" and they all made a rush for mc. I sapped back, and bumped something, which I saw was my bed. I jumped in and it rose far up above their heads. I heard a great shout, and then a" crash, and when I looked down the city and people had vanished, and in their places were great heaps of dust. I was so tired that I fell asleep before I reached the earth, and when I woke next moiaing-I was back in my own room with the blanker wrapped round mc like a cloak, and in my hand I held a handful of grey dust.