and even Dua allowed it—after some argument—but insisted that it be a simple design. So there was nothing but the two rods that served as electrodes, powered by Solar energy, and with room for Dua in between.
Dua rarely used it, but this time she stared at it and said, “Tritt has decorated it.… Unless you did, Odeen.”
“I? Of course not.”
A pattern of colored-clay designs was at the base of each electrode. “I suppose it’s his way of saying he wishes I would use it,” Dua said, “and I am hungry. Besides, if I’m eating, Tritt wouldn’t dream of interrupting us, would he?”
“No,” said Odeen, gravely. “Tritt would stop the world if he thought its motion might disturb you while you were eating.”
Dua said, “Well—I am hungry.”
Odeen caught a trace of guilt in her. Guilt over Tritt? Over being hungry? Why should Dua feel guilty about being hungry? Or had she done something that had consumed energy and was she feeling—
He wrenched his mind away from that impatiently. There were times when a Rational could be too Rational, and chase down the tracks of every thought to the detriment of what was important. Right now, it was important to talk to Dua.
She seated herself between the electrodes and when she compressed herself to do so, her small size was only too painfully evident. Odeen was hungry himself; he could tell because the electrodes seemed brighter than they ordinarily did; and he could taste the food even at that distance and the savor was delicious. When one was hungry, one always tasted food more keenly than otherwise and at a greater distance.… But he would eat later.
Dua said, “Don’t just sit silently, left-dear. Tell me. I want to know.” She had adopted (unconsciously?) the ovoid character of a Rational, as though to make it clearer that she wanted to be accepted as one.
Odeen said, “I can’t explain it all. All the science I mean, because you haven’t had the background. I will try to make it simple and you just listen. Later, you tell me what you didn’t understand and I’ll try to explain further. You understand, first, that everything is made up of tiny particles called atoms and that these are made up of still tinier subatomic particles.”
“Yes, yes,” said Dua. “That’s why we can melt.”
“Exactly. Because actually we are mostly empty space. All the particles are far apart and your particles and mine and Tritt’s can all melt together because each set fits into the empty spaces around the other set. The reason matter doesn’t fly apart altogether is that the tiny particles do manage to cling together across the space that separates them. There are attractive forces holding them together, the strongest being one we call the nuclear-force. It holds the chief subatomic particles very tightly together in bunches that are spread widely apart and that are held together by weaker forces. Do you understand that?”
“Only a little bit,” said Dua.
“Well never mind, we can go back later.… Matter can exist in different states. It can be especially spread out, as in Emotionals; as in you, Dua. It can be a little less spread out, as in Rationals and in Parentals. Or still less so, as in rock. It can be very compressed or thick, as in the Hard Ones. That’s why they’re hard. They are filled with particles.”
“You mean there’s no empty space in them.”
“No, that’s not quite what I mean,” said Odeen, puzzled as to how to make matter clearer. “They still have a great deal of empty space, but not as much as we do. Particles need a certain amount of empty space and if all they have is that much, then other particles can’t squeeze in. If particles are forced in, there is pain. That’s why the Hard Ones don’t like to be touched by us. We Soft Ones have more space between the particles than are actually needed, so other particles can fit in.”
Dua didn’t look at all certain about that.
Odeen hastened onward. “In the other Universe, the rules are different. The nuclear-force isn’t as strong as in ours. That means the particles need more room.”
“Why?”
Odeen shook his head, “Because—because—the particles spread out their wave-forms more. I can’t explain better than that. With a weaker nuclear-force, the particles need more room and two pieces of matter can’t melt together as easily as they can in our Universe.”
“Can we see the other Universe?”
“Oh, no. That isn’t possible. We can deduce its nature from its basic