rinkled her sense of smell in reply, and I realized I was not being
amused at the right time. Anchoring herself by magnetic processes, she
began to weave the atmosphere delicately with her taste-bud tendrils.
Quickly she hollowed the air molecules into a reflective mirror, and
brought it to focus on our neighboring world. I levitated myself into a
position so that I could look into the mirror.

The near planet was quite satisfactory. It was the one you know as the
earth. It was young. It was green. Huge fern-like plants grew abundantly
on its surface. It was full of food. And near.

"The trip could be made by levitation," Mjly said.

I hung back. "Animals might live there. We'd be devoured."

"I am not afraid," she said.

"We might not get hungry for a time. Let us linger here awhile. Later
when we get desperate, there will be time enough for interplanetary
flight." I hated the thought of stuffing myself full of air enough to
last for the long trip.

Mjly lowered her visual buds. "I am going to become a mother," she said.

"Go then, and become a mother. I'll stay here till I get hungry and then
join you."

Mjly unflexed her sense of touch and I felt sorry for her. "If I could
be sure," I said, "that no wild animals live on the earth, I'd go
sooner."

She snapped her sense of balance in happiness. "I will go first," said
she. "If everything is pleasant and safe, I will return and let you
know."

I nodded my otic nerves and off she went.

As you human beings are doubtless aware, space levitation is quite
complicated, but not beyond accomplishment. Once you are able to reach
the speed of escape the rest is easy. But Mjly was young and strong and
soon she had disappeared from sight traveling at a tremendous velocity.
I followed her as long as I could with the telescope and then I lowered
myself to the tidal crest of a nearby sand dune and lost myself in
metaphysical thoughts.

Almost half a year later I realized that Mjly had been gone longer than
I expected. Either she had been eaten by wild animals on the earth, or
she had forgotten me.

I was beginning to get lonesome and in a few more months I would get
hungry. At the thought of enduring two such excruciating pains at a
single time, I decided to risk my life. I would travel through space to
the earth and try to find my beloved.

As you may have guessed, the planet on which we had been living is the
one you now know as the Moon, and the distance to the