human
Produce a detailed written description of a eerie scene outside a volcano with a lava field, basalt shards, and rock.
assistant
Coarse black grit blows in swirling eddies around the mouth of the cavern, stinging the eyes and clogging the throat. The ruddy glow of the lava field beyond lends a surreal quality to the rock walls around you, playing off the glistening edges of basalt shards. Once, a river of lava flowed northwards through the passage. Now, time and erosion have left just enough room to squeeze through the tunnel known to locals as the Gate of Souls.