st
child," Hiah-Leugh said. "We put him in the Pallid Pulley and
stretched four of his legs until they were longer than the rest. And
to this day Gin-Pad walks like he's looking for something between his
forelegs...."

Six of Sally's seven pairs of eyes crossed suddenly, a sign she was
in thought. Hiah-Leugh had the wishful hope that the seventh pair
would cross. When that happened Sally would be ex-concubine. She would
also be ex-living but that didn't bother him. We all have to die
sometime, he thought. But why does she have to live so long? The
thought processes of Sally Patica wound their weary way and came to
their proper end. Life was boresome. And she had to think of something
to make it less so. She did.

"Y'know, Hiah," she said as she uncrossed her eyes, "I have an
idea...."

The chief of all the Gomans rolled all eight pairs of his eyes
ceiling-ward. Not another of her ideas. Oh no! Not that! The last time
she had one of her ideas it was for a treasure hunt, a treasure hunt
for a five-headed giant, despite Hiah-Leugh's insistence there were no
such beings. But she wanted one dead or alive. She got it, dead. What
Sally didn't know was that her mate gave orders to have one killed and
have a fifth head sewn on his shoulders.

Love, however, was as strong on planet XYZ268PDQ as it was on any
other planet, and as burdensome, and though Hiah-Leugh felt his heart
sink, he also knew he would give in to her wishes.

"... What do you think of this; bring some humans up here and we'll
run a torture party for our fiends?"

The male's jaw dropped, all three feet of it. This was even worse than
he had imagined. _Bring some humans up here_, she said. Had she any
idea of what that entailed? No. _NOO!_

He tried to reason with her:

"Darling. Wait. Don't be hasty. Let me explain. In the first place
have you ever met a human?"

"What difference does that make?" she pouted. "I've heard about them."

"But sweetheart," he went on in his pleading. "They're quite horrible.
They have but one head, and a single pair of arms and legs. They walk
upright and they can only bear _children_...."

This was new to her.

"... Children...?"

"Yes! And they're horrible things, really. Must be raised on pablum
and formulas and things like that. _Formulas._ Sounds mechanical. No,
Sally, my pet. I'll think of something else. Something which will not
require so much work...."

It was the wrong thing to say. He knew it the instan