"Okay then. You've got till March. And between you and me, I hope by then you've decided the other way." Mary walked back down the aisle, past the rows of desks. Past the men and women. The handsome, model men and the beautiful, perfect women, perfect, all perfect, all looking alike. Looking exactly alike. She sat down again and took up her ruler and pen. Mary stepped into the elevator and descended several hundred feet. At the Second Level she pressed a button and the elevator stopped. The doors opened with another button and the doors to her Unit with still another. Mrs. Cuberle sat on the floor by the T-V, disconsolate and red-eyed. Her blond hair had come slightly askew and a few strands hung over her forehead. "You don't need to tell me. No one will hire you." Mary sat beside her mother. "If you only hadn't told Mr. Willmes in the first place--" "Well, I thought _he_ could beat a little sense into you." The sounds from the T-V grew louder. Mrs. Cuberle changed channels and finally turned it off. "What did you do today, Mother?" Mary smiled. "Do? What can I do, now? Nobody will even come over! I told you what would happen." "Mother!" "They say you should be in the Circuses." Mary went into another room. Mrs. Cuberle followed. "How are we going to live? Where does the money come from now? Just because you're stubborn on this crazy idea. Crazy crazy crazy! Can I support both of us? They'll be firing _me_, next!" "Why is this happening?" "Because of you, that's why. Nobody else on this planet has ever refused the Transformation. But you turn it down. You _want_ to be ugly!" Mary put her arms about her mother's shoulders. "I wish I could explain, I've tried so hard to. It isn't that I want to bother anyone, or that Daddy wanted me to. I just don't want the Transformation." Mrs. Cuberle reached into the pockets of her blouse and got a purple pill. She swallowed the pill. When the letter dropped from the chute, Mrs. Cuberle ran to snatch it up. She read it once, silently, then smiled. "Oh, I was afraid they wouldn't answer. But we'll see about this _now_!" She gave the letter to Mary. _Mrs. Zena Cuberle Unit 451 D Levels II & III City Dear Madam:_ _In re your letter of Dec 3 36. We have carefully examined your complaint and consider that it requires stringent measures. Quite frankly, the possibility of such a complaint has never occurred to this Dept. and we therefore cannot make positive directives at the moment._ _However, due to the unusual qualities of the matter, we have arranged an audience at Centraldome, Eighth Level, Sixteenth Unit, Jan 3 37, 23 sharp. Dr. Elph Hortel has been instructed to attend. You will bring the subject in question._ _Yrs, DEPT F_ Mary let the paper flutter to the floor. She walked quietly to the elevator and set it for Level III. When the elevator stopped, she ran from it, crying, into her room.