Friday 28 January 2011

Heart of Darkness.Part One.

And now for something different for a change.A Gothic adventure for our jaded Age of Reason.
Like everyone else from time to time I get bored with the tedium of normal day to day existence.Its human nature I suppose to do so no matter what your situation in life.If you live a long,long time these feeling only grow.Who would really desire to live for many hundreds of years.One is bad enough.
In the old days of course you could go up to the nearest cave and call forth a dragon.Nowadays some people have affairs which usually end up just as messy for the tarnished hero...others take up a new hobby or career.....still others,having lost the wonder of life turn to drink or drugs.
For me though its always been straightforward.No dragons now but still caves and dark realms to explore  and other creatures of the night to observe and play with in the shadows.
When I feel the signs of real boredom I know its time to visit my heart of darkness.
Caves have always held a fascination for me.As soon as I was old enough I was off caving.
Some of the best caves are down in England and I,ve spent many happy days far underground in that other realm.That all takes time,preparation and travel though. I was bored now.

So....the caverns of man would have to do.A little trip to the darkest ,strangest and most terrible pit I know.   But first a prelude...A little rainbow of colour spurting a  fountain of crimson  into the night.
Before darkness can arrive however the sun must go down.

Light fades and the shadows crawl across the land like vampire bats creeping towards a nervous goat in a South American field.
In the cities and towns artificial lights click on keeping the darkness at bay.

Folks sit around the fire as they have done since they lived in caves themselves telling tales of all the things that haunt the shadows outside.
At the darkest time of year people seek each other out ,building bigger fires,erecting more lights and colours to ward off the black void gathering around them.
But for some the  attraction at this time of year is the long hours of darkness and a communion with the creatures of the pit.
I first discovered my tunnel when I was twelve.Its still the darkest place I know.Here I came face to face with my true self.That other me,born right there in the tunnel.
 No horrors exist in nature as dark as the beasts that prowl in your own imagination.
But some come close.......
                                                                   Here be Dragons

3 comments:

russell said...

As always, great pictures, Bob. - especially one of Ben Lomond behind Glasgow. - At least I think its Ben Lomond. Its profile resembles Ben Ledi from Stirling. -I'd never noticed that before.
Not much of a cave man myself, but best caves I've been in are about an hour east of Malaga at Nerja. - Is Alec in Malaga just now? Great hills at Nerja as well, going straight up from coast with good paths. Russell

blueskyscotland said...

It is Ben Lomond Russell.Alex is back but I think he just went shoppng on a tight leash over there.Not many pictures.
At least this has got one more comment than my "Stained Radience" story about the young girl growing up in a slaughterhouse.Best thing I,ve ever written.No comments after 2 years.(Not on this blog) Ah well.such is life! bob.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful, Bob.