He had been in the cave for only a short time it
seemed. But when he finally emerged the world he
knew was gone. And it had left him with a strange—
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
October 1950
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
It shone as a pin-point of silver far away in the midnight-blackness ofthe cave. It shone as a tiny island of life in a sea of death. It shoneas a symbol of His mercy.
Martin stood swaying, staring wide-eyed at that wonderful light andletting its image sink deep into his vision. His eyes lidded asconsciousness faded for an instant, then opened.
"We've almost made it," he gasped. "We've almost made it, Sandy, youand me and the pup!"
His hand passed tenderly over the puppy, a soft, hairy ball of livingwarmth cradled in his arm. And from out of the darkness at his feetcame a feeble bark.
Martin choked on the ancient, tomb-stale air. "We can't stop now,Sandy," he wheezed. "We're almost there, almost at the entrance!"
He shuffled forward over the cold stone floor of the little cave, thethick, dead air a solid thing, a wall that pressed him back, back, back.
But the light grew larger, expanding like a balloon, and suddenlythere was a skittering of dog-paws over stone and a joyous, franticbarking.
"That's right, Sandy, go ahead. Breathe that air, that fresh air!"
Martin staggered once, his lean, tall body thudding against sharp rockin the side of the cave. Then a draft of air blew cool and fresh intohis face, and a strength returned to him.
Abruptly, he was at the source of the light, at the cave's entrance, ahole barely large enough for him to squeeze through. The blinding lightof day fell upon him like a gigantic, crashing sea wave. He closed hisaching eyes and fell to the side of the rock-strewn hill, sucking theclean sweet air deep into his lungs.
At length he sat up, holding the pup in his arms. "Two days in thathole of hell," he murmured, "and it's all your fault. A month old, andyou have to start exploring caves."
He cocked his head. "Still, I guess it's partly my fault. After all, Igot lost, too."
Sandy, a black and white fox terrier, barked impatiently.
"Okay, Sandy, okay. We'll go home."
Shakily, Martin rose. His mind was clear now, the fogginess washed awayby the cool morning air. There was only hunger, that great gnawinghunger, and thirst that made his throat and mouth seem as dry asancient parchment.
As he stood overlooking the valley below with its green fields andlittle groves of trees, a realization came to him. The world wasn'tso bad after all! Up to this moment, he'd almost hated the worldwith its wars, its threats of mass destruction, its warnings ofatomic dusts and plagues that could wipe out humanity within an hour.He'd most certainly hated the cities with their blaring, rumblingautomobile-monsters, with their mad rushing, their greedy, frantic,senseless, superficial living that was really not living at all.
That was why he had chosen to live in the hill country, on theoutskirts of the village, raising his few vegetables and making a tripevery few days to the village store to purchase other necessities withhis pension check from World War II.
But now, he realized, it was good to be alive and to be a part of thegreen, growing things of Earth.
Sandy barked again.
"Okay, okay, Sandy. We'll go."
But Sandy came sidling up to him now, tail between his legs. Hisbarking faded to a low, shrill whimper.
"Sandy! Wha