clifford_a-_pickover_surfing_through_hyperspacebookfi-org
clifford_a-_pickover_surfing_through_hyperspacebookfi-org
clifford_a-_pickover_surfing_through_hyperspacebookfi-org
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THE GODS OF HYPERSPACE 159<br />
The manatee near Tanya produces xylophone-like notes as it gently<br />
touches her long hair. These are the sounds audible to humans. You<br />
guess that the manatee is also emitting sounds inaudible to the human<br />
ear.<br />
"They're singing!" Tanya says as her eyes dart back and forth from<br />
manatee to manatee.<br />
The songs of the space manatees become more sonorous. You imagine<br />
the sounds traveling for hundreds of miles, resonating with the<br />
songs of great invisible beings swimming to distant dimensions in the<br />
darkness.<br />
You wave to the manatees and turn to Tanya. "What do they want?"<br />
The sounds suddenly die, replaced by two deep voices, speaking in<br />
unison. "Greetings, travelers. Welcome to our world." Balls of light and<br />
little rainbow arcs come from their eyes.<br />
"Oh God!" Tanya cries. "They're so beautiful."<br />
The manatees stare at you for several seconds, as if assessing you.<br />
Again, you can't help thinking the space manatees look ancient, full of<br />
wisdom, possessing mighty minds that you can never fully penetrate. The<br />
manatees also look kind. Their hyperspherical eyes are omniscient.<br />
The manatees speak again. "Follow us so that we may lead you to<br />
higher dimensions in safety."<br />
As the manatees slowly turn, a great tail goes swishing over your body.<br />
"C'mon," Tanya says. "Let's follow them."<br />
The manatees leave a stream of lights in their wake that you find easy<br />
to follow. Occasionally you see vortices spiraling away from you, like<br />
miniature tornadoes. You stay away from them, just in case they are sufficiently<br />
strong to affect your motion.<br />
You point at other manatees emerging from great polyhedral domes<br />
that float in space. "Look at them!"<br />
It seems that the new manatees are coming out of the domes to<br />
watch the beautiful lights emitted by the manatees in front of you.<br />
The brilliant colors form a dazzling display as the lights skim over the<br />
domes like shooting stars, rising high into space and then swooping<br />
gracefully to form chains of interlinked light trails.<br />
Ahead is a 5-D city. The manatees never stop as they pass it by, but<br />
you turn your head so you can see the nearest building replete with manatee<br />
statues of translucent glass.