Mother Earth, Pt. 1. The Shadow of June, Pt. 2. The Gallery, Pt. 3. The Avenue of Prismed Light, Pt. 4. The Earthquake - Rick Wakeman, Patrick Stewart

The base of the cratercomprised three separate shafts which yawned beneath

their feet.

According to the original parchment of Arne Saknussemm, in the last days of the

month of June, the

shadow of Scataris would fall upon the opening they were to enter.

They knew, from the documentation of

Professor Lindebrook, that the central shaft was the one that he had taken,

but to their astonishment, as

the shadow fell, it cast itself over the westerly entrance.

Nature had declared for them a different route.

Following a gallery of lava which had created a natural descending staircase,

their anticipiation heightened

at the realisation that they had now embarked upon an entirely new journey.

b. THE GALLERY

On reaching the end of the shaft, they enterd a narrow tunnel, its calcareous

rock walls dating back to

the evolution of plant and animal life.

Ever-descending, they continued through arch after arch, gallery after gallery,

their lights constantly

reflecting off variegated white and red veined marble indelibly stamped with

impressions of primitive life.

As their descent continued, they discovered threads of copper and manganese,

whilst displayed within

the rock walls, beautiful verdant tints coloured traces of platinum and gold.

This, the burried treasure of Mother Earth.

c. THE AVENUE OF PRISMED LIGHT

For what seemed an eternity, the labyrinth wove a sinuous and winding path,

its spiral descent finally

reaching an end as the gallery opened up to become a vast mineral forest

majestically illuminated by

phosphorescent light.

Stalagmites and stalagcites served as prisms from which rainbow-coloured beams

flew in every direction,

simultaneously lighting a pathway through this newly — discovered, subterranean,

mineralogical kingdom.

It led to an almost perfectly formed, descending terrestrial staircase.