I called Dr. Weatherby. But before he arrived, the grayness had all slipped behind us. He saw it as a gray, formless blob. It congealed to a point. And then it vanished. “That was an atom, Leonard,” he said. His voice had an excitement in it. “That was our first sight of anything of the new realm large enough to have an identity. Substance, Leonard! The substance of which our universe, our earth, is so infinitesimal a part. Everything we see now will be identical with it. The atoms! We are emerging!” * * * * * They aroused me from sleep some hours later, calling me excitedly. I found them all in the instrument room crowded around Dolores who was sitting on the couch, her hands pressed against her forehead. Jim cried; “She’s getting thought-waves, Len! Some one is communicating with her!” Dr. Weatherby was murmuring, “What is it, Dolores? Do you get it clearer now?” “Yes. Someone is thinking: _We can see you! We see you coming!_” “Yes, Dolores. What else?” “That’s all. _We’re watching! We see you coming!_” Jim murmured in a low voice, “The man on the cliff! The young man and the girl in distress!” Dolores shook her head. “No. This is someone else. Closer. Stronger. The thoughts are very strong.” “Can’t you see anything, Dolores?” Dr. Weatherby touched her, shook her gently. “Try, child. Tell them to think about themselves.” “I see—” she stopped, then stammered; “I see . . . a light. A very big light. There are people—” “Men?” “Yes. Men. Three or four of them. Sitting near a light. It shines so white. It hurts.” But she put her hand, not to her eyes but to her temple. “I’m thinking to them, _Why can’t I see you? I want to see you!_ Wait. Now, I understand. He, someone thinks at me, _Try your telescope! Haven’t you a telescope? Soon you will see us. We have seen you for a very long time._” Alice blurted out, “How long, Dolores? Ask them that.” “No,” commanded Dr. Weatherby. “That’s absurd. Dolores—” But her hands had dropped from her forehead. “It’s gone. I’m tired. My head is tired.” Jim drew me to the window. “Look there! I was on watch. When this began appearing I called everybody. But then suddenly Dolores began getting the thoughts.” * * * * * The scene outside was wholly changed. Beneath us, to the sides and ahead, a grayness stretched, a continuous solid grayness. Elusive, formless, colorless; I could not guess how distant it might be save that it stretched beyond the limits of my vision. But ahead and above us, the scene was not gray. A vague, luminous quality tinged the blackness up there. Luminous, as though a vague light were reflected.