Rick Wakeman
"The Forest"

Journey on through ages gone, to the centre of the earth
Past rocks of quartz and granite, which gave mother nature birth

Burial ground of ancient man, his life no more is seen,
A journey through his time unknown, I wonder where he's been

Wonder where he's been, wonder where he's been, wonder where he's been

The shore now gone behind the hills, a forest in our sight,
Rocks and distant mountains, bathed in waves of blinding light

Forests from far gone time, no living man has seen,
A private prehistoric world, for you and I a dream

Brownish hue dicates my eye, no colour hides their fear,
Flowers faded, dull and cold, now bleached by atmosphere

Creatures twisting under trees, huge monsters soaked with rage
Hidden deep below our earth, a frightening, bygone age

Their shepherd came, now long extinct, a huge primeval man
The three men filled with disbelief, just turned as one and ran


NARRATION

Narration 8

Dumb with astonishment and amazement which bordered on
stupefaction, they fled the forest. Instinctively, they made
towards the Lidenbrook Sea. Discovering a rusty dagger on the
beach, and the carved initials of the explorer before them on a
slab of granite, they realised that thay were once again treading
the route of Arne Saknussemm. Following a short sea journey around
a cape, they came ashore where a dark tunnel plunged deep into
rock. Venturing down, their progress was halted by a piece of rock
blocking their way. After deciding to blow their way through, and
setting the charge, they put out to sea for safety. With the
explosion, the rocks before them opened like a curtain, and a
bottomless pit appeared in the shore. The explosion had caused an
earthquake, the abyss had opened up, and the sea was pouring into
it. Down and down they plunged into the huge gallery, but on
regaining their senses found their raft rising at tremendous
speed. Trapped in the shaft of an active volcano they rose through
the ages of man to be finally expelled out on a mountain-side
riddled with tiny lava streams. Their journey was completed and
they found themselves 3000 miles from their original starting
point in Iceland. They had entered by one volcano and they had
come out by another. With the blue mountains of Calabria in the
east they walked away from the mountain that had returned them.
The frightening Mount Etna.