THE PILLARS OF THE FORGOTTEN CITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 242, 12 October 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE PILLARS OF THE FORGOTTEN CITY.

■ ; (Winning entry by Konalil Sufcliffe, 0.5.8., ti, Crown Street, Royal Oak, aged IC.) I had just settled down comfortably in an armchair by the iireside when I heard someone stumble over my door6tep. Then someone knocked weakly on the door. Kisingj I made to open it, but before I could do so it flew open, and the huddled form of a man fell on to the carpet. ; I dragged him inside and shut the door, for it was raining and blowing hard. "Whatever a person should require of me •at this time of the evening I had no idea. "Good heavens" I cried, dumbfounded. "Lionel!" Quickly 1 worked to restore him, and after half-an-liour I had him sitting back in my armcliair. His face "still retained the scrubby beard, but unmistakably he was Lionel. Some montlis .previously he, a. fellow student of mine, had conceived the idea of looking for the Forgotten City. This city, according to an old manuscript we had unearthed, lay somewhere in the vicinity of the Holy Land. Thousands of years ago a tribe of men raised a city, .the idea being to erect something to approach the magnificence of Paradise, and similar in its spirit of audacity to the undertaking of the Tower of Babel. In'punishment for their rashness they lad been isolated from the rest of mankind. Surrounded by miles and milea of dead land, the city had been forgotten, , and the people living there grew up e 'generation . after generation far away ,'tfrom civilisation. Lionel being,, as was myself, an aviation maniac, set out to find this city. Three in on the had passed away, and T, being of no mind to commit suicide, even considering my great attachment for him, resigned myself to the belief that Lionel would be seen no more, and pursued my less adventuresome studies. "Well, old chum," he epoke a trifle ehakily, "'how's trumps? You're looking well."

"More than I can say for you. Where on earth have you been?" "That's it, Ron. I haven't been on earth.—at least it wasn't like earth in the least. o ßut if you'll get me some bread and milk I'll tell the tale." Hastily getting for him the required food I sat down on the floor to await his etory. "Well," he began, as he let the bowl down witli a satisfied sigh, "it is certainly good to be home. I never thought' I would meet you again outside heaven. "You know my .arrangements for fuel, on this trip, -eo I will not bother you with details, excepting only to state that I had great difficulty in sticking to the said arrangements. About three weeks from the time I left I came to :i place that seemed to. be nothing more than an arid waste. After flying for miles I landed in the vicinity of a range of low hills. Leaving the 'plane at the bottom, I climbed to the summit. "I stopped and cried aloud in wonder. For rearing against the blueness of the heavens were the pillars of the Forgotten City. A hundred —no, thrice that—feet high, they were of the whitest marble.. They apparently had their, foundation deep down in the mountain sides, and 'were arranged in an almost perfect i square joined at about half height by immense walls of a glittering yellow substance the like of which I had never before seen. It was a beautiful, aweinspiring eight, the effect being increased by the barrenness of the" hills rolling away beneath it. The City of Heaven on Earth indeed, but it was the Forgotten City. "Shaking off the stupor of wonderon enfc, I hastened back to niy 'plane and began the last lap of my journey. How I was to land I did not at first know, but soon I espied a flat area of land around the city which would afford a lauding, albeit precarious. "Soon I saw the interior of the city. From the air it looked like, a jumble of stone-grey buildings in the dead centre of which was a gleaming white dome, tipped with an immense glittering stone. Circling, I decided to risk the landing, and managed it safely. • "No sooner had I stopped dead than an awful roar came from behind the walls. - ' : ' . "Then one eide slid out, and from the city issued a thousand naked, yelling barbarians. They bore directly down en me. I saw that they held stones axes tn their hands. I realised that quick •ction alone would save me. No time to etart the 'plane. "I thought of the Maxim. It was my death p h fi,- And tbe MaXlm Spafc *** I

"The people drew back, but for a moment only. Then forward they came. Again and again the leadens were mowed down. But onwards they came, crowding me. Death seemed certain. "A bearded fellow clambered up to me, striving to strike me with his axe. I grappled with him, and together we. swayed. Even tlien I noticed that the others had drawn back and were waiting for the combat to finish.

"He caught my throat and held it in a vice-like grip. I strained my muscles, twisted, writhed in hie grasp. Anything— anything for breath. White and blue lights—red—dancing before me'. One effort, please heaven. We were down, lolling on the body of the 'plane. He had lost his grip on niy throat, and 1 fofight with renewed vigour. "But he was of a mighty race. My arms were breaking, my ribs crushed. Then a superhuman heave and—we were hurtling downwards, locked in each other's grasp. "I remembered no more until I came to in a,circular chamber,'with a wall of polished smoothness and a floor of rough hewn stone. "Tlie darkness .of my prieon was unpleasant, and the lack of ventilation annoying. It was therefore a relief when I heard .someone at the door. A tall, bearded (they all favoured whiskers) fellow of surprising size entered. He looked at mo and grunted. Then stretching out a mighty arm he grasped me and hauled me out of my prison, unresisting and somewhat bewildered. I can tell you. "Wordlessly he> pushed me lip a tremendous flight of steps. Stumbling, I did as he bid me. I made an interesting discovery on the way —my revolver was still in my hip pocket! "We had arrived at the top of the steps. I found myself in a wide, white street paved with grey stone and flanked! on both sides by queer buildings of siini-l lar material, but looking more like , a I problem in Euclid than dwelling'-places. "But such they were, for, as my guide marched me along, innumerable people issued therefrom, staring at.me strangely and," I suppose, wondering much about my clothing. "We then came to the great dome-like building I had noticed from the air. It was a structure of indescribable beauty— pure white marble encrusted with red ge.ms, all arranged in phantastic shapes. At the very top sparkled the gem that had caught my eye from the 'plane. "Of a sudden it ceased its dazzling dance, looking up, I saw a heavy black cloud obscuring the sun. A cold wind liad sprung up, and cloud banks were mounting, the heavens. ' "I was hauled into the interior of the place, to find that it was an absolutely bare hall of immense height. At the far end burned two huge torches, and their fierce light formed the only illumination. "To make things short, I was to be slain for some reason by a wizened old man, who did not seem anything like the others of his race. I can see him now, a wicked glint in hie eyes, yellow skin lit by the lurid light of the torches, knife in hand. I was held by two others, and as the old priest—as I presume he was— came slowly up to me I eaid my last prayers. :

"Just at the vital moment a scream of terror penetrated the building, followed by an awful peal of thunder. With cries of terror my captors let got of me and rushed out to the entrance of the place, followed , by the priest, who shinned along on his skinny legs at an amazing rate."In my relief I plucked the revolver from my pocket and fired into the air, adding to their terror." Then I made a beeline out of the show too. "How I did it I do not know, but soon I found myself outside the city. My flight was all unheeded; for the people seemed absolutely terrified and only fit for shouting prayers. "The 'plane rose to the occasion, and saon I was skywarde. I looked back but once, and in that time saw a sight euch as few men liave seen. A frightful bolt of liglitning seemed to leap from the clouds. Then a second aSter those beautiful pillars tottered a»i shook, and, trembling—crashed. , ■ "Miracles do happen even to-day, Ron. It was nothing short of a miracle that I got back to civilisation. Then I began the return flight. I sent no word, because I wished to surprise you, with all your scoffing. But heaven, who had seen me so far, sent me crashing to earth some distance from here —and, well, I think I crawled to the light I saw in the distance. Thank heaven, it was yours." I stared a long while into the fire a-fter hearing him out, then spoke: "Lionel, the Pillars of the Forgotten City will indeed be forgotten ever more."