Meda: a Tale of the Future. Kenneth Folingsby

was no tow-path, and no sign of vessels or barges moving on it. It was a lovely, bright, fresh, and warm day. The change of scene to me after my anxiety and worry was quite refreshing, and I felt perfectly contented and happy. I seemed to move about without any apparent exertion, barely touching the earth, and if any obstacle came in my way I surmounted it in the most offhand manner. I saw a great mound on the banks of the river at a considerable distance, and began to think how I could get over it; but I reached it in a few seconds, and walked right over it without any difficulty. My movements reminded me more of flying than walking. When I descended to the level again, I saw the river flowing towards me in an almost straight line, and in the distance I beheld what to me seemed the ruins of a great city. So clear was the atmosphere that I could pick out many prominent buildings, some with ​square towers, some with spires, and some with domes. It occurred to me that I had seen these buildings before somewhere, but my recollections of them and of the general aspect of the city, while in some respects familiar to my mind, were so indistinct that I thought I was looking on some continental city that I had seen when a child. My curiosity being aroused, I sped on my way in the direction of the great city, following the banks of the river, which were completely overgrown by peculiar looking grass and weeds. As I got nearer, I found the banks of the stream encumbered by the remains of old brick and stone buildings, most of which were overgrown by creepers and grass, and in some places these ruins formed large mounds that indicated the existence in ages past of great edifices.

      While I felt exhilarated and happy to a degree, there was something terribly lonely about my walk. It is true I saw an occasional fish leap in the water, and some small beasts ​like hares and rabbits started out of the heaps of stones as I passed them, but the very presence of this wild animal life amidst the ruins made me more lonely, causing me to wonder where I could be, and to consider why such a fair and lovely district should apparently be destitute of the human race. I went on wondering what had caused this devastation. Had there been an earthquake? Had the people been stricken down by a plague? Had the country been invaded by a foreign foe, who without mercy slew man, woman, and child, leaving no one to perpetuate the race that must have existed years ago? Yes, a nation that had erected all these great buildings that now were mere heaps of ruins overgrown by the vegetation of ages, must surely have some descendants if they were not annihilated. As I got nearer and nearer to the city, my astonishment became more and more intense. I suddenly came upon the remains of a great bridge, the piers of which were of enormous dimensions, and must have been formed of ​iron, built in with stone and cement, the upper structure being of granite, a great portion of it still stood, but not a trace of the iron or steel girders could be seen. The concrete work that formed the base was also in wonderful preservation, but there was not a trace of the cast iron cylinders that had formerly been the outer shell of the piers. Curiously enough the concrete retained the impression of every plate, and every flange, and every bolt, but all the ironwork had disappeared. As I stood and looked at this old bridge, the thought occurred to me—"What a story you could tell, if you only had the power of speech!" It was clear to me that all the steel and iron girders, and the cast iron pier cylinders, had gradually corroded away. I could trace in my mind the entire processes of gradual destruction through many ages: first, the people by some miserable calamity disappeared; then, the ironwork of the bridge would corrode for want of care; the girders would weaken gradually and sag down in the centre, not ​being able to carry their own weight; the upper member would buckle up, and the whole structure would fall into the river dragging the upper portion of the piers with it. Then the oxidation would continue; and that great structure is probably now a deposit of red oxide in the bottom of the stream, or it has been carried in minute particles to the ocean. This, I came to the conclusion, must have been a high level bridge, as the piers when perfect could not have been less than 100 feet above the water level.

      On I went, taking a lively interest in all I saw, and having the same exhilarating feeling encouraging me to proceed. No trace of fatigue, no hunger troubled me, as I continued my tripping walk. I now came to what must have been a great harbour or dock. All the quays were covered by the ruins of buildings, many of which had fallen right across the roadway; but, in some cases, the buildings had fallen as it were into themselves, forming a heap of stone over-grown by weeds and ​scrub. You could trace the lines of the streets by these long heaps of stones, and it was evident from their regularity that this city must have been built in blocks, and that the houses, to judge from the heaps of ruins, must have been of a considerable height. Further along I came to more docks nearly filled with silt and stones, and more bridges, that had been constructed of iron with stone piers, similar to the great high level bridge that first met my vision. As in the other, the iron-work had completely disappeared, but a portion of the masonry still remained. Further up the river I saw what appeared to be the remains of a stone bridge. As I was anxious to get to the other side to examine some buildings that still stood there towering above the heaps of ruins, I hurried along, and when I reached the bridge I found that, although in a very dilapidated condition, it was in a sufficiently good state of preservation to allow me to pass over. So over I went, and wending my way about ruined streets with ​here and there a strong heavily built wall still standing, I came to an embankment across. On examining this, I found it must have been a high level railway, as many portions of the brick arches, in a sad state of decay, could be seen peeping through the rank herbage that covered them. When I had climbed the embankment, I could see the whole of the city. Not far off were the remains of a great building that probably had been the Municipal Chamber or Courts of Justice; then, there were the remains of churches; here, a tower, and there, a spire, with great stone columns and parts of walls. Such was the scene that met my eyes in all directions, but everything was overgrown with vegetation, and everything seemed to be decayed. No traces of ironwork existed, while the evidence of great iron structures having been there in ages past and gone were visible at every step. I followed the track of the railway for a long time through the ruined city, till I came to what evidently was the terminus, now reduced ​to a great pile of stones. Some pieces of the wall were still standing, and showed that the building had been highly decorated with carved stone-work; but the details of the carving had been worn away by the rubbings of time. I clambered to the top of the wall, and lying down on the grass-grown parapet, began to ponder as to where I was, what city this could have been—what had caused such devastation—why it was now deserted? How could I get information? I had all my life made a hobby of antiquarian research, but had never read or heard of such modern-looking antiquities as I now saw before me. Could it be that I had got into another planet whose inhabitants had anticipated all our civilization by thousands of years, but who through luxurious living, and over-quickened intellect, had so reduced their bodily strength, that they gradually died out, leaving all in the possession of wild animals; or could it be that I had died thousands of years ago, and that I had just been born again, and now saw my ​own planet after it had undergone the changes of ages; or had the power of some mysterious being so influenced me, and so cleared my vision, as to enable me to see into futurity, and view the world as it would be thousands of years hence? These and hundreds of other thoughts racked my brain; but while I pondered and thought, anxious to learn all about this ruined city, my wonder and anxiety did not bring any weariness or languor with it. On the contrary, there was a brightness and buoyancy in all my thoughts. They were acute and searching to a degree; but what astonished me most was the fact, that while I must have been travelling for many hours, I could not say that I was the least fatigued, nor had I the slightest feeling of hunger or thirst. When I lay down, it was not from any need of rest, but simply out of a desire to enjoy a stretch on the soft-looking grass-grown top of the ruined wall. How long I lay in this position I cannot tell; I was so comfortable that I could have lain there for ages. My body ​hardly felt the bed of grass on which I lay; in fact, I apparently was so light that the grass supported me on its tips, and never allowed my body to come into contact with the harder substance below. I must say this surprised me beyond measure, and to test the accuracy of my position, I passed my hands from either side under my body. This I found I could do without any difficulty. Then it occurred to me, that I must be a shadow; but this was not so, for when I pinched my leg to see if such was the case, I caused myself more pain than I counted on. I felt the grass with my fingers to ascertain if it was very stiff and strong, but it felt like ordinary grass, and my fingers broke it easily. Then I came to the conclusion that I must have grown very light, while at the same time I apparently retained all my bulk. I had no mirror to examine my face, but my hands, arms, legs