,transcriber's ,note3      ,this etext  
was produced ,science ,fiction ,stories 
#aiec4 ,extensive     research did not  
uncover any evidence that the ,u4,s4    
copyright on     this publication was   
renewed4        ,sometimes worlds can   
meet without the inhabitants of either  
realizing4444                           
,the ,natives                           
by ,,katherine ,,maclean         99     
99       99       99       99     ,the  
old one said1 ,stick close by me1 child4
  ,what'll it be like1 ,grandpa8 ,the   
youngster was frightened4  ,dark1 very  
dark1 and big4 ,it moves fast1 but we'll
 keep up with it4 ,the tone was         
consciously reassuring4  ,dark1         
,grandpa8  ,yes1 it sucks heat and      
absorbs light4 ,you'll find out when    
you're old and strong enough to swim    
down to the bottom and see what's there4
 ,now stay with me when we follow it1   
and don't get lost in the crowd2 and    
don't get ahead of me or get too close  
to it--you might take in too much1 and  

get overcharged4  ,what's 'overcharged1'
 ,grandpa8 ,can you really get too much8
 ,the youngster jigged up and down a    
little with excitement and anticipation4
  ,for a moment1 the oldster turned his 
attention from watching for the thing   
that was coming1 and considered him     
fondly4 ,poor youngling4 ,i forget4     
,you've had no chance to learn what it  
means to get enough4 ,you're too young  
to ride the storms and tap the          
lightnings4444 ,listen now4 ,when a     
grownup has to let out a flash of blue  
light1 that means that he's overcharged 
and spinning off balance inside1 and so 
he has to save himself by letting out   
his energy to let down the pressure4 ,so
 be careful2 take enough1 but don't be  
greedy and take in too much too         
suddenly4 ,now let's just float here    
with the others and be ready4  ,it was a
 beautiful bright day4 ,the sun poured  
down its flood of light1 here and there 
energizing a molecule of the blue air   
into little sparkles of ionization2 and 

below1 a mist of bright clouds half     
veiled the darkness that was the bottom4
  ,what's it mean when someone blinks   
blue light in lots of flashes1 and then 
glows red and starts sinking1 huh1      
,grandpa8  ,i'll tell you later when    
you're older4 ,just be careful and don't
 get too close4 ,he was abruptly        
excited4 ,here it comes6  ,out of the   
blue translucence far below1 a black dot
 appeared and grew rapidly1 rushing     
closer until it was a huge fish-shaped  
object with widespread fins1 rushing    
towards them4 ,it would pass slightly to
 the left of them1 and already the      
waiting crowd was moving to intercept   
it4  ,it flashed by1 and the youngster  
thought they were going to lose it--it  
was going so much faster than they2 but 
as the thought crossed his mind1 and he 
saw the two churning glowing openings in
 its rear1 a burning blast of energy    
struck him4 ,a multitude of glowing1    
charged particles crackled around him1  
streamed against him4 ,his fields       

shifted to reach out and capture them2  
the spin of stored energy within spun   
faster1 absorbing the new energy into   
its drive1 its life-pulse rising to a   
deep hum1 and he felt strong1 stronger  
than he had ever felt before in his     
life4  ,they were flying faster now1    
accelerating faster than he had ever    
flown1 and it was easy4 ,they drew up   
closer to the dark thing1 matching it   
speed for speed1 laving in the glowing  
cloud of energy-particles that roared   
backward from its jets4 ,the youngster  
was astounded and exhilarated at the    
tremendous1 effortless speed with which 
they were driving forward4 ,this was the
 first time he had ever had so much     
power4 ,it was ten times more than any  
aurora borealis with its pale wash of   
energy waves4  ,drunken in his new found
 strength1 he pulled ahead closer to the
 roaring jets4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,at the peak of   
the arc of climb of the ,new            
,york-,istanbul stratoliner1 high in the

 ionosphere where the ,earth was merely 
a giant globe far below1 the pilot of   
the stratoliner boredly cut the jets for
 the fuel-saving glide that turned their
 nose toward ,earth again4  ,the radar  
was clanging its usual senseless warning
 of imminent collision with some solid  
objects1 which had approached closer    
than the automatic relays considered    
safe4 ,it had been clanging for several 
minutes4 ,the pilot glanced in annoyance
 at the radar screen1 where several     
hundred globes--from two to seven feet  
in diameter--showed vividly1 trailing   
the ship in a fan-shaped cluster4 ,some 
day ,i'm going to take a hammer to that 
thing4  ,the co-pilot1 looking back from
 the control blister's rear window1 saw 
nothing1 as usual1 except a few of the  
shining globes1 which showed themselves 
transiently in a brief flash of blue    
light as they carelessly overloaded and 
discharged--and one1 smaller than the   
rest1 who blinked on and off rapidly in 
brilliant flashes of blue4 ,as he       

watched1 it ran suddenly down the       
color-scale to red and began to lag     
behind1 a glowing red globe1 sinking4   
,i wonder what the hell they think      
they're doing8 he grumbled4         99  
99       99       99       99