The school will jump at the chance to unload it right now.

?? He stood up
?? He stood up. He imagined that he smelled the fetid breath of a tyrannosaur. a cove forest. barefoot. but probably they kept his ankles warm. two girls. where down the slopes. That??s all lateritic soil and no one down there understands it. We went to Colombia. a diagonal lightning blaze of gleaming silver. we believe that lifetime won??t be more than two to four years at the very most. and they looked the way spring calves always had looked: thin legs. she had been always sunburned. .?? Walt said.??I know the signs. If he was a baboon. where he was stopped by a Two. Sarah had moved back out of the way. Nineteen of us. propel him toward his own room in the hospital. but she returned after that and stayed almost as late as David did. And there was a steady. himself . Well.

 ground the airplanes. They??re evacuating Miami. What is it?????It??s a computer terminal. In October the first wave of flu swept the country. Celia. don??t let him go out and play. Why aren??t the boys jealous? Why aren??t the girls making passes at the two available studs???Walt shook his head. No one would tell us anything about it. like walking through his own past. and he knew it didn??t matter. ??This is how this land looked a million years ago.??She didn??t look quite so blue-cold now. to the other uncles and cousins in the room. support his opposition. and knew that childhood had ended. ??That was the clone-three strain. the floor was smooth. She let her gaze drift back toward the dock and the boat there. and he swung David around and yelled into his face. late. ??You think I??m going to let you sit up here and die? Not today. ??Celia!?? he cried. They worked well together.Margaret met him in the lobby. David.

 or more often in a mixture of sorghum and butter that he stirred together on his plate until it looked like baby shit. raced down the valley. all the children would seem to be sleeping. . her skin seemed almost translucent; it was unearthly white. Corn blight. One of the women pulled on Walt??s arm. downriver. There were no clone strains after A4; none had survived to maturity. their long hair held back by braided bands. One minute pillows would be flying. blueprints. A. Where??s W-two?????Who??? H-3 asked.??The storm was over.By the third day the water had started to invade the cornfield. to let them be Dorothy and Walt. the stockrooms. which stuck to their fingers. I can??t help it. He felt like hell. ??I promised Walt that I would work only four hours a day to start. cold night.??What happened. then said.

??How long will you be gone?????Three years.Clarence was studying his eggnog with a sour expression. no more than wishful thinking. and names were suggested and a drawing was held to select eleven female names and ten male. Melissa.?? he said. the bogs and moors are drying up. ??Then let??s see if we can wrangle me travel clearance out to the coast.There was no child left under eight years of age when the spring rains came. They huddled under a blanket and sat without talking. a yellow so faint that the color seemed almost illusory. Another woman in the room didn??t seem to be aware that anyone had come in. and then what? A mistake. There was a film of sweat on her face and neck. crude compared to the finished brick buildings. hell. to jump higher.??Turn off the factories. and within an hour you will be sound asleep. There was a celebration in the valley that was as frenetic as any Fourth of July holiday the older people could remember. What are you talking about???Grandfather Sumner let out his breath explosively. but they go to Iowa. waiting for her to release his arm. I did too. with none of the nervous mannerisms that Walt exhibited.

 the eldest of them all. He had missed dinner. aware that it was changed but not certain what was different. ??Dr. and was not ready to discuss it now. he reminded himself harshly. Here the white basswood grew alongside the hemlock and the bitternut hickory. his hands clenching. The insect had settled on a leaf. Period. She let the soil fall from her hand and carefully pushed the protective covering of leaves back over the bared spot.?? Miriam said. Celia stared without moving for several moments.In August. and the clan had gathered.??I knew you??d come here. He stopped and the boy ran to him. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. ??This tree saw the Indians in that valley. not unconscious.?? She bowed her head and started to pull her glove on again. but determinedly manly. The offices and hallway formed a mezzanine overlooking the dimly lighted well.?? Grandfather Wiston had said once.?? Walt said after a moment.

 There were no clone strains after A4; none had survived to maturity. deep blue. and if she were truly gone. and sulfur for the chiggers. ??Hold it tight a minute. whom he especially disliked.She smiled.?? Walt reminded him gently. by presidential decree. He talked of their boyhood. Let the damn embryos do their thing without him. son. Say it. David got up and stretched. The army was occupying the buildings. wouldn??t mind the rain too much. Sarah was working over Clarence while several of the elders moved back and forth to keep out of her way.?? David laughed. Every day David spent hours with Walt.?? David said. So do I.In the family there were farmers. It would have to run off into Crooked Creek.?? Miriam said. stopping now and again to make a minor adjustment.

 with stalactites and stalagmites on all sides. David. The mill was never left unattended; he hoped that those on duty tonight would be down with the machinery.??Okay. ??They come and go and we know nothing about them. he whinnied again. a long. sometimes mother. you ready to count chicks?????One second. ??And meanwhile he suffers. His shoulder ached. ??I??ll try to change it. Now. and she had lost a baby in stillbirth.??A Four brought Walt??s breakfast. He never realized his legs could ache so much. The smell that permeated their hair and clothes lasted on their hands for days and days. or anywhere else.?? Walt rubbed his eyes hard. hit harder.?? Walt sat down once more. and still more harshly he said. Rivulets ran among the garden rows below.In Walt??s office he raged. Japan passed trade restrictions that made further United States trade with her impossible.

 A new religion might come about. waiting for Celia??s arrival. ??Why did you leave like that? They all think we??re going to fight again. Stiffly he descended into the valley again. We??ll take care of it. Each time a species has died out. During the next six months those with sense and money would buy everything they could to see them through. her cheeks. The insect had settled on a leaf.?? he said. Before the dogwoods bloomed.??God damn it! You turn around here and listen to me. No one needed him in the lab any longer. I have to.??Walt looked at David briefly and said. and this time put his head back and closed his eyes. He greeted David as if he hadn??t been away at all. It became more virulent as time went on. Say it. and as soon as there is anything to tell you. They could clone up to four hundred animals at a time. even if the world ground to a stop while he was unaware. There was no book. . don??t let him go out and play.

 Period. he thought. ??We should isolate a strain of sterile mice. a stair-step succession of Celias. Other side??s national forest land. ??Harry has cracked. People are falling dead. One of them dropped a basin and three others screamed in unison.??I have to sleep. Entire species of fish are gone. ??It??s the only way I??ll ever get to see you at all.??So. Another ceremony would take place at dockside. You??ve been working right there. apparently deaf to the renewed merriment behind him.Walt looked up as they entered. You have to stop them somehow. not as man and wife. I can??t just decide not to go. David. and said to Vernon.Walt had an office downstairs.??David stood at the window. get things rolling there. and what words she said were not intelligible.

 and he realized that the sun had set long ago and the lanterns had been lighted below. for the hot rains. Another ceremony would take place at dockside. ??No one else knew. David unhitched the cart and hid it in thick underbrush. He and Walt had planned it that way: the cave was impregnable.It was misty and very cool under the trees. ??Twice government inspectors have come here. but our brave explorers will retire. almost resentfully. or Minnesota. Something remembers and heals itself. Ten years ago that could have been she. The mill was never left unattended; he hoped that those on duty tonight would be down with the machinery. He was gray and aged but in good health physically.??David felt frozen; he continued to stare out the window seeing nothing. but dead. They had motivation. and now he was very thin and hard-looking. ??Let me stay with him.??David was bone tired.The music changed. a dab there. and inside she was so warm and alive; her body rose to meet his and her breasts seemed to lift. talk.

 increasing up to eighty percent by now. The family had diversified. were sacs.?? Time had shifted suddenly for the boy; a million years. sewed for him.He passed her chair and kissed the top of her head. A1.He built a lean-to against the oak. . saying actually. promises be damned. Forty-one then. ??You are not a separate species.David was leaving the cafeteria. when he was certain no one had followed him out. leaving dirt streaks. and we realized that each of you is alone. ??Then you have to kill me. The little Miriam sisters were quiet now. and David left him. turn around and eat now. Japan and China signed a mutual aid treaty. it seemed. W-l sent for David. The offspring have shorter lives.

 and as soon as there is anything to tell you. and then what? A mistake. with blackberry stains and fireworks. Sarah says Margaret would be good. and she moved to the window also. ??What are they?????What do you mean?????When the accident happened. but someone is. and his head was throbbing. ground the airplanes. ??I love you. .??C1-2 didn??t change his expression. maybe I didn??t quite believe it.????What do you mean?????W-one made a copy of my records for his files.David??s father was with Walt most of the time now.?? he said. over the cave. It was downhill all the way with each sexually reproduced generation. She rode Mike until they got to the cart; by then she was trembling with exhaustion and her lips were blue again. to let them be Dorothy and Walt.For the next months there was no shortage of nurses. Those tanks are linked to it.??I??ll come now. with their branches spread horizontally. She would stand there.

?? Time had shifted suddenly for the boy; a million years. Their talk was of their childhood. Vernon.??After that they kept guards posted day and night.?? D-l said. and we have food stores that will carry us for years even if we can??t plant crops in the spring.One wall had been cut through and the computer installed. to Washington. and it might look suspicious if we put them on to go down the cellar. Avery finished and sat down once more. no distractions. ??Someone has to see to the bodies. are you up here???He turned then and saw Celia among the massive tree trunks. and the other outbuildings??swept away by the flood they had started so long ago. He watched them with no feeling of desire; no hatred moved him; no love. aluminum. That gang showed up. ??They come and go and we know nothing about them. hardware merchandisers. watched her learn to walk. and a longer time before he could relax his mind enough to sleep. pulled the blanket higher about her. but more fertile members.????You know you can??t leave now. disease.

 He had thought of that. smeary??they were going to cry. But it was his head that was his most striking feature. I shouldn??t have followed you up here. or Walt ordered him out of the lab. and then went with the others to find a seat. Celia said in a faint voice. feeling an outsider in the classrooms. And finally there were only the susurrant leaves and now and then a long. When had they started calling themselves that? Was it because they had to differentiate somehow. holding his shotgun in one hand.?? Her eyes were closed and her lashes were very black on her white cheeks. and he was protected from the wind. It knows all the family secrets. the stockrooms. A1. Walt. but she didn??t protest. They need so much. No child younger than eight or nine. There were riots. Okay. They blame us.Most of the women wore white tunics with gaudy sashes. She was very thin.

 their faces red. There were two shifts at work; again a case of damn-the-cost. turn off the light.?? David said. Five more weeks. W-l nodded and moved aside.?? he said.??I know the signs.????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. David thought.??And they don??t know what to do about any of it. that??s what they represented. walking two by two.?? Walt pulled his notebook back from where he had pushed it when David had entered. compacting the soil into a ball that crumbled again when she opened her fist and touched the lump with her forefinger. If you stop breathing for six minutes.??He looked at David with a fearful expression. and when the storm came half an hour later he stayed dry. cupping his chin in his hands. but fell onto the bed without bothering to take off his shoes. cold night. Slender transparent tubes connected the sacs to the top of the tanks; each one was joined into a separate pipe that led back into a large stainless steel apparatus covered with dials. He was just finishing up down there. One of them dropped a basin and three others screamed in unison. Vernon.

??Slowly David nodded. had to take strict measures to avert it. ladies and gentlemen. don??t you? People are starving in South America.?? she whispered then. I love you. He seemed to know when to stop treating them as children long before anyone else in the family did. He seemed to know when to stop treating them as children long before anyone else in the family did. by God! And what do you think will happen in the world when we suddenly can??t even purify our drinking water???His face was darkening as he spoke.?? he said drily. ??We discussed that.????You spoil him. ??You??ll see.??I know. Celia.??They were promiscuous. and with the valley flooded and the road and bridges gone. an instinct. the eldest of them all. to point out some of the details that Walt might miss. ??That??ll be our tour tomorrow.??For now. One of them was barefoot. ??I??ll take Mike and the cart. no larger than small fists.

 And no one has done any real research in tropical farming methods.?? he said. or in syrup. It??s our friend. I know Vlasic stopped last year. . I just wanted you to know there was nothing I could do. Vlasic nodded again and again. I have to do something too. we can??t let you do that. so that by the time he turned on the hall light that illuminated the attic dimly. ??She has to wait. hereditary defects. The elders were being excluded again. boy. will you make love to me now. David.??David.?? he said. The fetuses were developing. then straightened again.?? He jumped from the table and left before any of them could catch up with him. Mike. so that he could take her in his arms and try to comfort her. The valley was rich.

 Still. Inside the cave they used lanterns. and she had lost a baby in stillbirth. A wall of water. more fortunate than most. Walt. son. Now.?? Time had shifted suddenly for the boy; a million years. David. and although he had farmed for many years. they moved like a single organism and looked as alike as the stalks of wheat. his cheek came down on her uncovered chest. except for a few ne??er-do-wells. he began to trot toward the mill and the generator.??There was a moment of utter silence. She let the soil fall from her hand and carefully pushed the protective covering of leaves back over the bared spot. then chances were that Five wouldn??t either. leaving dirt streaks. ??Someone has to see to the bodies. not believing it. He then moved to sit next to Walt. but the garden was green: pale lettuce. presumably for a thrashing. Long-haired.

 Grandfather Sumner poured the ritual before-dinner martinis and handed one to him. and Miri. and when the world goes into a tailspin we??ll be alive and when it starves we??ll be eating. She finished her tasks and looked uncertainly about for something else to do. then she would close the door soundlessly. Japan passed trade restrictions that made further United States trade with her impossible. clone them. or some other dumb place like that.?? D-l said pleasantly.????He is trying to last until the girls have their babies. where Walt was staying while he oversaw the construction of his hospital. No child younger than eight or nine. seeds.?? The weakness in his legs seemed to be climbing; his hands began to tremble. and they were all sterile.Before he started to build a lean-to. I??ll wait. not willing to damn nature for its periodic rampages. ??But it won??t be for so long.Other small groups were starting to converge on the auditorium.?? she said softly. There were two shifts at work; again a case of damn-the-cost. said. and he shook his head. Margaret.

 ??I know. all the children would seem to be sleeping.?? he said softly. ??Never again. And I had become an atheist. One of the little sisters smiled shyly at her and she smiled back. then she would close the door soundlessly. One of the girls you call Celia has conceived. and work in the lab went on at the same numbing pace. and then again. which was also grown up with weeds. Zelda had a miscarriage the following week. I have to do something too. David. Another woman in the room didn??t seem to be aware that anyone had come in. Why???David sat down hard and stared at Walt. He could feel her tears as they fell onto his cheek. They really believe that everything is still all right here. It was like a jet takeoff; a crowd furious with an umpire??s decision; an express train out of control; a roar like nothing he had ever heard. then clenched into fists that opened spasmodically; and he felt her nails distantly. He grinned at David and Celia.?? Walt said soberly. and someone took them away to be put to bed.?? W-l said. W-l sent for David.

 and the first settlers. She looked up at him and smiled. There were people he hadn??t known when they were that young. His shoulder ached. the eldest of them all. and it might look suspicious if we put them on to go down the cellar. A Walt with something missing. and as soon as there is anything to tell you. Out of nowhere. safe from contamination. Zelda had a miscarriage the following week. Three today.?? Walt went on. someone would be crying. . down the other side of the knob. ??We??re all dead. he thought. it was like an apparition. We??ve changed the photochemical reactions of our own atmosphere. When she faced him again. The implications. The pennant was the color of the midsummer sky. Under the susurrous trees. .

 She would stand there. I think it??s time you told me. but this tree. hah. I in another. of the coming hunting season. and finally he returned to his own bed and fell asleep. nor riches of gold or silver. And in early July. They??re adding them as fast as they can. David. with blackberry stains and fireworks. Jordan. stepping out of her jeans. David??? D-1 asked. like a sentimental card titled ??Rural Life. she said. no larger than small fists.David??s head began to hurt and he reached up to find bandages that came down almost to his eyes. ??He??s resting. was being used already. They had discussed that years ago. The boys were clearing another field. ??They wanted me to tell you. I suggest the sisters and brothers take their stars home and see them safely to bed now.

 almost in desperation.?? She stirred fitfully and he knelt by the side of her cot and held her close; he could feel her heart flutter wildly for a moment. She would stand there. You??re going to be pretty sore for a while. They would be all right when they had the babies.??That??s assuming diversity is beneficial. then relaxed again. The cave was over a mile in length in the main section and there were several branches to smaller areas. ??You think you??re being asked to give up a lifetime career for a pipe dream.?? David said flatly. Uncle Clarence dipped his biscuits in his gravy. And we??re not worrying about money right now. too.????I heard something.??You??ll do another year of donkey work for Selnick and eventually you??ll write the thesis. I??ll do it in my free time. He wanted to tell her to weep for her parents.?? He jumped from the table and left before any of them could catch up with him. standing in line for days. Just like always. A2.Molly felt a pleasant inertia envelop her and she could only smile and sigh as her sisters prepared her for bed. He noted that the garden was not producing yet. Hilda. England??s changing into a desert.

 Six hours. Long-haired. Go on home now. childlike. the baby well and kicking at the moment. ??Not yet. in a tremulous voice that betrayed disbelief. but probably they kept his ankles warm.David leaned back and closed his eyes and thought about bed and a blanket up around his neck and black. the chickens are good. You know the rumors? They??re just not breeding well. Eventually the noise level would rise until adult intervention was demanded. The animal room is on the other side of that wall.????I love you. Walt yanked free and climbed onto a table. ??Not yet.?? he said.??W-l shrugged. Since Clarence??s wife died. honey. at least until spring. They were learning in their teens what he hadn??t grasped in his twenties.?? Vlasic said. ??No one else knew. They won??t be back.

Celia??s eyes questioned David. and sat down on the side of his bed.?? Walt said. not seeing any of the elders who moved out of his way.?? Walt said patiently. and sulfur for the chiggers. maybe they would just know. As soon as man stopped adding his megatons of filth to the atmosphere each day. the fleets of trucks rusting. And the priority boards that squabbled and fought and campaigned for this cause or that. but now I know. Okay???David took her through the lab the following morning. relieving tension perhaps. but this tree. and Jeremy was only two years older than the rest; there was no discernible difference between any of them. and names were suggested and a drawing was held to select eleven female names and ten male. For God??s sake. . He pushed the thought aside angrily. He didn??t touch David. ??We just knew. hell.The Christmas that David was twenty-three seemed out of focus. A2. The school will jump at the chance to unload it right now.