don't think I'll like being married to you," shesaid. "You think of everything. May I switch on the recording machine?"
"Go ahead," he replied. "It will take a few seconds to warm up, though."
She kissed him lightly, then uncurled herself and went over to therecorder. The purr of the machine gradually increased in pitch until itpassed from the range of human hearing. The silence was broken by hisown voice.
"Curtis!" it said, "Curtis! Do not touch the controls until you are surethat Gillian and Walter and Jason are all in the cabin. Are they allthere? Good. Then pull the big lever toward you. Now--"
Jason Tarsh entered the room and switched off the machine. "You candelete Walter," he said. He began to tape the slow, earnest delivery ofthe recorder. "For he is a silly boy and fell over the edge of thecliff." He smiled and continued in normal tones, "Very unfortunate.Should never have left him alone, poor guy. Blind as a bat. Oh, well,bigger breakfasts tomorrow. Good night."
* * * * *
It was noon. The whole ledge shimmered in the sun, hazy and indistinct,as the rising currents of air dispersed the light in a jumble ofrefracted motion.
On the runway, between the hangar and the house, stood a nine-year-oldboy. A small, motionless figure, with a towel around his waist and hisfeet bandaged for protection against the blistering heat of the rock, hegazed up in triumph at the launching ramp.
There, perched on the summit of the ramp, lay the squat, powerful bulkof the lifeboat.
He turned and ran joyfully back to the house. "Jill!" he called. "Jill,come and play! And bring Jason with you."
A little girl, her red hair unbrushed, stepped out onto the veranda."Don't want to bring Jason," she said, "He's mean."
"You must bring Jason," he insisted, "or you can't play."
"What we going to play?"
"'Ships,'" he said. He pointed to the top of the launching ramp.
Silently, the two children trudged across the rock-face and began toclimb the steep slope of the ramp, leaning forward to retain theirbalance. Tucked up in a blanket in Gillian Murray's arms, Jason Tarshbawled hungrily. Higher and higher they climbed, the only livingcreatures in a purple world, striving toward their goal. Curtis Delman,hampered by the weight of the recording machine, kept urging her to keepup with him. Suddenly, she stopped.
"Don't want to play," she said. "I'm tired." She sat down on the hotmetal of the ramp, placing the baby beside her.
He let her rest for a few minutes, then tried to coax her to carry on."You're a sissy," he said. "You're afraid!"
Her eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm not a sissy," she cried. "I'm not! I'mnot! I'm _not_!"
Delman turned and continued climbing purposefully. "Gillian's a sissy!Gillian's a sissy!" he chanted over and over again.
Panting with weariness and indignation, she struggled after him.
They had covered more than half the distance before he looked back. Hesaw her following and prepared to go on again. Then he realizedsomething was wrong and swung around, startled. Her hands were empty!
"Where's Jason?" he cried out.
* * * * *
She was too exhausted to reply and stared at him blankly. Putting downthe recording machine, he ran past her. Some twenty yards away, thebundle of blanket that was Jason Tarsh began to roll gently down theslope.
He raced after it, his swift young legs moving as easily and painlesslyas pistons. He reached the bundle just before the change in gradientwhich marked the first half of the ramp. Horrified, he increased hisspeed. Propelled by the sharp incline, the bundle branched off at atangent. He caught it just as it was about to plunge over the side. Whenhe picked up the blanket, it was curiously light.
There was nothing inside it.
Very slowly, he clambered back up the slope.
As he came level with Gillian, he put his arm around her shoulders."Don't worry," he said. "Jason was too small to play." Taking her by thehand, he led her to the short, vertical ladder which led into thelifeboat.
After the harsh glare of the sun, the cabin seemed dark and strange.What light there was was filtered through six small port-holes--three oneither side--in which the glass was tinted a deep blue.
It took him nearly ten minutes to strap Gillian into the safety harness,and by the time he had adjusted his own, she was asleep. He stretchedout his right hand and switched on the recorder.
"Curtis!" it began.
Calmly, he carried out the instructions. The deep, commanding voice leftnothing to chance.
A pull on the master lever drew up the ladder and closed the hatch inhydraulic silence. The soft whistle of oxygen escaped from pressurizedcylinders. An automatic transmitter broadcast an endless S.O.S. Deep inthe heart of the lifeboat, dynamos pulsed with the throb of power.
"Now, Curtis," said the voice from the past, "turn the red switch infront of you to 'Fixed Control.' Have you turned the red switch to'Fixed Control'? Then lie back and fasten your safety harness as tightas you can. Have you done that?"
"Yeah," Curtis said, lying back.
"You've done everything you had to do," the voice continued. "Now shutyour eyes and don't move! Everything will be all right. The two of youwill reach Earth. You don't doubt that, do you?"
"No," said Curtis, closing his eyes and relaxing, reassured by the voicefrom the past. "I know we'll get there."
"And the two of you will get married when you're old enough. To eachother, of course."
"Of course," Curtis agreed.
"Good luck!" said the voice. "Good luck to you both!"
It clicked off then and the lifeboat sped Earthward.
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