The Thing admitted to Masklin that, if it could get into space, it could call the Ship. He decided to take a few nomes and go to the airport and find some way of getting to Florida to get the Thing into the sky, which, of course, was ridiculous, as well as impossible. But he didn't know this, so he tried to do it anyway.

So, thinking that Florida was five miles away and possibly a kind oforange juice anyway,* and that there were perhaps several hundred humanbeings in the world, and not knowing where exactly to go or what to dowhen they got there, but determined to get there and do it anyway, Masklin and his companions set out.

[* The only time the nomes had seen the word "Florida" before was on anold carton of orange juice. When nomes get hold of an idea, they don'tlet go without a struggle.]

The nomes that stayed behind fought the humans in Diggers. Theydefended their quarry as long as they could and fled on the Cat, thegreat yellow digging machine.

But this is Masklin's story... .

Chapter 1

Airports: A place where people hurry up and wait.

-From A Scientific Encyclopedia for the EnquiringYoung Nome by Angalo de Haberdasheri.

Let the eye of your imagination be a camera... .

This is the universe, a glittering ball of galaxies like the ornament onsome unimaginable Christmas tree.

Find a galaxy... . Focus.

This is a galaxy, swirled like the cream in a cup of coffee, everypinpoint of light a star.

Find a star... . Focus.

This is a solar system, where planets barrel through the darkness aroundthe central fires of the sun. Some planets hug close, hot enough to meltlead. Some drift far out, where the comets are born.