Franklan looked at his hand. "Whatever you've done, I don't recommend it. It's not the way to get well fast--or at all." "Grabbed something hot," Alsint said. Might as well say that. The bar was now just a bar and no examination would reveal that it had been a superconductor. Same with the insulation it had rested on. He couldn't prove anything. * * * * * Franklan rattled the instruments. "Nothing serious. This'll heal on schedule, but it's going to hurt while I fix it." He administered a local anesthetic below the elbow. It made Alsint dizzy. He sat down and closed his eyes while Franklan worked. He relaxed more than he intended and then deliberately opened his eyes because he was drowsy and didn't want to fall asleep. Over Franklan's shoulder, behind the window that swung out from the dispensary to the corridor, was a little red bird. It was much like the one that had fluttered around as he had tried to get on the ship. Perhaps it had come in with him and hidden in some quiet place until now. It was possible. Franklan looked up. "What are you staring at?" Alsint's tongue was fuzzy. "Outside the window behind you is a little red bird," he said, speaking distinctly to overcome the side-effects of the anesthesia. Franklan went on swabbing, not bothering to glance behind him. "You're tired," he said. "And look again at that bird outside the window. For my sake, tell it to put on a spacesuit. If it doesn't, it will die in a matter of seconds." Startled, Alsint looked around. He was mixed up in his directions. He was facing the visionport, plain empty space, not the corridor. He blinked his eyes frantically, but the bird wouldn't go away and it didn't die. There was no air out there, millions of miles from the nearest planet. The bird flapped its wings in the airless space and went through the motions of singing. * * * * * It was ridiculous. There was nothing to carry the sound. But he could imagine hearing it anyway, through the thick armorglass of the visionport--a bird singing in space. Resolutely he closed his eyes and kept them closed. He had enough trouble without taking on hallucinations. Franklan finished the new bandage and tapped his shoulder. "You can come out of it now." Alsint tried not to, but he couldn't resist. He stared past Franklan toward the visionport. "Is it gone?" asked Franklan. His voice was quiet. "It's gone," Alsint said in relief. "Good. These things happen occasionally. As long as you can adjust back to reality, you have nothing to worry about." Franklan rummaged through the medical supplies. "Take these. They may help you." Wordlessly, Alsint took the packet and went back to his room. He was sweating and shaken.