March 27, 1921

We just returned from the Lizard City. What an adventure! And how quietly it had all begun. Marguerite, Malone and I had spent a quiet afternoon in the Treehouse, while Veronica and Challenger were out exploring. We listened to music, drank our afternoon tea and I tried to convince Malone that his constant habit of letting his suspenders hang down was most unbecoming. There is a fine line between looking casual and just looking sloppy, but Malone refused to listen. He told me that this was a look much favoured by the youths of Chicago and New York. I tried to tell him that he wasn’t in America anymore, but then Marguerite chimed in and said “Well, actually he is, we are in South America after all. Maybe you should put your suspenders down as well, John. A more youthful look would be a nice change.” That was the reward I got for my efforts to keep an appropriate dress code in the Treehouse!

Our conversation was rudely interrupted when Tribune barged in through the roof. It remains baffling to me, how often intruders show up on our roof, when we now have an electric fence and have supposedly taken down all visible means of climbing up the tree to the roof. I guess our emergency ladder is still an open invitation for lizards.

Tribune explained his latest predicament to us and we agreed to help him. Our insecure roof situation led to another imprisonment by Captain Tark and his lizard men, but thanks to Marguerite’s ability to fool even the most hardened lizard we managed to enter the Lizard City as free men and woman.

Ned, who they believed to be Challenger, was sent to the laboratory to create new gun powder, since their scientist who had known the formula had died recently.  Tribune and I were sent to the arena to fight as gladiators. I suppose I should have been grateful to Marguerite, because the alternative was to be killed, but I have to admit I held a little grudge that she was able to be in the most comfortable position. Centuria, the new lizard empress, took a liking to her and she became her companion in the luxurious palace, sipping coffee all day. Well, I wasn’t surprised that a woman of fire and steel like Marguerite would make another conquest, although I’m sure she found the attentions of the lizard lady not much to her liking.

Times had changed fashion-wise in the Lizard City. Gone was the lovely revealing red dress that had shown Marguerite’s lithe figure so advantageously. This time she wore a uniform that looked rather severe. She was still a beautiful sight, even Tribune noticed it, but I’d have given everything to see the red dress again.

The fights in the area were quite strenuous and I was glad that Malone and I had stuck to our strict workout regimen those past months. Not only were my opponents no match for me, I could also wear the nude upper body look proudly, hopefully cutting a fine figure in the arena.

Again we prevailed against all odds. Tribune became the emperor after dining on Centuria – a most unpleasant sight. Who’d have thought that he would turn out the lesser of two evils?

April 3, 1921

Three days of constant rain, but we are all grateful for it. The long drought took a toll on the whole Plateau, weakening flora, fauna and its human inhabitants alike.

We had a most remarkable encounter with a Spanish woman, whose people had uncovered the legendary fountain of youth. But alas! The fountain of youth proved to be elusive. We only saw a few glimpses of its power, most shockingly when its beneficial effect was reversed and Ana aged four-hundred years in front of our eyes and turned to dust. She sacrificed her life to save Challenger and our visionary has been very quiet since our return. He is torn between regret for the sacrifice she had to make and gratitude for his survival, it seems.

What hopes I had that the unappealing effects of aging could be reversed! Marguerite said that women are more affected by aging than men, as they are more prone to be judged by their outward appearance, but I disagree. I could swear that she sometimes glances at young Ned Malone and compares his youthful skin with mine. He’s a scribbler, sitting at his desk all day… The book dust alone preserves his skin, I’m sure.

What can you do, when the life of an adventurer has exposed you to the damaging effects of the sun at an early age? I was rather young when I went on my first African safari, who knew then how damaging sun could be to the sensitive skin around the eyes?

Ana’s dramatic display of the effectiveness of the water excited me tremendously, although I tried to hide it from the others. Marguerite and I discussed the effect of aging and she commented that men get more valuable with age. If only I could believe in that! My daily scrutiny of the harsh progression of my crow’s feet would be less anxiety-inducing…