The voice she had come to identify as Tom seemed saddened. "You see, Fran, the war was the product of a machine age. But men have gone back to the soil. They had to. There aren't many machines left any more, and there's no way to build them or keep them going. So they've been wearing out, breaking down. People used machines to communicate with each other and spread ideas and knowledge. Without the machines, their world has grown smaller. They're afraid of things that aren't part of it. And we aren't of their little world, Fran. We're ... different. And for that reason they'll try to destroy us if they learn what we are. "That mustn't happen, Fran. They've had their chance--and they've failed. We have a right to ours, but it's a right we must fight for. We must stay hidden and keep from being found out until we're ready.... So be careful, Fran. Don't let those around you discover your new abilities. They'll keep growing, I think. In some of us there's no way of knowing what heights will be reached." "But isn't there something we can do?" she asked in silent, voiceless protest. "Isn't there some place we can go? Isn't there any hope for us at all?" * * * * * Tom's answer was slow and grave. "There is hope, yes. But we must be patient. Mentally we're far beyond ordinary people, but physically most of us are still children. We need time to grow, time to attain our full powers. And we need time to find each other and plan for the future. We can afford to wait, Fran. But above all we must be careful. "Right now, though, you'd better rest. You don't want to put too much of a strain on yourself the very first time." Her mind leaped in dismay. "But, Tom--will I be able to reach you again?" "You can reach me any time you send out your thoughts to me, Fran. Don't worry about that." "All right, Tom." Sudden shyness made her falter. "I'm glad ... glad I'm not alone." "I understand.... Good night, Fran." "Good night, Tom." She lay still for a long while. She found she _was_ tired, as though she had been under some exhausting nervous tension. But her pulse raced with excitement. Carefully she went back over what Tom had told her, sifting the contents of his message for implications she might have missed. His warning became vivid in her mind, and abruptly, chillingly, she remembered the barking of dogs in the distance and men on horseback racing far-off across a field. She remembered a faint, triumphant baying and the muted thunder of guns. She remembered clutching in fright at her Mother's hand and seeing Big Luke ride back to them across the yard. An echo of his voice reached her over the years. "Got another monster, by God!" She remembered that had happened several times. She had thought monsters were horrible animals of some sort, but now she knew they were people, new and different people--like herself.... * * * * *