Dell's Journey

Chapter 34: Sunset

Once again there was the jolting noise they'd heard in

the darkness, long hours ago. They perked up in

expectation. The blinding sun-like orb at the top of the

globe began to traverse its sky again. It was moving

toward them, completing its circular orbit about the dome.

"I am wondering whether we ought to be here when that

gets here," suggested Monster.

"Yeah, I am too," agreed Dell. "Where do you suppose

it goes?"

"I of course have no idea," said the Monster.

"I wish we'd gone all the way across to see what kind

of situation was over there," Dell stated, "because that

may have provided some indication of what we could expect

now."

Either way, the glowing light was descending toward

them and the air was getting hotter. The two watchers rose

to their feet, dusting off their bottoms and lifting their

packs.

"Up the tunnel!" ordered Monster, and they did.

They hurried a good distance, having relit their

lanterns, and then the intense light of the subterranean

star blazed through the tunnel and threw their shadows far

into the distance before them, and a wave of heat passed

over them.

"Why didn't you ever see light coming from the doorway

in your house?" asked Dell.

"Because there are turns in the passageway, Dell,"

replied Monster, a little condescendingly. "Plus, it's

probably at least a couple of miles long. And the door was

always shut anyway."

Dell wished they were back up the passage, sitting

cozily at the wooden benches with a pint of beer in hand.

And then it was dark again in the passage, except that

behind them, from the direction of the dome-room, the

faintest, cool light was emanating. They glanced at each

other and turned toward it again. When they reached their

entrance they saw the surround of white lights, shining out

peacefully like a silver band around the vast chamber. The

songs of sleepy birds serenaded them. Their spot felt

almost homey in its familiarity, the way a hotel room can

begin to feel like home on your second night of vacation.

They sat down to enjoy the coolness of what, down here, was

the evening.

"There are no bugs," noticed Dell happily.

"You're right. That's a pleasant surprise."

In the minutes that followed, both adventurers became

thoughtful and talkative, encouraged by the sense of

anonymity offered by dim lighting. Dell, hesitantly at

first, mustered his courage and began to describe his

encounter with Guilt incarnate in the tunnels the previous

night.

Dell was finishing up: "And then Guilt asked me, in

his disgusting voice, 'Where are we going tomorrow?' And

after my initial shock at the question, I realized that he

was always tagging along, and that of course he'd be

following me wherever I went."

"Wow," was all Monster could think to say.

"And then I'm just thinking, maybe I'm too hard on

myself, you know? Maybe all these long discussions we

have, the ones about seizing the day and making tough

decisions, maybe they're pointless. Maybe we just like to

hear ourselves talk. Maybe I'm just way too analytical.

Maybe I make too big a deal out of things."

"Uh-huh."

Dell was quiet for a moment.

"I think you might have a problem!" said Monster, not

very sensitively.

Dell frowned.

"You question way too much. You question your life,

so you go on a 'pilgrimage,' and then you question the

pilgrimage! Now you're saying you don't even know if it's

the right way to deal with your issues. Well do you have

issues or not, Dell?" He laughed bitterly, and then went

on mercilessly, "It really seems like you do. You're

sitting here at the gates of the underworld, on the edge of

the abyss with a monster, pouring out your concerns about a

conversation you had with Guilt. Not just a thought you

had about the concept of guilt, but a real live dialogue

with the personage Guilt." He laughed again, rudely Dell

thought.

"Are you crazy? Have you lost touch with reality?

Well? Aren't you starting to wonder?"

 He laughed and it finally got the best of Dell.