“Oh, come on, now. Those are pretty pat objections to behaviorism, and you know it.” He was laughing at me openly, so I said: “All right. What do you have in mind?” I shrugged and gave up for the moment. Clearly he wasn’t going to leave until he’d had his say.

He began slowly and deliberately enough. “First, examine both episodes with an open mind. If you decide that hallucinatory effects were involved, then try to discover more about hallucinations. If you aren’t sure, pursue the matter further. If you still aren’t satisfied, then I suggest some definite experiments, and I have several books I’d like you to read. I’d expect you to keep complete records, of course, with copies for me.”

Ram-Ram was growing more excited by the minute. I stared at him. “Why don’t you try all this yourself?” I asked, on the spur of the moment.

“I have,” he said. “Years ago, with no notable results. But you’re quite gifted in that respect, I think. Call it an old psychologist’s intuition, if you will. But if you could visit a definite place and correctly report what you saw while out of your body, we’d at least have a start.

“Some other young psychologists have attempted such experiments, but either they dropped out of the establishment entirely or otherwise messed themselves up with the scientific community through drug use and lifestyle generally. So the way is open for someone like you, within the system, to begin some serious experimentation—”

I looked at him as if he’d completely lost his wits. “Look, if I did get out of my body, I don’t know how I did it, much less how to change my location—or get back where I started.” As I spoke, I remembered how I’d felt, dangling out the window, and to shake off a sudden uneasiness, I laughed. “Besides, suppose I got out of my body and couldn’t get back inside?”

The glow faded from his eyes. “Yes, there’s always that possibility, but I don’t think it’s a practical danger.”

I said in amazement, “But I was only joking.”

“Were you?” he asked quite soberly. “Actually there are tales of people facing just such difficulties.”

“What? The whole idea is preposterous.” I nearly shouted.

“Is it? Old wives’ tales?” Ram-Ram shook his head. “Maybe, maybe not.”

“No ‘maybe’ about it. It’s nonsense,” I said. “And as for the experiments, what you’re actually talking about is my taking a trip without drugs.”