" They acquired submachine guns, ammunition, a Geiger counter, pistols, and other supplies.They approached the desolate, silent, dead and ruined city, described solemnly by Virgil as "like a storm at sea, but solidified," with twisted, melted and charred wreckage.She alerted him to the impromptu ""audition"" by promoting her niece""s professional dance experience: "I wouldn""t dream of boring you with the performance of an amateur.The stuff nightmares are made of.The children still feared me, and their fear gave me the power to invade their dreams, and that""s when the funreallybegan.It quiets them down.It suddenly makes them peaceful." Dr.Cukrowicz agreed, but feared whether the benefits of the operation outweighed the risks.Recollections of a Summer Voyage to the Encantadas Islands (the Galapagos):Their conversation sequed into another lengthy recollection following Violet""s brief tangential comment about a nightmare involving "a sky filled with savage, devouring birds.Unassimilated into the scene, he bounced backward onto the stage, over the piano-player, and into the orchestra pit.