I lean and let my tired body relax as the cool sand molds to my person. Slowly Iallow my senses to roam free.

Darkness envelopes me, a darkness thatpulsates with the heat of a summer's night in August. The air is humid and heavywith moisture and occasionally a slight breeze stirs, penetrating the suffocatingstillness. In the distance a lone bird cries out, repeating its tale of woe foranyone who will listen. A boat's mainsail flutters now and again, answering thecall of the gentle waves that lap against its side. The sweet smell of roseshangs in the air, mingling with the damp scent of the sea and marsh grass thatsurround me.

Suddenly the buzzing of insects fills my ears and invades myreverie. I raise my hand to push the noise away but am unsuccessful. I sit up andgradually perceive the noise to be the buzzer signaling the end of my time.Reluctantly I stand up and bid the attendant good-bye as he checks my card forthe last time. I enter the dark passage and head toward home, my mind troubledand full of the questions that remain unanswered.

Why has it come to this?How could an entire people be so ignorant and selfish as to rob all futuregenerations of the earth and its beauty? Why must I pay the price for theiractions and experience nature only through technology and machines? With all theintelligence we boasted of, where did it really get us?

I arrive home andgo straight to bed, weary from the endless days spent in eternal darkness. I leanback and close my eyes, dreaming of the world that had once existed above groundand the people who had once walked in the sun.