The Moon Pool
by
A. Merritt
Part 7 out of 7
paddle, I set forth for Nan-Tauach. Slowly, painfully, I crept up to
it. It was late afternoon before I grounded my shaky craft on the
little beach between the ruined sea-gates and, creeping up the giant
steps, made my way to the inner enclosure.
And at its opening I stopped, and the tears ran streaming down my
cheeks while I wept aloud with sorrow and with disappointment and with
weariness.
For the great wall in which had been set the pale slab whose threshold
we had crossed to the land of the Shining One lay shattered and
broken. The monoliths were heaped about; the wall had fallen, and
about them shone a film of water, half covering them.
There was no moon door!
Dazed and weeping, I drew closer, climbed upon their outlying
fragments. I looked out only upon the sea. There had been a great
subsidence, an earth shock, perhaps, tilting downward all that
side--the echo, little doubt, of that cataclysm which had blasted the
Dweller's lair!
The little squared islet called Tau, in which were hidden the seven
globes, had entirely disappeared. Upon the waters there was no trace
of it.
The moon door was gone; the passage to the Moon Pool was closed to
me--its chamber covered by the sea!
There was no road to Larry--nor to Lakla!
And there, for me, the world ended.
I have made the following changes to the text:
PAGE LINE ORIGINAL CHANGED TO
3 14 sinster sinister
17 11 Nam-Tauach Nan-Tauach
22 20 on on on
69 39 'Didn't "Didn't
75 21 'But "But
90 36 "Trolde!" _"Trolde!"_
91 35 'We "We
96 11 shown shone
96 14 smiled smiled.
105 11 drank drunk
106 24 acomplish accomplish
109 23 'Shake "Shake
111 18 overtstressed overstressed
116 11 increduously incredulously
120 30 Yolar Yolara
128 12 spirtual spiritual
150 13 cushoned cushioned
172 29 semed seemed
204 34 there?"' there?"
208 25 "Its "It's
231 8 meal metal
239 6 suling sulting
248 28 finshed finished
280 29 much must
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