"I can't take anymore! All this suffering! People caught up in cyclones! Or head over heels in shit!" He buries his face in his hands. “Not to mention the extreme climate changes --"
"There's no turning back," I tell him. "Besides, don't you remember the mess you were in when we met?”
"But I'm so tired…”
I look at him. He is pale and trembling. I hope he isn't going to faint.
"Courage, my friend. And remember – she's waiting for you up there.”
His eyes light up. "Imagine seeing her –after all these years!” Then his face clouds. "But Virgil--does it have to be so hard?"
"You need to keep your eyes on the prize.” I'm getting a little impatient. “And remember, Dante,” I take his hand as we begin our descent into the next circle, “it is not all pleasure, this exploration.”
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