clifford_a-_pickover_surfing_through_hyperspacebookfi-org

158 surfing through hyperspace
where ahead of you, sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other.
Suddenly there is a deep rushing whoosh close by and you see a dark
body arcing through space.
"Was that an Omegamorph?" you say. The fleeting image lingers in
your mind, like a vision of a mermaid.
"No," Tanya replies, "the body was bluish-gray. Omegamorphs have
more fleshy tones."
No creature comes close again, though large fleeting images flash by,
and the sighs continue along with faint squeaks and chirps.
"Something big ahead," Tanya says.
"Where?"
As you speak, you see something propel itself downward—out of sight
as it makes a sighing sound.
"There," Tanya says and points her slender finger at two looming
masses, huge, much bigger than elephants. They look like spaceships.
You slow your speed as two vessels swim toward you. But they aren't
really vessels. Oh my God! They are huge manatees. You know all about
manatees, but have never seen one up close.
On Earth, manatees are large water mammals, popularly called sea
cows. Their dark bodies taper to flattened tails. Their forelimbs are flippers
set close to the head; no external hind limbs exist. Their heads are
small, with straight snouts and cleft upper lips with bristly hairs. These
space manatees are similar to their Earthly counterparts.
"They're from the fifth dimension," Tanya says with a smile. "We are
only seeing their intersection with this space."
As you gaze up at their bellies from below, the manatees resemble sentinels,
guarding the path ahead of you. Then one manatee "swims" low so
that you can see its eye looking down on you. Tanya grabs your hand tightly.
"They won't hurt us," she says to herself.
The manatee on the right seems particularly bold. Its body has wrinkled
skin around the sides. The creature swims forward, hesitates for just
a second, and then touches both you and Tanya with its flipper. The flipper
seems to penetrate your chest slightly, but with no ill effect. It is like a
ghost hand floating through a wall. Perhaps the manatee wants to make
sure your body is real. There is nothing in the manatee's motions that is
alarming. Indeed, there is something in the manatee's demeanor that
inspires confidence. It has a graceful gentleness, a certain age-old ease.