Suffering with a dejected feeling of despair, I wended my way through
the chaotic anterior hall in search of the hole through which I had so
miraculously entered. It seemed as if life's sole aim had suddenly been
stricken from the range of my vision. I could not understand why nature
should be so cruel as to give me but one momentary glimpse of that
angelic mortal and then thrust me away from her in such an indifferent
manner. I wondered why the world was not populated exclusively by such
lovely beings. Was it because the people themselves, through their
individual accumulative system, created conditions whereby only the most
abject and debased mortals could survive? Was this system responsible
for petty selfishness, instead of conscience governing man, causing him
in his greedy scramble for temporary gain, to keep others in a state of
helplessness, ignorance, and squalor, thus propagating an inferior race
of physical, mental, and moral pigmies as the foremost inhabitants of
the earth? Why could not humanity organize itself as a great unit of
unselfish effort and equality, for the purpose of uplifting and
strengthening all of its component parts, instead of those parts pulling
down, weakening, and destroying one another in a ferocious struggle for
individual predominance?
As these and similar thoughts crowded themselves into my brain, my
attention was attracted by soft strains of music emanating from the room
I had just left, and I stood still and listened. Arletta had evidently
set the orchestral mechanism in motion again, and was accompanying it by
tenderly singing her own requiem. With tremulous modulation, her vocal
chords produced sounds such as I had never heard before, and of which I
am powerless to give the faintest description. Like a statue, I stood
and listened to the almost supernatural melody, and inwardly prayed that
it might continue forever. But suddenly both the music and singing
ended, and absolute quietness prevailed. It may have been a pure fancy
on my part, but as I waited in breathless silence, hoping for more
music, the apparition of Arletta seemed to pass directly over my head,
and continued right on up through the solid roof of the hallway.
Startled beyond expression at what I now consider a mere delusion, I
shouted Arletta at the top of my voice several times, and receiving no
answer, either telepathically or phonetically, I came to the awful
conclusion that she was no more.
Is it unmanly to cry? If so, I must confess my unmanliness, for on this
occasion it was impossible for me to repress the tears from coursing
down my cheeks, as I realized that the last of nature's grandest and
noblest earthly beings had passed away. But the tears I shed apparently
softened my nature, and as I stood buried in the depth of meditation
concerning the preceding events, I became impregnated with the desire to
try and do some real good in the world; to make myself useful to
mankind; to live for others instead of myself alone. And then and there
I resolved that I would devote the remainder of my natural life to
teaching human beings the beautiful principles of Natural Law, as I
understood them, without expectation of compensation or future reward. I
would go forth, as Arletta had requested, and plant the seed of real
truth, justice, love, and equality in human hearts to the best of my
ability, and trust in the souls of men to further aid in its universal
and everlasting productiveness. I felt positive that the theory of the
Sagemen was right, and that the soul just released from Arletta was even
then beginning life in a different form. Would it not be criminal on my
part to make no effort to better earthly conditions for her future
welfare? Perhaps, conjectured I, the soul of my own mother, who died at
the time of my birth, might, even at that moment, be incased in a
degraded body, surrounded by want and misery, caused by the operation of
that selfish, brutal and murderous system, which encourages the strong
to squeeze the very light and hope from the weak, thus forcing and
keeping mankind in a state of continual degradation. A system that was
created in the beginning by savages, and which is upheld at the present
time by savages. And the Church, that gigantic symbol of ignorance and
stupidity, not only fails to protest against such a beastly system, but
actually advocates its continuance.
How long I stood there, seriously thinking on this subject, and forming
new and laudable resolutions for the future, I do not know; but at last
I awoke to the fact that I was still nothing more nor less than a common
adventurer, held captive on an isolated projecture in the middle of the
sea. This became more apparent as I faintly heard the ocean's waves
dashing against the rocks on the outside of the place. So, following in
the direction of the sounds, they became louder and more distinct, until
finally I found myself looking up at the very hole through which I had
bored my way so unceremoniously. It was night, and I could easily
distinguish the stars in the outer darkness. In making a careful survey
of the surroundings, I discovered that it was going to be a much more
difficult task to get out than it was to get in this extraordinary
grotto. The aperture was located about three feet above my head; was
barely large enough to squeeze through, and there was no way by which I
could climb up to it. I observed, however, that adjoining the hole there
was a huge marble pillar running upward and outward in an oblique slant,
and wedged in its position by several other massive stones, but with its
end protruding below the rest. So, without wasting any time, I leaped up
and caught hold of it with both hands, and then, adopting the tactics of
a gymnast, I began slowly working my way through the hole feet foremost,
like an acrobat going over a horizontal bar. This feat, which required
great muscular strength, flexibility, and tenaciousness, was the very
hardest physical performance I ever accomplished, for, besides being
unable to get a firm grip on it, I found, to my dismay, that the great
pillar I clung to was insecure in its position, and threatened to fall
and crush me beneath its weight. And as inch by inch I slowly and
persistently worked my way upward and outward, so inch by inch did it
slowly, but surely, work its way downward. Passing my feet and legs
beyond the brink of the opening, I doubled myself up in such a way that
the lower half of my body rested upon a sort of a level platform, and,
with head downward, I pushed my way up until I found myself kneeling
upon the crust I had previously broken through, and which I subsequently
decided must have been a great pane of glass, covered by the coagulated
settlings of the air, which for centuries had been forming a solid
coating. I remained in a kneeling position for several moments, catching
my breath and regaining strength. I feared to move, lest the thin layer
upon which I rested would once more give way beneath me. It appeared to
waver, as did everything else around me. After a short rest, I carefully
arose to a standing position, and then observed that I was located in a
sort of a pit, surrounded by rocks of various shapes and sizes. As I
cautiously climbed upward, each one of them appeared to tremble at my
very touch, until just as I reached the topmost point the whole mass
apparently gave way at once, I lost my balance and fell forward, there
was a terrible crash, and after that I became dizzy and confused.
The most peculiar and disconnected sensations then passed through my
mind. First I thought there was a great hole in the side of my head,
which I tried to fill with small stones. Then my head became full of
holes, and finally I fancied that I possessed a half dozen heads and all
of them were cut and bleeding. And then apparently all of these heads
were suddenly and mysteriously severed from my body, and floated away in
space like a lot of toy balloons. Following that, it felt as if every
bone in my body had been broken, and I was taking these bones from their
places and trying to repair them. Then I imagined that I had several
different bodies, and all of them were bruised and mangled. These forms
increased in numbers until I could see nothing else but them, and they
appeared to be struggling to extricate themselves from beneath a huge
object which seemed to grow in size until it was as large as a mountain.
Finally released, they began climbing up the mountain until the summit
was reached and then gradually decreased until there was but one left.
"What is the matter with me?" I wondered. "Who am I, what am I, and
where do I belong?" I tried to think coherently, but my mind was feeble
and incapable of grasping an intelligent thought. Day and night went and
came many times, but still I remained on that mountain wondering,
wondering, wondering. Sometimes I would expand until I felt larger than
the mountain itself; then again I would shrink to the size of a flea.
One time I would feel as if I were up near the North Pole, surrounded by
ice and freezing to death. At another time I would imagine that I was in
the middle of the Sahara Desert, being roasted alive by the scorching
rays of the sun. And, still again, I would feel that I was shipwrecked
upon a barren island, and was slowly dying for the want of food and
water. Sometimes I fancied that I could see ships all about me, and I
would yell, and roar at the top of my voice to attract attention, but
without results, as they would pass beyond view without taking any
notice of me. At other times it seemed that ships would cast their
anchors right in front of my eyes, and apparently remain stationed there
for weeks and months at a time, and yet no one would come to my
assistance. At last there appeared to be ten thousand ships all of the
same pattern lowering small boats into the water, and these boats manned
by stalwart oarsmen started to race with each other in my direction.
What an evenly matched contest. On, on, on they came, bunched closely
together, each using the same uniform stroke as if all were guided by
the same coxswain. Now they were right upon me. "Great race," I shouted,
as they came within hearing distance. "Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!" "The
poor devil is mad," I fancied I heard someone exclaim, and my mind
became a blank.