then the images turned to the land , snowcapped peaks , arid deserts , frozen wastelands , open plains filled with green grass , wide valleys and deep canyons , dense forests and tangled jungles , and all the marinades of life that dwelled there , great cities still untouched by war , small towns filled with innocence , on and on it went , ages rolling by like leaves in the wind , people laughing and crying , the young and the old side by side , faster and faster , all of life cascading in a riot of memories .