It was a cold wintery day when Lois and Clark arrived at the Daily Planet. February had always been a cold month, but this month had been especially cold with snowfall reaching over thirty inches. Superman had been very busy helping people getting in and out of snowbanks and helping them with general snow removal.
Lois and Clark were getting ready to go to the planet when their doorbell rang and a young man came stood in their doorway. "My name is Osami, I am from the continent of Africa and have a proposal for you. It would be an honor for me to take you to my home, both of you of course.
Clark looked over at his wife and smiled. Lois was an adventurous spirit, but she was rather doubtful about somethings. "Where would we go? Why would you want to take Lois and me?"
"I belong to an advanced society, one of several that have been secretly placed here on earth, and we have been keeping very close tabs on the two of you for several years now. We are hoping that someday the people of this planet will find peace and end all wars. It is then that we will allow ourselves to be known and a whole new world of peace will begin." Osami told them.
The gentleman looked so genuine and kind that Clark was thinking that it would be a good idea to perhaps follow this man. Lois was more unsure. "How would we arrive at such a place? Do you have a plane?" Lois asked.
"To be quite truthful, it was my hope that Superman would provide the transportation. The ride on an airplane would be very slow and expensive. In our community we do not use money such as yours and I cannot stay from my home for over seven days safely. However if it is your choice that we do take a plane we should leave as soon as possible." Osami told them.
Clark looked at the man with puzzlement, so he knew his true identity, how much more did he know? It was now settled he must go to this man's home and meet his people. He must know how much about him that they knew and if his identity was in any danger. He looked at Lois and said " I will be happy to fly you to your home."
"What kind of clothes should I wear? Is it warm at your home?" Lois asked.
"Summer clothes are the type of clothes that you should wear. Although we shall be flying near my home there is a walk to the city. It is not a particularly long walk just five miles however, the terrain can be quite harsh. It is recommended that you wear comfortable shoes and clothes." Osami explained.
After just a few moments the three of them were on their way to Africa with this strange man who kept on sipping on a strange smelling tea. With Clark flying them, they arrived at a beautiful grove within two hours. Lois and Clark looked around and saw no hint of a city, in fact other than a small path the place seemed to be uninhabited.
"It is from here that we must all walk through the wall of stone. It is here that you will be cleansed of most of your physical and emotional problems, once that has occured we shall arrive in my city." Osami explained.
The walk through the stones was not difficult, however, Lois was glad that she had warn her sneakers, not heals. It was what seemed a tight squeeze in some spots and they did have to climb over several rocks. Just as she was about to say something they came into an opening. As they went outside of the wall the three of them found themselves looking down at one of the most beautiful cities that she had ever seen.
The city was almost entirely made of sandstone with a large steepled building in the center. As you walked in you walked through several statues of different animals guarding you as you walked down the long path to the city. People were walking around and smiled at the strangers as they came into the city, but seemed to be busy and minding their own business.
The place could have been described as paradise. Lois looked up and saw a man coming toward him. He was a man who appeared to be in his early 40 s with light brown hair and a tanned skin. He was about five foot eight and 140 pounds, a very nice looking man.
"Welcome to our city of love. My name is Halek. I am here to show you to your rooms and introduce you to our city of peace." he said with a warm smile.
Lois and Clark both looked up at the beautiful staircase that they were ascending and as they walked into a long hallway they both gazed with admiration at the pictures that were on the wall. Every painting was done by a well known artist and some were extremely old. Their room was a large room with a private bath very tastefully decorated.
"We would like to explore your city if that is acceptable." Clark offered.
"That is what I am here for, I will be more than happy to take you around the city and show you our many sites. We are a small city with a population of just over five thousand people. We are totally independent of any outside influence. Each and every inhabitant of our city has dedicated their life to the peace and tranquility of each other." Halek told them. "But for now you must be tired. Take a rest and I shall come for you in two hours. It is then that you shall meet my wife Madeline."
Clark had been tired before but this time he was very tired and fell asleep just a few moments after his head had hit the pillow. It had been a long flight for him with that strange man and the trip into the city had been a long walk.
Lois found herself unable to sleep and after a few minutes of watching her husband sleep she decided to take herself out for a short walk. It was a beautiful city, true but she wondered why the people of the city had gone to Metropolis to bring Clark and her there. She knew that her husband's reputation was known worldwide and perhaps their wishes were honorable.
As she walked around the city she was greeted with pleasant smiles, it was when she spotted a small cafe that she decided to go in and get herself a cup of coffee. "Good afternoon my name is Lois Kent. Could I please have a cup of coffee?"
The young lady smiled up at Lois "It is an honor to serve you mam, would you like anything else today?"
"No thank you. I am new in the city and was wondering, are you from here or did you arrive from another part of the world?" Lois asked her.
"I was born here just around the corner. My parents and my grandparents are from here also. It is said that I am the fifth generation. This is a wonderful place to live and raise a family."
"Have you ever left the city?" Lois asked her.
"No I have not. It is my home and I wouldn't think of moving anyplace else. This is the place where I met my husband and my children will be born."
The young lady was so nice Lois had felt very comfortable talking to her. "What is your name? I will make it a point to come back here again." Lois told her with a smile.
"My name is Nancy and I would be proud to call you one of my new friends." she told Lois with a smile.
Lois gave her a warm smile back and headed back to her room. 'I just don't trust the people here all they do is smile and stare at me. I feel as though I have a wart on my nose or something.' she thought to herself.
When Lois got back to their room Clark was just waking up. He smiled as he saw Lois coming back to the room. He knew that Halek would be there shortly and he was looking forward to seeing the city.
Halek appeared at their door just as he had said he would two hours later. It was now nearly one pm and Lois and Clark were getting hungry. It had been a long journey there and Lois wondered how to approach the subject.
Just as they were about to ask about getting something to eat Halek offered to take them to the local pub. This was where many of the city inhabitants went for their meals. "You will find the food to be tropical and very delicious. We do not charge for anything that is eaten or anything that you will need while you are staying with us. Here money has no meaning"
Halek told them.
When they arrived at the pub Lois and Clark found themselves looking at what would have been a pub from a different time. There was music and dancing, something out of the Arabian nights perhaps. The people were genuine and the food and drink were delicious. It was a very pleasant experience for the two of them.
Halek took the couple to a bridge, an old stone bridge overlooking a small stream. The water was not deep perhaps just past the shins and there were people down there picking what appeared to be sugar cane.
A young lady came toward them and smiled then gave Halek a kiss on the cheek. "I would like you to meet my wife Madeline." Halek told them. "She is the supreme princess of our city."
"It is with great pleasure that I finally get to meet the couple who have single handedly nearly succeeded in bringing peace to the people of earth. It is our hope that you will agree to team up with the people of our city and between the two of us we bring the people of earth even more peace." she told them with a smile.
"You seem to be working in an order that would have been done many years ago. They now have machines that would do that type of work for you." Clark offered.
"You will find some of our work to be outdated, however, everyone here has a job to do no job is more important than the other and all are equal. We do not judge people by their intelligence or their wealth here. That is our key to happiness." Madeline offered.
"We have much to learn about your great city. It is a wonderful quiet place far from any outside influences. Do other people ever come here and visit?" Lois asked.
"We have some travelers that come to our city perhaps once every two years and very rarely do we ever send one of our people out into the world. We try to keep the outside minamal.. When the time is right we will be prepared to show the world our world." Halek told them.
Madeline and Halek took Lois and Clark around the city, showing them their library and a small clinic where they went to meditate and cleanse their bodies. They also took them to a group of people who were mining for gems. The city had rubies and diamonds at their fingertips. But, the miners were treated no differently than the waiters at the restaurant. It was a wonderful place to live.
When Lois and Clark arrived back at their room again Clark found himself very tired. He seemed to be a little weak also. The last thing he wanted to do was worry Lois so he put the worry aside. It was when he went to use the tube of toothpaste the next morning that he knew something was wrong. It was all he could do to open it. He actually had to pull on the tube with most of his might.
Clark looked around and tried to use his x ray vision, but that too didn't seem to be working. When he attempted to fly he found himself unable to fly either. 'What kind of place is this? Was he truly going to lose all of his powers? Was the problem going to be permanent? ' he was very worried about this.
Lois came in and smiled at her husband. He was quite handsome and she thought of how lucky they were to have been invited to live in such a place. She knew that it was not for either one of them to stay there forever, but it would make life a lot more pleasant knowing that such a place did exist here on their planet.
The next few days Lois and Clark worked side by side with many of the people of the city and each of them kept notes. They knew that what they heard and saw here in the city would have kept quiet and that no one in the outside world should ever know about the city, but they would keep notes.
As they got to know the people more and more Lois and Clark were surprised to find that the people of the city did not age. They would age very slowly and only when their job in the city had been completed would they be allowed to go to the next plane of life.
Clark had not told anyone of his lack of strength and speed however, luckily nothing had chaned. He had not gotten any weaker he felt probably like other people did, normal people that is.
The day came that Lois and Clark were to leave. It was in the best interest of the people of the planet earth that Clark return. Everyone knew that including Halek and Madeline. "We wish that this could have become your home forever, we will keep in touch." Halek offered.
"I will return many times, it is my belief. We will have many meetings my friend." Clark offered.
"Before you leave there is something else that we must discuss. This is not the only city on the earth. There is a place in the tall mountains of the middle east called Shangri La. There you will meet my good friend Robert Conway and his wife Sondra. When it is time for you to arrive at their home you will be contacted." Madeline offered.
The trip back to the outside world was a long and treacherous one this time. With all of his powers gone Clark was very worried, however when they came back to the clearing to which they had first arrived, he fortunately found those powers returning.
As Lois and Clark arrived in Metropolis they were expecting to find many questions. After all they had been gone for three weeks. They stopped by their home where the morning Daily Planet had been placed on their doorstep. The date on the paper was the same as the date that they had left to go to the eutopian city. Had it been a dream? Lois looked at her husband in bewilderment, and then looked down at the amulet Madeline had given them as a gift just as they had left.