than ever before.
We wove our way around the Gamma buildings. First we ran along the lake shore admiring the lovely stretches of sandy beaches on which many of the handsome members of the Macro society were playing and swimming nude in the sunshine. They sent us telepathic greetings and welcomed me to 2150. Then we ran past the shrubbery and flower gardens through the parklands behind the Gammas until we came to large vegetable gardens that were maintained by each Gamma.
Still we saw relatively few people. Even when we passed the large Gamma buildings which I knew housed a thousand people there would only be a handful of people outside around them. It was only when we came to the large recreation areas, which seemed to be shared by two Gammas, that we saw more people. Even here there were no large crowds, hardly more than a hundred people in any one of the huge recreation areas. I was pleased that from a planet which had almost died from overcrowding, Macro man had truly reestablished a balanced population. And yet, ironically, micro man's ideal of the single-family house had been given up completely.
When we came to the administration building at the end of the lake I realized that I must have run at least six miles, yet I didn't feel at all tired-more exhilarated than anything else.
I appreciated the rows of tall trees surrounding this building. Then I saw, coming out of its central entrance, the smallest man I had yet encountered in 2150. He was no more than six feet tall, and as we approached him I noticed signs of aging. Rana had looked 45, but this man looked at least 55. As we stopped before him, Carol took his left hand and greeted him affectionately.
He then greeted me in this traditional manner saying, 'Welcome to Delta 927. I'm Hugo, your Deltar.'
I liked him immediately and was not surprised that the Delta had chosen him as their leader, for he had tremendous warmth and quiet strength: 'Thank you,' I said, 'I can't tell you how happy I am to be here.'
Carol told him of our journey around the Delta lake, then he answered my unspoken question about his age.
'I have had 197 years,' he explained. 'I was born in Brazil in 1953. Yes, I could look younger, but I grew up in a time when people aged and, since I shall soon evolate, I have permitted myself to age also.'
'You mean you're planning on dying?' I asked with surprise. I remembered that C.I. had once told me that when Macro society members decide that they have learned all they can in any particular incarnation, they break the connection between their astral and physical bodies, causing the latter to die, while the soul is then free to evolve to the next level on the m-M continuum. They called this process evolation.
Suicide meant running away from the past; evolation– contraction of evolve and graduation-meant embracing the future.
'Yes, I want to join my twin souls in another dimension,' he answered. 'Besides, I've accomplished all I can in this lifetime, so it's time to move on.'
He laughed at my uncertain expression and continued, saying, 'You don't need to worry, Jon. I'm not planning on evolating immediately. In fact, it will be some months yet before my successor is chosen, and, of course, I couldn't leave until the new Deltar is ready to take over.'
I told him that I hoped I would see him again in this life. Then we continued our run.
Along the other side of the lake I noticed that there were more people swimming and playing on the beaches. Carol explained that mid-afternoon was the favorite time for outdoor recreation. She asked if I wanted to speed up our journey in order to join Neal and Jean sooner.
I replied, 'How much faster can we run?'
'Lots faster,' she replied. 'Just think lightly and swiftly.'
We did and veered from the lakeshore to the less populated park area behind the Gammas. Our running soon became very close to a form of low flying. I don't know how fast we were going, but in an incredibly short time we had completed the full circle of the lake and arrived at the third triad's recreation area. Less than an hour had passed since we started our run and, while I now felt some fatigue, I was not at all uncomfortable. In fact, after waiting a few minutes while Neal and Jean finished playing soccer, we resumed our tennis game-this time with the stipulation that the first set would be played without the use of PK.
Without PK Jean and I won the first set, but just barely. Then, in the next two sets, in which we used our PK, I was pleased that while we lost, it was much closer than it had been the day before. I was making progress even faster than I had hoped.
After tennis we again took a dip followed by a fascinating and very complex game, similar to three- dimensional chess, which was played as a team sport. Because of my inexperience in this game Carol and I played the two children, and again I was amazed at the remarkable intelligence of these two 7-year-olds. They beat us three straight games, but at least by the last game I was catching on to some of its intricate complexities and we came very close to winning.
Then it was time to return to our Gammas and our individual Alphas for the Macro dance. Again we were running, but this time with Jean by my side and Neal just ahead of Carol. Never had I seen children run so swiftly. I was sure that these 7-year-olds could easily break every track record of my 20th century. We waved goodbye at the entrance to our Gamma, and as we made our way to our respective Alphas there were telepathic reminders of what we would do together tomorrow:
Back in our Alpha I was soon engaged for the second time in the energetic and delightful combination of ballet, folk dancing, and gymnastics called the Macro dance. The exciting musical accompaniment was supplied by C.I. through a speaker system so designed that the music seemed to emanate equally from all parts of the room. With my growing telepathic skills I was able to keep up with more of the flashing ins and outs and other dazzlingly swift interactions of the others in the room. I was no longer surprised to find Joyce on my shoulders or Alan throwing me in the air, or the tumbling over and under each other that occurred so regularly. Utilizing our telepathic bond I knew what was coming and was more or less prepared to accept what I had at first thought were impossible physical gyrations for the human body.
While my first experience with the Macro dance had left me bewildered and doubting the evidence presented by my own eyes, I was now prepared to accept the Macro powers as non-miraculous, though thrilling and surprising. However, the day's demands on my PK had been strenuous, so after about fifteen minutes I found myself very tired and grateful that my Alpha had ended the dancing early in deference to my fatigue.
I was soon floating comfortably in our Beta swimming pool perfectly content to just watch the energetic water activities of the other 99 members of my Beta. There was no doubt in my mind that I was viewing the greatest athletes the human race had ever produced, and I Was sure that my comrades had reached the limits of, physical grace, dexterity, and superhuman stamina. A few couples were playfully making love as they enjoyed the rhythm of the moving waters supporting their united bodies. Carol dove underwater and as her wet breasts found their way up my thighs to my chest her legs wrapped around me and we joined together joyously. Appreciating the uninhibited joy of love expressed openly and freely, I made a mental note to apologize to Karl and Cindy.
Before we left the pool, Leo our Betar, organized a type of water ballet, a game that was breathtaking to watch.
I vowed that tomorrow I would become a part of this activity, too.
After dinner I listened to my Alpha do some magnificent singing and discovered that Nancy and Steve had voices that would have been the envy of our greatest opera singers of the 20th century. To provide musical accompaniment they merely had to ask C.I. to give them whatever they wished in the line of music, since C.I. had recordings of every imaginable kind. Carol explained to me that they ended most evening meals with song, and it was only because of my arrival and our lengthy conversations that I had not heard them sing until tonight.
I could have listened to them sing all night and even discovered I was able, with the aid of telepathy, to join in some of the songs. However, long before I was ready to end it, Alan was saying that it was time for tutoring and I was leaving for my visit with Rana. I was pleased that we would be meeting with her this evening since I planned to ask her to use all her Macro power to help me attain my third Macro contact.
Rana immediately picked up this intention of mine, or perhaps she had precognitively anticipated it, because she asked me how I thought she could help me attain Macro contact.
'Well I-I-don't know,' I answered, feeling rather surprised at her question. 'But, after all, you are a level ten and if anyone should know how to help me, you should.'
'Yes,' Rana replied, 'but last time we met I told you that it is desire and belief that determine all things. No one can give you these two essentials.'
'All right,' I said, 'but I thought if I could establish a strong telepathic bond with you, that when you
