But in any case the animal can never become a pet, though it may be in the small but bright spark of consciousness that is all the little yellow-eyed creature wants. The quality that makes it so valuable is the final disqualification. Strength can be a weakness. Its nervous system is too powerful for a man in good health, upsetting the delicate balance of the human body in a variety of unusual ways. How the energy-transfer takes place has never been determined exactly, but it does occur.
It is only when he is stricken with the Bubble Death and needs additional energy to drive the invading microbes from the tissue around his nerves that the patient is allowed to have one of Bolden"s pets.
In the end, it is the animal that dies. As the natives knew, it is kindness to kill it quickly.
It is highly regarded and respectfully spoken of. Children play as close as they can get, but are kept well away from the pens by a high, st.u.r.dy fence. Adults walk by and nod kindly to it.
Bolden never goes there nor will he speak of it. His friends say he"s unhappy about being the first Earthman to discover the usefulness of the little animal. They are right. It is a distinction he doesn"t care for.
He still has the blue arrow. There are local craftsmen who can mend it, but he has refused their services. He wants to keep it as it is.
--F. L. WALLACE