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It was miles in circumference with precipitous walls All I couldto pick out details in a night-shrouded valley--were huge h soht I s but wasn’t certain Were there tunnels in the rock? I shuddered again, trying not to let ht exist in those tunnels

"We have to go this way?" I asked I knew the answer in my mind but hearddread

"Chris, let’s go back," he said "Let me look on my own"

"No’’ I bracedin the depths of Hell would keep aze His appearance had changed He was as I re of perfection could survive in this place and his features bore the cast I recollected from my youth He’d always looked a little pale, a little ill He looked that way again--as I was sure I looked

I could only pray that, underneath his pallor, the resolution of the man I’ddown an angling, rocky fissure It was far too dim to see clearly but I could feel slime on the surface of the rocks, a jellylike matter which exuded a s crawled across ers, whatever they were darted swiftly into cracks Teeth clenched, I forced myself to concentrate on Ann I love her and was here to help her Nothing else was stronger than that Nothing

As we descended gradually, the feeling of--how shall I describe it?--h we clirumous fluid Adjustments came by seconds now We were part of the environ to it automatically The air--could it be called that?--was totally repulsive-- dense and sticky, foul of odor I could feel it ooze around s as we descended and descended

"You’ve actually been here?" I asked I was gasping for breath We ht, so coain," Albert said

"I couldn’t do it"

"Someone has to help," he replied "They can’t help theht A convulsive shudder wracked my body What did they look like, the denizens of this forbidding pit? I hoped I didn’t have to find out I prayed that Albert would--with a sudden burst of discovery--know exactly where Ann was and take me there, away from this hideous place I couldn’t stand much--

No I stoppedI had to in order to reach Ann

The lower realh by half No light; the blackness of unfatho but chilled stone A foul, repugnant, never ceasing odor An atestnow It took every bit of concentration I possessed to keep alive the weakest glimmer of illu ht occurred The darkness pressed against my flesh as well as we descended, down and down Would we be safer not to carry light at all? I wondered So as not to be caught sight of by--?

I gasped as, with the thought, abysmal blackness covered ht," he toldto the cold rock wall and strained to do as he had said, e of illunite Again and again, I raked its head across the rocky surface but the best I could e was the vision of a furtive, randoine a torch inworked The darkness tightened its grip and I began to panic

Abruptly, I felt Albert’s hand claht,’’ he said

Relief washed over me as illumination calow of reassurance: at the light but, even more, at Albert’s still intact ability to restore, inin your mind," he said "There is no darkness in the universe to match that of the lower realht here"

I reached out with ratitude At the saed scurried acrossonly at the last instant to keep ht hand and closed my eyes After a few ht," Albert said

As we continued down, I wondered ould have happened if I’d fallen I couldn’t die Still, that was little comfort In Hell, death has to be the least of threats

The curdled air was getting colder now, clinging todampness that felt alive Conceive of ware the air of Summerland, to feel its waretting worse now What did it re doard, ever doard; would we never reach the botto from a ride on Kit Just before she wiped Kit’s lathered coat, I sether ’til they ached The odor of Hell is the odor of a sweating horse, I thought Was this the place that Dante had confronted in his awful visions? It caht an effort now--that, just as I was able to repress the dark and cold, I could, by logic, shut away the odor as well Hoondered My brain turned over like a foundering ship Think, I ordered ed to evoke a memory of the fresh aroh to ease the s to tell him what I’d done, I looked around for Albert and a sudden burst of terror struck me as I failed to see him

I spoke his name aloud No answer

"Albert?"

Silence "Albert!"

"Here" His voice just reachedhard, I presently was able to see the faint glow of this presencetoward me "What happened?" I asked

"You lost attention," he tolddown, I did the same"

Breath shook inside me as I looked down All I saas total and i there?

I caughtFrom the dark pit, I could hear a collection of nearly inaudible sounds--screas of derangeth How could I go down to that? I closed my eyes and pleaded: God, please help me to survive Whatever lay below me on me floor of Hell