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THE MORE WE walked now, therestlessness filled h the ats tasted vile, unclean, as thick as ain," Albert said

Once again--I’d done it five times now; or had it been six?--I visualized myself as I would have to be to function under these new conditions Not function in co since left my system Survival was all that I could hope for now

Once ht have been alive on earth again, ulated into hardness

"Adjust your mind as well," Albert told me "This will be the worst you’ve seen"

I drew a deep breath, gri at the taste and odor of the fetid air "Is this really helping?" I asked "If there were any other way to find her, rest assured we’d take it," Albert said

"Are we any closer to her?"

"Yes," he said, "and no"

I turned to hient look reer At first, I couldn’t, then, realizing that I must, I strained to keep myself controlled "Are we any closer?" I asked

"We’re ht direction," he replied "I just haven’t been able to locate her yet"

He stopped and looked at me "I’m sorry that I can’t explain it any better," he said "I can say that, yes, it’s helping Please believehis look

"Tell o back," he said

"Let me look for her--"

"I want to find her, Albert Now"

"Chris, you’ve got to--"

I turned away from hi n that the environize, then felt ain I almost lashed out at him Then a beam of reason pierced the dark resent to help Who was I to argue with a man who had come to this awful place to help others? What in God’s name was the ain I was disconsolate once more, stricken by ain," Albert said "Concentrate on so mind to think of Su me to find Ann, his only motivation, love

"Better" Albert squeezed my arm "Hold to that, whatever it is"

"I’ll try," I said "I’ain"

"It isn’t easy to reet"

Even those words, netisht of Summerland, then of Ann and of my love for her That was better

I would concentrate on Ann

The light was getting dimmer as alked now Even with ht around h soht was stronger but even his illu candle fla thickness in the air Wethe bottom of a deep and ht, no structures All I saw ahead were rocks, a line of craggy boulders

Mo forward, I looked down into the blackness of it, then pulled back sharply at a rush of sonant "What?" I muttered

"If there is any place I’ve been to that deserves the name of Hell, this is it," Albert told iving in his voice and it hout all of this had been his strength If this place frightened hih," he said I wasn’t sure if he was tellingbreath "Albert, she isn’t down there," I said, I pleaded

"I don’t know," he answered His expression was grave "I only knoe have to go there if ant to find her" Shuddering, I closed my eyes and tried to remember Summerland To my dismay, I found myself unable to do it I strained to conjure up a vision of the lake shore I had stood on, the exquisite scenery--

The thought was gone I opened my eyes and stared out at the vast, dark crater