Part One

"It's just over that next rise. I think you'll be pretty surprised at what you see, and amazed."

The two men continued walking up the brush-covered incline. Legend had it that there was once a great city nearby, part of a huge civilization that once spanned the entire continent. But that was long ago, and there was only myth and shadow and the sparse evidence left of that ancient civilization. Building foundations and skeletal frames were visible in some places, and there were deep trenches and strange pipes that seemed to lead from nowhere to nowhere. Deep holes were found here and there, seemingly carved from solid rock, and a few short sections of stone-carved tunnels could be found scattered around. Every now and then someone would stumble upon some ancient artifact, and the people would try to divine a little bit more from that artifact, try to add a little more color to the stark outlines of what they knew, or thought they knew, of the previous inhabitants of that land. Mostly, though, nature had reclaimed whatever once existed of the ancient people. No remains of the ancient people had been found, and no pictures of them were known. How they had lived, how they had died, where they might have moved to: these things could only be guessed at, speculated upon. And in this manner, the people who lived there now had put together their own beliefs and legends regarding the ancient people and their grand civilization.

"We've been walking all day, and I still ain't seen nothin' interesting. You say it's over the next rise, but you been saying that for the past three rises. You sure you saw anything?"

"I know what I saw, and I tell you it's over this rise. Just a few hundred yards to go, and you'll see something you've never seen before, something amazing. Let me ask you, you ever been out this way, this far? No. No one has. We've been goin' right up to the edge of that gulley for years, but no one ever bothered to venture across to the other side, until I did it. And now you. Good thing we brought food and water. We may need to make camp and sleep out here tonight. You got the shelter in your pack, Jeb?"

"Yeah, I got it. And the noisemakers too. Sure wish we could be back home tonight, inside. This had better be worth a night in the wilderness, Zeke."

"It is. And don't worry about the wild ones. I stayed out here overnight and didn't see or hear a thing. Didn't smell nothin', neither. Why, I ain't even seen their tracks nor any other sign o' 'em. Like I said, they don't hang around here. Why, I'm not convinced that they hang around anywhere. I ain't never seen one, and them that claims to have, well, I ain't met a reliable witness yet. I heard the stroies, though, and I've heard some strange noises some night, but there's lot's o' things that make noises at night. Anyway, like I said, I ain't heard no strange noises at all last time I was out here at night."

Zeke and Jeb continued up the incline in silence. It had been a long hike to the gulley, then the climb down one side and up the othere, then more hiking. The ground had been mostly level with a few rises an dips, but the last few miles had involved a lot of uphill hiking. They were near the top now.

"Oh, this is gonna be good, " Zeke said excitedly. Just a few more yards. This is the spot. Here we are. What did I tell you? Is that incredible, or what?"

"Wha...is that...but...Oh my..." was all that Jeb could manage, as he stood, mouth open, transfixed by what he saw. He had never seen anything like it before, never even conceived of anything like it. Yet there, below him on the other side of the rise, was the most amazing thing he had ever seen...

To be continued?
bIsh