Alice acquired one other pet when the first expedition to Sirius returned.

Alice had met Poloskov. I do not know quite how she arranged it; Alice seems to know everyone. Somehow or other she was with the group of children that brought the returning space men flowers. Imagine my surprise when I saw Alice running along the red carpet with a bouquet of blue roses bigger than she was and handing them to Poloskov himself.

Poloskov took the bouquet, took my daughter’s hand in his, and together they listened to the welcoming speeches, and they left together.

Alice only returned home in the evening, carrying a large red basket in her hands.

“And where were you?”

“The kindergarten, mostly.” She answered.

“And where were you leastly?”

“Well, they took us to the space port?”

“And afterwards?”

Alice understood that I was just as capable of watching the television as she. She said:

“And then they asked me to greet the space men.”

“And who was it who asked you?”

“Someone. You don’t know him.”

“Alice, have you ever made the acquaintances of the term ‘corporal punishment?’“

“It’s when they spank you. But I thought that was just in fairy tales.”

“I fear we shall have to turn fairy tales into reality. Why do you always get into places you shouldn’t go?”

Alice pouted, but suddenly the red basket in her hands began to shake.

“And just what is that?”

“A gift. From Poloskov.”

“You inveigled you begged a gift from him. Now, that simply isn’t….”

“I didn’t ask him for anything. It’s a shusher. Poloskov brought them back from Sirius. It’s a baby shusher. A shusher-cub. A shushin. Shushy?”