![[t h e cl a s s i c s p a g e s]](../classpageswht.gif){kind=small}
“A True Story”
Page 6
FOR two days we sailed on homewards. The sea was completely calm. Dawn of the third day had just broken when we got our first sight of them. Whales. Monsters of the deep. The daddy was a full 150 miles in length. He came straight at us, vast jaws gaping open, and the sea fizzed and roared as he hurtled towards us - his teeth were taller than any erection back on Earth. They were as sharp as very pointed things, and white as elephants' tusks. We said our last words. We huddled together. We waited. For less than a second. Then his mouth closed over us, and, in a single gulp he swallowed us, ship and all. We didn't get chewed up though, because the ship miraculously found its way through a gap in his teeth, and went sliding down his throat.
At
first it was too dark to see a thing, but when he opened his mouth, we could
see a vast cavity: level on the bottom, with an immensely high roof. Room
enough for a mighty metropolis. In it there were fish aplenty, whoppers
and tiddlers; along with the masticated remnants of various creatures, chomped
up ships,with cargo, rigging and all - and human bones. At the centre was
a great island, with hills. I worked out that it must have accumulated from
all the mud he swallowed. There was actually a forest on it, where every
type of tree was growing. And there were vegetable-patches and market gardens.
The coastline was as long as about 250 running-tracks. You could spot sea-birds
roosting in the branches, pelicans and cormorants.
After a long period of feeling sorry for ourselves, we got organised. We beached the ship and propped it up, rubbed sticks together, made a fire and cooked supper. Fish, not surprisingly. Next day I picked seven men, and off we went to explore the forest. We hadn't gone much more than half a mile when we came across a temple. Poseidon's according to the notice outside. There were a number of graves close by. There was a bubbling spring, with crystal-clear water. We heard a dog bark. In the distance we saw a wisp of smoke, and could make out what appeared to be a farmhouse.
We quickened our pace, and advanced eagerly towards it…
<<back |
continue>> |