On this date the BVM opened the earth to show the three children a view of Hell. Years later the oldest wrote a description:
She opened her hands once more, as she had done the two previous months. The rays (of light) appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire .Plunged in this fire we saw the demons and the souls of the damned. The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons were distinguished from the souls of the damned by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. That vision only lasted for a moment , thanks to our good Heavenly Mother, who at the first apparition had promised to take us to Heaven, Without that I think we would have died of terror and fear.
She opened her hands once more, as she had done the two previous months. The rays (of light) appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire .Plunged in this fire we saw the demons and the souls of the damned. The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons were distinguished from the souls of the damned by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. That vision only lasted for a moment , thanks to our good Heavenly Mother, who at the first apparition had promised to take us to Heaven, Without that I think we would have died of terror and fear.
