for something, anything, to suggest that God had heard him. The sun was higher than it had ever been. It glared back at him, its blinding face evoking nothing but scorching hatred.

He forced his feet onwards, watching every step, trying to lose himself in the monotony, trying to fall into a kind of trance that might last until the day ended.

It did finally end, but it was a painfully slow process. The sun neared its descent. The air cooled. With torturous slowness, the sun dipped lower and lower, its blistering heat weakening, its face shifting from a bright orange to a deep red.

Finally, it met with the flat western horizon, melding into it and slowly but surely disappearing from view. Half of the sun was gone before Nathaniel felt the difference, the heat lifting from him like a hot blanket...

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