Stobey jumps
aside. Slutter leaps straight up. Suzanne and Roger stand still, shocked.
Chug doesn't move, and says nothing. He looks down and points.
A hole forms in the ground where they were standing a moment before.
At first they don't see the hole because it's as small as a pinhead. It
spreads quickly until it's as big as the hole in the center of a doughnut.
That's when they see it. The hole grows to the size of a basketball. It
stops expanding for a couple of seconds as if to catch its breath; then
with a shiver and a shake it's as big as a bulldozer tire. That's when it
stops.
A clatter and a rumble wells up like hooves pounding hard-packed earth.
The clatter grows louder and closer. The ground shakes. By this time
Stobey and Slutter are holding on to each other. Suzanne and Roger
stand close by, confused by what's happening. They feel themselves to
be strangers, and don't know what to expect. And Chug? Well, he just
stands there.
A cloud of dust suddenly puffs up out from the hole. It forms into a
cloud and drifts away. Another cloud of dust rises in which floats a long
smooth shaft.
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