o’clock, to give himself a full hour with them. They had, by the middle of the second week, a full-sized ritual evolved. Processions, lighted tapers, what seemed to be songs or chants. Priests in long robes. And the spiced offerings.
No idols, though. Apparently he was so big they couldn’t make out his appearance. He tried to imagine what it looked like to be on their side of the shimmer. An immense shape looming up above them, beyond a wall of grey haze. An indistinct being, something like themselves, yet not like them at all. A different kind of being, obviously. Larger—but different in other ways. And when he spoke—booming echoes up and down the Jiffi-scuttler. Which still sent them fleeing in panic.
An evolving religion. He was changing them. Through his actual presence and through his answers, the precise, correct responses he obtained from the Federal Library of Information and had the Linguistics Machine translate into their language. Of course, by their time-rate they had to wait generations for the answers. But they had become accustomed to it, by now. They waited. They expected. They passed up questions and after a couple centuries he passed down answers, answers which they no doubt put to good use.
“What in the world?” Mary demanded, as he got home from work an hour late one night. “Where have you been?”
“Working,” Ellis said carelessly, removing his hat and coat. He threw himself down on the couch. “I’m tired. Really tired.” He sighed with relief and motioned for the couch-arm to bring him a whisky sour.
Mary came over by the couch. “Henry, I’m a little worried.”
“Worried?”
“You shouldn’t work so hard. You ought to take it easy, more. How long since you’ve had a real vacation? A trip off Terra. Out of the System. You know, I’d just like to call that fellow Miller and ask him why it’s necessary a man your age put in so much—”
“A man my age!” Ellis bristled indignantly. “I’m not so old.”
“Of Course not.” Mary sat down beside him and put her arms around him affectionately. “But you shouldn’t have to do so much. You deserve a rest. Don’t you think?”
“This is different. You don’t understand. This isn’t the same old stuff. Reports and statistics and the damn filing. This is—”
“What is it?”
“This is different . I’m not a cog. This gives me something. I can’t explain it to you, I guess. But it’s something I have to do.”
“If you could tell me more about it—”
“I can’t tell you any more about it,” Ellis said. “But there’s nothing in the world like it. I’ve worked twenty-five years for Terran Development. Twenty-five years at the same reports, again and again. Twenty-five years—and I never felt this way.”
“Oh, yeah?” Miller roared. “Don’t give me that! Come clean, Ellis!”
Ellis opened and closed his mouth. “What are you talking about?” Horror rolled through him. “What’s happened?”
“Don’t try to give me the runaround.” On the vidscreen Miller’s face was purple. “Come into my office.”
The screen went dead.
Ellis sat stunned at his desk. Gradually, he collected himself and got Shakily to his feet. “Good Lord.” Weakly, he wiped cold sweat from his forehead. All at once. Everything in ruins. He was dazed with the shock.
“Anything wrong?” Miss Nelson asked sympathetically.
“No.” Ellis moved numbly towards the door. He was shattered. What had Miller found out? Good God! Was it possible he had—
“Mr. Miller looked angry.”
“Yeah.” Ellis moved blindly down the hall, his mind reeling. Miller looked angry all right. Somehow he had found out. But why was he mad? Why did he care? A cold chill settled over Ellis. It looked bad. Miller was his superior—with hiring and firing powers. Maybe he’d done something wrong. Maybe he had somehow broken a law. Committed a crime. But what?
What did Miller care about them? What concern was it of Terran
No idols, though. Apparently he was so big they couldn’t make out his appearance. He tried to imagine what it looked like to be on their side of the shimmer. An immense shape looming up above them, beyond a wall of grey haze. An indistinct being, something like themselves, yet not like them at all. A different kind of being, obviously. Larger—but different in other ways. And when he spoke—booming echoes up and down the Jiffi-scuttler. Which still sent them fleeing in panic.
An evolving religion. He was changing them. Through his actual presence and through his answers, the precise, correct responses he obtained from the Federal Library of Information and had the Linguistics Machine translate into their language. Of course, by their time-rate they had to wait generations for the answers. But they had become accustomed to it, by now. They waited. They expected. They passed up questions and after a couple centuries he passed down answers, answers which they no doubt put to good use.
“What in the world?” Mary demanded, as he got home from work an hour late one night. “Where have you been?”
“Working,” Ellis said carelessly, removing his hat and coat. He threw himself down on the couch. “I’m tired. Really tired.” He sighed with relief and motioned for the couch-arm to bring him a whisky sour.
Mary came over by the couch. “Henry, I’m a little worried.”
“Worried?”
“You shouldn’t work so hard. You ought to take it easy, more. How long since you’ve had a real vacation? A trip off Terra. Out of the System. You know, I’d just like to call that fellow Miller and ask him why it’s necessary a man your age put in so much—”
“A man my age!” Ellis bristled indignantly. “I’m not so old.”
“Of Course not.” Mary sat down beside him and put her arms around him affectionately. “But you shouldn’t have to do so much. You deserve a rest. Don’t you think?”
“This is different. You don’t understand. This isn’t the same old stuff. Reports and statistics and the damn filing. This is—”
“What is it?”
“This is different . I’m not a cog. This gives me something. I can’t explain it to you, I guess. But it’s something I have to do.”
“If you could tell me more about it—”
“I can’t tell you any more about it,” Ellis said. “But there’s nothing in the world like it. I’ve worked twenty-five years for Terran Development. Twenty-five years at the same reports, again and again. Twenty-five years—and I never felt this way.”
“Oh, yeah?” Miller roared. “Don’t give me that! Come clean, Ellis!”
Ellis opened and closed his mouth. “What are you talking about?” Horror rolled through him. “What’s happened?”
“Don’t try to give me the runaround.” On the vidscreen Miller’s face was purple. “Come into my office.”
The screen went dead.
Ellis sat stunned at his desk. Gradually, he collected himself and got Shakily to his feet. “Good Lord.” Weakly, he wiped cold sweat from his forehead. All at once. Everything in ruins. He was dazed with the shock.
“Anything wrong?” Miss Nelson asked sympathetically.
“No.” Ellis moved numbly towards the door. He was shattered. What had Miller found out? Good God! Was it possible he had—
“Mr. Miller looked angry.”
“Yeah.” Ellis moved blindly down the hall, his mind reeling. Miller looked angry all right. Somehow he had found out. But why was he mad? Why did he care? A cold chill settled over Ellis. It looked bad. Miller was his superior—with hiring and firing powers. Maybe he’d done something wrong. Maybe he had somehow broken a law. Committed a crime. But what?
What did Miller care about them? What concern was it of Terran
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