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THE STORY
Part II
"I was trying to find the cave and get
back to its mouth regardless of the mental picture I had of a strange open
country. I followed what I thought was a path through the woods and found a
lake upon which near a landing was a yacht at anchor. I inspected the yacht and
found it in perfect condition and started to sail across the lake in the
direction in which I thought the cave lay. A slight breeze was blowing in a
favorable direction, the water smooth, so that I saw distinctly the pebbly
bottom of the lake. After having sailed for an hour or more, the shore toward
which I was sailing appeared much farther away than when I started and the
shore I had left behind seemed but a few rods behind the vessel, yet I was
travelling at a brisk rate of speed, for the breeze was fast becoming a wind
and the bottom of the lake, distinctly seen, was sweeping past at a rapid
rate.
I felt the influence of your mind trying
to turn me back to the shore I had left, because the shore was near and easy to
reach, while in front of me difficulties multiplied. The wind was turned to a
gale; tiny clouds were noticed ahead; the gentle lake was becoming transformed
into a turbulent sea but on I sailed, straight ahead. The storm was upon me,
great black clouds hurried about as scouts preparing for battle, shutting off
the light of the sun that I might not escape, while behind their sombre skirts
was concealed the artillery of heaven. A distant peal of thunder was the signal
for action. The lightning's flash revealed ahead a yawning whirlpool toward
which I was fast approaching; as if to mock me, it as suddenly withdrew the
light and dyed the air an inky blackness. Rain fell in torrents. The thunder
rolled on in derision, while the wind laughed diabolically as she snatched the
rigging from my vessel, and set me adrift as in a tub, but through all this, my
subconscious mind forsook not its assigned position and held me to the vessel,
steering straight ahead. It was tossed up and down, side-wise, round and round,
this rotary motion becoming more and more apparent even among the warring
elements. The winds and waves no longer tossed my frail bark, but it was borne
steadily round and round a central point that lay far below me, but toward
which I was steadily approaching. The noise of the whirlpool was deafening. As
I sank deeper and deeper into the vast funnel I almost regretted my decision in
assuming that the magic phenomena were natural, but whether real or imaginary,
I seemed to have lost control of the craft in which I was sailing.
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