Eriel's retreat in Arizona: Difference between revisions

<blockquote>I saw this would lead me into the high mountains southeast of Tucson, Arizona. I made preparation to go at once, saying to my friends I was going to do a little prospecting. I took a horse and pack animal, finding very little discomfort and no difficulty in following the directions given. If I could have gone as the crow flies, I would easily have covered the distance in two days.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Just before sundown of the third day, I came to a blind canyon and would have passed it unnoticed, if it had not been for the diagram. I had just made camp, when it became dark. I rolled up in my blankets and soon dropped off to sleep, dreaming most vividly, of waking in the morning and seeing a young man, standing near by looking at me.</blockquote>

<blockquote>When I did awaken, to my astonishment, there stood the young man in real life, looking at me intently. He greeted me with a beautiful smile, saying:</blockquote>

<blockquote>“My friend, you are expected to follow me.” I noticed, he had my things in readiness and turning without further discussion, led the way toward the head of the canyon. After about an hour, we came to a stop because of a cliff that seemed to close the way before us.</blockquote>

<blockquote>He turned, placed his hands upon the rock, and pressed against it. A section of the wall, perhaps ten by twelve feet, moved in to a depth of about one foot and then slid to one side. We entered a tunnel that centuries ago must have been the bed of an underground water-course. My companion closed the entrance behind us and, as we turned to go forward, a soft radiance spread everywhere, so we could see quite clearly. I was astonished at all I saw but I remembered the admonition I had received in my instruction, “to be silent.”</blockquote>

<blockquote>We continued in the tunnel for more than an hour, and finally came to a massive metal door. This opened slowly at my companion’s touch. He stood aside, and waited for me to pass through. I stepped out into the bright sunlight, almost breathless with delight at the beauty of the scene before me. Ahead of us, lay a valley of surpassing loveliness, about a hundred acres in extent.</blockquote>

<blockquote>“My Friend,” said the young man, “you have returned home after a long absence, all of which you shall soon understand.” He then led the way to a beautiful building, near the foot of a sheer cliff at the upper end of the valley. As we came nearer, I could see many kinds of fruit and vegetables growing in abundance, among them oranges, dates, English walnuts, and pecans. A beautiful waterfall poured over the cliff, making a limpid pool at its base. The building was a massive one, and looked as though it had stood there for centuries....</blockquote>

<blockquote>We entered the ancient building. The interior was finished in pink marble and white onyx. I was shown to a beautiful room where the morning sun flooded everything with its glorious radiance.<ref>Godfré Ray King, ''Unveiled Mysteries'', ch. 7.</ref></blockquote>