Patrick and I had begun to follow Anselmo’s practice of taking shorter rest periods. This was easier than I would have thought as we were unconscious of day and night.
   After what would have been one week by Earth time, Anselmo began to spend more time at the helm, without taking a sleeping break. He said he was watching for our destination. More humming noises could be heard periodically, and sometimes, we could feel the effects of the craft slowing down.
   At one point, Patrick and I were standing next to him, looking into the bubble. Two bluish lines crossing each other perpendicularly were visible on the bubble screen as though they were a line of longitude and a line of latitude.
   ‘What are those lines?’ I asked.
   ‘They show me the source of the signal being sent by the landing beacon on Lactid,’ he said. ‘Other times, I use lines such as this to help navigate by aid of the stars.’
   Right where the two lines crossed, a small point of light could be seen. I stood and looked as it gradually got bigger and bigger. Soon, it began to take on a shape. It wasn’t a round ball like the other planets and moons, but rather something like a large rock — roundish, or squarish with jagged edges. Only those parts that reflected some light could be seen. Soon, I began to see a large flat shiny surface on the side facing the sun. When this came into sight it almost blinded me.
   As we came closer and closer, the shiny surface began to look more and more like a sea of water. Then again, the closer we came, the more it looked, not like water, but a sea of crystal.
   After a while, we were moving towards the crystal surface head on. The blue lines now crossed over a feature visible on the sea, but near the ‘coast’. We appeared to be heading towards that spot. The feature became clearer and clearer as we went. It was round, with a brass coloured border, but indistinct inside. The crystal sea soon began to encompass most of the visible area to the front of the screen.
   Now, we stopped, and Anselmo began tapping a devise that looked like a telegraph transmitter. With each tap, the part of the screen facing the planetoid would pulsate with a faint white light. After a while, from the brass coloured feature, a light blinked back at us. After a blinking back and forth for a few minutes, we began moving again.
   All this time, our destination was always on the topmost point of the bubble.
   ‘I’m turning the craft around to land now,’ said Anselmo. ‘You two had better get into your seats.’
   Suddenly, the whole picture turned, so that the point indicated by the crossing lines moved quickly to the bottom of the bubble. As he did so, we almost lost our balance. It was as though the whole room turned up-side-down, but we continued to be firmly planted on the floor.
   Patrick and I sat down and fastened ourselves in.
   From where I sat, I could only see stars in the bubble screen. I now understood that this to be the ‘up’ direction, and that we were landing feet down on the surface of the planetoid. But I couldn’t imagine that life on a sea of crystal could offer much excitement.
   The humming of our engines was increasing. Suddenly, from looking at the bubble, we could tell we were descending into something like a pit, or a mine shaft. Stars could be seen at the mouth of the shaft, but most of the view was taken up with the walls of the shaft. Then, the mouth of the shaft closed up, and the stars could no longer be seen, but only metallic surfaces.
   Then, we came to a stand still. The humming died down, and Anselmo jumped down from his seat and helped us out of our seats.
   When we got out of our seats, we suddenly felt heavier. We had got so used to the lightness that it was now a bit more of an effort to get up. However, this sensation didn’t last for long, as we were still much lighter than on earth.
   Looking into the screen, I could see that we were on a vast floor surface. On the floor were several globes which I realised were ships like ours. Some were larger and some smaller. At other points on the floor, were the same designs that we had seen on the roof of the port house on Earth. These were obviously vacant landing spots.
   We went down the stairs, and found that the spiral staircase in the cylindrical room had reappeared. However, we noted that the stairs had features that were different from the ones we climbed up from Earth.
   ‘These staircases are actually part of the landing pads which were built to accommodate these ships,’ Anselmo explained. ‘All this unfolds in response to our landing signals, and when we take off again, it folds back up and is contained in the upper part of the port house.’
   We went down the spiral stairs through the metallic shaft and down into a room that looked like the inside of the port house from which we had taken off. However, on going out the door of the port house, we only found ourselves in a large hall full of round rooms just like the one we had left.
   Anselmo looked at the top of the door as we left, and noted the markings engraved there.
   The floor was made of marble, and the rooms of a smooth greyish stone. The ceiling of the large hall was about the same height as that of the port house on Earth. Presumably, our craft was on the upper floor from where we were.
   We walked towards a large open arched door. Beyond the door it was daylight.
   When we got to the door, we stood blinking our eyes at the sight before us. Far from being a small island in middle of a crystal sea, as far as the eyes could see were buildings of classical Greek and Gothic architecture, and trees, fountains, hills and pools. Birds could be seen gliding through the air. People were walking as though on daily business, all dressed in different fashions, but all with the same kind of material as Anselmo and us.
   We went out and began walking down the street.
   This was a different sort of city than I had ever experienced on Earth. I had been to many where the architecture was similar — at least in portions — and to cities that could be described as garden cities. However, this, though a combination of the two, was different in a way I couldn’t tell at first.
   Though we had become noticeably heavier on landing, I noticed that we were still much lighter than we would have been on the Earth. This was noticeable also in the way people moved about. Though most walked at a normal pace, many, when running or jumping would leap much higher than was possible on Earth. One large group of children, especially, seemed to enjoy seeing how high they could jump.
   Anselmo said, ‘These children have just arrived from their studies on a planet with much greater gravitational pull than here. They always play like this when they arrive here, as we never allow them to jump like this on the ships.’
   ‘They go to a different planet to study?’ Patrick asked.
   ‘Oh, yes! They go from the time they learn to walk. If they grew up on a planetoid such as this, they would never develop strength in their bodies. They would never survive on a normal planet.’
   Looking around, I could see that as a garden city, it was even greener than one could ever have imagined. The leaves and branches were everywhere, and yet in an orderly way. Thick vines grew up the sides of tall buildings. Here and there, I even saw thick winding vines standing up with no support at all. Some trees grew extremely tall, and yet at precarious angles that it looked like they would come toppling down at any minute.
   At one point, I grabbed Anselmo by his sleeve, and said, ‘Look out! That tree’s about to fall!’
   He just laughed, and said, ‘They all grow like that here. There’s so little gravity here that the trees grow in all kinds of different ways.’
   At one point, I saw some small children jumping from branch to branch of a large tree as though they were monkeys.
   ‘Where is that ocean that we saw from up above?’ I asked.
   ‘That’s it,’ said Anselmo, pointing upward at the sky.
   The sky was a similar shade of blue as that on Earth. In some places, it reflected different colours, as a sort of rainbow, but not like the rainbows on Earth. More like light in the crystal of a chandelier, or a prism.
   ‘That, up there,’ Anselmo explained, ‘is one big slab of ice that covers the top of this vast canyon and holds the air inside. It is shaped as a lens so as to direct light from the sun into the city. Otherwise, it would be both very cold, and without sufficient atmosphere; as the sun would appear from here as it appeared on the screen on the ship — like a tiny star.’
   I looked all around and noticed that the tops of the mountains all around appeared as though they had been cropped off at the top at exactly the same height. On closer examination, I could see that the ‘sky’ at that point was darker, as though the image of the tops of the mountains showed through the translucent mass of ice. A hazy but bright image of the sun could be seen in the middle of the ‘sky’. Directly behind us, the building from which we had emerged could be seen in its full size. It was both massive in width, and tall, built like a giant castle dug into a mountain behind it. The upper portion looked like a giant castle tower growing partly out of the mountain, and disappearing into the sky alongside the peak of the mountain. Beyond that was the major portion of the mountains that surrounded the city.’
   We walked on further past a large pool with a fountain in the middle that shot up to a tremendous height. The drops landed in the water, producing ripples that reminded me more of walls of water rather than any waves I’d ever seen. Children were playing in the water, and jumping off a very high rock formation forming the bank on one side. Their clothes were spread out on another lower portion of the bank. As they jumped off the high bank, they looked as though they were actually flying through the air like birds.
   Many adults seemed to delight in watching the children at play, and even calling to them and talking to them. The children themselves were outgoing — not shy of strangers as many Earth children would have been.
   Anselmo explained, ‘It’s not often that the children come here. They are all on their way to their various homes to visit their parents for holidays from school. Naturally, it’s entertaining for the locals when they come.’
   It didn’t really seem like an unusually large number of children. However, I did notice that the number of adults was even fewer.
   In one place, we saw an outdoor market, with many stalls and push carts laden with produce.
   Anselmo again explained, ‘All this is grown in a part where the sunlight is especially concentrated, and it’s redirected with mirrors to many levels of soil arranged on top of one another.’
   ‘Is the soil on this planetoid good for planting?’ asked Patrick.
   ‘No, but we bring soil in from other planets. Over the thousands of years, we have accumulated a tremendous amount of soil so that, for the last one thousand years, Lactid has grown all of its own food.’
   Soon, we came to a large stone building that looked like the cross between a castle and a cathedral, with many turrets and bay windows and vines growing up the sides.
   ‘This is the main guest house,’ said Anselmo. ‘We’ll go in and see if they have room here for you to lodge during your stay. If not, we’ll go to the smaller one on the other side of the city. With all the children here, they may be crowded. You may have to share a room with some of them.’
   We entered a large hall with many arches and several staircases going up in different directions. The lower floor was something like a courtyard in that, in many places, there was no ceiling or roof. Later I found out that it wasn’t unusual for houses in Lactid to be built without a roof. The upper floors were in sections that were separated from one another by the courtyard. In many places, the sections were joined by walkways which themselves also formed arches that helped give the courtyard the look of a cathedral. Also, inside, were many trees and plants. Thick vines also climbed the staircases and wound around the arches and catwalks.
   Other people were there, some on their way in or out, some seated on benches placed in various places, some, children, were running to and fro and across the cat walks. Birds also flew freely through the courtyard, and here and there, their nests could be seen wedged in the architectural design. At least one cat was walking across the stone pavement. Below one set of arches and walks, was a pool where a couple of children were swimming. A sign posted on one of the arches in both Greek and Latin, and another language I couldn’t make out said, ‘No jumping from upper walkways.’
   Noticing me read the sign, Anselmo said, ‘A child once hurt himself very badly when he jumped from the walkway, and missed the water, landing instead on the pavement.’
   The first one we met in the great hall turned out to be another friar.
   ‘Father Rudolfo!’ exclaimed Anselmo. ‘When did you arrive here?’
   ‘I came with a group of the children from the school in Synochos,’ he said. ‘We’re very short handed there right now. I had to accompany these children all by myself. No sisters were even available to take care of the girls! Only one instructor is left there right now. What about yourself?’
   ‘I’ve just arrived from Earth with some books and manuscripts for your school. We can take them there at the end of your holiday, when the weather changes. And I’ve brought these two here on a visit. They’re friends of Clarence. This is their first time away from Earth.’
   Father Rudolfo looked at us with a smile — it was the smile of an educator looking on his pupils for the first time. He looked not altogether different from some of my old school masters from boarding school days. His pleasantly grey hair, his small mouth and the monocle that hung around his neck over his crucifix helped to lend to this general impression. ‘Pleased to make your acquaintance,’ he said.
   ‘Do they have room here for these two?’ asked Anselmo.
   ‘They can join us if there isn’t. We’re in the big room with the veranda at the top. What about yourself?’
   ‘I have my own cubicle near the reading room,’ answered Anselmo.
   To make things simpler, they decided to put us in the room occupied by Father Rudolfo and company. We reached it by going up many flights of stairs, over several walkways, and at least four corridors. Though it was a lot of climbing, we didn’t feel at all tired. It was like exploring an ancient castle. Their room was indeed large and had a veranda that overlooked the city. The room was bare except for a number of sleeping mats lined against the wall, and assorted bags.
   ‘What time is it now,’ Patrick asked.
   Father Rudolfo answered, ‘The last time I looked at the clock it was 6-5722-8-11-21-74.’
   ‘I beg your pardon?’ I asked.
   ‘That’s how time is computed here,’ said Anselmo.
   ‘When does the sun set?’ asked Patrick.
   ‘The sun doesn’t set here. This planetoid doesn’t rotate, which is good, as that way, we get a sufficient amount of heat from constant direct sunlight.’
   ‘It’s day like this all the time then?’
   ‘"Day" is not a useful way to describe it,’ said Anselmo. ‘One doesn’t speak of "day" if there is no "night" to compare it to. The word is only useful as a unit of time, which is quite arbitrary when you live away from Earth.’
   ‘When does everyone sleep then?’
   ‘Whenever you need your rest.’
   Father Rudolfo said, ‘My children should be having their rest in about an hour. They’ll rest longer as they do have nights of a sort in Synochos. Oh, would you care to have your meal with us?’
   ‘We would, thank you,’ said Patrick and I.
   The invitation was also directed to Anselmo and he also accepted.
   Father Rudolfo went over to one of the bags and fetched what looked like a ram’s horn. He went out to the veranda and gave it a couple of loud toots. Then he went out to the corridor, and out to a walkway that crossed the courtyard and gave an identical signal. I could hear the shouts of some children acknowledging the signal.
   After a short while, I could hear running steps in the corridor, and children of various ages came in, pushing and bumping into one another.
   ‘Okay, children,’ Father Rudolfo said. ‘Settle down. You’ve had your play time. Now it’s time to eat and go to bed.’
   Now, I was reminded even more of my school days.
   The children began settling down. Somehow, they seemed much simpler than most children I’d seen on Earth. Some of them smiled broadly at Patrick and myself.
   ‘Give a greeting to Father Anselmo,’ said Father Rudolfo.
   ‘Peace to you, Father Anselmo,’ ‘Peace to you, Father,’ ‘Shalom, Reverend Father,’ ... etc.
   ‘We have two visitors with us. Tell us your names, won’t you?’
   Patrick and I introduced ourselves, and the children greeted us. In Latin, our names came out as Fredrico and Patricio.
   Father Rudolfo brought out some of the greenish bread we had become accustomed to, and some jars of spread. Also, he brought out various kinds of fruit. Everyone sat around in a circle on the floor. Father Rudolfo said a blessing, and everyone began eating and talking jovially about some of the things they’d seen and done in the city. Some were bragging about how high they could jump, or from how far up they could dive into the pools of water, or how far up they could climb some of the vines and trees. Some were laughing about how one of them, a boy named Alfonso, had found himself trapped near the top of a vine, and had to crawl through a window of someone’s home. He had emerged a while later at the front door with the angry housekeeper dangling him by his ear like a kitten, and plumping him down on the steps.
   ‘I suppose you deserved whatever they gave you in that house, Alfonso,’ chided Father Rudolfo. ‘This is the third mess you’ve got yourself into on this trip. See that you don’t get into another.’
   ‘Yes, Father Rudolfo,’ said Alfonso.
   Alfonso looked the part, with his messy blond hair and a pudgy face that could one minute look as naughty as they come, and the next minute be looking up at you with big mournful eyes as though he expected a smack on his bottom. In fact, he reminded me very much of my younger brother, Willie, at eight years old.
   Many of the other children had a Mediterranean look about them, while others, like Alfonso, looked Western European, and others looked like they came from other parts. Two were completely black, like Africans.
   The meal was soon over, and everything was cleaned up. Father Rudolfo brought out a big Bible and read a portion. Everyone then said the Our Father, and Father Rudolfo prayed a more spontaneous prayer. After that, the children settled down on their mats, the boys on one side of the room, and the girls on the other. Father Rudolfo showed us to two vacant mats on the boy’s side. Father Rudolfo drew the shutters so it became dark inside the room. We were ready for a good rest, so we were soon off to sleep.