The noon sun
His little yellow eyes peered out at her . `` Go on an ' live , '' she said magnanimously . She got up and brushed the sand from her knees and dress , and walked slowly down the red road . The noon sun was relentless ; nowhere was there relief from it . Marilou squinted and shaded her eyes with her hand . She looked in the sky for one of those infrequent Martian rain clouds , but the deep blue was only occasionally spotted by fragile white puffs . Like the sun , they had no regard for her , either .