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patterns evolved on all sides of them； from the base of the wall to the apex of the domed ceiling。
〃I feel like we're in a bathysphere； all glass； suspended far； far down in the ocean；〃 Holly said。 〃And great schools of luminescent fish are diving and soaring and swirling past us on all sides； through the deep black water。〃
He loved her for putting the experience into better words than he could summon； words that would not let him forget the images they described； even if he lived a hundred years。
Unquestionably； the ghostly luminosity lay within the stone； not merely on the surface of it。 He could see into that now…translucent substance； as if it had been alchemized into a dark but well…clarified quartz。 The amber radiance brightened the room more than did the lantern； which he had turned low。 His trembling hands looked golden； as did Holly's face。
But pockets of darkness remained； and the constantly moving light enlivened the shadows as well。
〃What now？〃 Holly asked softly。
Jim noticed that something had happened to the yellow tablet on the floor between them。 〃Look。〃
Words had appeared on the top third of the first page。 They looked as if they had been formed by a finger dipped in ink： I AM WITH YOU。
Holly had been distracted…to say the least！…by the lightshow； but she did not think that Jim could have leaned to the tablet and printed the words with the felt…tip pen or any other instrument without drawing her attention。 Yet she found it hard to believe that some disembodied presence had conveyed the message。
〃I think we're being encouraged to ask questions；〃 Jim said。
〃Then ask it what it is；〃 she said at once。
He wrote a question on the second tablet； which he was holding； and showed it to her： Who are you？ As they watched； the answer appeared on the first tablet； which lay between and slightly in front of them at such an angle that they could both read it。 The words were not burnt onto the paper and were not formed by ink that dripped magically from the air。 Instead； the irregular； wavery letters appeared as dim gray shapes and grew darker as they seemed to float up out of the paper； as though a page of the tablet were not one…five hundredth of an inch thick but a pool of liquid many feet deep。 She recognized immediately that this was similar to the effect she had seen earlier when the balls of light had risen to the center of the pond before bursting and casting concentric rings of illumination outward through the water this was； as well； how the light had first welled up in the limestone walls before the blocks had bee thoroughly translucent。
THE FRIEND。
Who are you？ The Friend。
It seemed to be an odd self description。 Not 〃your friend〃 or 〃a friend〃 but The Friend。
For an alien intelligence； if indeed that's all it was； the name had curious spiritual implications； connotations of divinity。 Men had given God many names…Jehovah； Allah； Brahma； Zeus； Aesir…but even more titles。
God was The Almighty； The Eternal Being； The Infinite； The Father； The Savior； The Creator； The Light。 The Friend seemed to fit right into that list。
Jim quickly wrote another question and showed it to Holly： Where do you e from？ ANOTHER WORLD。
Which could mean anything from heaven to Mars。
Do you mean another planet？ YES。
〃My God；〃 Holly said； awed in spite of herself So much for the great hereafter。
She looked up from the tablet and met Jim's eyes。 They seemed to shine brighter than ever； although the chrome…yellow light had imparted to them an exceptional green tint。
Restless with excitement； she rose onto her knees； then eased back again； sitting on her calves。 The top tablet page was filled with the entity's responses。 Holly equivocated only briefly； then tore it off and set it aside； so they could see the second page。 She glanced back and forth between Jim's questions and the rapidly appearing answers。
From another solar sy。stern？ YES。
From another galaxy？ YES。
Is it your vessel we've seen in the pond？ YES。
How long have you been here？ ；000 YEARS。
As she stared at that figure； it seemed to Holly that this moment was more like a dream than some of the actual dreams she'd been having lately。
After so much mystery； there were answers…but they seemed to be ing too easily。 She did not know what she had expected； but she had not imagined that the murkiness in which they had been operating would clear as quickly as if a drop of a magical universal detergent had been dropped into it。
〃Ask her why she's here；〃 Holly said； tearing off the second sheet and putting it with the first。
Jim was surprised。 〃She？〃 〃Why not？〃 He brightened。 〃Why not？〃 he agreed。
He turned to a new page in his own tablet and wrote her question： Why are you here？ Floating up through the paper to the surface： TO OBSERVE； TO STUDY； TO HELP MANKIND。
〃You know what this is like？〃 Holly said。
〃What's it like？〃 〃An episode of Outer Limits〃 〃The old TV show？〃 〃Yeah。〃
〃Wasn't that before your time？〃 〃It's on cable。〃
〃But what do you mean it's like an episode of Outer Limits？〃 She frowned at TO OBSERVE； TO STUDY； TO HELP MANKIND and said； 〃Don't you think it's a little。 。 。 trite？〃 〃Trite？〃 He was irritated。 〃No； I don't。 Because I haven't any idea what alien contact should be like。 I haven't had a whole lot of experience with it； certainly not enough to have expectations or be jaded。〃
〃I'm sorry。 I don't know。 。 。 it's just。 。 。 okay； let's see where this leads。〃
She had to admit that she was no less awed than she had been when the light had first appeared in the walls。 Her heart continued to thud hard and fast； and she was still unable to draw a really deep breath。
She still felt that they were in the presence of something superhuman； maybe even a higher power by one definition or another； and she was humbled by it。 Considering what she had seen in the pond； the pulsing luminescence even now swimming through the wall； and the words that kept shimmering into view on the tablet； she would have been hopelessly stupid if she had not been awed。
Undeniably； however； her sense of wonder was dulled by the feeling that this entity was structuring the encounter like an old movie or TV script。
With a sarcastic note in his voice； Jim had said that he had too little experience with alien contact to have developed any expectations that could be disappointed。 But that was not true。 Having grown up in the sixties and seventies； he had been as media…saturated as she had been。
They'd been exposed to the same TV shows and movies； magazines and books； science fiction had been a major influence in popular culture all their lives。 He had acquired plenty of detailed expectations about what alien contact would be like…and the entity in the wall was playing to all of them。 Holly's only conscious expectation had been that a real close encounter of the third kind would be like nothing the novelists and screenwriters imagined in all their wildest flights of fantasy； because when referring to life from another world； alien meant alien； different； beyond easy parison or prehension。
〃Okay；〃 she said； 〃maybe familiarity is the point。 I mean； maybe it's using our modern myths as a convenient way to present itself to us； a way to make itself prehensible to us。 Because it's probably so radically different from us that we could never understand its true nature or appearance。〃
〃Exactly；〃 Jim said。 He wrote another question： What is the light we see in the walls？ THE LIGHT IS ME。
Holly didn't wait for Jim to write the next question。 She addressed the entity directly： 〃How can you move through a wall？〃 Because the alien seemed such a stickler about form； she was somewhat surprised when it did not insist on hewing to the written question…reply format。 It answered her at once： I CAN BEE PART OF ANYTHING； MOVE WITHIN IT； TAKE SHAPE FROM IT WHENEVER I CHOOSE。
〃Sounds a little like bragging；〃 she said。
〃I can't believe you can be sarcastic at a time like this；〃 Jim said impatiently。
〃I'm not being sarcastic；〃 she explained。 〃I'm just trying to understand。〃
He looked doubtful。
To the alien presence； she said； 〃You understand the problems I'm having with this； don't you？〃 On the tablet： YES。
She ripped away that page； revealing a fresh one。 Increasingly restless and nervous； but not entirely sure why； Holly got to her feet and turned in a circle； looking at the play of light in the walls as she formulated her next question。 〃Why is your approach marked by the sound of bells？〃 No answer appeared on the tablet。
She repeated the question。
The tablet remained blank。
Holly said； 〃Trade secret； I guess。〃
She felt a bead of cold sweat trickle out of her right armpit and down her side； under her blouse。 A childlike wonder still worked in her； but fear was on the rise again。 Something was wrong。 Something more than the disjointed nature of the story the entity was giving them。
She couldn't quite put her finger on what spooked her。
On his own tablet； Jim quickly wrote another question； and Holly leaned down to read it： Did you appear to me in this room when I was ten years old？ YES。 OFTEN。
Did you make me forget it？ YES。
〃D