The Sands of Singapore.
A hidden world beneath the dunes.
Copyright 2015
In a world hastened by instant communication, there is a place that remains untouched from the complicated world we live in on the surface of the earth, but beneath a small section of it that’s covered by rolling sand dunes that soar upwards to nearly 300 feet is a place that was called Singapore.
Mythical, and all but forgotten.
Singapore is still there, buried beneath the sand dunes. It history is alive and well in newspapers from the past, but few have experienced the true spectacle of not what it was, but what it is.
The connection between Singapore and Oz is Frank L.Baum. The Sands of Oz is written on a belief that he had written an unpublished novel about a secret world hidden under the rolling sand dunes that hug the coastline along the shores of West Michigan.
Mr. Baum’s family had a cottage in an area near Lake Michigan, and he would spend his days of summer relaxing and writing while vacationing in the area.
And here it is, an interpretation of a novel that has never been seen, but has a place in the history that surrounds an area that gave the man who wrote The Wizard of Oz inspiration, solitude, and an ability to focus on his craft which has appealed to so many around the world, for endless generations.
And so it begins, your new journey…
Welcome, to…The Sands of Oz.
The Sands of Oz
©Duneview Publishing
2016
All rights reserved.
Any representation to anyone living or not is purely coincidental.
The Sands of Singapore
Deep inside rolling 300 foot high sand dunes that are covered with towering oaks and sweet smelling pine trees is a place that exists not only in text, but remains hidden from the meandering hikers that walk the soft, narrow, sandy pathways that lead through forests that are home to curious deer, playful black squirrels that chase one another up and down trees while the distracting high pitched chirps of plump chipmunks sitting on fallen trees wait for you to look their way, and at the very moment you make eye contact, the little jesters twirl around while rapidly squeaking as they scamper away into a hidden entrance beneath a toppled, ivy covered tree.
“This place is magical and enticing.” An enticing message taken from an unpublished book rumored to have been written by Frank L. Baum, the creator of The Wizard of Oz.
A book that’s rumored to be kept in a secret location close to a town called Bell Harbor, Michigan. It explains what lay beneath the dunes based an unpublished book written by Frank L. Baum. A book that was never completely published by the creator of The Wizard of Oz. Nobody outside of Mr. Baum’s family knows the exact location of the text or what it describes, except for a twelve year old brother and sister from Chicago that stumbled upon a world that allowed them to experience something that was written about, but had no idea existed in a book they never heard of.
Only bits and pieces of The Sands of Oz have ever been released to the public, and can be seen in newspapers of a bygone era that often features pictures of boom towns from logging days that gave Chicago the lumber it needed to rebuild after its notorious fire in the 1800’s. The passages were used as a way to entice people to visit the area, but now seem more cryptic.
Within the dunes that surround Bell Harbor, the forest only allows sunlight to enter through the protective tops of trees and stream in through the gaps that are created from decayed branches that have become bound by dangling vines, which are often referred to as “Tree Snakes” by the people that are fortunate enough to live in the area.
The dappled rays of light that have passed through the universe and sneak through the leaf topped canopy, cast a somber tone throughout the peaceful environment and allows a person who passes through the forest to embrace nature on a very personal, spiritual level.
The sandy trails that reveal the twisted roots of trees were created by meandering deer that live and flourish in the clean, oxygen rich air, and serve as a common walkway throughout the massive dunes that rise and fall in steep, tree covered ravines. The twisting vines that wrap themselves around the trees and sometimes dangle from branches are commonly referred to as tree snakes.
In this area, there’s a Native American saying: ‘Where the deer travel, people follow.’ The Potawattamie Indians lived along the nearby Kalamazoo River which creates a natural water way that lead out to Lake Michigan and divides the dunes into north and south sections. The Potawattamie would often hunt the deer, but would often give up once the deer would seek a safe retreat into the towering dunes, and if the Indians decided to pursue the deer into the dunes they’d have to make a hasty retreat back to the safety of the riverside due to the black bears that patrolled the forests.
Along the shores of Lake Michigan, the summers can be brief, but at the same time enchanting and romantic. They can engrave themselves into your memory and you’ll never forget it, and you won’t want to. The part that never leaves you, is the part of the area that has never left.
There’s history in Bell Harbor, Michigan, and one in particular is within its boundaries.
A forgotten city…a lost city. An unseen, magical world.
It’s there, in the coarse sand left from the passing glaciers that retreated during the last ice age. When you hike along the narrow pathways in the dunes, you’re not only walking along trails created by nature’s four legged and antlered engineers, you’re likely to be passing over a hidden society, a hidden world.
“And with each step you are taken away from your worries.” - The Sands of Oz.
Jeff and Amanda are brother and sister. Their family spends two weeks every summer in the coastal town of Bell Harbour, Michigan. It’s a welcome retreat from concrete and steel buildings, the streets teaming with people and the never ending sirens that echo in the cold, dark alleys in Chicago.
This area has beckoned people from Chicago for years and many families return year after year to relax and embark on a different lifestyle if not for a few days, but sometimes for the entire summer. The Beaches, the sand dunes, the air, and nearby orchards offer the visitor an opportunity to become acquainted with nature, and themselves on different level.
Jeff and Amanda are brother and sister, twelve years old, and have all the curiosity and imagination that comes with being children of that age. They spend their endless summer days riding their bikes and hiking on the dusty trails that wind through the tranquil forests. A child’s exploration into the tree covered dunes and mysterious ravines that allow for easy downward travel, but for a lung exhausting climb back up are ideal for creating long lasting memories.
On one warm day, with a deep blue cloudless sky overhead, and the distant waves of Lake Michigan lolloping onto the coastline, Jeff and Amber discover and experience something that will stay with them throughout their lives.
While on one of their self titled ‘travels of discovery’, they happen to notice a small mound on a side of a hill with an even smaller, darker opening. It looks like someone made an impromptu shelter about the size of dog house, but it has since evolved into a moss covered opening with decaying branches that have numerous holes on them that indicate their demise may have been induced from the perpetual tapping of the Red, black and white colored wood peckers that zoom around the trees.
Jeff and Amanda each snap off a branch from a fallen, decayed tree and poke inside the darkened area.
Jeff: “Maybe a skunk is in there!”
Jeff sticks his branch inside the darkness and moves it around then pokes at something, as he does, a soft thumping sound is hea
rd. He slowly backs away and looks at Amanda.
Jeff: “I think there’s wood in there. Maybe it’s a treasure chest!”
Amanda walks over and kneels down and pokes her branch in and out of the darkness. As she does, Jeff can see that she too hit something and the same muffled thumping sound is heard.
Amanda: “I think you’re right!”
Amanda and Jeff quickly huddle and periodically look up and around to see if any prying eyes might be glancing in their direction then quietly plan and quickly execute their plan of action. They immediately begin to remove some of the moss covered tree that hangs over the entrance. They excitedly pick away the chunks of rotted boards that begin to fall from an unseen structure and reveal a small door.
There’s no handle, so Jeff uses a stick to pry it open. He pries it into the upper corner and