“You’ll work it out,” Cyprus replied. “Are you going to show me the book now?” She turned into a male image, tall, brown-skinned, with thick black hair, just for the change, and to take Seven’s mind away from the earnestness that seemed to possess it since he began talking about the book.

“Good form; Indian,” Seven said automatically. “No, you can watch me read the book’s first installment to Tweety, though, and check my bedside manner. But I don’t want to show you the whole book yet. I do like to surprise you. And it’s a little book, after all.” He started grinning and turned into the image of an Indian guru, saying in mock-intense tones, “This will be a sacred book, containing the knowledge of the ages!” Then he stared at Cyprus hypnotically, materialized a turban around his head, with a gigantic jewel in the center. “How’s this for my book-session attire?”

“Awful. You’d scare Tweety to death,” Cyprus said, laughing, so Seven turned into a twelve-year-old guru, with a robe the color of brown fall leaves, and a face the same color only faintly tinged with gold, and deep soft eyes the shade of tree bark. “Now that’s excellent,” Cyprus said. “And it fits you, somehow. You should wear that image more often.”

But Seven was already brooding again, and his whole image blurred a bit. “This is my first real creative endeavor in the line of multidimensional art per se, and I also hope to submit it as a thesis to meet my own educational requirements. So I certainly want it to be good. It’ll be around for ages, influencing all kinds of people beside Tweety, because transdimensional art transcends so many realities.” His eyes suddenly glowed. “Still,” he said, “maybe there’ll be other-world translations, so l should give the title special care too. Seven’s Little Book was my first choice. But maybe I should give it a more formal title like, The Beginner’s Course in Sumari: A Preparation for Creaturehood.

“Don’t get carried away,” Cyprus said.

“You’re just jealous,” Seven said, grinning. “Well, maybe I am a bit overly enthusiastic. But I really am excited. I’m trying to give Tweety all the important information she needs to start a new life, and yet it must be simple enough for a child to understand. And I think I’ve done it. So, are you ready? This is the first installment.”

Cyprus nodded, and in less than a moment she and Seven sat by Tweety’s bedside. The child was sleeping soundly. Oversoul Seven arranged the mental pages of the book in their proper order, and began to read:

Sumari Geography