Beyond This Horizon

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Beyond This Horizon-"

IT WAS nice to be able to come to the beach again. It was swell that Phyllis felt up to such little expeditions. It was pleasant to lie in the sun with his family and soak up comfort.

Things had not turned out the way he had planned, but things rarely did. Certainly he would never have believed all this a few years back ... Phyllis and Baldy, and now Justina. Once he had asked Claude to tell him the meaning of life-now he did not care. Life was good, whatever it was. And the prime question had been answered for him. Let the psychologicians argue it all they pleased-there was some kind of life after this one-where a man might find out the full answer.

For the main question: "Do we get another chance?" had been answered by the back door. There was something more to the ego of a newborn child than its gene pattern. Justina had answered that, whether she knew it or not. She had brought memory patterns with her; she had lived before. He was convinced of that. Therefore, it was a dead-sure cinch that the ego went somewhere after the body disintegrated. Where, he would worry about when the time came.

It did seem extremely likely that Justina did not know what she had proved (and of course there was no way of asking her). Her telepathic patterns after she was born were meaningless, confused, as one would expect of a baby. Shock amnesia the psychologicians had decided to call it. Being born must be something like being awakened out of a sound sleep by a dash of cold water in the face. That would shock anybody.

He had not made up his mind yet whether he wanted to continue active in the Great Research, or not. He might just be lazy and raise dahlia bulbs and kids. He didn't know. Most of it was pretty long distance stuff, and he personally was satisfied. Take that work Cliff was on-centuries and then some. Cliff had compared the job with that of trying to figure out the entire plot of a long stereostory from just one flash frame.

But they would finish it-some day. Theobald wouldn't see it, but he would see more of it than Felix, and his son would see still more. His sons would roam the stars-no limit.

It was nice that Theobald seemed to have gotten over that ridiculous fixation identifying Justina with Old Carvala. True, he did not seem actually fond of the baby, but that was expecting a lot. He seemed more puzzled by her, and interested. There he was, leaning over the baby's basket. He really did seem-

"Theobald!"

The boy stood up straight quickly.

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing." Maybe-but it looked as if he had pinched her.

"Well, I think you had better find another place to do it. The baby needs to sleep now."

The boy shot a quick glance at the infant and turned away. He walked slowly down toward the water.

Felix settled back, after glancing at Phyllis. Yes, she was still asleep. It was a good world, he assured himself again, filled with interesting things. Of which the most interesting were children. He glanced at Theobald. The boy was a lot of fun now, and would be more interesting as he grew up-if he could refrain from wringing his cussed little neck in the meantime!