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would sigh, while he was thumping excitedly on the desk screen. I
see what you are showing me. There used to be more stars.
Many more! he would answer, scowling at the impoverished sky below him. But
she would yawn, and perhaps put her hand in a place that made him pay
attention to other things again. What was thrillingly, even frighteningly,
strange to Viktor was only the natural order of things to Nrina. It was as if
someone from Tahiti had seen snow for the first time: The Eskimos wouldn t
have understood his feelings.
When Nrina came back from her lab and found Viktor absorbed over the desk she
was tolerant about it, usually. She stripped off her robe and sat beside him.
He could certainly feel bare body touching bare body, but it did not keep him
from concentrating on the desk instead of the touch of flesh. It s nice that
you have an interest, Nrina observed philosophically.
He tried again. Nrina, I m certain that some very strange things have
happened. Don t you want to know about them? Don t you even wonder?
It s not my line of work, Viktor, she said, looking slightly ruffled.
He said in bafflement, The universe has died around us. We ve been kidnapped.
Time stopped for us
She was yawning. Yes, I know. The other savages sorry, Viktor. The other
people from the freezer talk about that sometimes, too. They call it God the
Transporter or some such thing.
A silly superstition! As if there were some supernatural being who moved stars
around just for fun!
Then what is the explanation?
It doesn t need an explanation. It just is.
She shrugged. It just isn t a very interesting subject, Viktor. No one really
cares except Oh, wait a minute, she said, suddenly sitting up and looking
pleased. I almost forgot Frit!
Viktor blinked up at her. What s a frit? he asked.
Frit isn t a what, he s a who. Frit and Forta. I designed their son for them.
They re old friends of mine. Matter of fact, it s Balit that s their boy who I
made that kitten for; he ll be twenty soon, and it s time for his
coming-of-age presents. She thought for a moment, then nodded. Yes, I m sure
Frit knows all about that sort of thing. He d be interested in you, probably.
And he and Forta have been together nearly thirty years now, and we still keep
in
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Frederik Pohi
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touch.
Viktor sat up straight. He had the tingling, electrical feeling that all at
once, without his having anticipated it at all, a goal for his life had been
given to him. How can I reach this Frit?
he demanded.
She looked doubtful. Well, he s very busy, but I suppose you could call him
up, she said, then suddenly brightened. I know! she cried. Why don t we go
to Balit s party?
Balit s party?
Balit s Frit s son. They live on Moon Mary. No, wait a minute, she corrected
herself.
They do live on Mary, but I think they told me they re having the party on
Frit s family s habitat. She nodded to herself as the details of her
inspiration were coming clear to her.
Dekkaduk can handle things here for a couple of days. It would be a nice trip
for you, and I
ought to take Pelly s gillies there anyway that s where his ship is. And I m
sure they d be glad to have us, and then you can talk to Frit all you want.
She gave Viktor s thigh a decisive pat, pleased with her idea. We ll do it!
And don t ask me any more questions now, Viktor. Just believe me, it ll be
fun!
CHAPTER 23
Reminiscing is a recreation for the elderly. It is what people do when they
have outlived all their other occupations people like Wan-To.
Elderly human beings at least have bodily functions to use up some hours. They
have to eat, use the toilet, maybe even hoist themselves into their
wheelchairs and complain to those around them. Wan-To didn t have even those
ways of passing the time. Wan-To didn t just have very little else to do, he
had nothing else to do. In the exhausted, depleted, moribund universe that
Wan-To lived in he not only didn t need to do anything to keep on living, he
had nothing much in the way of limbs, powers, or effectors to do anything
with. His mind still worked quite clearly, in fact, though at a depressingly
slow speed. But everything stayed within his mind. He didn t have any useful
appendages anymore to convert any of his mind s impulses into action.
All that being so, Wan-To was lucky he had so much to reminisce about.
He certainly did have a lot of memories. If there had been a contest to see
which single being, among all the universe s inhabitants in all the endless
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