He moved his long arms, as though pushing aside some obstacle which I could not see. The wolves moved back and then further back still. Just then a heavy cloud passed across the face of the moon, so that we were again in darkness. When I could see again, the driver was climbing into the carriage, and the wolves had disappeared. This was all so strange and unnatural that I felt dreadfully scared, and I was afraid to speak or move. The time seemed interminable as we went on our way, now in almost complete darkness, because the rolling clouds obscured the moon.

We kept on ascending, with occasional times of quick descent, but mainly always ascending. Suddenly, I became aware of the fact that the driver was stopping the horses in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle. No light came from the castle's tall black windows, and the broken battlements were a jagged line against the sky. I must have been asleep, for if I had been fully awake I would certainly have noticed that we were approaching such a remarkable place. In the gloom the courtyard looked as if it was a considerable size. And several dark passages led from it under great round arches, so perhaps it seemed bigger than it really is. I have not yet been able to see it by daylight.

Vocabulary:

Obstacle: Something that blocks your way
Interminable: Without an end
Obscure: Make difficult to see
Ascend: Go up
Descent: Moving down
Courtyard: Open space with a building all around
Battlements: Part of a castle wall
Vast: Very big
Gloom: Dark and depressing