“Not too many details, but I hope that he’ll begin to sense his own vitality more. It will take a while for him to correlate what he’s learned, though, because it can’t be vocalized.”

“Did he learn anything?” Seven asked dejectedly. “Sometimes I wonder—”

“Did you learn anything? That’s more to the point,” Cyprus answered. “I helped you out with Will this time, but from now on, you’re on your own with him. Remember, you chose this experience yourself too, even though there are some things that you have to forget on purpose for a while. So tell yourself that you’ll know how to help Will—and you will!”

She and Seven had both turned into points of light. Seeing them, Will thought that they were reflections from the neon sign of the all-night supermarket across the way. The lights flashed back and forth from his fingertips, as he drummed them up and down on the windowsill.

Chapter Ten

Jeffery’s Notes and Questions Without Answers

I haven’t had time to write here, because I’ve been so busy with “The Further Education of Oversoul Seven,” and except for my academic work, my life now almost seems organized about the book. In my sleep sometimes part of a chapter will suddenly awaken me, so I’ve taken to keeping a notebook by the bedside. Otherwise the “writing” takes me about three hours a night. I sit down; the words and sense of exhilaration come, some part of me gets carried away by what is being written, and all sense of time vanishes.

Of course, I’ve told no one what I’m doing. The fact is that I don’t know what odd venture this is that I’ve embarked upon. I’m certainly not writing “Education” in usual terms. I have no idea what is going to happen next to the characters. For that matter, I have no idea where the words themselves are coming from. The concepts involved are hardly to be taken seriously, but as fantasy I suppose they’re acceptable enough. In any case, this certainly involves me in the oddest behavior, and so I’ve decided to study everything that happens as closely as possible.

My sanity does not seem threatened as I first suspected. Nothing else in my life has altered (so far, Jeffy-boy, I remind myself). Well, to be more honest, nothing in my exterior situation has changed. I do have the impression that my dreams are different than they used to be, more numerous perhaps, and colorful. I haven’t remembered any dreams, however, though as mentioned I have awakened with portions of this manuscript suddenly just here, as if freshly minted.