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~