George was dreaming again.  He was surrounded by many Grak, who snarled and laughed at him in derision.  He could feel their hot, rank breath on him, making his skin crawl.  All of a sudden, his father was there.  But he had bright red spots all over his body, and looked so weak, he was about to fall over.  George rushed forward, but was stopped by a dozen teddy bears carrying Flibbet skins.

And then someone was calling his name.

“George Brown,” said the voice.  It was a familiar voice.  A raspy voice. 

“George!” the voice said again, in a commanding tone.  His eyes flitted open and looking down, he saw a leathery creature at the foot of his bed.  A Ziphon!

“George Brown!” said the creature again in its strange voice, which sounded like gravel.  “The Uth stones can both heal and harm.  While they can always be used for good, they may also bring danger again to your people.”

The Ziphon sat silently, staring at George with its wide eyes.  Then with a mild ‘pop!’ it was gone.

George sat bolt upright in bed.  Another visit from a Ziphon!  And another message that was hard to understand.  However in one respect, part of this message was easier.  The Uth stones could bring danger to his people!  That increased his determination to not go to the planet Uth for the stones desired by the Glosh.  He clearly had to try to avoid getting the stones if at all possible. 

He quickly got out of bed and went to the door.  What time was it?  Of course, time was hard to keep track of in space.  How long ago had they left the teddy bear planet?  Could he find his father if he went out now, to tell him about the Ziphon and its message?

Cautiously, George opened the door.  He saw two of the Glosh across the open area in the middle of the ship.  They were seated at a table, and were engaged in an animated conversation.

George’s stomach knotted at the sight of them.  He would rather not come anywhere near them.  In spite of his father’s assurances, he still didn’t trust them.  They looked too much like the Grak.

Where was his father’s room?  There were several doors off of the main open area.  Which one was the right one?  The last thing George wanted to do was barge in on a sleeping Glosh.

“George!” came a familiar voice from across the room.  Looking quickly around, he was relieved to see his father striding toward him.  He looked more relaxed and refreshed than when he saw him last.

“Mind if I come in?” his father said with a smile, as he gently entered through the door.

“Not at all!” said George.  He was bursting to tell him about the Ziphon—but not until the door was closed, so the Glosh wouldn’t overhear.

“Well, we’re almost at the planet Uth,” said his father, closing the door behind him, and crossing over to the window.  “It’s that big, bright-looking star, straight ahead,” he said pointing.  “We’ll be there in less than an hour.”

“But we can’t go there!” blurted George.  “The Ziphon told me the stones may bring danger to the people of earth.”

“The Ziphon?” said his father, turning swiftly to look at George.

“He was just here, a few minutes ago,” said George.  “The Protector says Ziphons travel sideways through time, and know the future.  They can appear anywhere, anytime, and often come to give warnings.  When this one came, it was at the foot of my bed.  He warned me about getting the stones.  He said they could heal or hurt; that they could be used for good, but they may bring danger.”

Quickly, George crossed over to his father, reaching out to grasp his arm.  “Please, let’s not go there.  We can’t!”

The tips of George’s fingers suddenly felt as if they had been dipped in water, or liquid of some kind.  They felt cold and tingly. 

His father pulled back his arm in alarm.  “Don’t touch me!” he said in a nearly frantic voice.  “You’ll get the sickness!”

George looked down at his fingers.  They looked normal.  But they still tingled.  Had he touched his father?  But if so, why had it felt like putting his hand in water?  He had felt nothing solid at all.

“I talked to the Glosh about turning back, and not going to Uth to get the stones,” said his father, walking back around the table to the other side of the room, and away from George.  “I tried every bit of persuasiveness that I know how to use.  But they’re still determined to go there.  They said they won’t take us to earth until we get the stones.”

“I knew they weren’t to be trusted!” cried George.  “We’re trapped!  We’re their prisoners!”

“Now, George, don’t get excited,” said his father, holding up his hand as if to slap away a mosquito.  “They didn’t threaten me, or treat me rough like the Grak used to do.  In fact, they were more apologetic than anything.  But they were also insistent.  They see the Uth stones as important tools, which might help them finally bring an end to their long war with the Grak.”

“But we can’t go there!” cried George again.  “We just can’t!  Especially not now, after the Ziphon’s warning!”

“I feel the same way you do,” said his father sadly.  “But what can I do?”

“We can refuse to go down to the surface of Uth to get the stones,” said George firmly.  “That’s what we have to do.”

“True,” agreed his father with a nod of his head.  “But then we’ll just sit here in space.  They made it very clear they’re not going to leave until we get the stones for them.”

“Why can’t they get the stones themselves?” cried George.  “Why do they need us?  As I understand it, the stones can only be obtained by the pure in heart.  Their refusal to get the stones on their own shows they’re not pure in heart, and can’t be trusted!”

“No, not really,” replied his father slowly.  “They won’t get them because, frankly, they’re afraid.  They’ve heard the legends about how powerful the stones are, and are mortally afraid to touch them.  But they know that you and I have handled the stones before.  Therefore, they want us to get them on their behalf, and show them how to use them.”

“Well, we’ll just have to sit in space forever then!” said George in determination.  “I’m not going to get the stones, or show the Glosh anything.”

“I’ll do it then,” said his father with a sigh.  “You stay here on the ship.  They’ve got a landing craft I can use, and I’ll just go down and get two stones as soon as we arrive.”

“I don’t think you should do it,” said George.  “That’s just giving in to them.  The Ziphon said the earth may be in danger if we get those stones!”

“But the Ziphon also said the stones could be used for good, and could heal as well as harm,” said his father.  “I’ve got to get them.  It’s the only way for us to get back to earth.  And we’ve got to go there soon, or—“

He suddenly clutched his stomach and staggered.  His face went white.

“What’s wrong?” said George in alarm, springing forward to catch him.

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“No!” said his father firmly, holding up his hand and staggering backward.  “Don’t touch me!  You don’t want to get this sickness, believe me.  I’ll be all right in a minute.  It usually passes …”  His face contorted as if he were in pain.  He slumped against the wall.

George stared wide-eyed, feeling helpless.  What was he to do?

Suddenly he raced to the door and flung it open.  “Quick, get your doctor in here!” he called out.  “There’s something wrong with my Dad!”

Several of the Glosh turned and stared at him.  Then the old-looking one that had come for his father the night before rushed forward.  He pushed his way past George, and knelt over his father.

“Stand back!” he called, after a brief examination.  “He’s in critical condition—I’ve got to get him to his room, where I have the needed medications.”  The Glosh picked up his father as if he had no weight at all, and hurried out of the room.

George followed closely behind him.  “Will he be all right?” he asked in a tight voice.  The knot in his stomach felt as big as a baseball.

“I don’t know,” said the Glosh, who rushed across to another doorway.  He passed a hand over the wall, and the door opened.  George saw a room that looked similar to his own, but with a number of wires connected to the bed.

The Glosh put his father down on the bed, and quickly started connecting the wires to his father’s arms.  “Go back to your room!” he commanded.  “I need to work quickly, and it will be easier if you’re not here.”

George stood for a moment, unmoving.  How could he leave now?  What was going to happen to his father?

The Glosh looked up at him.  “Go!” he said again, but in a softer voice.  “I know you’re worried.  But if you go, I’ll be better able to help him.  I’ll come to you as soon as I can.”

George quickly went out, and crossed back over to his own room.  He closed the door behind him.  He still didn’t feel very comfortable in the presence of the Glosh scattered around the main room, who were all staring at him. 

What was he to do?  He felt helpless and alone.  He paced back and forth across his room, occasionally smacking one of his fists into the palm of his other hand.  He had to do something.  He just had to.  He couldn’t just stand by and let his father die!  But what could he do?

Suddenly he looked up.  Through the window he saw what looked like a bright star.  It was very bright, and seemed to be drawing closer every second.

The planet Uth.  That’s what it was.  He was back.  He was seeing it again.  And it looked just like it had before …

The planet seemed to reach out to him, beckoning him to draw nearer.  A warmth seemed to flow from it, accompanied by fragile strains of music.  But such music!  It seemed to fill George’s senses, as if the music were liquid, and he was drinking it up from a deep, bottomless cup.

Joy seemed to burst all around him as he stared at the planet.  Joy and light.  Joy inexpressible.  The joy of countless trillions of beings, whose knowledge and wisdom so far exceeded George’s own that it was staggering.  With all his heart, George suddenly longed to be on the surface of the planet again.  Yet at the same time he shrank back, a gnawing uneasiness in the pit of his stomach.  It wasn’t so much fear as it was discomfort.  The place was bright.  Incredibly bright.  And pure.  Could he actually go there?  Last time he had come after sacrificing all that he had.  Now he was coming with a different purpose.  Was he pure enough?

With an effort, George broke his gaze away from the window.  He couldn’t get caught up with the planet Uth now.  He wasn’t going to go there.  His father was.

His father!  He lay sick, maybe dying.  He needed help!

There was a sudden catch in George’s throat.  What was it the Ziphon had said?  Something about healing.  ‘The stones can both heal and harm.’  They could heal.  THEY COULD HEAL!

George raced to the door.  But even as he reached it, it swung open and the old Glosh was standing there.  His face looked grave.

“I think he’ll live,” said the Glosh heavily, “but perhaps not for long.  He needs desperately to get back to his home planet. He’s been gone from it too long.  Just being in its atmosphere again will help him.  If he gets there soon he’s got a chance.  Otherwise …”

“Then we’ve got to go there!” cried George. “Now!  As quickly as possible!”

“I agree,” said the old Glosh sadly.  “But, I’m afraid this ship’s commander does not.  He’s determined to get the Uth stones.  He believes it will save countless Glosh lives, in our war with the Grak.  He will not rest until he has them.  And he will wait here as long as he has to, in order to get them.”

“I’ll go get the stones then!” said George, without hesitation.  In surprise, the Glosh looked at him suddenly.  It blinked it’s eyes rapidly, as if trying to understand.  “But I thought … your father told me you were opposed to going.”

“I changed my mind,” said George rapidly.  He offered nothing more.  He still didn’t trust the Glosh, and wasn’t about to tell him about what the Ziphon had said regarding the stones’ power to heal--and his intent to use the stones to help  his father.

After a moment, the Glosh said simply, “I will go and tell the captain then that you are ready to go down to the surface as soon as we arrive.  Wait here.”

George stepped back into his room and closed the door.  His heart was racing.  He felt like he was caught in a vice, and it was being turned tighter and tighter.  He knew he shouldn’t go.  Not after the Ziphon’s warning.  But he also knew that he had to.  He just had to.  His father's life depended on it!

He turned and looked back out the window at the planet Uth.  They were so close now that it filled the whole window, bathing it in intense light.  And even as he looked, he felt the same joy leap out and grasp his heart again.  And in his mind he could once more hear singing.  It was a song so glorious and full of joy that it felt like creation itself.

‘Come!’ the planet seemed to beckon to him gently.  ‘Come and sing with us …’