“We've been through that before, Ruth. You are a human being, as precious as every other person in Ark Three. You have your own part to play in the making of the Great Design, perhaps a little part, perhaps very important - who knows? We just have to work harder to find out what it is.”

“Well, I certainly can't imagine.” Ruth sighed.

“Cheer up and stop feeling so sorry for yourself. Listen, Ruth. We had two reasons for leaving you overnight in the Black Hole. We wanted to prove that it was your PK psyche that was the cause of the little disturbances we've been having. Not earth tremors.” Her lips twitched into a smile. “We also had to make sure that the dreams, the drawings, the songs, were based on some messages from the real world outside the Ark, and not on some imagined schizophrenic world.”

“You mean mad, don't you? What did you find out?” “Bless you, child. You're as normal as the rest of us.” “Are you sure? Absolutely sure?”

“Ruth, if your dreams were the product of your Own disturbed mind, why wouldn't they continue in here? You brought your whole mind with you.”

“I don't think I ...”

“If you had developed an imaginary world so real that you dreamed about it, sang songs about it, drew it, thought about it constantly, do you think you would have been able to leave it outside the Black Hole, just like that?”

“Suppose it's the psychic noise of the Web crowding mc that brings on the dreams?”

“We don't believe you would have made such a spectacular recovery. ''

“So it is real. I was sure it was, you know. That was the scariest part. I mean, that's what you'd think if you were going crazy, wouldn't you ? But what is it? What am I receiving?”

''Messages from another psychic community. ''

''Out there? Human beings? ''

“So we believe. Oh, you have a rare and tremendous gift. But you’re untrained. The messages are garbled.”

“Outside the Ark. But who can it be?”

“We must try to find out. It is an awesome thought that somewhere out there trained minds are trying to reach us. ''

“Beyond the eastern mountains. Oh, yes! That's what I feel all the time. The need to go out past those mountains. And I'm not going crazy. Someone really is trying to get in touch.” She burst into thankful tears and felt a comforting arm around her shoulders.