Doctor Harris took up his pen and scratched a few
lines, but nothing of importance came. A plant? And such a
healthy-looking lad! Harris removed his steel-rimmed glasses and
polished them with his handkerchief. He put them on again and leaned
back in his chair. "Care for a cigarette, Corporal?"

"No, sir."

The Doctor lit one himself, resting his arm on the edge of the chair.
"Corporal, you must realize that there are very few men who become
plants, especially on such short notice. I have to admit you are the
first person who has ever told me such a thing."

"Yes, sir, I realize it's quite rare."

"You can understand why I'm interested, then. When you say you're a
plant, you mean you're not capable of mobility? Or do you mean you're a
vegetable, as opposed to an animal? Or just what?"

The Corporal looked away. "I can't tell you any more," he murmured. "I'm
sorry, sir."

"Well, would you mind telling me _how_ you became a plant?"

Corporal Westerburg hesitated. He stared down at the floor, then out the
window at the spaceport, then at a fly on the desk. At last he stood up,
getting slowly to his feet. "I can't even tell you that, sir," he said.

"You can't? Why not?"

"Because--because I promised not to."

* * * * *

The room was silent. Doctor Harris rose, too, and they both stood facing
each other. Harris frowned, rubbing his jaw. "Corporal, just _who_ did
you promise?"

"I can't even tell you that, sir. I'm sorry."

The Doctor considered this. At last he went to the door and opened it.
"All right, Corporal. You may go now. And thanks for your time."

"I'm sorry I'm not more helpful." The Corporal went slowly out and
Harris closed the door after him. Then he went across his office to the
vidphone. He rang Commander Cox's letter. A moment later the beefy
good-natured face of the Base Commander appeared.

"Cox, this is Harris. I talked to him, all right. All I could get is the
statement that he's a plant. What else is there? What kind of behavior
pattern?"

"Well," Cox said, "the first thing they noticed was that he wouldn't do
any work. The Garrison Chief reported that this Westerburg would wander
off outside the Garrison and just sit, all day long. Just sit."

"In the sun?"

"Yes. Just sit in the sun. Then at nightfall he would come back in. When
they asked why he wasn't working in the jet repair building he told them
he had to be out in the sun. Then he said--" C