Viking_Yearbook_68

" It's still there . The ashes are still falling' 'Why don ' t they ever stop?' ' Because they are coming out of hell.' 'Whoever thought that hell would be in the sky?' 'Whoever thought that hell would be gray? Over there, look . " What's that?' ' It's an extra large ash that walked right out of hell to fall down on this hill and turn the grass gray.' "So that's why the grass was gray," thought the man , " I turned it gray. But I'm not an ash, because I can think and ashes can't think." He heard a needle that he couldn't feel being pushed into his skin . It made a high sound that echoed-ping, ping .. . ing ... ing .. . He was lifted up and the earth fell away from him. ' I wonder if there are any others' 'There are others. The ashes are the others.' 'Won ' t they ever stop falling?' ' No .' 'Why?' ' Because hell is eternal.' ' Like him.' ' He's eternal because he's poisoned by eternal ashes.' ' Let's get him back.' After he was gone the leaves of grass which had been bent under his weight sprang back to where they had once reached for the sky. A dandelion nodded its head and a four-leaf clover opened its hands to the sun. 124