Beyond the Mountains of Madness

6 Dec, 2pm : Gil Maskill watched the two winged barrels (Elders) bouncing along in slow flight carrying Starkweather between them. “The Enderby is almost warmed, oiled, and ready for flight. If we takeoff now, we can catch up to them.” Robert asked, “Who’s going? Someone needs to stay to guard Williams…I mean Danforth. Don’t need him getting loose and finishing his attack on our camp. Sorry Professor Moore, but with your frostbite and wrapped hands, you best stay. And you’re in no condition to guard our saboteur.” And that’s when Willard spoke up, “Where’s Charles?!” Long pause as Doug looked around, “He was here two hours ago, bringing me plane-oil. He was looking at his sketchpad and said something about VERY detailed carvings.” Wilbur entered the camp tent, soon to report, “No missing supplies. He didn’t take extra oxygen bottles. You don’t suppose Danforth attacked him before killing Ralph?” Peter Sykes barked orders which Moore nodded to, “Wilbur and Willard, join me in a searc...

5 Dec, 4pm : Near the base of the headless Elder statue, lay a huge basalt boulder. The statue’s head. Starkweather shouted with glee as he climbed atop the severed head and called out to Wilbur, “Take my picture, getting the statue itself as background. Wait, let me strike a triumphant pose, the conquering hero.” James was already composing the newspaper article in his head that would detail his most-grand Antarctica exploration. Pictures to go with the artifacts he was already collecting. Meanwhile, Professor Moore and the other scientists of the party stood in marvel as they gazed up the river at the sprawling city. At one end, the frozen river seemed to cascade down into a gapping cave mouth as if feeding the underworld. Up river, they saw collapsed causeways and bridges that once spanned the river. Empty streets laid out in almost pentagonal patterns yet not quite. Buildings that looked like stacked archways with open windows and thresholds. From which ice seemed to flow. Offeri...

4 Dec : You have to realize, at altitude, this 20,000ft plateau, you are constantly on oxygen. So, to speak, you have to pull out the straw-like hose. You probably want to leave the clip on your nose to avoid inhaling the below-zero air. Thus, you speak in short bursts hoping not to inhale through your mouth or nose. Kind of like trying to eat strong horseradish. Pilot/Flight-Engineer Pat Miles examined the cracked ski on the Weddell , then through the howling wind almost had to shout, “We’ll have to improvise a lift to get at it. Then it’ll take at least a day to fix.” Yet no-one had problems hearing the painfully disorienting pings and hiss and pulse of Wilbur’s radio, “Shut that damn thing off!” Wilbur apologized, “I had the volume set almost to zero.” James Starkweather stomped forward, “Damn it boy, you played with that thing on the plane. What the hell is it?!” Wilbur looked to Professor Moore to bail him out (who stood silent), “I, I thought I’d try to contact Miss Lexington a...