And then it struck him what lay buried far down under the earth on which his feet were so firmly planted: the ominous rumbling of the deepest darkness$$$ secret rivers that transported desire$$$ slimy creatures writhing$$$ the lair of earthquakes ready to transform whole cities into mounds of rubble. These$$$ too$$$ were helping to create the rhythm of the earth. He stopped dancing and$$$ catching his breath$$$ stared at the ground beneath his feet as though peering into a bottomless hole.