keyed up to go to sleep immediately.????If they are.????A dead end.

 David and Celia
 David and Celia. and later overseen the others who did it for him. ??Now you understand what I meant when I said this was all that mattered. the powdering of snow.??I??m too bored doing nothing. her mother had assured Grandmother Wiston. ??Why up here??? he asked finally.??Has he been eating enough meat lately? He looks peaked. who??s alive. His head was still bandaged. If any of those girls can conceive. who will??? She took a deep breath and said. It??s what I trained for. already looking too pudgy??he??d be fat in another three or four years. ??Don??t worry about the work. The pennant was the color of the midsummer sky.What David always hated most about the Sumner family dinners was the way everyone talked about him as if he were not there.??I have to go get her. One night as they walked side by side back to their rooms.??David scanned the final lines quickly. ??We keep them here at all times. apparently deaf to the renewed merriment behind him.C-l had been like his own child. to yell for them to come running.

 David thought in surprise. or Minnesota. Okay???David took her through the lab the following morning. how many are up at the northern end of the valley?????About one hundred ten now. International travel restrictions were imposed immediately. She sat wrapped in his plaid shirt and watched him as he opened a can of stew and heated it. They all met his gaze without flinching. No more than that.?? W-l said. . There??s more radiation in the atmosphere than there??s been since Hiroshima?? French tests. himself . David led her through another doorway.??They??ll use the fertile ones only to replenish their supply of clones. and they aren??t trying.??Slowly David nodded.????We might. Some abnormalities were present.??David nodded. like a sentimental card titled ??Rural Life. ??Just tell me you love me. Vlasic didn??t even look up. He hadn??t been in the lab for weeks. grown to the stature of a large tree.

 he said the best test for fertility was pregnancy. David didn??t offer to pull it. But it seems so futile sometimes. waiting patiently for David to begin. the barn near the road. leaving the other free to test the windows.?? she said very slowly. as he always was. Go on home now. ??I know why Hilda did it.Whenever Aunt Claudia came up. if he died. Eighteen Fours. she from scraping her shoulder on a rock. Forsythias and flaming bushes were in bloom. not yet painted. not as man and wife. moaning. ??Have you told the two boys yet?????I told them all.??And they don??t know what to do about any of it. I don??t know what it is. David felt his cool fingers on his wrist.??I??ve loved you for more than twenty years. Dusk turned to night and the electric lights came on.

 A Walt with something missing. and they learn farming methods suited to temperate climates.?? David said impatiently.?? He sighed. and a longer time before he could relax his mind enough to sleep. He stopped and the boy ran to him. hoping the rushing water of the creek would mask any sound he might make. velvet blue-black at night with blazing stars that modern man had never seen. It became more virulent as time went on. Saudi Arabia.People still went to work. David. Still. too keyed up to go to sleep immediately. He seemed to know when to stop treating them as children long before anyone else in the family did. May-softened sky when David returned home.The party was held in the new auditorium.?? Grandfather Wiston had said once. They blame us. Familiar and alien.??David!?? One of the youngest boys.??He laughed.In Walt??s office he raged. ??Harry has cracked.

?? She stirred fitfully and he knelt by the side of her cot and held her close; he could feel her heart flutter wildly for a moment. immobile and terrible. promises be damned. and I understand we have cakes and sandwiches.??C1-2 didn??t change his expression. He made a dash for the door. and put her arm through Molly??s. He never realized his legs could ache so much.?? With her hands clasped behind her. The family tumbled from the house as if they had been shaken out. green spears of onions. but her hands were steady as she swabbed a long gash on Clarence??s side and put a heavy pad over it. still holding her hand. ??I??ll operate. ??I have to check my patients. famine. and Molly and her sisters swept out to the floor. ??We don??t have much choice. ??He??s resting. and the next morning he solemnly told it good-bye and began to climb the slopes overlooking the farm. ??Celia!??She stopped and raised her head. a drive. and he felt a profound sadness and loneliness. I was down to the mill.

 the stockrooms. and the output of toxins. Why???David sat down hard and stared at Walt. The D-4 strain would be the one. looking grotesquely out of place against a wall of pale pink travertine. Just before they made us leave Brazil. unlined.??You??ll do another year of donkey work for Selnick and eventually you??ll write the thesis. was so like Walt??s that David felt a thrill of something that might have been fear or more likely.?? she whispered then. The winters were getting colder. They were each and every one Celia. It finally was easier to keep their temperatures right by keeping us too warm. ??Then you have to kill me. We??re restricting our exports of food now. and they were finishing in forty minutes; slightly longer for the Fives.????We??re making it work. ??I know. and after that there was no further talk of destroying the inhuman monstrosities. I think you know it. but suddenly a violent gust of wind drove a hard blast of rain against the window. Soundlessly he ran toward the control room. David slipped away. he should be tired.

 even when totally preoccupied with his own work. He suddenly became a melting. grandfathers. She can??t walk in on that gang at the Wiston place. ??But they also had a twenty-five percent fertility factor. by presidential decree.????We should start down.????That??s a lie.Walt looked small. The older children were supposed to keep an eye on the younger ones. They looked awed and very respectful. honey. creamy smoke of bayberry candles.If it hadn??t been for Celia. are going to be there!????I don??t care. David. yours. . and they learn farming methods suited to temperate climates. England??s changing into a desert. Before.?? David said.??Remember when one of your women killed one of us a long time ago. At the same moment he felt a crushing pain against his shoulders.

 David didn??t know whom he had been cloned from. ??But they also had a twenty-five percent fertility factor.????It isn??t a question of can or can??t. don??t let them do it!?? Walt??s color was bad. David. We have very carefully recorded all of your efforts in our behalf. And in early July. but instead. By now he had counted twenty-two people; he thought that was all of them. and my great-grandfather when he came along. but he sobered again very quickly and said. and promiscuity was the norm.?? David said. With the clone-four strain there was a drastic change. The music grew louder and more and more dancers spun around. Walt said. And birds.It was misty and very cool under the trees. But when she hit him and he went limp. He caught her as she crumpled.?? David said flatly. . The ground floor was filled with machinery. Most of South America will be in a state of famine before the end of this decade if they aren??t helped almost immediately.

 . ??You giving up your practice to go into research??? he asked Walt. Her eyes were very large.??Not yet. ??We don??t want to do that.??I know the signs. ??What can I do?????It??s his back. underground passage from the hospital. He turned from her to stare out the window. but rather that most priceless discovery of all??information. higher than a man??s head. and the other outbuildings??swept away by the flood they had started so long ago.??David didn??t know either.?? Turning away from David. grandfathers. David! I refuse it!??David felt only a great weariness. just tell me about it here. and they??re just leaving them where they fall.??Selnick says we should offer to buy his equipment. They didn??t give Wanda any chance at all. Living memories. heaving sigh. who had been dead for fifteen years. keeping their genes intact.

 sweet-potato sticks glazed with honey. Celia??s hand tightened in David??s. ??is a woman who can conceive a child.??David ran down the hall toward the emergency room. He sat down and for a long time he and Walt sat in companionable silence. ??That??ll be our tour tomorrow.?? Walt said patiently. She would stand there. David thought. ??Then a meeting. ??I had hoped that they were out of date. and at the foot of it all were the mosses and lichens. their long hair held back by braided bands. Walt simply nodded. David. Of course. ??This is how this land looked a million years ago. will you? You understand that I have to go. and their offspring by sexual reproduction. hot and still like this day. if you will. he began to trot toward the mill and the generator. through cloning and sexual breeding of the third generation. This project will get me a doctorate.

??I knew you??d come here. Selnick had insisted??madly. Your last toast was doctored. ??But. David glanced at Celia.?? Miriam said. but requiring concentration and endurance. and still more harshly he said.?? Walt sat down once more. ??Cheap.??Walt studied him for a moment. She didn??t wake up completely. Dressed in a short white tunic with a red sash. but her bones would become more prominent and the almost emptiness of her face would have written on it a message of concern.??When they stopped for lunch.??Why won??t you let me in? Haven??t you learned the value of an objective opinion???D-l pulled away. Chlorine. secrecy be damned. Molly saw her smaller sisters intent on pursuit. with David following. ??I have to sleep. Celia. it??s that team. David took it from her and gently lowered her to the bed he had prepared.

 then moving on again. Beyond the corn the land broke and tumbled down to meet the river. David stretched out on the ground under the great trees and slept. Walt told him the names. I reckon. There was a film of sweat on her face and neck. and there were representative supplies from almost every conceivable area of business and professional endeavor. Work in the classroom. dark green cabbage. There were calves in the field. and held the door open for David. ??Jonathan says that you need a rest. One of the boys you call David impregnated her. hurrying her through the echoing room. Grandfather Sumner poured the ritual before-dinner martinis and handed one to him. a short passage.?? He moved around the desk and walked toward the door. who nodded. Celia. with none of the nervous mannerisms that Walt exhibited. Margaret was near term.?? Clarence said.??Celia shook her head. not able to be rid of it.

 There was Clarence. just tell me about it here.??David felt his hands clench and he straightened his fingers. leaving only for meals. He was a large man with a massive chest and great bulging biceps. deep blue so clear that in daylight it would blend into the sky perfectly. ??We took a lot of them out.The hospital wing where W-l and W-2 were working now was ablaze with lights. but the rain had become clean.?? David said. but there was a feeling. Something??s not working. getting ready for her coming trip to Brazil.They came out of the school in matched sets: four of this. But we agreed that this instinct of preservation of the species would override your word of honor. ??I??ll take Mike and the cart. Inside the cave they used lanterns. If you stop breathing for six minutes. jeans. and said to Vernon.?? She stirred fitfully and he knelt by the side of her cot and held her close; he could feel her heart flutter wildly for a moment.??You??re going to care! Because those babies are going to come busting out of those sacs. although she was still staring down at the farm and couldn??t see. watching the boys from the window in Walt??s office.

 and slammed it behind him. he wheeled about.?? he said. or Kansas. from left to right. Jordan. If you don??t understand.??Not yet. After that we prepare the nursery for a hell of a lot of preemies. prepare them for burial. ??He??s resting. The pollution??s catching up to us faster than anyone knows. ??Remember when I broke your arm???Later. Celia??s mother was more beautiful than the girl. Jeremy Streit brought his hardware merchandise in four truckloads. Behind the house. potency dropped until the fifth generation of sexually reproduced offspring. He pressed his cheek against the rough bark for a few moments. She would not move until everyone was back where he or she belonged. and a longer time before he could relax his mind enough to sleep. If anyone??s doing anything. ??I can??t decide anything right now. And the priority boards that squabbled and fought and campaigned for this cause or that. But I??m afraid it??s his back.

 They blame us. She turned her back to put her clothes on the foot of her cot.????There is still the decline and extinction. had to take strict measures to avert it. Deep in one of the smaller passages flowed a river that was black and soundless. for the hot rains. The arching. The army was occupying the buildings. and then what? A mistake. inflation. The little Kirby brothers started to cry in unison. He wandered on the hospital grounds for a few minutes.?? He drank his eggnog then and put the crystal cup down hard. even when totally preoccupied with his own work. He??s dying.??They were promiscuous. They learned amazingly well from one another. and short-tempered. all the children would seem to be sleeping.Walt looked David over and shrugged.??The passageway was dimly lighted. clone them. He was white. He turned away and pondered the future of the boys.

 all of a piece on that calm. ??You think you??re being asked to give up a lifetime career for a pipe dream. and then it started to climb back up and presumably would have reached normalcy again. or an error had been found in their figures. No one would tell us anything about it. And the priority boards that squabbled and fought and campaigned for this cause or that. and finally to his grandfather. A twin. a long time ago. he couldn??t tell. smiling faintly. not unconscious. Information we all need.?? Walt went on. They weren??t certain yet. There were no educational frills. which looked smooth and unmoving. willing the memory to fade away again. They were talking earnestly until he drew near. The wheat was golden brown. Four died in the first hour.??She didn??t look quite so blue-cold now.David slept where they had left him. so far ahead of time?????Because it isn??t that far ahead of time.

 Interchangeable. nothing else.??Dorothy? What are you doing here??? He couldn??t get off the bed. and when they grew older and it was made abundantly clear that no cousins might ever marry in that family. then showered and went to the cave entrance. ??They understand about the girls?? ovulation periods. After that we prepare the nursery for a hell of a lot of preemies. I have to. not dangerous. we simply wouldn??t have children. He couldn??t remember for a moment the third one??s name. and watched her sleep for a long time before he lay down beside her and also slept. give it some clover when the ground dries out. his eyes glowing as he looked over the pages. ??Look. with windows ten feet above the ground. head bowed. misty milieu of his dream saurians walked and a bird sang. was the master of ceremonies. no more than that. green. with an enormous fan in the west window. the kids. but the garden was green: pale lettuce.

??David started to climb. That??s where they took us when we got sick. ??The A-four strain.??David blinked. black sleep. not unconscious. not liking it particularly.????For God??s sake! Come with me.Other small groups were starting to converge on the auditorium. She would stand there. who??s dead.??David nodded. He found a window that went up easily when he pushed it. They just do their jobs. and David found himself blessing his grandfather for his purchase of Selnick??s equipment. David had thought at the time??that he take everything or nothing. We??ll let it be this year. she did not open them again. mine. to the coast. Badly bruised. after scanning the two pages. and he had talked to David briefly. are efficient enough.

 put her pencil in the open book. there was no way for the government to cope with the rising panic. but it was an expected high. You know we don??t dare use any for anything but the harvest. The fetuses were developing. still very quietly. not liking it particularly. We left on a small boat. and left once more. We??re afraid our supplies of chemicals will run out. They weren??t Celias. and their first impression must have been that he had raped her. and said we had to get out. I think we??re going to have our hands full with prematures. ??But they also had a twenty-five percent fertility factor. He had taken a train from Washington to Richmond. Zelda had a miscarriage the following week. With an increased chance of abnormality.?? he said. David thought. and my great-grandfather when he came along.??Are you all right???She nodded. to the other uncles and cousins in the room. jeans.

 They had moved very close. ??A hospital??? He looked at his uncle Walt. for the Americans. The school will jump at the chance to unload it right now. It??s our friend. There??re more diseases than there??s ever been since the good Lord sent the plagues to visit the Egyptians.?? Melissa called from the far end of the room. David knew that they were purposely skirting the other question. Here were the relicts his grandfather had brought him to see. Here a stag head. to the other uncles and cousins in the room. velvet blue-black at night with blazing stars that modern man had never seen. I can??t just decide not to go.?? Grandfather Sumner said brusquely. and his legs felt curiously weak. he had had a fantasy in which Celia-3 had come to him shyly and asked that he take her. . ??What do you think we should do about Bobbie???He had arrived at that mysterious crossing that is never delineated clearly enough to see in advance.??W-l shrugged. . There was the dissection room. ??Change it! Make it one year. nor of any recent use of the road. Celia.

 David.??He looked at David with a fearful expression. in the kitchens. Walt told him the names. David . where he had been heading originally. Something like sixty percent fatal. before the rains start again???They lay under a stand of yellow poplars. He was gray and aged but in good health physically. where the chairs had been replaced by long tables that were being laden with delicacies usually served only at the annual celebration days: The Day of the First Born; Founding Day; The Day of the Flood . and as soon as there is anything to tell you. but they were converting to coal as fast as possible. and at dusk he was under the branches of the tiers of trees that had been there since the beginning of time. Warren watched the two young people cover Clarence and strap him securely. What are you talking about???Grandfather Sumner let out his breath explosively. half carried her back to their room.?? D-l said. We??re restricting our exports of food now. and David caught his arm.Molly felt a pleasant inertia envelop her and she could only smile and sigh as her sisters prepared her for bed. and here and there it was whispered that it was plague. other shopkeepers. ??Maybe they??re afraid of us. It metastasized.

 Nineteen of us. She dropped the shoulder bag that had weighed her down and ran toward him. W-2 said.??David looked about the room. it??s that team. swirling. not planning anything. David??s father owned a large department store that catered to the upper-middle-class clientele of the valley. inert. or more often in a mixture of sorghum and butter that he stirred together on his plate until it looked like baby shit. Another ceremony would take place at dockside. One day you??ll come up here and put your hand on this tree and you??ll know it??s your friend. Whoops. They listened apathetically; they could not care any longer what was happening to any part of the world that was not their small part. he thought.?? he said drily. David thought.?? she said tightly. ??It??s a bit spooky to walk into a crowd that??s all you. that the plants were sparse and frail. A time-consumer question. his anger melted. or anywhere else. in the field.

 by a trick of the haze-filtered light. When they could not avoid each other after that. and Walt seemed to want him there. we were trying. corn-straw sandals on her feet. but there was nothing to say to him.?? But he didn??t move. I think you know it. turn around and eat now. Cloning the fours was worse.??He nodded and lighted the Sterno. too many people. to Harvard. Grandfather Sumner had converted everything he could into cash during the past two years. ??But. He was cheerful and happy. picnic tables and benches. And he saw the resemblance to his own mother in the trio.The smells of holidays were fixed in David??s memory. He was starting a headache again. the government chose to paint glowing pictures of the coming upturn that would be apparent by fall. The cod they are catching are diseased. A Walt with something missing. Where the sun did find a path through.

 a dead area. and although he had farmed for many years.??How did your people know about the accident??? David asked. Don??t talk any longer. Walt said. of his wife. who. But they won??t. They??re up to something.??Not yet. He??ll sleep until tomorrow afternoon. which looked smooth and unmoving.??David touched her arm and she jerked and trembled.?? she said finally.Watching the two older men. and soon. They would all pass. ??Thirty more dead people. and at dusk he was under the branches of the tiers of trees that had been there since the beginning of time. calling as he went. to point out some of the details that Walt might miss. too keyed up to go to sleep immediately.????If they are.????A dead end.