“Will you just listen?” said the Cyprus out of time, while the Cyprus of the past, standing with the past Seven, said, “I think you’re very wise. After tonight, you’ll completely forget that Jeffery is one of your personalities living in time. That way you can look at him more objectively, since you seem to be having trouble relating to him properly.”

“So that’s it!” shouted the present Seven, and suddenly it all came back to him, just as the past Seven said, “Right. I agree. We’ll both appear to him in his dream state, and cleverly lead him out of the depression he’s been in since his wife left him. Some psychologist; he doesn’t even recognize his own depression.”

Cyprus on the platform above time said, “And Lydia and Jeffery can help each other, as each looks for a meaning to existence …”

And the past Seven cried, “And we’ll stimulate Jeffery’s creative abilities, which he’s buried for so long, and rearouse the young Will with all the dissatisfactions he feels, so that Jeffery can recognize them and deal with his problems …”

“Exactly,” both Cypruses said.

“While Lydia rediscovers the joys of earth life, also helping Jeffery revive his own love of life.”

“Exactly,” both Cypruses replied.

And as both Cypruses and both Sevens spoke at once, time thickened; Jeffery’s living room had two levels of time, simultaneously: In one, the earlier Cyprus and Seven in the male images were just entering the room from the patio and arousing Jeffery as he lay on the couch. The wind tugged at the geranium pot on the patio which would shortly fall over, alarming Jeffery.

In the second level of time—in their present—Ram-Ram and Jeffery still sat talking. “Yes, yes, yes,” Ram-Ram was saying. “I could almost have done an automatic manuscript myself; and someday you’ll have to show me yours.”

“Do you feel that we aren’t alone?” Jeffery asked suddenly.

Ram-Ram smiled and shrugged. “I’ve been staring at the ceiling all the time we’ve been talking. Drawn to it. See those two lights up there, by the corner? Reflections most likely, but …”

Jeffery looked. At the same time, though he saw nothing extraordinary, he felt an extraordinary yearning that made him say, “Do you believe in the soul? I mean, as a psychological entity?”

(And as Jeffery asked the question, in time’s vast depth, Tweety looked out the window of her childhood room at the stars, and thought that the starlight formed a familiar yet strange image, as if looking out, she was looking inside her own mind.

(And in the vast reaches of Jeffery’s consciousness, Will walked up mental steps to the threshold of Jeffery’s growing understanding.)

Ram-Ram said comfortably, “More to the point, since you asked, do you?”