n born among them, he would have been as they
were. And, if Lisa had lived in another age, she too would have sought
the stars.

Eric sat very still and fought until a little of the turmoil quieted
inside of him. Then he opened his eyes again and stared across the
canyon, at the rock slides and the trees growing out from the slopes at
twisting, precarious angles, and he saw everything in a new light. He
saw the old race as it had been far earlier than the age of
space-travel, and he knew that it had conquered many environments on
Earth before it had gained a chance to try for those of space. He felt
humble, suddenly, and proud at the same time.

Lisa sat beside him, not speaking, drawing away from him and letting him
be by himself, as if she knew the conflicts within him and knew enough
not to interrupt. He was grateful both for her presence there beside
him and for her silence.

Much later, when afternoon shadows had crept well out from the rocks,
she turned to him. "Will you take me to the valley someday, Eric?"

"Maybe. But no one must know about you. You know what would happen if
any of them found out you even existed."

"Yes," she said. "We'd have to be careful, all right. But you could take
me for a ride in the aircar sometime and show me things."

Before, he would have shrugged off her words and forgotten them. Now he
couldn't. Decision crystalized quickly in his mind.

"Come on, Lisa," he said, getting to his feet and reaching down to help
her up also. "I'll take you to the valley right now."

She looked up at him, unable to speak, her eyes shining, and then she
was running ahead of him, down the slope toward the aircar.

* * * * *

The car climbed swiftly away from the valley floor, up between the
canyon walls and above them, over the crest of the hills. He circled it
for a moment, banking it over on its side so that she could look down at
the gorge and the rocks and the cascading stream.

"How do you like it, Lisa?"

"I don't know." She smiled, rather weakly, her body braced against the
seat. "It feels so strange."

He smiled back and straightened the car, turning away from the mountains
until the great, gardened valley stretched out before them, all the way
to the foot of the western hills.

"I'll show you the museum," he said. "I only wish I could take you
inside."

She moved away from him, nearer to the window, and looked down at the
scattered houses that la