rs tighten on my arm the way they did whenever
she became very frightened or worried or disturbed. It was not something
her mind thought, she said. It was just a feeling she had which she
couldn't understand or explain.

Doctor Dorn's voice became very gentle. He said Nina shouldn't try to
understand or explain her feeling. But would she try to describe what it
was like, even a little.

Nina looked at me very troubled and I put my arm around her shoulders,
and said she didn't have to answer if she didn't want to. But then she
took a little breath and said in a very low voice that as far back as
she could remember, even when she was a tiny girl, she always had a good
feeling when she was going up and a bad feeling when she was going down.
It was a strange way to be, she knew, and she had never told anyone
before. But that was why she did not like Hope Passage, which went down
so fast. The passage she had liked best was the one near the old statue.
The way it went up gave her a good feeling.

Doctor Dorn asked didn't she know the passage by the statue was the
oldest one we had found, and therefore it should have the smallest
chance of going to a live city.

Nina said she knew, and her mind understood everything Doctor Dorn said.
But the things her mind knew and understood were not able to change the
way she felt. She said she was sorry she had made us all lose so much
time. She would not talk about it any more.

Doctor Dorn asked Nina would she please answer just one more question.
Did she have this good feeling while we were walking up the little climb
near the end of Black Passage.

Nina nodded her head yes, and Doctor Dorn said it was very interesting.
Then in a different voice, he said that Hope Passage was our best chance
of finding life, and after this sleep we would continue our walk there.

* * * * *

Twentieth Awake, 21 Juli 2207

A few hours ago we said goodbye to Ralf and Mari and Bruno, and watched
them start down Hope Passage. I think they may find life again soon.

Even now, I do not understand clearly why we are not with them; why we
are climbing in this old rough passage which rises so steeply we must
stop every little while to rest.

Many thoughts must have come to Doctor Dorn during our last sleep,
because when we awoke he was different from any way he had been before.
For a little while, he just walked up and back rubbing his chin as if he
were thinking very h