THE RECLUSE
And a tremendous and terrible drumming of bellowing abysmal storms howled toward the funnel in road or deafening roar. The funnel widened and lengthened suddenly, and swept apart to form a maelstrom around an immense vacancy that led to outer Space. Far above, the blackness of the sky was moving and streaming in mighty rivers of ebon that serpentined madly toward the funnel.
He stood dazed and deafened at the fearful thunder of the space-leaping winds and the uncontrollable forces lashing themselves to savage fury all around. And instinctively he cried:
“Loma! Loma!”
The flame flung itself together in a coalescing bound. In one huge, solid pillar of fire it soared upward. He followed its lengthening league-long height far above. And it seemed to him that a greater glare gathered about its peak, and that Something had formed there.
“Loma! Loma!”
All the howling winds poured downward and fled in hurtling rout round the pillar of flame, walling it with a speeding blackness. He tried to move but he could not. Yet all seemed awaiting him, and the pillar became motionless in the screaming winds as if expectant. They were waiting—waiting—
But he moved not.
And the tower of flame which had hung still for a moment leaped upward toward the eternal blackness overhead. But the wanderer stood motionless. And the thundering madly rushing gales vengefully swept downward and about him. He felt torn by a million waters fighting, smashing, and the noise of all enormous washing seas filled his ears. And he stumbled, battered by angry pounding winds.
“Loma! Loma!”
But the mounting winds fled upward after the flying pillar of flame. Far above he saw a living stream of fire that rocketed outward. About him whirled and twisted the howling blasts, and all around was an ebon infinitude of shouting darkness that hurtled after the streaming flame.
“Loma! Loma!”
But there answered him only the fearful mockery of the vanishing hurricane—the hiss of a mighty sea that washed farther and farther—the dying echo of a cosmic whisper that faded into nothingness.
