Chapter 10

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

"Zeena introduced me to Jarze, one of her parent Elders....

"....Jarze was seated in the transport vehicle, so I could not get a good a look at her at the moment of our introduction. I say "her" for I felt a distinct feminine thought-line in her conversation.... There was no way to tell her gender on looks alone. In any case, these people seemed to place very little, if any, importance on gender, so the issue was ever raised from their side of the conversation.

"The "Dan Dare Special" had seating for four. It was a bit of a squeeze to get into, but with some adjustments I managed to fit into it.... The 'car' (I'll use this word from hereon in to save confusion with other forms of transport) was being 'driven' on a grey-brown surface similar to the cork-like material I described earlier. This 'road' was approximately 10 meters (33 feet) wide and did not appeared to be kerbed, but the outline side was so precise it looked as if it had been cut with a sharp knife.

"On the way to the dwelling which Zeena called home, I was given a little tour.... I was soon to discover that Zeena's dwelling was only a few meters from the water's edge and that we could drive right in under the building. As dazed as I was with the amazing sights of the city, I was not prepared for the visual symphony and associated sensations that awaited me within this most spectacular of dwellings.

"As we exited the car I had a better chance to take note of Jarze's general appearance. I found her very small in stature, possibly not even four feet tall. Her eyes, which were only visible after the removal of her protective goggles, were quite large and dark.... a very deep blue or indigo - curiously enough, almost the same colour of the sky overhead. These dark eyes showed no sign of any white, but the pupils within were quite difficult to distinguish. It was much later and only in a brighter light that I noted they were elliptical on a vertical axis! Dare I say this? Yes, you have it right - just like those of a cat! However, this was not a feature of Zeena's eyes, apart from their size they were very similar to our own.... They had four-digit hands with fingers proportionately twice as long as ours, but then their hands were small compared to ours. The thumb was almost as long as the other fingers, and, of course, they had no fingernails! Arms and legs had very little shape or muscle development, but the toes were unusual. Once again, they had only four digits.... Their heads were rather more square than round in appearance (but don't take that too literally; it was just a general observation), due partly to a large lobe overhanging at the back of the skull. They obviously had ribs or a rib-cage similar to our own, as the ribs were plainly visible to me.... I would think that the power of the Elders' minds could flatten a tank at half a mile - and this is a conservative estimate!

"Jarze would have to be the most gentle, considerate soul I have ever met.... She, more than anyone on Haven, Zeena included, allayed my private fears and in some respects made my decision to return home, when that time came, just a little more difficult....

(At this point the Author describes the interior of the home, only part of this description appears here)

"....The furniture looked to be made from the now familiar glass or plastic substance.... all the colours of the rainbow seemed to be deep within it. This colours could be changed by a person's thought patterns.... When a person was in meditation, the light level would drop and only the softer tones would come through.

"....Bedrooms as such had been made totally redundant, with meditation having entirely taken the place of sleep. These meditative states would last for an hour or two each day.

"With no need to prepare solid food.... they did have a drink station, but this was no more than a circular table with curved sitting around it. The drinks were served through straw-type devices....

"....My room was on the next level up and was normally used by Zeena for her studies and private times. Because I was still in need of a little sleep now and then, it was decided this would be the best room for me as I would not be disturbed by anyone moving around the house....

"....The top two levels of the dwelling had outside viewing terraces. On one side was the view of the city; on the other, a view of the sea. They afforded great views, even though to some extent neither terrace appeared necessary....

"I say this in all puzzlement, for I do not fully understand whether what I am about to describe to you was totally an aspect of their technological achievements or a partial side-effect of this strange dimensional world which seemed to hint of illusion as much as cold, hard reality. The point was that if one stared at any wall long enough and hard enough, eventually one could see right through it!

"When I queered Zeena about this phenomenon she seemed surprised that I'd even asked, suggesting it was a perfectly natural occurrence that the building should want to accommodate my wishes. Evidently, the suits helped align the wearer's frequency or life-pulse to that of the biological portion of the building. The best I can do for an explanation is that the building - a living entity in its own right - considers that the occupant's thoughts are its own thoughts and obeys any commands instinctively. This would also explain the colour variations within the house, for they appeared to respond to personal different moods just as if they were the building's own moods. I guess this would encourage the occupants to keep up a cheery outlook, and might say also something of the state of mind of these highly intelligent people that they could conceive and design such wondrous abodes.

"....After I'd been shown about the house, Jarze offered us some liquid refreshment. Zeena and I then went outside so I could look around and take in the local sights at my own pace. This was the first time we had been truly alone. At no time in the transporter could it be said that we had any real privacy, not that we sought it especially.

"We ended up at the water's edge and walked for some distance along it.... I do love being by the water's edge, and its proximity on this occasion made me think of my home planet all the more.

"Later we returned to look at Zeena's water vessel. It was a type of catamaran or twin-hulled craft, comprising two elongated bubbles which were totally transparent and fitted with sliding covers to keep out the weather. As mind-power or telekinesis was its sole form of propulsion, it had no need of engine or sails.

"We began to discuss the sea once more.... the minerals in suspension are a natural phenomenon and have not changed very much over the thousands of years that records had been kept.... The wavelets that were coming ashore looked tired, travelling almost in slow motion.

"As I suspected from my earlier aerial observations, the area where we were standing was artificial and similar to the road surface, a type of synthetic cork....

"....We would be travelling to the outskirts of the urban area and clear the artificial coastline the following day, time permitting. Zeena was keen for me to meet her other parent Elder who was involved in the testing and development of their new-version bodysuits. We would wait a little longer in the hope that I would have the chance to meet 'him' before going on a small tour Zeena had scheduled for me.

This seemed to be the right time for a lesson in synchronized meditation.... Now I wasn't at all sure about this meditation stuff, never having had any experience of it before - on or off planet Earth! The sight of Zeena floating six inches off the ground on the other side of the room from me was an introduction that could probably unnerve the best of us, let alone an uninitiated rookie. Needless to say, I didn't get off the ground, no matter how hard I tried! And I am yet to succeed, even though I try every now and then when no one is looking....

"A short city tour was next in store for me. This involved the use of the 'vibe station' the device I described earlier, which allows the traveller, upon entering the destination coordinates, to achieve almost instantaneous travel.... The cars were legacies from the past and only used to access the more out-of-the-way areas which the vibe stations did not reach - or "just in case", as Zeena said without elaboration. I suppose even alien high-tech devices can break down....

"....These city centers were open continuously but there were no shops as such, even though there was much on display. Nothing was bought or sold over the counter, and cold, hard cash did not exist. Their society is more closely allied to what we would call Communism on Earth, but seemingly without the drawbacks that appear to be rife with terrestrial forms of this style of government. If I have it right, from what Zeena told me, there is a credit allotment of some kind for time spent on community projects, which could encompass almost anything including space travel. However there is a maximum level to which these credits can accrue. In other words, if you're a workaholic, most of your extra hours on the job will be unpaid....

"....Of course, I can see this going down like a lead balloon with certain factions on Earth. While I have a neutral opinion on this idea, I guess you would have to try it to know if it worked for you or not.

"Anyway, goods would be ordered, and when available they would be delivered, but nothing was ever sold over the counter. The exact reasons for this I do not know. They don't seem to be materialistic people anyway, and they appear to have no great desire to own things. This would apparently place them in a different plane of thought from ours.

"I marveled at their buildings. They looked as if they belonged there. They were no where near as tall as ours. Mind you, ours are products of high-priced terrestrial real estate. That was not a factor on Haven....

"....Perhaps the greatest sight of all among this wonderland of new experiences were the huge, white, glass or crystal pyramids. I was told they contained all the knowledge of these amazing people.

"My excitement intensified when I was told we could access one of these buildings and that I would be allowed to study some of their history.

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Chapter 11

HAVEN ON EARTH

"It had been quite clear to me on more than one occasion during this interaction that the Haven I was currently visiting was not in the same time-frame as present-day Earth.... it was in our future.

"It was therefore plainly obvious to me that if I were to try to study anything of Earth's ancient history using these archives, I would have to access some extremely old Haven records....

"At last I can reveal some details of what I found in those ancient records.

"....Approximately 12,000 years ago in Earth's history - or 10,000 BC, if you like.... It just so happens that Haven historical records become more than a little confused at about this time, which clearly suggests that something unexpected happened to them or their planet during this period.

"....And if our geological records are to be believed, Earth also went through a very rough patch approximately 12,000 years ago.

"I have every reason to believe these Haven records constitute the true history of that time period. This is not a misinterpretation of Haven records or speculation on my part, for many ancient Earth artifacts, from stone megaliths to calendar systems, also suggest this scenario to be our true history. It you would care to re-examine some of this evidence in a new light after you have read this account, you may well agree with me....

"....I was astounded to learn from the Haven archives that our Earth did not always have its present Moon and that, indeed this present Moon is a recent acquisition - possibly as recent as 12,000 years ago! However, Earth already had a companion satellite before the arrival of this new Moon.

"....Apparently, this moon was not a moon as you might conceive of one. It was actually a small planet - a mini Earth!.... It was inhabited by life-forms similar to those on Earth today, but some were more advanced.

"These more advanced life-forms had 'rocket-ships' tens of thousands of years before the meaning or concept of rocket was understood here on Earth. The distance these rocket-ships had to travel to Earth, was but a stone's throw, and could have been achieved with technology no better than we have on present-day Earth.

"....I do not hold much sway in what terrestrial scientists tell the ordinary folk of this planet, but I do believe them when they say that long-distance space travel by conventional means (that is, rocket power) is impossible or highly improbable because of the vast distances of space involved and the time factor required with this manner of travel....

"....By now you may be thinking, "Okay, then, where did this 'other' or older moon go? It is clearly not orbiting the Earth now."

"....Many think this moon crashed into the Earth, thus forming the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans and at the same time causing a great flood which no doubt you have all heard about....

"....If the Earth managed to survive such a holocaust, what of the fate of the human race?...

"....Not only does geological evidence point to our having had this larger or closer moon at that time, but it also suggests that one moon was swapped for another. Some of the evidence even suggests there was a time when the Earth had no Moon at all! If you'd like to look into this further, I suggest you consult a fascinating book, Our Cosmic Ancestors (Temple Golden Publications, Arizona, USA, 1988), by former NASA space expert Maurice Chatelain (recently deceased).

"As I stated earlier, Haven also went through a transformation or dimensional leap 12,000 years ago (Earth time). This not only sent them to another time (the future?) but also to another realm of existence in this or even some other universe. If you can put two and two together here, you may get the same answer I got. Yes, our other moon or mini-planet was Haven!

"It is not only the planets of Haven and Earth that appear to be tied. The peoples of ancient Earth who still had Haven blood coursing through their veins could well have been involved in a disappearing act when Haven leaped into this other dimension. In other words it is as if they were somewhere, too - and the Earth tried to follow!

"Well, the Earth could not or did not follow but the event sure caused a commotion.... I believe it may even have damaged this grid system that alien visitors use to power their spacecraft when they roam our skies and oceans....

"....Thanks to researchers like Bruce Cathie, for his theory of Earth grid harmonics, and Richard Hoagland, for his presentations on interplanetary archaeology and geometry. I would hazard a guess that some of these points would have to be close to latitude 19.5 degrees north and south on our globe. One area which fits into both the latitude 19.5 degrees north scenario and the ancient cultured theme - and so would have been hit very hard by this vortical onslaught - is the piece of water which encompasses the southern end of an area known as the Bermuda Triangle. The area was not all water at the time of this onslaught, but in fact was part of the great land mass called Atlantis.... Atlantis did exist, but was finally lost to us approximately 12,000 years ago.

"....The disappearance of something the size of Haven from our solar system caused more than just a disturbance to planet Earth. To fill the space, a new moon was drawn into the orbit of Earth. Our present Moon had arrived! But this only occurred after the planet Venus came rushing past the Earth, seemingly from nowhere! Yes, Venus is also relative new to us.... Even the people of Haven do not know how Venus arrived here.

"....I have heard comment from here and there that the planet Venus had our new Moon in tow when it was rushing by the Earth, but lost it to Earth's gravity field as it passed.... I could find no reference on Haven as to the origin of Venus. However, I most certainly discovered how we acquired our new Moon.

"....You will remember the whole point of their experiment was to evolve to a more advanced state in their natural evolutionary cycle. It is obvious, I think, that this could only have happened to them as a race if they had skipped over some time. And as they took the whole planet with them, everything was now in a future place. But here's the catch: there can be no two Havens displacing exactly the same frequency in time and space, can there? The answer would appear to be no!

"And guess who acquired the displaced and once-future Moon in the vortical vacuum or space that the now-absent Haven had left in its wake? Yes, we did. We now had a very old Moon from our future!....

"....It would also appear that when Venus came rushing by us at this same time in our history, the exact reverse of what some historians suggest happened actually occurred. Instead of Earth capturing a moon in its tow, Venus almost stole our Moon from us, and that is why our Moon now has a wider and slower orbit around Earth than it once had.

"....since the astronauts first went to the Moon in the late 1960s and brought back samples of Moon rocks for analysis, it has been accepted that the Moon is indeed older than the Earth. However, no explanation of how this could be so has ever been forthcoming from scientific academia....

"....In my view, there is still more exciting evidence such as that recently presented by Richard Hoagland.... these revelations suggest that the Moon was once inhabited by an extremely advanced race. I use the word "once" here, for it is evident that the remains, or artifacts as he calls them, are quite possibly millions of years old.

"If I have unlocked the door of curiosity for you, you must now open it, and step through it for yourself!

"....According to Zeena I had already seen more than some would have wished me to see!.... Zeena almost had to drag me off the building....

"....Of all the buildings I had visited up until then, this pyramidal construction, where I studied the Haven records, housed the most plant life....

"....Upon leaving the building I could not help feeling that some of the plants looked vaguely familiar.... I couldn't help but think I had been here or at least touched these plants before, in the past!

"I looked over to where Zeena was standing, and even though she sent no thoughts my way I felt she was trying to encourage me to remember something from deep within, but without interfering with the process. We exited the building without exchanging any further thoughts.

"In my travels about the city I had noticed some rather strange-looking devices at the entranceways of the buildings. This turned out to be dust compactors.... They seemed to work quite well, as all the buildings were immaculate inside.

"When showing me over the city, Zeena was full of enthusiasm.... I could tell she loved her home town with possibly more gusto than I had for anything of the like back on Earth. I could see it in her eyes and in her hands movements as she described various aspects of whatever had caught my attention. I found myself spending more and more time watching her and her movements, absorbing the delightful way she had of conveying thoughts to me.

"....before the forthcoming expedition to the desert area.... I excused myself to both Jarze and Zeena and retired to my room on the third floor.

"....It was now becoming apparent that my desire for sleep was more a reflex action, my body still having in mind the need for it because a set period of time had elapsed. Zeena had suggested earlier onboard the transporter that my need for sleep would diminish.... so this state seemed to be manifesting itself upon me at last....

"....Because I didn't [have] to sleep, I now had a little bonus time.... this was a good chance to have a three-way discussion about many things to mutual interest. Out of this discussion came the topic of other life on the universe, and how our search for it from Earth has not yet produced any real evidence apart for the occasional UFO.

"Jarze was quick to ask if we had looked for it in realms other than the physical.

"We have used radio telescopes, I believe," was my reply.


"Good idea," Jarze replied, "but not very many other life-forms use that form of communication. It would be best for you to use what we have used in the past, and that is a device which is activated by the intelligence levels emitted from various planetary systems."


"How can you do that?" I asked. "On board the transporter I was told that all things, even the energy known to us as atoms, contain a certain level of intelligence."


"Correct," replied Jarze, "but conscious intelligence, such as you or I, emit far higher readings than non-conscious forms - to the order of many of your Earth numbers, if you understand me, perhaps ten-thousand fold as much emission would be a conservative number, I think. This form of detection has other advantages, too. For instance, life-forms that you may not physically see can be detected in this way....


"....There is one device upon your planet which can read this intelligent thought-patterns very well and could do even better if the owners of these devices would train themselves a little better in their operation. The endowment all you humans were born with, and which you call your mind, can do the job very well if you would only let it. Since the dawn of your race's time on Earth, we and others like us have been trying to contact you in this way, but you keep trying to make it into some kind of religious experience. We have been passing on ideas to help you evolve for aeons of your time, but very little is ever taken on board by your kind. Still, we try," Jarze concluded.


"....Near or far, it makes very little difference if you have control over this means of contact or communication. It's the receiver at the other end that we usually have trouble with," was Jarze answer.


"So other planets could be right next door, too, and we would not see them, and perhaps we would even pass through them without knowing it," I suggested.


"Of course, this could happen if they were totally out of phase, for there not even any small parts to anything, like some of your Earth scientists believe and spend so much time trying to find. Nothing is solid; it is just an illusion. You know this, Alec," Jarze replied.

"Here we go again," I thought. "Have they got the wrong guy here? I don't know these things. If I'd had a class earlier on about this stuff, I must have slept through it."

"Thank you," I said. "That explains much that has puzzled me over the years."

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Chapter 12

AMAZING ESCAPES

".... the morning of my only full day on Haven had dawned, we decided this was as good a time as any for our planned desert trip.

"....Zeena and I were to use the "car" and, more interestingly, I was going to have the chance to drive it....

"....Like most other items that were made from natural products or grown, the car appeared to be made from a plastic-like material.... there is room for doubt in my mind as to whether this plastic was indeed a synthetic product or some natural substance, the like of which we do not have here on Earth....

"....The top half was transparent but heavily tinted; the bottom opaque and greyish-brown. I guess you could say it was even vaguely pyramidal in shape, but it had a squashed and stretched-out look compared to a conventional pyramid. There were no wheels, and it sat a few inches above the ground, even though it was not yet in motion. If you could imagine a stealth fighter cockpit without wings, you would not be far off the mark. (Now isn't that a coincidence!)

"How does this thing work?" I asked.
"Part mind-power, part magnetic repulsion," was Zeena's reply.


"....You guide, I'll provide the power," she said, sliding back the top section. "Like this." She was reaching over and moving a slider from side to side. "This is the manual way of doing it. I don't think you're quite up to doing that by pure thought yet, Alec."
"I doubt it," I was thinking to myself, without sending the thought to her. Yes, I had at last learnt to keep some thoughts to myself.


"Looks easy enough," I said confidently as I got into the car.
"Just set the slider... that's right. Straight ahead is in the middle, sliding it to the right side will turn us right at the next available intersection. Don't worry," she emphasized, "it won't turn until the roads guides let it. Then it will reset to the middle.... I'll navigate," she said.

I was hesitant.

"Come on, let's go," she added impatiently, "and do not forget your extra eye-protection."

"These glasses or goggles were an event in themselves. The only way to describe how they were attached is to say they simply stuck to your face or suit-covering material without any other support. There was some sort of interaction of materials, as far as I could tell.

"As we made to leave, Zeena's other parent arrived home and I was introduced to him. His name was Theurus, but don't hold me to this name or any other name as it is an appropriate interpretation only.

"....The car's guidance system had me puzzled. As the vehicle did not actually touch the ground, how did it know how to turn? It was suspended above the road by a form of magnetic repulsion, the details of which I did not get into but which didn't seem all that complex. I'm sure it could be reproduced here on Earth without too much trouble....

"....Anyway, I'm sure it knew where it was on the road. Perhaps it used a form of satellite navigation, of GPS (global positioning system) as it is sometimes known here on Earth - if they still had something as primitive on Haven! Unfortunately, I could not interpret the symbols that I saw on the dashboard as the suits were only good for interpreting the thought language.

"The car was of particular interest to me as I've been involved in all aspects of motor-sport back on Earth. It seemed to be capable of immense speed, not that I could have read a speedo even if it had one.... we would have exceeded speeds of 160 kph (100 mph).... it was more like being in a low-flying aircraft. Later when we were travelling on these high-speed sections of road, I noticed a small light was blinking on the dash but it would go off whenever we slowed down.... I think we may have been exceeding a predetermined speed limit. Knowing Zeena as I did by then, this wouldn't have surprised me at all!

"Meanwhile, not too far into the trip, Zeena thought it timely to discuss some delicate issues with me.

"Now that we are alone again," she said with a more deliberate and much slower thought pattern than usual, "there is something I would like to ask you to consider. It is both personal to the both of us and yet far-reaching at the same time. I do not expect or want an answer immediately.


"With the tests you took on the transporter, I said I would get back to you when the results were analyzed. Well, I have seen them, and they are just what we hoped they might be. Your immune system is of much interest to us, as we expected it to be. We have tested others from your planet. There are others like you, but they not all are compatible. There are many factors to be considered. While it is of much interest to some of the Elders who are involved with the breeding program, health stability is not the only important consideration. We have also been searching for other qualities - qualities which have been lying dormant in most of your race since its inception. Those who can now use these qualities, as you can, are more suited for our cause. You know of what I speak?

"She paused as if expecting me to say something, but at the time I could not think of anything appropriate or related to the subject.

"You must have some idea about them; you must know," she continued.


"You might have to help me here," I suggested to her.

"What was it with this people, was I out the last time they called, or something?

"There was a flash of ideas across my mind - images which left me with some almost long-forgotten memories. There is nothing more certain. I have had a few close dices with death throughout my life, but I have never really given them much thought, except on terms of looking back, and thinking how lucky I was to have survived.

"How did you know about them," I asked.
"From the tests," she answered....

"The first near-death experience that was reconstructed for me occurred when I was fifteen or sixteen years old. I used to hang the mast of a small yacht I owned upon the wall inside my father's garage. There was a fuse-box and power points on the same wall at about the height the mast would be placed....

(And Alec continues explaining this most incredible challenge of survival .... in his book)....

"My second dice with death came a few years afterwards, and repeated itself in an almost carbon-copy episode at a slightly later date. It makes you wonder if whether someone thought I needed the practice!.... I really do feel I went somewhere outside my body during these two experiences.

"I was sailing; dinghy racing, this time....

*


"....Ten years on.... I was racing again, but this time a single-seated race-car. The construction techniques back then were more aligned to light weight and speed rather than safety. The car also had an open cockpit, just like a Formula I car.

"I had just spun off the track (well, I was learning) and was in the process of rejoining it at perhaps a faster pace than was prudent.... (and Alec, again, explains his incredible experience....but I am sorry, as the book is still current I will not reproduce the whole description on line)

"It would appear that as a race of beings we have the ability to interact and influence our immediate environment using only the power of our minds. At this stage in our development, this ability apparently only manifests itself under extreme circumstances, such as in life-threatening situations.

"....The ability to leave and return to the body while still alive is not an uncommon phenomenon, I should think. To me, this would suggest there is more to us than the physical self. If we can leave the body while we are still alive - and I think I have - then surely we can leave the body when it is dead. There was a link between this out-of-body phenomenon and their interest in me, but I cannot expand on it for it is something that is outside my knowledge pool.

"Zeena still had this question to ask.

"I would like you to think about joining the breeding program along with me. There is much yet we have to learn and much we have yet to do. I do not want you to think that this was the only reason why we have given you this experience with us, for you are here for your own reasons as well as for anything you may be able to help us with. If you turn down this request, I and the others will not think less of you. I know you do not know who we are, or, more accurately, you do not remember who we are, and you humans rather think your bodies are important. I know and understand this better than most around me, for I, too, have a feeling about my own body that the Elders do not understand."

"It took me a full five seconds to say yes to her question.

"Now, Alec, this is serious," Zeena stated earnestly.
"Too right," I replied. "I've already thought about it, ages ago, when you first mentioned the scheme to me back on the ship, er, transporter."


"Thank you," she said, looking straight at me. "Now I want to show you my favorite spot in the desert. We can talk more about the program tonight at home."

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Chapter 13

DESERT SURPRISES

"....On Haven, they do not need to farm the land, so they have left most of it untouched....

"....The plant life was scarce though.... there were no trees that I could see and, stranger still perhaps, no real mountains or higher ground, just gently sloping-hills....

"....Gradually at first, but after a few more miles it was as dry as I had ever seen anything to be on Earth.... We appeared to be climbing for the last 20 miles or so. The terrain was now a reddish-brown colour and quite rocky, possibly not unlike the planet Mars in our own system. The Haven sun had a red tinge to it, so this perhaps was helping turn the landscape this unusual colour. There was no vegetation at all, this far out.

"Take the next right," Zeena indicated. "It is not far now."
"...."This will do," Zeena said, opening the roof and jumping out.

"The first thing that struck me was the heat. It was ferocious out there, and, to make it worse, there was no wind.... Our suits carried their own insulation for protection against both heat and cold, but the intensity of this heat went through that insulation barrier. We both put on an extra layer of eye protection....

"Do not worry - there is shade from the sun at my lookout point," Zeena said, obviously picking up on my uncomfortable interaction with the environment.

"At this point I was not tempted to pick any of the interesting rocks that were lying about and protruding from the ground, as I usually would do.... Their appearance was more of opaque glass than anything else, and some looked like glazed pottery. The ground was covered not in sand but in a fine powder which swirled about our feet as we walked through it.

"Once again, there was an eerie silence that seemed to dominate the land. If I ever needed confirmation that I was not on Earth, this was it.

"....At last, sheltered from the burning sun, I picked away at some of the glazed outcrops of rock that projected from the face of the cutting. There were no layers as you might expect. It was a mix of different but smallish pieces which were almost in suspension, more like a fruitcake mix.

"Come on," she said impatiently, ushering me forward. "You're always picking at something or other. There's time for that later. Wait until you see what is around the corner."

"It was just a short walk before we were perched upon a cliff-top with a view that almost defies description. Before us lay a vast rift canyon which I suspect would be more than twice the size of the Grand Canyon back on Earth, although I have not had the privilege of seeing that mighty landmark in real life.

"....For the first time, Zeena went out of her way to sit close to me.

"Oh, man!" was all I could think to say on looking over out the canyon.
"Another curious response," I heard Zeena say in the back of my mind....
"How far down?" I asked....
"Almost four of your miles at the deepest point," she replied.


"Impressive, is it not? It was opened up in a monumental earthquake, some time around those dimensional experiments you were studying last night. There have been no recorded earthquakes on our planet now for thousands of years and we are not expecting any more. I have been coming here for twenty years, since my early days. We came out to study the composition of the rocks down there on the valley floor," she said....

"....I was unable to do anything but marvel at the various rock strata that lay exposed before me.
"In any case Zeena took my mind off the view in front of me.

"May I try something?" she asked. "It has been a puzzle to me since one of our talks on the transporter."
"Whatever," I replied.

"She lent over and, out of the blue, kissed me right on the lips! She then withdrew with a puzzled look on her face. Just as puzzled, I was looking back at her.

(Dear Reader, I hope one day you will satisfy your own curiosity and find yourself absorbed in the pages of Alec's Book; what did or did not happen at this point in Alec's narration will not appear on line, sorry).

Alec continues:

"Please remember, this was just an experiment as far as Zeena was concerned, and she was soon explaining other facets of the great rift canyon to me.

"As we were leaving the canyon area, I spotted some interesting rocks.... Curiosity killed the cat, so to speak, and as I was trying to reach them I slipped and fell a small distance, grazing my face and damaging the suit in the process.

"Zeena was most concerned, but I told not to worry as this type of thing happened back on Earth all the time.

"It is not the fall that concerns me most," she stated. "Out here, with this sun and no suit, you would not last very long. Quick, cover that side of your face with your hand."
"It's only a small area," I pointed out.
"Cover it up," Zeena reiterated most insistently.

"I obeyed. And just as well, too, as I still have a patch of skin in that area which will not heal properly. If I wanted to bring proof of my adventures, there were surely less dangerous ways of doing it! That little act necessitated a new suit for me, and I lost some of my sightseeing time because of it.

"Later, back at the house, Zeena's parents welcomed us. They, too, were concerned about my accident. There seemed much fuss over what, to me, was a non-event at the time.

"We entered into a discussion of the state of the Haven atmosphere, which was brought on by all this attention over my slight injury. My thoughts, though, drifted back to Earth and the problems with our ozone layer.

"I couldn't help but wonder, if they were ever to make it back to our planet in some form, would they be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire?

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