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The Hands, by Richard Sternbach
The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hands, by Richard Sternbach This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: The Hands
Author: Richard Sternbach
Illustrator: Ray Houlihan
Release Date: July 29, 2009 [EBook #29535]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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AN AMAZING VIGNETTE
THE HANDS
BY RICHARD STERNBACH
The story of the creation, in all its majesty, was written in six hundred words. Will the destruction be told as briefly?
He was a gigantic figure, sitting there atop the mountain. He could have leaned over and dammed the river below with a finger. He sat on top of the mountain, and his beard in the wind was a white flag.
Across the plains, as he watched, there were fires glowing, and the mountain under him trembled from explosions a thousand miles away. He bent his head, and a muffled cry reverberated down the hillside and through the valley.
A smaller figure appeared beside him, looking sad.
"Try again, father," the smaller one said.
The old one shook his head. "It would be the same."
"Give them another chance."
"They would do it again."
"Just once more."
The old one shook his head again, and for a while they sat, and they watched the dest