The discovery of an unknown red flower on a parched wasteland, during a prolonged drought, near to a salt marsh, triggers the memory of a similar incident from the character's childhood. The flower, which was found in a neglected corner of the local churchyard, both evoked strange dreams and its touch induced lesions and tumours that worried the family doctor and were excised. The flower is not recorded in any naturalist's books or records. But finally, the central character finds a reference in a collection of biblical ephemera / discarded documents and heretical manuscripts. It is an illustration - first found on the walls of ruins. It depicts the cities of the plains - a few years after their destruction - and the red flower grows in profusion in the decay.
The discovery of an unknown red flower on a parched wasteland, during a prolonged drought, near to a salt marsh, triggers the memory of a similar incident from the character's childhood. The flower, which was found in a neglected corner of the local churchyard, both evoked strange dreams and its touch induced lesions and tumours that worried the family doctor and were excised. The flower is not recorded in any naturalist's books or records. But finally, the central character finds a reference in a collection of biblical ephemera / discarded documents and heretical manuscripts. It is an illustration - first found on the walls of ruins. It depicts the cities of the plains - a few years after their destruction - and the red flower grows in profusion in the decay.