Eighth Circle

The orcas were far more convincing. They got on with the job of taking him to shore and clearly knew what they were doing. Tom was reminded of his short and disastrous career as an officer in the British army. He would have been proud to have commanded a squad of men who performed in such an efficient and well-disciplined manner as the orcas. The way they handled the boat was superb.

He returned his attention to the city. The sun had come out and he could see it more clearly. His first impression was of an advanced civilisation at the height of its power. Now he wasn't so sure. The buildings were huge and that was what he had noticed at first. But, on closer inspection, something was very odd about them.

As the boat came closer to shore he could make out details. The lack of activity was striking. Apart from a few small aircraft there was little sign of life. There were few boats at sea and little movement on land. It was difficult to reconcile this with the size of the place.

The reason soon become apparent. The city was not the thriving metropolis he had imagined. It was more like a ghost city. The towering buildings were no more than empty shells, stripped of their interiors and cladding. Some were still standing. Others were in varying stages of collapse.

What he had previously seen as bridges were skyscrapers that remained in one piece when their foundations gave way. They were propped up by other buildings and sticking out at crazy angles. He was reminded of fallen trees in a rainforest. They remained like that for many years unless someone came along and cut them down to clear the ground for replanting.

No one had come along and cleared the land for rebuilding. There was a small area at the tip of the headland where the buildings looked new. They were magnificent by any standards but everything around them was in ruins. The most likely explanation was that a catastrophe had occurred and wiped out most of the population.

The new buildings were pearly white as if coated in a substance that made them glisten. They shone in the afternoon sun and came together in a harmonious composition that was pleasing to the eye.

Some reminded him of Indian architecture. One would have rivalled the Taj Mahal. Others were more organic with flowing lines that mimicked nature. They stood beside structures that seemed entirely functional. Track ways spiralled up to nowhere. Huge funnels rotated on the tops of towers. Tom guessed they had a purpose but had no idea what it might be.