I spent forever looking around in the darkness beneath the apple tree. Then I went down from the terrace and went closer. It was whitish blue, scarcely discernable as a shine in the air around the tree’s trunk. Looking closer, I could make out the details of someone’s face. The ‘apparition’ appeared to be praying, his hands raised toward the sky.

There was no time to waste. I ran all the way to the monorail station and found a com to call Tokyo.

The entire operation took no more than five minutes.

It was only on the way back home that I remembered I had forgotten to put Alice to bed. I hurried.

The light on the terrace hadn’t been turned off.

Alice was there, showing her herbarium and collection of butterflies to a shortish, emaciated Japanese. The Japanese held a sauce pan in his hand and, not taking his eyes from Alice’s treasures, was delicately eating overdone maccaroni.

Seeing me, our ghost bowed quite low, and said.

“Professor Kuraki, your humble servant. You and your daughter have saved my life…”

“See, Papa. This is my parition.” Alice said. “Now do you believe me?”

“I certainly do.” I answered. “Delighted to make your acquaintance.”

The Missing Guests

The preparations for the meeting with the Labucillians were an enormous public spectacle. Never before had the Solar System hosted guests from so far away in space.

The Labucillians’ first signals were received by the station on Pluto, and three days later the Londel Radio Observatory established contact with them.

The Labucillians were still far out but the Sheremetevo Spaceport was ready to greet them. Girls from the “Red Rose” Nursery had decorated it with garlands of flowers, and students from an arts college were practicing a show for their arrival. All the embassies had reserved seats on the reviewing stands and the reporters were spending their nights in the space ports restaurants.