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Silbury Trip, Summer 2505

Mystery?
Nah, not here mate.
It's crystal clear.
You ask it, we know it.

Or look for yourself.
It's all here to be seen, through the Perspex wall lining.
A walk back through time we call it.
The further you go, the further back you go.

I always think this is the best bit, where it opens out.
We're at the dead centre.
Listen to the silenceā€¦
It's just like as if the ancient builders are stunned in admiration.

Mind you, usually it's packed in here and the kids all yell out
To see if there's an echo of some sort.
There never is though. It's sort of dull and dead sounding.
Sullen almost.

Pity you weren't here for the big show last month.
Once a year the sun shines right along to the centre.
It's as good as being outside!
I always tell people to try to be in here for that.

The beams land on King Sil gold-effect armour
In the central display-pod.
It glistens for a few seconds!
Amazing to have arranged it like that.

Really gives people a flavour to take home.
Lasting memories, that's what history's all about isn't it?
It's just that... it ain't as vivid the rest of the time.
With the striplighting.

Why was it tunnelled?
Not sure, not my field, the twenty first century.
I think they thought a previous one had got too unstable
And too small for them to get into.

So they were forced to replace it with this.
That's what it says on the original notice by the entrance anyway.
"No other option"
It says.

D'you know even that notice is protected now, it's so old.
It's become part of the archaeology!
The guidebook goes on about it's "an icon of it's period"
And how "it speaks like a testament" for it's times.

People are forever studying it, and writing papers.
Not just archaeologists mind! Language experts and that.
They reckon it's written in a special way, but I dunno about that.
Sounds like fabrication to me.

But wierdos keep vandalising it and writing B*llocks on it.
Can you BELIEVE that, EH??
No respect for history some people.
No appreciation, taste, sense of propriety or decency.

And sod what the rest of us think!
'Course, if you challenge them they look you in the eye and just say
"Oh we're just looking for something mate".
Twats.

We all know what's there, near enough.
And if they want to search they can discuss it,
Not act all shifty on their own.
Anyone would think the place was theirs!

Well it aint theirs and it aint ours it's everyone's,
Right into the future as far as it goes.
Self-sure overconfident humble-lacking twats.
With blinkers.

Imagine people in a thousand years, seeing the only mark you left.
And hating it.
Imagine your name being spoken forever
As the name of a culprit!

Anyhow, we've still got the tunnel.
That's the main thing ain't it?
Imagine the work that was involved
With the primitive tools they had then!

You can see the actual marks of the boring machine in places.
No not there, that's all infill where extra chunks fell out.
Nor there. Here's a bit, by my foot.
That's original twenty first century scraping on the actual original material that is!

Robotic mini-borers?
And nano tools?
Nah, it was a couple of decades before those came in.
And the sub-atomic tools were mid twenty first century I think.

And of course, they clearly had no inkling technology might move on
Or that invasive archaeology would one day end.
Let alone how soon.
Too much of a leap of imagination I suppose.

Lucky for us I say.
Think what we'd have missed if they had!

ce
nigelswift Posted by nigelswift
17th July 2005ce
Edited 18th July 2005ce


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