22nd prompt from V Tsuion: A journey through a fantastical landscape.
Fantastical
The first thing he hears is the unearthly shrieking
of reptilian birds overhead.
The first thing he sees is a tangle of thick vines
wrapped around towering trees,
and a sheer drop beyond jagged rock formations
to a deep valley, instead
of the expected sights and sounds of London.
A distant roaring, causing blood to freeze,
a glimpse of impossible monsters in the distance
stretching up to pluck leaves
from exotic looking plants, smaller scaly creatures
darting across, to and fro,
and a pathway which wound along the cliff edge
across fallen logs. He perceives
deep chasms splitting the stretch of jungle
he is walking through, a plateau
rising up above the deserts and plains.
He is dressed in hunting gear,
stout shoes, a broad brimmed hat
and still has his cane.
A rustle and a ground-shaking rumble
suggests something large is moving near,
he blinks, looks desperately for shelter
as small animals flee. This is insane!
A familiar voice in the distance
causes him to pause and blink
as the scenery around him
starts to ripple and fade…
~0~
He becomes aware of tangled cotton sheets,
tries to sit up, tries to think
Opens his eyes, everything is blurred
then slowly clears. A book is laid
on a side table, and Holmes is there,
his expression almost a smile.
"A nasty knock, Watson, a close call.
The police arrived just in time.
No other injuries, but you have been unconscious
for quite a while.
All the miscreants have been caught, we have averted
a despicable crime.
Hearing often returns first, dear fellow,
so I have been reading all day,
a new tale leant to me by your literary agent."
Watson cranes his neck, to take a look
and makes out the tooled leather decoration,
the words on display,
"The Lost World" in elegant letters
along the spine of the book.
~0~