The next item of entertainment is presented to you by, our sister planet, called Vilos, said Bishop. The people of Vilos, like ourselves on Balenn, are advanced travelers. They have chosen for their life style on Vilos, one that is similar to your time of King Arthur, with many people living in castles. I'm sure you will find this interesting.

The sphere began to move. It began slowly enough that the take off was smooth and unnoticeable. Once in motion, the sphere accelerated upward from Balenn, until it was hurtling through space at about warp two. There wasn't much to see, until a thread like object appeared ahead and above them. As they approached, the thread got larger. It now looked like a thick rope. A closer look, revealed an even stranger effect. The thread was a winding road. It was more of a trough, for the sphere to slide in, than a road.

The sphere slowed as it approached the trough. It settled itself into the trough with a jerk. The sphere began to move, as if sliding down hill. There was no rolling motion of the sphere. It was as if water was flowing in the trough, carrying the sphere along with it. They accelerated to just under warp one and stayed at that speed for a few moments. They began to slow again. Sarah and Kelly had their cameras touching the sphere's wall, in an attempt to get a closer look. The end of the road was visible, way off in the distance.

There seemed to be a planet at the end of the road and as they got closer, they could see it was indeed a greenish planet. A few more moments passed, as they sped down the trough. Space particles sped by them, as though they were in the Earth's solar system. This planet obviously had gravity, because objects were orbiting around it, thought Allen. This must be some kind of space highway between planets?

The sphere came to a halt, just outside the castle. It was a barren spot, except for a trough, similar to the one they just traveled in, winding its way down the mountain. The valleys were green and fully treed, just like on earth. Except for the trough, instead of a road, it looked like earth. There was even snow in places. The sun didn't seem quite the right color though, but close enough. So far, there was no sign of life. The sphere moved slowly around the castle, so everyone could get a good look at it. It did not have a moat. It looked similar to the castle the evil witch of the East lived in, in the Wizard of Oz. An odd looking object protruded from the top of the main tower. It looked like a giant mushroom. Allen noted that it seemed to be an energy gathering device. It probably worked on wind power, he thought. The sphere centered itself just outside the front main door.

Now what, asked Cliff? Now we transpose inside the castle sphere and all, said Bo. He had no sooner spoken, when that buzzing noise came up again and presto they were right inside the castle, hovering about twenty feet off the floor, in a room that was fifty feet high and thirty feet in diameter. The sphere hung there almost centered perfectly. There was still no sign of life. The castle was well illuminated inside. Pictures of human like faces, hung from the walls. There were doorways everywhere in the room; some at ground level, some half way up and some right on top of the wall. The doors were odd to look at, because of the access to them. They had small troughs instead of stairways, going to various rooms. The troughs looked like they were made of glass, but everyone assumed they were made of the same material, that their sphere was.

Bishop's voice came up again. In order to enjoy life in a castle, the people of Vilos live and move around in life support spheres, similar to what we are in. They gave up long ago trying to heat the building. Instead of wasting energy, they chose to travel around in their own individual life support spheres. These spheres actually give them more freedom, even though they may seem restrictive. They protect the inhabitants from projectiles, from the weather and they are much faster than walking. The troughs enable them to travel downhill, without using hardly any energy. Of course, to climb the stairs, energy must be used for levitation. The castle seemed to be made of bricks and mortar. It looked cold also, as most castles are. One would almost expect to see Errol Flynn come dashing out, in a sword fight scene.

From one of the rooms, small spheres began to emerge. They popped out of the door, like bubbles from a bubble blowing machine. Their motion was extremely slow. They were coming from the upper door, on the right had side of the front wall. When they were all finally visible, there were nine of them. They lined up inside the trough, leading to that door. They sat there motionless, while something seemed to be forming inside of them. I'll bet they are eggs, thought Allen. This is probably the hatching process. The hatching process stopped and you could see clearly inside of each one. They seemed empty, except for a blue control chair. The spheres never slid down the trough as expected, but rose instead, into the air, up towards their main sphere. I think those chairs are for us, said Cliff. Right again, said Bo. They will enter our sphere shortly, for us to use as shuttle crafts. The first small sphere pushed up along side the main sphere. It rested there for a few seconds, and then began to pass through the wall of the main sphere, similar to the way small bubbles can pass through larger bubbles on earth.

Once inside, it positioned itself over next to Kelly, as if to say "I am your sphere". Kelly examined it carefully, even the underneath. The chair was a comfortable looking, captain's chair. It had compartments built into the front of the arms. Each compartment had a small silver latch that held it closed. Small speakers were visible in the outside edges of the chair's headrest. There were no bolts visible anywhere that would anchor the chair to the sphere. She gave the tiny sphere a good punch. It reacted the same way as the main sphere. The wall flexed inward and popped right back out. It looks at least as sturdy as our sphere, said Kelly smiling.

 What do I do now, she asked Beenan? Just step inside, as though the wall of the sphere wasn't there. Kelly pushed against the sphere and her hand went right through it. She tried the other hand and it went through also; so she just stepped in and sat down on the plush captain's chair. These shuttles are controlled by your voice, said Beenan. Just tell it what or where you want to do or go and it will obey. She touched the sphere again, to see if it was still permeable. It had returned to the same feeling as their main sphere. It was resistant to her push. She took a couple of deep breaths, wondering where the air was coming from, if she was sealed in. She tried moving it. Turn sphere, she said hesitantly. The sphere turned ninety degrees to the left. Rise sphere, she said and the sphere rose up about two meters. Back to where you were sphere, she said.

The sphere settled back in its original spot. Kelly was smiling now. She liked her sphere and she was gaining confidence in it. When the sphere settled, she tried to get out and bumped right into the sphere's wall. It repelled her right back into her chair. Okay, okay, she said hesitantly, how do I get out? Just tell it to let you out, said Beenan. Let me out sphere, she said and touched the sphere again. This time, her hand went through, as when she had stepped in. She felt around to see how much of the sphere's skin she could pass her hand through.

The opening was only the size of a helicopter door and the rest was solid. She made sure where the bottom was, so she wouldn't trip on anything. She was able to step out. By now, the rest of the nine spheres had begun to enter the same way as did the first. Each one went over to an individual just as would your own pet dog find you in a group. The chairs inside were all blue except for Beenan's, which was black. The chairs will do as you say, said Beenan, or you can release them to my command and they will do as I say. That way we can make a nine car train and I can control our travels. Everyone agreed to let Beenan be the engine. I'll be the caboose, said Bo. That statement, made Marie feel good, having an Ehesti at the lead and tail of their train. All aboard, said Bo. Allen and the rest of the earth people took a little time to check out their spheres, like Kelly had. Kirby was the only one standing on the right side of his sphere and he wasn't sure there was a door on that side. He stuck his hand in, and sure enough, there were doors on both sides. He looked up and everyone was staring at him. I'm ready when you are he said, grinning and he stepped into his new vehicle.

They popped through the main sphere quite easily and quickly. Within seconds, they were all outside the main sphere, traveling through the air in the castle, about six meters above the floor. On the very top of the castle, there was a large circular balcony. Beem led the parade upward and through the door to this balcony. As the spheres passed through the door, they had to become egg shaped, momentarily. Oblong they could pass through the small narrow doorway. Once outside, they could feel the wind or some force like the wind, hit them. The spheres automatically corrected for this force and maintained their symmetry in the train. They formed a circle around the balcony and stopped. From that vantage point, they could see for many kilometers, in all directions. They maintained that position for a few minutes, giving everyone a chance to examine the country side and mountains around them. Allen was beginning to wonder if this part of the show was late; they seemed to be doing nothing, for so long. He didn't have to wait any longer.

Two smaller bubbles appeared in the center of the balcony. They had similar chairs inside, but smaller and the life forms inside were also smaller. They looked like midgets to Kelly. They had larger than average noses it seemed, and their hair looked funny, like it was plastic. They sat there motionless, for a few moments, looking at the strange visitors. Finally, one of them spoke. When they spoke, their voices sounded as loud as if they were inside the sphere with you. We are Vilosians, they said. Welcome to our home planet of Vilos.

The bubbles proceeded to settle into the trough type road that led down the mountain. Beenan and his group followed right behind. Once in the trough, the ride became much more steady and smooth. The feeling of motion had almost disappeared. The ride was as comfortable as riding in a jumbo jet, thought Kirby. The country side was beautiful. They were going downhill all the time and paralleling a fast moving creek. Every few hundred meters, the creek would turn into a waterfall, sometimes falling as much as five hundred meters. They were in a valley most of the time, about one kilometer wide. The trough passed through the center of the valley. The outer edges of the valley looked much more attractive to Kirby. He could see flowers growing at the foot of the mountain. These are sure nice roads, thought Kirby, I wonder what would happen if I asked my sphere to leave the road and show me the countryside. He decided to try it.

After Kirby had traveled this way for a few minutes, with no great disruption to the train, Allen thought it safe enough to try it himself. He ordered the sphere to fly along next to Kirby. Up he popped from the trough and zipped over, next to Kirby. Nice from out here, said Kirby. Beautiful, said Allen. We could sure use a means of transportation like this at home. Imagine going to work and back in one of these spheres said Kirby. Allen thought about that for a moment. If everyone had a sphere, said Allen, there would be accidents for sure. People would hit the high voltage wires, as well as hitting one another. Imagine what a drunk driver could do piloting one of these spheres. I see your point, said Kirby. There would have to be rules and regulations of course. Kelly was filming all this and she too decided to join Kirby and Allen. She would then get a different angle shot, for her camera. She ordered her bubble over next to Allen’s. It responded immediately. I hope you guys don't mind company out here, she said with the camera on Allen? Allen made a face for the camera. I hope we aren't out of line doing this? The view is better, but the ride is rougher. Beenan interrupted. No problem, he said. You aren't disrupting anything.

The train of bubbles and the three out-riders soon arrived at the foot of the mountain. The area was now reasonably flat, but ringed with short evergreens. None of the trees seemed to be more than ten feet tall. The Vilos spheres formed a circle in the meadow. Beenan and his group stayed outside the circle, waiting to see what would happen next. The grassy meadow looked normal enough. It almost looks like we could step out and take a walk, said Sarah. This atmosphere is close to that of earth, but there is an improper balance of chemicals, that could be harmful to your respiratory system, said Bo. Short, one or two minute jaunts outside, might be okay, but you must get back in your sphere immediately. There is an alarm system on your sphere that will sound when you have been outside too long. They drove their spheres over to a shady spot, bordering the edge of the forest. A five hectare meadow lay directly in front of them.

The spheres settled to about fifty millimeters above the ground and seemed to lock into place. They became extremely stable, as though they were bolted to the ground. Cliff took a chance, and got out of his sphere. He noticed the air immediately. His breathing quickened, without him doing any work. He was about to dash back inside his sphere, when Bo jumped out to speak to him. Don't be alarmed about the fast breathing, he said, your lungs are automatically adjusting to the different gases in this atmosphere. I believe you, replied Cliff, but I don't feel comfortable like this. He jumped back into his sphere and Bo returned to his. Cliff took deep breaths of the familiar air. Now, he knew why the Vilosians traveled in spheres. There will be a short performance here, said Beenan, so relax and check out your concession machine on the right hand side of your chair. They all bent over to look.

Cliff pressed his first. A shelf folded out. On the shelf were cookies, chocolates, dates and nuts. They were in individual solid packages that had to be broken into. There was a spout and a cup with three selections on the spout; water, coffee and orange juice. Just like going to the movies, said Sarah. Better than the movies, broke in Kirby. You don't get cookies and fruit, at the movies. Everyone took advantage of their spheres being so stable. They poured the drinks of their choice and enjoyed a quiet break. It was quiet except for, their own chatter. The Vilosian spheres began to move again, as though the show was about to begin. Everyone stopped the chatter and watched in interest.

The Vilosians assembled their spheres in the shape of a rocket. The rocket ascended upwards and exploded into colors, just like fireworks, only on a larger scale. The bubbles came floating down, to about ten meters above the spectators. There, they regrouped, to form parallel lines in the sky. The parallel lines broke up and proceeded to form another configuration, blocking off the sun. They grouped in a thin, pointed star configuration; each leg of the star was a different color. The center was blue. As the star rotated in front of the sun, it produced a colorful light show forming colored shadows on the meadow. The group of nine spectators applauded. Cliff and Kelly got film of most of it. The Vilos spheres then resettled one by one, back into the trough. That's our cue to follow said Beenan and they slid into place behind their hosts.

The train began to move slowly forward. They were almost down the mountain, where they had taken their break. The train accelerated until they were moving back at their cruising speed. The meadow disappeared far behind them. This time everyone stayed in the train. The trough was traveling over flat land now and their speed quickened. Small mounds of dirt began to appear here and there. Each mound seemed to have its own light. These are other life forms, that share the planet with the Vilosians, said Beenan. Any connection between these mounds and the sand dune show we saw in the main sphere, asked Allen? None at all, replied Beenan. These people in the mounds are about as advanced as your Neanderthal man was. They are called "Brolins".

The train slowed down, almost to a halt. It looked like cattle on the track, but these cows were only one meter high and they were green, not brown or black. The noises they made, sounded like crickets. These life forms, we call "Moog", said Beenan. They life off the vegetation and produce a form of green milk. The Vilos people have learned to enjoy their milk, so they farm them here. I suppose you have small cowboys, in small spheres, looking after them, laughed Kirby. Yes, they do, said Beenan, but they are not cowboys, just Moog boys. There is only one moog boy needed per farm. The Brolins do most of the work. They run as fast as a horse and are just as strong. They control the herds on foot. A Brolin, can outrun a moog three times over. Some of the Brolins, are advanced enough to perform the administrative duties as well. When the Vilosians first appeared on this planet, there were fierce battles. How, they all get along like brothers and sisters. The Brolins no longer fear the Vilosians. They have been at peace for hundreds of years. The train picked up speed again.
A huge body of water began to come into view. It looked like any large lake, except for the color. It was purplish. Spheres were floating on it. The spheres can go into the water also, like submarines, said Beenan. The spheres on the surface are markers for those that are underneath. Our trough passes under this lake and not over it. Marie had experienced a frightening situation earlier in her life, when she had just about drowned. Since then, she stayed away from water sports. Hearing Beenan's mention of going under water, brought back those fearful memories. Allen could see ahead of the train, because of position his sphere was in at the time. The trough showed no sign of turning as it approached the lake. Alien didn't care too much about water either. He decided to hold his breath, just in case. Beenan was right. Before they knew it, they were underwater, still moving along the trough. Purple water is odd, said Marie, trying to show that she was not frightened. Allen released his lungs full of air, feeling kind of dumb.

There was no change to the atmosphere inside their spheres at all. The only difference, was the visual effect of the water skimming over and around the spheres. The ride was just as smooth, but slower. It only took a few minutes for everyone to get comfortable again. Best to stay with the train on this part of the journey, said Beenan, referring to Cliff, Allen and Kelly having left the train earlier. I'm not even thinking it, said Kelly. Me neither, replied Cliff. I'd hate to hit one of those boulders.

The trough wound around rocks and whatever else was in the way. This enabled the group at the back to see the front of the train as well. These fish have the same shape as earth, said Cliff. The water is much the same as on earth, said Beenan. If you put on the special glasses in the arm of your chair, it will give you a better look. Kelly tried them first. What a difference, she said. The water disappears and all you see is what is in it. The fish look like they are flying through the air and not swimming, said Allen. Kelly put the glass over the lens of the camera and looked through. It worked. The same phenomena should come out on film, she thought. Other spheres pulled along side them, from time to time and waved. Kelly tried to film as many as she could. They sure are cute creatures, she said, under her breath, as she was filming. Their controls were in the same place in their spheres, except they were much larger. The Vilosian hands, seemed to be larger also, but it could be the distortion from filming underwater. They were the same height as "Old Jelly", but not the same facial features. Their hair looked odd in this purple water also. They all seemed to have red hair. The trough began to climb out of the water and back onto land.

Before they knew it, they were speeding across land again. A strong light appeared way off in the distance. They headed directly towards the light. The terrain was heavily treed, except for the river they were Following, that flowed from the lake they had just passed through. The light appeared as a glow above the tree tops far ahead of them. As they sped through the forest, fleeting outlines of dome shaped objects flashed into view between the trees and disappeared again.

A voice came over the public address system. "Welcome to Vilos, earth people". I am "Zolot", your Master of Ceremonies, for this show. We are pleased to introduce our guests from the Solar System and its planet Earth. He called out each of their names. Individually, each of them stood up, waved and took a bow, as their name was called. He also introduced the Ehesti, as their traveling companions. We are aware of your Olympic Games and this show is a tribute to those games, plus a few of our own. Zolot exited the stage. Everyone was waiting patiently for the first show to begin. Sarah assumed it was okay to talk. We finally get to see what they look like close up, said Sarah to Allen, who was next to her. Sarah was staring at the Vilosian next to her. Allen nudged her. Most of them do not speak English, he said. It looked like you were going to speak to him. I never thought of that, she replied. This show will be presented in English, for our benefit, said Allen. You can hear that chattering in the background? That's the translator.

These Vilosians were no taller than the leprechauns they had seen earlier, except these people all had red hair. Kelly’s earlier observation of their red hair underwater was not just from the effect of the colored water. Their noses looked too long and their hands were too big for their bodies. Everything else seemed normal, but Kirby could not stop chuckling, as he thought about Disney’s Pinocchio. These guys must tell whoppers, he thought to himself. The show was beginning.

The music increased in volume. It was strange sounding music, almost like Chinese music, using half note combinations. It was obvious that they were trying to play the Canadian national Anthem of "0 Canada", but it came out sounding like something quite different. Everyone applauded and they went on to play their own National Anthem. No one stood up, but they cheered loudly when the tune was over. Sarah noticed another similarity to an earth arena. The entire stadium was filled, except for the end zone seats. The empty portion of the arena, near the ends, looked like a huge egg crate.

These people are very avid sports fans, said Beenan. You will see some of their accomplishments here. They are proud of their big hands. They have one contest, where each individual has to move two cubic meters of sawdust, from one spot to another, by hand only. Usually the one with the biggest hands wins. They also play a very comical ring toss game, where they try to land these plastic like rings, on the noses of four Vilosians, lying on a tilt board of forty-five degrees. Some of the participants in this sport have muscular control over their noses, to the point where they can hook the rings landing on them, so they don't bounce off. That event generates much laughter.

A series of sports events followed. Most were identical to sports on earth, like running, jumping and gymnastics. When the sports finally finished, the competitors dressed in their colorful costumes, gathered themselves in formation and made a huge emblem of a hand. This was their emblem for Vilos. Underneath it, they formed the shape of the United Nations flag. On each side of the United Nations flag, were the rings of our Olympics. Everyone then joined in song for the finale. Everyone applauded loudly. Zolot returned to center stage. He thanked all the participants for helping with the show. He asked Beenan to say a few words on behalf of his group. Beenan made the standard "thank you" acceptance speech in English and proceeded to chatter in the Vilosian language, thanking all of them once again. Zolot thanked him and announced the show closed. The lights brightened, so everyone could see to depart. The Vilosians that were in the row directly in front of Beenan's group, turned around to shake hands with their guests, before they left. Marie couldn't help but smile at these people and the sensation of shaking such a large hand, also seemed funny. Their skin felt like coarse velvet.

Beenan and his group, plus the traveling parties from the castle, were allowed to leave first. Once outside, the train of bubbles reformed and headed out of town, along the trough. City dwellers were everywhere, waving and shouting "farewell". They moved along slowly, until they reached the city limits and then the train left the trough and took to the sky. They lifted up on about the same angle as a passenger jet lifts off from an airport. Other Vilosian spheres were up there also, to bid them farewell. One group formed a large circle in the sky that the train from Balenn passed right through. It was odd waving at people above and below you, noted Sarah.

The wind had died down now, so they headed directly back to the castle. It was like flying in a glass train at ten thousand meters, wrote Marie in her note book. From that height, the trees looked normal and the troughs looked like roads. They reached the castle in no time. They settled back in the castle balcony and re-entered through the narrow door. The Vilosians continued up and down the troughs, to their respective rooms, while Beenan and his group entered the Balenn sphere once again. They circled the living room area again and came to a stop, a few centimeters up from the floor. Let me step out first, said Beenan, just to make sure all is the same way we left it. The rest of the nine gathered together all their belongings. Beenan took a quick walk around the sphere, checking each room and checking the control panels. Everything seemed to be in order.

They stepped out of their respective spheres and said thank you to them, as though they were alive. The bubbles rose up and left the way they came in, disappearing back into the upper room of the castle. That was quite a show, said Allen. This looks like a nice planet to live on, but it sure is nice to get back in our sphere. Who would ever have thought, that in such a short time, we would begin to call this sphere our home, said Kelly, but it sure feels like home. Home; said Marie? I had forgotten all about home and earth and all of that. Kirby went to the kitchen where fresh coffee was awaiting as well as his nice comfortable chair with the view. Sarah, Kelly and Marie lined up for the washroom. Welcome back home, said Bishop.

The Vilosians emerged from the numerous doors in the castle wall and lined up in rows, to bid farewell to the sphere from Balenn. One of the Vilosians in the gold sphere, moved in closer than the rest. His sphere was close enough to the Balenn sphere, that he could be seen and heard plainly. I am called Poi, he said. I am the "regent" of this section of Vilos. We wish to pass this message to the people of earth. He pulled out a scroll. We are aware of your progress in space travel on the planet earth. It will be some time before you progress to, where a visit to Vilos would be possible. We are patient people, who welcome your visits of the future. We extend a warm welcome to all the people of earth from the people of Vilos. He rolled up the scroll, threw it forward, where it landed next to Cliff. Cliff picked it up, smiled and said he would be sure it got delivered, when he returned. Poi and his sphere pulled back into formation with the others. The Balenn sphere began to move slowly. The Vilos people waved with their huge hands. Beem and Bo waved back and said a few words in their chattering language. It was obvious that they knew some of the Vilosians personally.

Sarah and Marie went into the kitchen. Kirby went in with them. How about some hot soup, he asked the girls? What kind, asked Sarah? I think you can take your pick, said Kirby. How about good old tomato? Fine, the both girls agreed. Kirby pulled out three soup cups and poured the piping hot soup. What impressed you the most so far Kirby, asked Marie? I kind of like leprechauns, he said, so that display really impressed me. Me too, hollered Kelly, from the other end of the room, overhearing the conversation. She was busy marking her film and preparing her camera for the next event. It's not fair to pick out the best, until you see all the show and all its characters, declared Sarah. No one said a word. Kelly was slurping her soup. Everyone stared at her; as if to say "quiet". I love slurping my soup, she retaliated, don't you? Kirby grinned and slurped his soup too. Marie and Sarah joined in, until the entire kitchen radiated the noise of slurping. It was so loud; the people in the rest of the sphere could hear it. Everyone had a good laugh and there was no more teasing. The girls returned to eating their soup, but quietly this time.

Allen was busy talking with Beem and Bo about life on Vilos. Must they always be in spheres, he asked? Some of them are able to step out for short periods of time and enjoy the outside, but most of them prefer the spheres. The spheres are like a second body to them. They can maneuver through the forest with them, climb mountains or submerge underwater, as we did. You saw how small their bodies are? Their movement without the spheres is slow and cumbersome. The spheres draw their energy from the life form in it. That is why you may feel tired, even though you did no exercise. I do feel a little pooped, replied Allen. Does it drain your energy also? It sure does, said Beem, pointing at Beenan, snoring on the lounge sofa, at the end of the room. Beenan was asleep, with half his body on the couch and the other half on the floor. He was lying on his back, with his right leg and his right arm on the floor. His other arm was up in the air, as if he was holding on to a trapeze swing. His head was tilted back, as if he was swinging forward and his eyes were closed. He looked like he couldn't bear to look. It looked so comical everyone had to get a shot of it. The flashes woke him up. Was I asleep, he asked? He sat up straight, prepared to stay awake. They all chuckled.

Speaking of sleep, said Allen. Are you going to spend tonight at the Crowley's, or are you going home? We are not sure yet, answered Beem, but I would not mind spending a little more time enjoying the mountain air and Avers on Mount Robson. To me; that is the most pleasant place to be, on your planet. Allen made a mental note of that statement. He decided that from now on, for his holidays, he would spend as much time as he could on mountain tops. It would increase his chances of running into more Ehesti considerably. You have to stay at the Crowleys at least one more day, said Allen. Everyone back home is preparing a welcoming ceremony for tomorrow. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I think you guys knew about it anyway. Yes, we will stay for that of course, replied Beenan. Bo and Beem nodded yes also. Great, said Allen, relieved. Professor Ingle and the group would have his neck, if he didn't persuade the Ehesti to attend. Our welcome show won't be nearly as elaborate or artistic as yours has been so far, but it will be kind of different. I'm sure it will be fantastic, said Beem.

The music subsided. Well, I trust you are rested and ready for your next experience, said Bishop. I see Beenan is right out of it. Oops, spoke too soon.

Beenan sat up, looking a little groggy. I must have napped off again, he said with a smile. Those spheres can really drain you. Bishop, you big invisible wizard, he said, what's next? I was about to answer that, he replied, but I could not be heard over the sound of your snoring. Beenan laughed. It's a good thing you are invisible, or I'd poke you one for that remark. By the way, he said, we will all be able to see Bishop, when we astral travel later. He will show up as a little orange blob, quipped Beem. We'd better not get into a "one liner" contest here, said Bishop. I've got some real zingers saved up relative to a few trips we took together. You wouldn't tell about that, would you, asked Beem? Of course not, he replied, but don't push. I am sure looking forward to meeting you earth people in the twilight zone, he joked. Great; said Kelly. I never thought I could learn to like anyone I could not see. After you see me, you might change your mind, said Bishop. You are too modest, said Bo. I've heard some say you are the best looking non-life form, they have ever seen. Bishop doesn't believe in using life forms, every time we all visit a planet. Bishop goes as a spirit and frightens our new friends. Bishop laughed. Not quite true, but close, he chuckled. Anyway, no more time for chit-chat; it is time to proceed further into our program. Our sphere will be in motion again, on this part of the program, said Bishop.

Before we show you the people of Balenn, we are going to take you around Balenn in the sphere. There are some features about Balenn I am sure you will like. The sphere began to move. Allen watched carefully, but there was nothing to see, just sky everywhere. Look further ahead, said Bo. Sure enough, something was starting to come into view. We are heading into the mountains of Balenn, said Bishop. Off in the horizon, sharp, pointed mountains came into view. The light passing through the mountains reflected and refracted onto the Balenn sky, giving a northern lights effect. They grew rapidly in size, as the sphere got closer and closer. The sphere slowed, as they approached the mountain range. This is what you people call mountains, said Kelly, flabbergasted?

 This is unbelievable, said Kirby. All the cameras were ready. The mountains were made of glass. Huge towering glass mountains, said Cliff, for they looked like glass. As their sphere got even closer, they stopped at a place where they were surrounded by these glass mountains. The glass had various tints to it. The mountains to the right had a violet tint to them, while the one on the left was yellow in tint. Each mountain seemed to have its own tint, not quite the same as the others. There were no trees growing anywhere and no green meadows. The base of the mountain was obscured from view, by the clouds. The clouds were motionless. Particles in the clouds gave them a twinkling effect in the bright light. The outer rim of the cloud banks had a dark distinctive border, similar to a sketch, using a thick felt pen for the borders. The clouds sat at the foot of every mountain, completely surrounding the entire mountain range. The heavy border actually contains the clouds, said Beem. There is no wind in Balenn, said Beenan, so the clouds never move. It makes you wonder what is at the base of them, said Cliff. We will go down and show you, said Bishop.

The sphere descended through the clouds. Once below them, the base could be seen. It was as though the glass mountains were sitting on a mirror. The base extended even further downward and formed an upside down mountain of equal height. Without the clouds hovering there, it would be impossible to see the dividing line through them. This reminds me of a scene from the movie "Superman", said Cliff. I know the scene you mean, replied Kelly. It was the place where Superman could learn about his past and his family, etc. If I remember right, she said, the ice castle was located way up north, at the pole and there was a solid base to those crystals. These don't have a base at all. It's like they are floating out in space. Let me explain, said Bo. There is no base to the mountains, because there is no ground level, for a reference point. Remember, you are inside our planet, not on it. The tips, of the upside down mountains, project to the outer rim of Balenn. The tips of the right side up portion of the mountain, also reach to the outer rim of Balenn. The outer rim of Balenn actually holds them in place, as though there were two holes in the sky, locking it in place. As Balenn rotates, the refracted light from these mountain crystals move also to create a day and night effect on the satellites.

These of course, are not real mountains, but structures built by our people, to refract white light. Each color is useful to one of our satellites. We will now travel to one of these satellites to show you better. The sphere followed the orange colored light ray, being emitted by the orange tinted mountain. They approached an orange sphere, much like the one they were in, but about one thousand times bigger. They passed inside it. Inside, the spheres looked almost completely hollow. There were a few crystalline fixtures anchored to the bottom and some were floating around inside. Tiny bursts of various colors appeared randomly throughout the sphere. They were similar to a short burst of fireworks, only tightly contained. There didn't seem to be any order or symmetry to their appearance. What you are seeing, said Bo, are the bursts of energy emitted each time an Ehesti goes into motion. A small burst accompanies his departure and his stopping. You can't see them, but there are people all around here, just like in Balenn, said Beenan. This satellite is for those wishing to study emotions and be emotional themselves. The color orange induces emotional involvement in every task. Some life forms live under that orange influence constantly.

They zipped across the skies of Balenn. It wasn't dark, but the brighter lights shinning from various regions of Balenn, could be seen on the horizon. What is that extremely bright glow coming from the right side of us, asked Cliff? That is Region One, replied Bo. That is the place with the largest concentration of people on Balenn. It is kind of like your largest city on earth. We are heading for Region Twelve, said Bishop. It will take five minutes of your time. Everyone jumped up almost at once. Cliff was in a hurry to change his film and Kirby to get a snack and stretch his legs. Allen headed for the washroom, while the girls chatted with the Ehesti.

Why do you suppose the Vilosians have such big hands, asked Kelly, of Beem? Had you been born on Vilos, you would think that their hands were normal and you would hide your abnormally small hands. Anything strange you see in an alien’s form is reflected. The alien sees you as the abnormal one. With your world being on the threshold of the space age, you will encounter many strange looking creatures in your near future. Unless, you can accept one another, without prejudices, there will always be war and conflict among you. The most popular life form in your galaxy is not your appearance, but ours. There are one billion people on earth, but multi-trillions of higher life forms in your galaxy alone. I'm getting off the subject a touch, chuckled Beem.

The Vilosian hands are large, but they are slowly becoming smaller. Your body is discarding the Neanderthal body hair, because everyone wears clothes. The history of the Vilosians, takes them back to another planet, where their ancestors did not have peristalsis swallowing action in their esophagus. To drink, they had to use their hands as a cup and raise the water above their head, so it would run into their stomach by gravity and speaking of gravity, the pull of gravity was such that these early Vilosians had to have large hands to pick up anything. In a few more generations, their hands will return to a more proportional size. We are approaching Region Twelve, said Bishop, softly over the music.

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