eling and disappearing in a magnifying burst of
flame high above the cypress trees. Just as though a giant in the sky
had trained a big burning glass on the Harmon brothers and whipped it
back quick.

Whipped it straight up, so that the faces would grow huge before
dissolving as a warning to all snakes. There was an evil anguish in the
dissolving faces which made Jimmy's blood run cold. Then the disk was
alone in the middle of the river, spinning around and around, the
shantyboat swallowed up.

And Uncle Al was still swimming, fearfully close to it.

The net came swirling out of the disk over Uncle Al like a great,
dew-drenched gossamer web. It enmeshed him as he swam, so gently that he
hardly seemed to struggle or even to be aware of what was happening to
him.

Pigtail didn't resist, either. She simply stopped thrashing in Uncle
Al's arms, as though a great wonder had come upon her.

Slowly Uncle Al and Pigtail were drawn into the disk. Jimmy could see
Uncle Al reclining in the web, with Pigtail in the crook of his arm, his
long, angular body as quiet as a butterfly in its deep winter sleep
inside a swaying glass cocoon.

Uncle Al and Pigtail, being drawn together into the disk as Jimmy
stared, a dull pounding in his chest. After a moment the pounding
subsided and a silence settled down over the river.

Jimmy sucked in his breath. The voices began quietly, as though they had
been waiting for a long time to speak to Jimmy deep inside his head, and
didn't want to frighten him in any way.

"Take it easy, Jimmy! Stay where you are. We're just going to have a
friendly little talk with Uncle Al."

"A t-talk?" Jimmy heard himself stammering.

"We knew we'd find you where life flows simply and serenely, Jimmy.
Your parents took care of that before they left you with Uncle Al.

"You see, Jimmy, we wanted you to study the Earth people on a great,
wide flowing river, far from the cruel, twisted places. To grow up with
them, Jimmy--and to understand them. Especially the Uncle Als. For Uncle
Al is unspoiled, Jimmy. If there's any hope at all for Earth as we guide
and watch it, that hope burns most brightly in the Uncle Als!"

The voice paused, then went on quickly. "You see, Jimmy, you're not
human in the same way that your sister is human--or Uncle Al. But you're
still young enough to feel human, and we want you to feel human, Jimmy."

"W--Who are you?" Jimmy gasped.

"We are the Shining Ones, Jimmy! For wide wast