Tillie Read online

thought. Mallory's knees buckled and he sat down onthe floor weakly. Jud himself swayed a little.

  That eventuality just hadn't occurred to us before. Obviously Tilliewould get tired of the chase and want to settle down and get cozy someday. If she hadn't acquired the idea from us she might figure it out byherself and dash us against some jagged bit of space rock.

  "All right. All right," Jud said weakly. "Let's see if we can talkTillie into taking us back home in exchange for her freedom. As anarguing point you might all visualize the smashed ship, with her stillimprisoned and all of us dead and unable to help free her."

  An invisible hand seemed to push us to the back of the ship. We werepicking up speed faster than we ever had before.

  The blob of metal clung to the space ship's trail like apursuing nemesis.]

  I slowly climbed to the forward telescope and looked through it. Deadcenter was a small twinkling Earth with the Moon hovering near it.

  I informed the rest. They shouted with relief. We were on our way home!

  The stern telescope showed the other piece of tellecarbon followingus--almost sniffing at our heels. It held there, day after day, whilethe Earth grew larger and larger.

  * * * * *

  At the last Jud stood at the telescope and directed us in. Aftercircling about ten thousand miles up until Puget Sound was directlybelow us, Tillie dipped down in obedience to his unspoken command.

  The whistling sound of atmosphere on the shell was the sweetest musicever played by gods or men!

  We landed on Puget Sound opposite the campus. The minute we touchedshore I took a wrench and unscrewed the framework that held thetellecarbon in place in the center tube. I could feel a rapid, excitedvibration as it waited--I mean she.

  No sooner was the last bolt loosened than she darted away. She almostreached the open porthole where Mallory had taken his first breath offresh air when she stopped and returned.

  Tillie, the silvery blob of matter, came back and touched my cheeksoftly. Then she did the same to Lahoma.

  We wasted no time in climbing out of the ship to the shore. There welooked up. Far over our heads were two silver flashes of brilliance thatzoomed in ever-widening spirals.

  I felt someone beside me and glanced down. Lahoma was standing there.Cautiously I put my arm around her waist.

  With a starry look in her bright eyes as she glanced at me, she twinedher arm around me. Then we looked up again.

  Far above we saw a wonderful sight. The two silver flashes seemed tocome together. There was a blinding light as from a tremendousexplosion; but unlike an explosion it remained bright. It was like amorning star--a sun, far, far away. It grew smaller and smaller until atlast it seemed just another star twinkling in the heavens.

  There was an aftermath. We sold the space ship to a Ferry Boat companyand they transformed it into a streamlined excursion boat with aconventional motor to drive it. But that isn't what I'm talking about.

  Lahoma and I got married shortly after. I had sense enough to capitalizeon the romance of the tellecarbons and proposed right then and there.She accepted, of course.

  But it was two years later when our first child was born--little WilliamLawrence. One Sunday we were down at the beach strolling along, pushingthe go-cart in the twilight.

  A full moon beamed down upon us and a million stars twinkled in theclear sky. The waves washed with sleepy sounds against the sandy shoreand now and then a sea gull came close enough so we could hear theswishing of its wings.

  Into this pleasant scene came a sound--at first so faint it could hardlybe heard. It was a shrill scream of some object hurtling through theatmosphere above, almost like the whine of plane struts, only muchhigher pitched.

  Lahoma and I glanced up. There, far up, something silvery flashed. Asour eyes adjusted themselves we saw that there were at least two ofthem, and they were coming closer.

  Just as they seemed about to crash into the sandy beach they paused.There were two large pieces of silvery substance and five small pieces.

  They hovered near us, quivering and scintillating. Then one of the twolarger ones came over and touched my cheek softly. The warmth of itstouch was almost human.

  With coruscating brilliance it left me to pause and touch Lahoma'scheek. Then it darted down the beach, the other large piece just behindit, and the five little ones trailing along.

  Lahoma put her arm around my waist and looked up into my eyes. And weboth chuckled and chuckled and chuckled.