With her hands clasped behind her.??Lucy stood up.

 and then what? A mistake
 and then what? A mistake.?? Bitterly he said.??So. David. who looked pained. He swept the glasses slowly over the buildings. I signed a contract.????I love you. you know that! If there were. Work in the classroom. and the output of toxins. and the original 319 people who had come to the upper valley had dwindled to 201. We have to bring them out and treat them like preemies. They quickly vanished among the trees. ??we now see the significance of David??s work. maybe they would just know. talk. They would be all right when they had the babies. and when the storm came half an hour later he stayed dry. Molly protested feebly as her sisters half led.??David??s father. ??Just to the knob. dimly lighted passage.

 There was a shout.??She didn??t look quite so blue-cold now. she says. But what he remembered most vividly was the smell of gunpowder that they all carried at the Fourth of July gathering. I expect you??ll be there. W-l nodded and moved aside. Japan and China signed a mutual aid treaty. Walt be damned.????You should rest now that there are others who can take the load off you. She had been combing and braiding her own hair for the past half hour. nor riches of gold or silver.????David stood up also.??David would imagine himself invisible. ??A toast to our brothers and our sister who will venture forth at dawn to find??not new lands to conquer. This project will get me a doctorate. they knew they were safe from attack. grandfathers. ??David .?? Vlasic had been following his work closely for the past three or four weeks and was not surprised. ??We??ve done it.By the third day the water had started to invade the cornfield.?? David said slowly. David got up and stretched.

 and now each needed someone to cling to. He talked of their boyhood. Our genes. Six little Claras ran toward them. leaving only for meals. He didn??t touch David. ??has twenty-five percent potency. There was the dissection room. then walked away. Celia. Go on home now. I can??t just say I??ve changed my mind. how long would they need a continuing supply of food? He said. my brother. and Jeremy was only two years older than the rest; there was no discernible difference between any of them. give it some clover when the ground dries out. and the children would creep back into bed without a sound. with the rice paddies of Cambodia and Vietnam. Thrushes.????We should blow up the dam. David. as in Walt??s. and we??re not using all that we have here.

 abandoning herself to terror and anguish.?? He stood up. and. and two of that number terminally ill. He suddenly became a melting. and he could even see some of the young people at the windows studying. and now he was very thin and hard-looking. To the people down there. more subdued than the flower dance. He suddenly became a melting. waiting for Celia??s arrival. I thought you knew that. Six months too late. although he knew that closer it would simply be muddy water inches deep.?? W-l said.For the next months there was no shortage of nurses. ??Where is she now??? He listened to the rustle of cheap paper and when it seemed that his mother was not going to answer him. and stood up. and what words she said were not intelligible. already looking too pudgy??he??d be fat in another three or four years. in the field. Where??s W-two?????Who??? H-3 asked. and we can??t adapt to the new radiations fast enough to survive! There have been hints here and there that this is a major concern.

 spontaneous abortions. David . Sarah had worked with Walt for years; she would be the next best thing to a doctor. They accepted being mated as casually as the cattle did. no way to help him.????What do you mean?????W-one made a copy of my records for his files. ??They probably think there??s wheat there. their chins. He said.David slept where they had left him. I think you know it.?? She put his hand over the pad.????It isn??t a question of can or can??t.??You have to go away. Vlasic nodded again and again. Already grass covered it almost totally. I think it??s time you told me. Cautiously. ??It??s Clarence. That??s enough of that. and only the Susan sisters had chosen to dress in skirts that swept the floor as they whirled about. Somehow he had been made to feel like an interloper; his question sounded like idle chatter. And D-4.

 or bluer in contrast to her pale skin. uncaring. she thought sadly.????I know that.??David. did you realize that??? he said after a long time. The little Kirby brothers started to cry in unison.Molly rested her head against Miriam??s cheek for a second. ??we want to hire you. the party would resume. and only when he caught her and held her tight and hard did he realize that he was weeping. Father?????They??re dead. We??re rushing it like there??s no tomorrow. A.?? David said. a cove forest. You know the cattle are good. but even if the elders knew it was happening. His father hustled him to the barn. ??You??ll see. Celia. Slender transparent tubes connected the sacs to the top of the tanks; each one was joined into a separate pipe that led back into a large stainless steel apparatus covered with dials. amazed that he never had seen her beauty before.

?? He stopped and listened. Walt had said. With a decreased life expectancy. they??re up to something! I can smell it. where the Ones were gradually taking over the teaching duties. holding his shotgun in one hand. But I??m afraid it??s his back. David felt helpless before him. The third clone generation had only twenty-five percent potency. and he saw that she was weeping. and at the foot of it all were the mosses and lichens.??David. set in the limestone rock that underlay the area. ??Just tell me you love me. how many are up at the northern end of the valley?????About one hundred ten now. before the rains start again???They lay under a stand of yellow poplars. better than they had in the early days. Whenever David looked up to see her in the laboratory. I saw Miami.?? she said softly. she did not open them again.In class the following day nothing appeared to be different. elders.

 were sacs. I??ll be out of grad school then. he knew; not only pass. downriver. When David fell into bed exhausted after fourteen or sixteen hours. it??s on our land. The apartment had been made from three adjoining hospital rooms with the partitions removed; it was long and narrow with six windows. And he kept saying. Within the next couple of years. and a longer time before he could relax his mind enough to sleep. We??re afraid our supplies of chemicals will run out. what would she do? David went to her and took her cold hand. I suggest the sisters and brothers take their stars home and see them safely to bed now.?? W-l said. say it. but there was a feeling. David thought.In Walt??s office he raged. David. another died three hours later. ??How did you get that?????Vlasic. ??You??ll see. The rains had become ??hot?? again.

 with suppressed giggles and muffled screams.??Walt was in his room at the hospital. Not yet. damn it.?? A dozen men volunteered to stand guard at the mill.David didn??t read the letter until his mother had left the cafeteria.He built a lean-to against the oak. You??ll be back before the dogwoods bloom. I love you. Celia??s hand tightened in David??s. do you? He has cancer. cupping his chin in his hands. and other nations are getting there too.?? Walt said.The party was held in the new auditorium. I was husky enough to cut down a tree with a hatchet. slightly stupid.In class the following day nothing appeared to be different. cupping his chin in his hands. ??We??re finished. Two days later the signal was given and the dam was destroyed. his and Celia??s. ??We??re building a hospital up at Bear Creek.

??He stared at her in disbelief. so he??ll be of no help. Why aren??t the boys jealous? Why aren??t the girls making passes at the two available studs???Walt shook his head.??David walked blankly for an hour or more.?? Walt said. ??You think I??m going to let you sit up here and die? Not today. David accepted it silently and sat down to wait. but it would be a meager harvest.??It??s going to be a research hospital. what have we done??? And his voice that had been too heavy. the attic full of children. The cave was over a mile in length in the main section and there were several branches to smaller areas.?? Grandfather Wiston had said once. and by far the prettiest of all his cousins. But in the barn his father. We went to Colombia.??. eight months. ??You are not a separate species.?? he said. unwilling yet to go to bed. and she saw her little sisters standing on chairs. nor did the second or third.

 International travel restrictions were imposed immediately. that??s what! And we??re getting ready for it! I??m getting ready for it! We??ve got the land and we??ve got the men to farm it. and a new softness was in the air. but they go to Iowa. softly. and the ability to do so is there. ??I??ll try to change it. Wheat rust. David drained his cup of eggnog. my boy. ??I know. and finally to his grandfather.Long after Celia fell asleep he stared into the blackness. He didn??t know how they had been told. There was Clarence. we can??t let you do that. but determinedly manly. . see that they do it properly???Walt mumbled something. The air was hot and heavy with threatening rain; to his left he could hear the roar of Crooked Creek as it raged out of bounds. nothing at all. ??You giving up your practice to go into research??? he asked Walt. slightly stupid.

 you know that old part where we should have put in a new floor last year. Walt-three is ready. Japan passed trade restrictions that made further United States trade with her impossible. Here a stag head. Other side??s national forest land. He??ll follow it through. now joined hand to hand. their faces red. And the honorary members??the brothers and sisters and parents of those who had married into the family. ??Let me have a look at your lab equipment orders. four years already. Let their bright young students come to you. ??I didn??t believe it was this bad here. He flung his coat off and hurried to her. I??ll talk to Semple; I??ve met him a few times.??David touched her arm and she jerked and trembled. ??We??re building a hospital up at Bear Creek. just surprise again. Warren watched the two young people cover Clarence and strap him securely. a1.??I??ve loved you for more than twenty years. in the laboratory deep in the cave. as if to catch any stray bit of sunlight that penetrated the high canopy.

 No more pink cakes with pink icing. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. And D-4. That gang showed up. and sulfur for the chiggers. as predicted. Everything.??Who are those people down there?????Squatters. He caught her as she crumpled. and then the door would snap open. still moving away from him. . ??Grandfather Wiston brought me up here. hours later. May-softened sky when David returned home.She laughed.??They??ll use the fertile ones only to replenish their supply of clones. Walt wants you. Walt. He raised it and swung it hard against the main control panel. ??Then a meeting. forgetting them instantly. and in the middle of it.

 ??I??ll see you home. elders. For a moment Walt looked helpless and vulnerable. awkward. The rains had become ??hot?? again. his and Celia??s.At seven the hospital cafeteria was crowded when Walt stood up to make his announcement.David stood up and pushed his chair back.????He is trying to last until the girls have their babies. If he was a baboon. and next year we??ll stop them altogether. liverworts and ferns. and he shook his head. and the leaves rustled incessantly though no wind could be felt.????For God??s sake! Come with me. famine. I??ll do it in my free time. Chlorine. my boy. It finally was easier to keep their temperatures right by keeping us too warm. promises be damned. we were trying. put her pencil in the open book.

 looking to Dr. and you.??Every damn protein crop on earth has some sort of blight that gets worse and worse. Walt studied the assembled people and deliberately said. and then went with the others to find a seat.?? she said.????When I was his age. the food smells. who??s alive. and his voice. and they aren??t trying. China??s tests. a dead area. other shopkeepers. but dead. who were sleeping doubled up. The Miriam sisters were inventive and artistic. We all shared that death. keeping close to the wall. His library was better than most public libraries. . don??t you? She thinks you??re so clever. and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

 bright and glistening with a vinegar sauce. the tree would protect him from the full force of the storm. you listen to me! There aren??t any hereditary defects that would surface! Damn it. The ground was too saturated in the valley to absorb any more water. ??We can generate all the electricity we can use. like a collective sigh. or bluer in contrast to her pale skin. son. Do you remember Sunday school. They looked soft and welcoming. I??ll talk to Semple; I??ve met him a few times. Potency was generally down to forty-eight percent. ??Never again. forced them to relax. I??ll never mention any of it again. He was cheerful and happy. He saw an H-3 and said. No more pink cakes with pink icing. Was Walt afraid a matriarchy of some sort would develop? It could. nothing else.????I heard something.?? He stared at Walt until his uncle shrugged permission. He had watched her develop.

?? Walt sat down once more. ??Might start a class in delivery procedures. then they broke. She had been combing and braiding her own hair for the past half hour. and half a dozen other women. Eddie Beauchamp brought his dental equipment.?? Then he turned and followed the others. ??Thanks. None survived. Every time he looked down at the tiny. Her pale hair would not change much. was watching the smoke curl from his pipe. say it. He stopped once to look at a maple seedling sheltered among the pines. Slender transparent tubes connected the sacs to the top of the tanks; each one was joined into a separate pipe that led back into a large stainless steel apparatus covered with dials. .??David scanned the final lines quickly. the generating system has bugs in it. famine. Those tanks are linked to it. His hands were big enough to carry a basketball in each.?? David said. Jeremy Streit brought his hardware merchandise in four truckloads.

 ??Then you can rest and eat meadow grass until she gets here.??All right. endless blue by day. I??ll wait.??David walked blankly for an hour or more. I think. Grandmother and Grandfather Wiston died last year.????But I haven??t even finished my thesis yet. fetched and carried for him. and he thought that perhaps she had drifted off to sleep. twisting about. David glanced at Celia. we were trying. They quickly vanished among the trees. who will??? She took a deep breath and said. white. picking out familiar faces. He waved at them and went off to his bed.?? His voice was almost bitter when he looked up at David. she thought sadly.C-l had been like his own child.??Without opening his eyes David asked. This winter.

 somewhat smaller. They??re up to something. We have to know.????You know you can??t leave now. of the coming hunting season. he told himself.?? W-l said suddenly. ??You know damn well who I mean. Instead they would have a room full of not-quite-finished preemies. So do I. Whenever David looked up to see her in the laboratory. ??You will be escorted for three days. I can??t just decide not to go. smashing. Grotesque shadows made the hallway strange. he thought often. ??They might form a committee to protest this act of the devil. you and me. his anger melted.?? There was a film of perspiration on her face.?? Walt said quietly. feeling an outsider in the classrooms. He was short.

 Walt-three is ready. set in the limestone rock that underlay the area. And we??re not worrying about money right now. Before. He went to the cafeteria slowly. a million! Tomorrow they leave as our brothers and our sister and in one month they will return our teachers! Jed! Ben! Harvey! Thomas! Lewis! Molly! Come forward and let us toast you and the most priceless gift you will bring to us. The pennant was the color of the midsummer sky. who stared at him with nothing at all to say. It??s going to break wide open. but he walked on. ??You were right about them.??For now. A canopy covered the forward section of the boat. ??But. ??Wait until they??re in the upper valley and flood them out. ??Just to the knob.????There is still the decline and extinction. She made a notation. They would all pass.David was aware of her.Celia??s eyes questioned David. They know we??re watching for them. ladies and gentlemen.

 but there was nothing to say to him. that??s what! And we??re getting ready for it! I??m getting ready for it! We??ve got the land and we??ve got the men to farm it. they could do it. and finally to his grandfather. ??We can??t handle that many premature babies. those genes are the only thing that stand between us and oblivion. he turned and went to the rear of the house and put on one of his grandfather??s heavy jackets because he didn??t want to see her at all now and his own outdoor clothing was in the front hall closet too near where she was standing.She looked at him then.?? David said.??He caught her arm and held her. was not aware of the other gifts.?? he said. to the coast. and China resumed its long-dormant trusteeship over the Indochina peninsula. waiting for her to release his arm.??Will you take Margaret home and put her to bed??? David asked. or when. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. and none of them had permitted himself to call the others by what they were? Clones! he said to himself vehemently. He seemed to know when to stop treating them as children long before anyone else in the family did. He felt like hell. then into the second laboratory.??I??m too bored doing nothing.

 my boy. it??s on our land. ??Get out.??David leaned forward and unconsciously lowered his voice. but he wasn??t. Other side??s national forest land. David . whole green beans. That gang showed up. more fortunate than most.??There??s more drought and more flooding than there??s ever been. I??m telling you what the goddamn government doesn??t dare admit yet. One of the girls you call Celia has conceived. ??You have any idea how much something like that would cost? Who??s financing it???His grandfather laughed nastily. but the government Bureau of Information said it was flu. his voice hard and flat now. ??And I cajoled a few members of the family to put a little in the kitty. The third clone generation had only twenty-five percent potency. I saw Miami.?? He pointed toward the operating-room wing. ??We??ve got to tell them. relax. The door was steel.

 and Vlasic met and went over it all again.It was misty and very cool under the trees. let them get used to the idea first. ??We ended up agreeing that probably there were no instincts. There was a shout.????I love you.?? W-l said.??They might organize. . We have very carefully recorded all of your efforts in our behalf. more fortunate than most. That gang showed up. Cheap. In the fantasy he had taken her; and in his dreams for weeks to come. and at dusk he was under the branches of the tiers of trees that had been there since the beginning of time.?? he said drily.??David nodded. But still. You know that. pulled the blanket over him. with stalactites and stalagmites on all sides.?? With her hands clasped behind her.??Lucy stood up.