The Crystal Bubble City of Tweep
During my journey in the Silver Sea, our ship docked with a huge floating "island" replete with provisions, accommodations, and the like. I was told that this was a floating platform which served as a docking point not only for our own harvesting ships, but also for those who wished to visit the beautiful underwater city of Tweep.
Surprised, I had to inquire further. "An Underwater City?" I asked. It was then that my guide told me about the people of Tweep who were seafaring people for so many thousands of years that they finally decided to build a city at the deepest point of the sea which they loved so much. There, they led lives of scientific discovery and peace surrounded by a crystal bubble that enabled them to observe the great deep and yet live comfortably in this beautiful serene environment. Clearly, this was yet another marvel which I had to observe for myself.
In contrast to the rustic beautiful ships and boats of the harvesters, a line of little speed "subs" lined one side of the port. Painted in brilliant striped colors to make them easily visible in the darkness below, these little ships could drive, fly, and swim! Mounted with periscopes, fast rocket engines, wheels and even wings, these little wonders could perform all sorts of feats. Inside the city below, they were used as cars. In the water, they performed marvelously as little submarines. And, whenever the urge hit the owner, they could also pop out of the water and fly off like birds in the sky. They looked marvelously cute, but also very quick and agile. Most of those that were docked at the time served as "water taxis" to get to and from the city. So, having been told that the harvesting ships would rest here a while, I decided to take a few days off to explore the great waters below.
Oh, the marvel at being under water again! What colors and lights and sublime sensations - like being in boundless space. Yes, we went deep. Deeper than most fish ever live, but the ocean depths were rife with strange colored plants whose species I could not identify at all. I was surprised to see so many little ships zipping around in daredevil stunts that could only have been produced by a lifetime of "driving" such magnificent engines. Deep we went, far below anything I had ever dared imagine. It was very dark for a long time before I finally started to make out the glow of the city far below us. My driver, knowing that I was a first time tourist, must have taken his pleasure in "flying" me through some strange canyons at breathtaking speeds. Yet, the scenery was so incredible that I barely even thought about my own safety. Gradually, I could begin to make out the crystal bubble dome of the city far ahead with crystal spires of glass rising high within the protective shell. Yet, it all looked so fragile. The radiant light emanating from the city shone outwards, illuminating the blackness to a beautiful dark blue that permeated everything around us. The walls of the canyons were covered in some strange sort of coral which seemed to shimmer and glitter as we sped by. Inside this small little machine was a cozy fit - even snug. On a large portion of the wall, however, was a big contoured screen that displayed the view of the periscope of the vastness beyond. Later, it was explained to me that these ships are made of some sort of very sturdy material, and one could literally fly into a canyon wall without crushing or damaging this sturdy "automobile", which is why glass windows were replaced by electronic screens. I was also told that at these depths, glass could be made very strong, but also would be very fragile when hit. Furthermore, the screens could be adjusted to brightness levels using different wavelengths, enabling the driver to cruise along without any lights at all so as not to disturb the quiet depths whey out of the city's radiant glow. A more perfect little engine for pleasure I could not think of at the time.
What a splendid sight that approach was. And, using the onboard computer, I was able to photograph a nice little printout of the display to cherish - compliments of my fare, of course.
- Traveling Uncle Nat. :)
08/25/00
P.S. I have also made a little animation that simply spins the "car" model around to display it. They are available for download here: