Passage 2 

The dream changed.For hours,it seemed,I had been wandering aimlessly through a silent forest of pine trees ; now I was alone in a small boat which was drifting along lazily, past tree-covered islands, whose bare rocky edges rose abruptly from the transparent water. I was being carried between grassy banks where meadows sprinkled with butter-cups sloped to the river. Soft fluffy clouds were reflected in the velvet surface of the water. The current must have been steady and strong, for the boat kept moving forward smoothly, without meeting any obstacle, as though it were being steered by some invisible hand. 

Soothed by the peace of my journey, I had lost all count of time. Eventually, I became aware that the boat was gliding slowly towards the bank. At this point where a narrow stretch of silver sand was bounded on either side by heaped granite boulders, an old man was standing, his hand shading his eyes. As the boat ran around,he came up to me,held out his hand,and greeted me courteously. 

“You have reached us at last. We have been expecting you for so long. Would you follow me, please?”

 I hesitated there for a moment. I suddenly felt a chill conviction of danger,a shiver that suggested overwhelming evil. Yet this old man with sensitive delicate features seemed kindly and gracious. He noticed my suspicion and smiled at me reassuringly. “You need not be afraid，”he murmured.“You are deeply respected by us all. Everything has been prepared for you. We have done everything in our power to honour you. Now please come with me to the place chosen for you.”

 I dared not risk offending him. But for reasons I cannot explain, I avoided touching his hand outstretched to assist me as I stepped out of the boat,and I followed him reluctantly. 

Our feet sank into the yielding sand as we made our way towards a low flight of marble steps. The steps had been polished so skillfully that they seemed to glow in soft shades of rose,lilac and ivory. At the top my guide paused and looked back at me. I gasped in amazement at the incredible beauty of the scene before me at that moment. And again I shivered involuntarily with an inexplicable dread. 

46. The boat moved forward_______.