The Author

The Author

Thursday, 18 November 2010

THE IMAGINERIOUM OF DR HORSE



THE IMAGINERIOUM OF DR HORSE

First let me set the scene.....

Its 1855, and the cold dark basement of a creaking hovel in Jacobs Island is shrouded in dry ice, as a strange man dressed in a tall black Top Hat and dark clothing , shades his face with a cloak. He slowly reveals his facial features, revealing a large pointed nose, which support a pair of circular wire framed glasses, suspended by large jug like ears that are partially hidden by long flowing jet black hair.

In the mans left hand is a glowing Kaleidoscope emitting rays of colourful light, whilst in his right hand is a screeching Hurdy Gurdy discharging the eerie sound of death.

Apart from the black hatted mystery figure the room was empty, as was the remainder of the building. Outside all was still and even the Rats had abandoned the filth ridden rooms above the basement. 


In the street adjacent to the stinking hovel, out of the gloom appeared a huge upright white Bear, striding forward at pace followed by a naked Congolese Pygmy whose hands were tightly gripping the strong chain that hung around the Bears bloated neck.

Suddenly they stopped, and the Bear turned to the Pygmy and pointed with his huge paw towards the door of the hovel.


Across the winding lane, hidden behind a half full barrel of rotting waste, was Artimous Cooper, a barrel maker who lived further down the lane, on a small houseboat moored just off of Jacobs Island.


Artimous watched in amazement as the Bear and Pygmy opened the door and entered the small dingy building, the stale air filling the lungs of the Bear making it let out a small whimper as it strained to control the urge to spew its guts across the floor. The Pygmy was not bothered by the bad air and motioned to the Bear to go down the stairs towards the haunting sound of the Hurdy Gurdy and the strange lights emanating from the flashing kaleidoscope.


Intrigued, Artimous followed the pair and gingerly descended the steep wooden stairs, stair by stair, as his heart throbbed in his chest and his eyes strained to behold what was ahead of him.
Artimus reached the bottom of the stairs and blinked his tear filled eyes. The great bear and minute pygmy were ahead of him and he shuffled forward a few yards and was soon almost upon them.

Artimus strained his eyes at the black clothed figure whose bespectacled eyes were staring at the hurdy gurdy that he held in his spindly white gloved hands. The screeching whine that emitted from the instrument began to decrease in volume, and the bright rays of light diminished in intensity.


Artimus turned his head towards the bear and pygmy and was surprised to see that they were now quite close to the strange black clothed musician. Suddenly the Top hated figure turned and disappeared in to the dark morass behind him. The bear and pygmy soon ventured to the place where the strange scene had unfolded and as with the darkly dressed figure disappeared in to the darkness.


Artimus swiftly blinked his eyes and motioned towards the centre of the room. As he neared there last position he could just make out a series of doors in the far wall. The doors looked like those he had seen in his youth, whilst apprenticed to a master Cooper.


Artimus had served his time in Rotherhithe, but had spent a year in Cadiz assisting his mentor complete a contract for the King of Spain. Whilst in Cadiz, he had seen various depictions of the New World, rough sketches and note book scribbles brought back to Spain in the past by the sailors who had conducted the Spanish conquest of central and South America.


The doors were made of wood, and appeared to be bolted at both the top and bottom. Artimus approached a door and was surprised to see that the bolts were undone, and the door slightly ajar. Artimus slowly opened the door and viewed a long corridor running of in to the dark.

Ahead of him he thought he could see the back of the bear, and after slowly partly closing the door behind him, he stepped in to the dark corridor.


Creeping slowly along the dimly lit passage, Artimus ran his right hand along the wall and suddenly paused as his hands stumbled across a large cold handle. Pushing the door attached to the handle released the partially open door hinge and the heavy barrier began to ease open.
Artimus gradually squeezed his head around the opening portal and drew a deep breath as he gazes upon the vista before him. As Artimus pulled the rest of his body through the partially open door way, his short neck was straining to propel his stocky head from side to side as he tried to take in the view before him. Artimus shut his eyes and wiped his hand across his now slightly moist eyes. 

Fully opening his eyes he now fully took in the scene before him, a rolling Steppe of undulating grasslands stretching in to the far distance, where snow capped mountains towered in to the bright blue firmament. The mountains appeared to curve in a great sweep across the horizon, and before them the lush steppe rolled forward in a never ending verdant carpet of lush grasses. 

Artimus strained to locate something or somebody familiar and soon noticed the Bear and pygmy lumbering forward approximately five hundred yards ahead. They were following a trail that seemed to be a permanent track through the grasslands.

Ahead of the duo was the strange darkly dressed figure that Artimus had last seen in the cellar of the building at Jacobs Island. His black top hat sat upon his head and a number of birds were hovering above him in the bright azure sky. 



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