rk said. "I did."

Loren's right hand stopped its stroking and his fingers tightened about
the thin long neck of the animal. "Eddie?" he said.

Kirk saw the animal's left claw whipping out. He ducked suddenly, but
the claw ripped along his left arm. He tried to roll sideways, and then
he lay, half sprawled, looking at the blood welling up from this new set
of ripped ridges in his arm. He shifted his eyes to look at the animal,
and he was quite certain that he could detect a small mouth fitting
around the under side of the funnel-shaped head. It was only a line, but
Kirk thought that there was a grinning look to it.

"You didn't come as soon as you could," Loren said, his voice an angry
trembling sound.

"I did, Harry," Kirk said, still remaining in his half sprawl. "I really
did."

Loren replaced his hand on the neck of the animal, squeezing.

"No, no," Kirk said, and he tried to keep the panic out of his voice.
"Harry, I'm telling you the truth!"

* * * * *

Loren's mouth showed a faint surface of his yellow teeth. He shook his
head, slowly, back and forth, his fingers tightening about the animal's
neck.

"Harry, listen," Kirk said, watching Loren's squeezing fingers, "it's
over now. You don't have to wait any longer. I'll take you back now.
I'll take you home!"

Loren froze, staring. "Home?" he said.

"That's right," Kirk said. "That's right, Harry."

"_Home_," Loren breathed, and his eyes were suddenly like a child's,
wide and unbelieving.

"The waiting's all over," Kirk said. "You don't have to wait any
longer."

"I don't have to wait any longer," Loren repeated softly, and his hand
dropped from the neck of the animal.

Kirk watched Loren and the swaying animal. "The rocket's ready," he
said.

Loren's eyes were lost in some distant memory. Gradually Kirk could see
the eyes turn shiny with tears. "Is Annette waiting?" he asked.

Kirk thought quickly. He knew that what he was going to say shouldn't be
said, because he had no right. But he was thinking of his own skin.
"Why, yes, Harry," he said slowly. "I imagine Annette _is_ waiting."

Loren let a quick breath come through his teeth. "Annette," he
whispered. "And Dickie?"

"Dickie?" Kirk said.

"Little Dickie?" Loren said and he held his breath.

"Oh, yes," Kirk lied. "Of course."

"I can't ask about Eddie, because we never had the chance," Loren said,
his eyes still lost. "I always told Annette that no kid