"Don't you understand, Rob?" Edwin said as he bounced to his feet. "There's nothing beyond me today. Carina is going to marry me, and I'm an astronaut!

The world and everything in it is wonderful! I'm invincible-if we went to Atlantic City, I'd break the bank! I'll manage a family, tidy up your loose ends, anything and everything! Come on, let's run!"

He loped down the path past the soccer field on through a strip of trees, singing as he went:

And everything is so complete When you're walkin out on the street And the wind catches your feet And sends you flyin', cryin'

Wooo, ooooh, ooooo-wheee!

Wild nights are callin'!

Beyond the trees was another suburban avenue with a convenience store at the corner. Edwin whirled down the aisles like a joyous tornado. The cans of chicken broth paid for, he said, "There's a pond with ducks beyond the game field there. And it's Monday, so nobody will be around. So that'd be a good place."

"A good place? For what?"

"To tour your inner landscape, Rob. Are you familiar with the terminology of personality theory? Shadow, ego, and self? It's time the pieces of your psyche got on better terms. And today, I'm just the one to facilitate it."

"No, Ed." Rob shook his head stubbornly as they walked. "I appreciate your good will, but it would be very dangerous."

"This is where it's going to work out so great, Rob. Only I can do this for you. For me it won't be dangerous at all. I can't die. I'm immortal."

"But what about mental damage? Emotional injuries?" Rob argued. "You're not proof against those."

"How do you know?"

Rob fell back, stumped. How did he know? He realized he knew even less about Edwin's condition than he did about the weirdness. Trotting to catch up, he said, "Is this how you're going to manage on Mars? Just plunge headfirst into the unknown and count on the immortality to save the day?"

"This is not unknown territory, Rob, I keep telling you. I know you.

Besides," he added after a pause, "the moment you told me Gilgamesh got a tour, I wanted to go too." He laughed uproariously at Rob's incredulous expression.

The pond was a small municipal one, the shallow sunny water surrounded by flagstones. Fat puffs of white cloud were reflected in the still surface.

Ghostly green in the shadowy depths, the young leaves of a water lily unfurled towards the light. The sidewalk widened out to accomodate some pink-flowering azaleas and another slatted wooden park bench. As Edwin sat down, three brown mallard ducks carved vees in the water towards him, hoping for a handout. Edwin set the canvas grocery bag clanking beside him, and pointed at the remaining space. Reluctantly Rob sat. "I've heard of scientific curiosity, but this is crazy," he said.

"Come on, Rob-you can't tell me about it, we've already seen that. So why not show me?"

Rob realized that, ever articulate and far the faster thinker, Edwin had an answer to objections that Rob hadn't even dreamed up yet. And it would be undeniably interesting to see what happened. Today was his lucky day too.

Impulsively he said, "Okay. You really mean it? Then let's go. Hold out your hand."

"My hand?" Edwin laid his left hand on top of the grocery bag.

Rob watched him sharply, but saw no signs of nervousness or second thoughts. Very lightly he brushed his fingers across the back of Edwin's wrist, drawing him gently in.

CHAPTER 2.

Rob found himself lying on the grass looking up at a fathomless sunny blue sky. It was framed by drifts of fairylike pink blossom. Beside him was an old stone Japanese lantern. He sat up, and a chubby man in polyester plaid pants said, "Say, mate, take a kip again, wouldjer? You're coming into the shot."

The man was focusing an enormous camera balanced on an inadequate-looking tripod, otherwise Rob wouldn't have known what he was talking about.

"Sorry," he said. "Let me move out of your range." He looked around and saw Edwin sitting nearby, against a gnarled gray tree trunk. "How do you like it, Ed?" he asked.

"This is the Tidal Basin, in Washington, B.C.," Edwin said, enthralled.

"See the Jefferson Memorial? And the Lincoln's over that way. What happened? Did you teleport us? I thought you said it was like New York City."

Rob shook his head. "It's different every time, did I mention that? This isn't the real Washington, Ed. This is me, my playground, and today it happens to reflect downtown. Your body is untenanted, left to sit on a park bench in Takoma Park. I just hope passers-by will assume we're stoned or drunk."

"But this is so real! Are you sure?"

"Think back, Ed. Did you watch the local evening news last night? When did they say the cherry blossoms peaked?"

"Ten days ago," Edwin said, stunned. "During the cherry blossom festival.

Wow! And who are they?" He pointed at the plump tourist, who had posed with his family around the lantern and was now using a remote to take the picture.

Rob shrugged. "I don't know. A lot of things here I don't understand. Shall we go on?"

Edwin stared out at the sunny sparkling Tidal Basin. Someone in a paddle boat was halfway across to the Jefferson Memorial, glowing snowy white against the blue sky. "What a beautiful day! Even if it isn't real. This is so great! Where are we going?"

Rob smiled at this enthusiasm. "If we go that way we'll come to the Potomac, and the Lincoln Memorial. Head east, and we'll be at the museums on the Mall."

"The museums! Let's go to Air and Space, and look at the Mars colony model!"

"There may not be one there," Rob warned him. "Keep it in mind every minute, Ed. This is a construct, a metaphor. You're pretty safe with me-this place is the core of my power, and I can literally do anything here. But we have to stay together. If you get lost in here, I don't know what would happen to you."

"Are you kidding? I'm going to stick like glue-you have to answer my questions!" Edwin took the small notebook and a ball-point pen out of the back pocket of his shorts. "Did you make this place, Rob? Did you know beforehand it would be D.C.? What exactly are we looking for?"

"I suppose, no, and I don't know," Rob said laughing. "I'll know when we find it."

It was impossible to be wary on such a glorious day. The cherry trees were so excessively gorgeous, and there were so many of them, that it was difficult to believe they were real. The beauty was superfluous, a generous gift pressed down and running over, unasked, undeserved. Cars full of gawking tourists armed with videocams and pocket cameras thronged every road around the Tidal Basin. The traffic chugged slowly past Rob and Edwin as they strolled down the sidewalk. Everything was glorious yet mundane, sunny and safe. It occurred to Rob that in defeating Gilgamesh he had routed the monster in the sub-basement too. Perhaps this was all there was now, a bright and sane interior universe.

Edwin's glance was full of what Rob was startled to recognize as respect.

"And you say I'm too nice? If this is you, your true self, Rob, you keep some impressive inner beauties hidden under a bushel."

Rob shook his head. "I've changed a lot, Ed. Do you remember when we met, in Central Park? I bet it wasn't so pleasant in here then."

"I recall. You looked like a crazy person-if you hadn't helped Katie I would never have spoken to you. You've recovered amazingly since then, bud.

It's a miracle."

Rob stared at him. "But Ed-you're the one who did it. How can you not have noticed? If it's a miracle, you worked it. You made the darkness bright, and built the bridge. If I hadn't met you first, before meeting Gil, he would have had me by the short hairs, you know that? I'd still be in Aqebin, being groomed to be the next Hitler."

Edwin laughed with genuine astonishment. "Holy Mike, it's true. Superhero sidekick saves the world from disaster, film at eleven. No, don't you dare thank me, I can't stand it. Tell me instead, why Washington? Why not Paris, or Singapore? I've never been to Singapore."

Rob stared up at the limpid sky. "I never know what it's doing in here, or why. Maybe it's Washington because I've never been to Singapore either.

Maybe the weather is good only because I'm happy."

Edwin stopped for a moment, and then excitedly began to walk again. "That is a really significant statement, Rob, do you realize? You hardly ever confess, even to me, how you're feeling."

"That's true." Rob knew that out in reality even that simple admission would have made him stammer with embarrassment. "I wonder why that is."

"I can guess," Edwin said, thinking hard. "It's because here we're really inside you. Somewhere out there-" He waved an arm at the cloudless blue sky-"either about four inches away, or a hundred billion light years, depending on how you think about it, is your face, Rob. Your mask. Your reserved tough-guy interface with the rest of the world."

Rob laughed. In a strange way it all made perfect sense. He had given up expecting this place to be logical in any mundane way. "How does a guy who holds by all the articles of Christianity know so much psychobabble?"

"Nonsense, Rob, I'm the epitome of consistency. Taking apart the toy to see how it works just increases your respect for the toymaker."