large/506/short_stories_009_64kb_mp3/love_of_life_london_jwt_64kb_195
large/506/short_stories_009_64kb_mp3/love_of_life_london_jwt_64kb
English
506
Was it reality, after all? He closed his eyes for a long while and thought, and then it came to him. WAS IT REALITY AFTER ALL HE CLOSED HIS EYES FOR A LONG WHILE IN THOUGHT AND THEN IT CAME TO HIM
He knew there were no seas or ships in the heart of the barren lands, just as he had known there was no cartridge in the empty rifle. He heard a snuffle behind him--a half-choking gasp or cough. Very slowly, because of his exceeding weakness and stiffness, he rolled over on his other side. He could see nothing near at hand, but he waited patiently. Again came the snuffle and cough, and outlined between two jagged rocks not a score of feet away he made out the gray head of a wolf. The sharp ears were not pricked so sharply as he had seen them on other wolves; the eyes were bleared and bloodshot, the head seemed to droop limply and forlornly. The animal blinked continually in the sunshine. It seemed sick. As he looked it snuffled and coughed again. This, at least, was real, he thought, and turned on the other side so that he might see the reality of the world which had been veiled from him before by the vision. But the sea still shone in the distance and the ship was plainly discernible.  PERSISTED YET NOT STRANGE HE KNEW THERE WERE NO SEAS OR SHIPS IN THE HEART OF THE BARREN LANDS JUST AS HE HAD KNOWN THERE WAS NO CARTRIDGE IN THE EMPTY RIFLE HE HEARD A SNUFFLE BEHIND HIM A HALF CHOKING GASP OR COUGH VERY SLOWLY BECAUSE OF HIS EXCEEDING WEAKNESS AND STIFFNESS HE ROLLED OVER ON HIS OTHER SIDE HE COULD SEE NOTHING NEAR AT HAND BUT HE WAITED PATIENTLY AGAIN CAME THE SNUFFLE AND COUGH AND OUTLINE BETWEEN TWO JAGGED ROCKS NOT A SCORE FEET AWAY HE MADE OUT THE GRAY HEAD OF A WOLF THE SHARP EARS WERE NOT PRICKED SO SHARPLY AS HE HAD SEEN THEM ON OTHER WOLVES THE EYES WERE BLEARED AND BLOODSHOT THE HEAD SEEMED TO DROOP LIMPLY AND FORLORNLY THE ANIMAL BLINKED CONTINUALLY IN THE SUNSHINE IT SEEMED SICK AS HE LOOKED IT SNUFFLED AND COUGHED AGAIN THIS AT LEAST WAS REAL HE THOUGHT AND TURNED ON THE OTHER SIDE SO THAT HE MIGHT SEE THE REALITY OF THE WORLD WHICH HAD BEEN VEILED FROM HIM BEFORE BY THE VISION BUT THE SEA STILL SHONE IN THE DISTANCE AND THE SHIP WAS PLAINLY DISCERNIBLE
large/506/short_stories_009_64kb_mp3/love_of_life_london_jwt_64kb
file
download/librilight/large/506/short_stories_009_64kb_mp3/love_of_life_london_jwt_64kb.flac