The Forbidden Valley - 1

I mentioned in my previous post that the elements of a story idea I'd had suddenly came together yesterday at lunch time.  I did a tiny bit of writing tonight, so here's a little snippet of "The Forbidden Valley"

The room looked much like that at any other decent club in London, full of dark woods, shiny metals, and the upper crust of society.  Some men sat quietly reading the evening papers, while others were chatting over drinks.  The sound of games going on in an adjacent room were largely muffled by the stout old walls of the club.  The only thing that set this room apart from others was that James Marley was sitting in the room.

A small crowd had gathered around that young man tonight, his first night back in the City.  Some were old friends, others passing acquaintances at best, but gather around they did.  It was Charles Jenkins, who'd known Marley for ages, who spoke first.

"Okay, James, spill it.  We've all heard the news, seen your name in the press.  You were there when it all started.  Give us the straight story."

"I wasn't there at the very start," Marley protested.  He took a sip from his glass of liquor, wetting his lips, before continuing.  "And I didn't have all that much to do with events, really."

"No, no, none of that," Jenkins insisted, pushing a fresh glass in front of Marley.  "All we've got are sensational by vague stories in the press - and half of them contradict the other half!"

Bryan Henderson nodded in violent agreement.  "The papers are full of talk of flying machines, monsters, death rays - it all sounds too much like something Jules Verne would write.  Tell us what really happened, Marley."

Marley stared down at his drink.  It didn't really interest him - not the drink, not reliving those harrowing days - but he took another sip to give himself a few moments peace.  If he didn't talk, they'd just hound him again later.  And it would take forever for the true story to be straightened out by the press - if they ever managed that feat.  He suppressed a sigh.  "Alright.  But don't blame me if you don't believe my tale.  I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

copyright (c) The Other Sean