Among the many problems with taking the Bible literally is it reduces the most mysterious and complex of realities to simple - even simplistic - terms. Yes, scripture speaks of fire and damnation and eternal bliss, but the Bible is the product of human hands and hearts, and much of the imagery is allegorical, not meteorological.

But when the self speaks to the self, who is speaking? The entombed soul, the spirit driven in, in, in to the central catacomb; the self that took the veil and left the world -- a coward perhaps, yet somehow beautiful, as it flits with its lantern restlessly up and down the dark corridors.

Who would wish to be among the commonplace crowd of the little famous - who are each individually lost in a throng made up of themselves?

Everything's much too big here,' thought Moominmamma. 'Or perhaps I'm too small.

Put light against light - you have nothing. Put dark against dark - you have nothing. It's the contrast of light and dark that each give the other one meaning.

There are nettles everywhere, but smooth, green grasses are more common still; the blue of heaven is larger than the cloud.