[t h e cl a s s i c s p a g e s]l u c i a n' s    p a g e

“A True Story”

Page 5

ENDYMION gave me some lovely presents - including some of the cool see-through glass clothes, and some bronze ones - but, alas, they all got lost in the whale. [What whale? Wait and see. ed] We sailed past the Morning Star, where the new arrivals were settling in, and the Sun. We didn't land, as the wind was against us, but we could see it was a green and pleasant well-watered place, full of good things…

 

Sailing all night, and all next day, towards evening we reached a place called Lampsterdam.A typical inhabitant It's in the sky halfway between the Pleiades and the Hyades - though far below the Zodiac. There were no people there - only a bunch of lamps scuttling about, or hanging out in the square and by the port. There were poor ones - small and flickering, and rich ones - big and bright. Every lamp has his own house - or lamppost. They have names, just like humans, and can talk. They made no attempt to harm us - in fact they invited us to stay to dinner. But we were suspicious - we hardly dared blink and we didn't touch a morsel. They have a large hall in the middle of the square, where their Governor sits all night. He takes a roll-call - and if they don't answer, there is trouble. Non-appearers are sentenced to death for leaving their (lamp)posts: they are executed by being blown out. We could hear the lamps protesting and giving their excuses for being late. Among them was a lamp I recognised - my own trusty nightlight. I asked how things were at home. He told me. You wouldn't be interested.

 

We stayed the night, but next day we pressed on. As we neared the clouds, I saw Cloudcuckooland. We didn't land, as the wind was against us. This proves that the great Aristophanes was a wise and truthful man - not just some comedian who made up a load of old nonsense. The president apparently was a Mr. C.Rook. The day after next we saw the sea again, and the lands in the sky began looking more like points of fire. Four days after we left the Moon, around noon, we touched down on the water. We were so happy! We went wild with excitement, and celebrated like crazy. We were leaping off the ship, swimming and splashing around in the warm, calm sea.

 

It seems, though, that a change for the better often proves to be a prelude to worse troubles…

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