Eric paused, gasping. He was grateful for the sucking darkness. After that terrible, alien white light, the gloom was friendly, reminiscent of the familiar burrows now so horribly far away. He could afford to take a breath at this point, he knew. The first, the worst part was over. He wasn't out in the open any more. He had emerged into Monster territory. He had run fast, following instructions until he was safely under cover again. He was still alive. The worst was over. Nothing else would be as bad as this. Monster territory. It lay behind him, bathed in its own peculiar light. Now. Why not? Now, when he was in a place of comparative safety. He could take a chance. He _wanted_ to take a chance. He turned, gingerly, fearfully. He raised his eyes. He looked. * * * * * The cry that tore from his lips was completely involuntary and frightened him almost as much as what he saw. He shut his eyes and threw himself down and sideways. He lay where he had fallen for a long while, almost paralyzed. It couldn't be. He hadn't seen it. Nothing was that high, nothing ran on and on for such incredible distances! After a time, he opened his eyes again, keeping them carefully focused on the dark near him. The gloom in this covered place had diminished somewhat as his eyes had grown more accustomed to it. Yellowish light from his glow lamp was providing illumination now: he could make out the walls, about as far apart from each other as those in a burrow, but--unlike a burrow's walls--oddly straight and at right angles to the floor and ceiling. Far off there was an immense patch of darkness. _The burrow will open out into a great big space, a real big and real dark space._ What was this place, he wondered? What was it to the Monsters? He had to take another look behind, into the open. One more quick look. He was going to be Eric the Eye. An Eye should be able to look at anything. He had to take another look. But guardedly, guardedly. Eric turned again, opening his eyes a little at a time. He clamped his teeth together so as not to cry out. Even so, he almost did. He shut his eyes quickly, waited, then opened them again. Bit by bit, effort by effort, he found he was able to look into the great open whiteness without losing control of himself. It was upsetting, overpowering, but if he didn't look too long at any one time, he could stand it. Distance. Enormous, elongated, unbelievable distance. Space upon space upon space--that white light bathing it all. Space far ahead, space on all sides, space going on and on until it seemed to have no end to it at all. But there, fantastically far off, there was an end. There was a wall, a wall made by giants that finally sealed off the tremendous space. It rose hugely from the flat, huge floor and disappeared somewhere far overhead.