ke-believe anything to a real good finish. They
never ended neatly--there was always something unfinished, and
something that would go right on after the end.

It would have been nice if the jailers had come in and he had been
able to say something noble to them before dying, to show that he was
brave.

"Bang," he said randomly, pointing his finger at his head, and then
jerked his hand away as if it had burned him. He had become the wrong
person that time. The feel of a bullet jolting the side of his head
was startling and unpleasant, even if not real, and the flash of
someone's vindictive anger and self-pity while pulling a trigger....
_My wife will be sorry she ever...._ He didn't like that kind of
make-believe. It felt unsafe to do it without making up a story first.

Ronny decided to be Indian braves again. They weren't very real, and
when they were, they had simple straightforward emotions about courage
and skill and pride and friendship that he would like.

* * * * *

A man was leaning his arms on the fence, watching him. "Nice day."
_What's the matter, kid, are you an esper?_

"Hul-lo." Ronny stood on one foot and watched him. _Just making
believe. I only want to play. They make it too serious, having all
these troubles._

"Good countryside." The man gestured at the back yards, all opened in
together with tangled bushes here and there to crouch behind, when
other kids were there to play hide and seek, and with trees to climb.
_It can be the Universe if you pick and choose who to be, and don't
let wrong choices make you shut off from it. You can make yourself
learn from this if you are strong enough. Who have you been?_

Ronny stood on the other foot and scratched the back of his leg with
his toes. He didn't want to remember. He always forgot right away, but
this grownup was confident and young and strong-looking, and meant
something when he talked, not like most grownups.

"I was playing Indian." _I was an old chief, captured by enemies,
trying to pass on to other warriors the wisdom of my life before I
died._ He made believe he was the chief a little to show the young man
what he was talking about.

"Purcell!" The man drew in his breath between his teeth, and his face
paled. He pulled back from reaching Ronny with his feelings, like
holding his breath in. "Good game." _You can learn from him. Don't
leave him shut off, I beg you. You can let him influence you without
be