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28 “Why under my skin?” I looked directly at the one who was supposed to have been my friend. “Why? I thought you were my friend.” “For the future. For the time when you need to know aod on ” the languages of the universe.” “You’re not my friends.” I screamed. I clapped my hands over my ears but I could still hear their words. wae a tom ad 1 1 covering my ears didn’t help. They could make me hear without letting their words go into my ears. They think words to me! It was the first time I’d realized that. I couldn’t keep from hearing them. “The little device will allow you to talk to and understand persons from anywhere in space.” “No. No.” I could hear myself screaming as they closed the circle more tightly around me. “No. I don’t want it!” m4 house. I flung the screen door open and ran toward the lighted kitchen. “Mama, mama.” I threw my arms around my mother and sobbed into her laundry apron. I could feel the pockets full of clothespins against my cheek. “It’s my ears. They stuck something in my skin.” Mother looked down at me, a tiny frown forming between her brows as she examined each of my ears. “I Al. 2 abt NL ea te ae ta te a don’t see a thing, Barbara. What in the world is wrong with you?” She lifted my hair and searched the skin behind my ears. She rubbed the back of my neck. “What i is it?” She 14 cor oma asked. “I can’t find anything wrong with you.” I tried to tell her what I thought had happened but it was as if the whole incident were fast fading from my mind. All T knew was that r d been someplace with three men in + o45 1 ee re ee strange looking suits made of some material that looked like linen or heavy cotton and they had turned out to be not ae eee ee Ot a. so very friendly. : Barbara Bartholic as told to Peggy Fielding Blackness overcame me. “Mama!” I found myself facing the screen door of our