2150 A.D.

As I was adjusting to 100 minutes in an hour and 100 seconds in a minute, Carol suggested that it was time to meet the other Alpha members in person. We found them sitting in the circle of chairs at our end of the common room.

The most u

I tried to return their eye contact but found myself repeatedly lowering my eyes self-consciously.

Alan, our Alphar, took my left hand and placed his right hand firmly on my cheek. His eyes engaged mine silently for a few seconds, then he said, "Welcome to our Alpha, Jon. I'm Alan Six. Forgive us for not speaking sooner. It is our custom to meet first with our eyes and minds, then with our touch, and lastly with our voices, if that seems desirable.

"Soon you will develop the Macro power of telepathy, which will make it easier for you. You'll still have another important barrier to overcome, though, before you'll be comfortable with our traditional affectionate greeting."

"I noticed," he continued, "that when I touched you your aura retracted. That, of course, indicates that you're uncomfortable sharing through touch.

"This may be a reflection of your culture's archaic taboo against men touching one another. However, it could be an indication of your submission to astrological influences. You've read enough astrology to know that most Virgos prefer that people stay their distance. This would be a cripplingly divisive astrological influence. It should be overcome through mental control and practice.

"Whichever influence is causing this retraction response will be overcome soon, and we'll all help you do it. As we introduce ourselves, keep in mind that we intend no harm, and see if you can give something of yourself to the greeting. Imagine the atoms that make up your being reaching lovingly, joyously out toward this person you're greeting. This establishes electro-molecular paths which will make it easier for us to communicate with you."

"Let's start with my Alpha mate, which brings me to another point, Jon. You'll find that we, in 2150, present ourselves to you, as opposed to being 'introduced' by a third party. We find it more honest, more clear, and simpler. Perhaps most importantly, it permits people to communicate at will anytime, anywhere, for any reason, without the cumbersome burden of archaic formalities. We just engage eyes, extend our hands, pronounce our names, and communicate our thoughts either telepathically or verbally."

As he said this, he turned and gestured to the beautiful girl sitting next to him. Her sweet face broke into a smile that was reflected by the sparkle in her eyes.

She said, "I'm Bo

As he approached I prepared to stand up, feeling self-conscious about the fact that I had not paid Bo

"Please don't stand, Jon. I'm Adam. You'll find we, in 2150, do not burden our lives with u

Lost for what to say, I played it safe and simply said, "Thank you," using my voice for the first time since I joined the circle. "You're very kind. Looks like I have a lot to learn." Gingerly I returned his gesture of affection.

Then Adam's Alpha mate, Nancy, was kneeling before me introducing herself while I yielded to the depths of her liquid brown eyes.

This was followed by meeting a smiling David, who possessed the shoulders of a Hercules, and his Alpha mate, Diana, whose body was the smallest, at six feet one, but in magnificent feminine proportions.

Then I met the Goliath of our Alpha, six-foot-nine-inch Steve, whose giant body was balanced by a face that radiated a paradox of mischief and patient kindness.

The last member was vivacious Joyce, with lovely green eyes and dark auburn hair which made me wish they wore their hair longer in 2150.

Perhaps the most striking physical qualities were their penetrating, all-knowing eyes, their short-hair, their giant statures, which made me at six feet three the shortest male by two inches, and their remarkable physical beauty. Like idealized Greek statues, the women were lovely and the men were handsome. However, unlike the 20th century, where physical beauty was rare and sought after, no one here was self-conscious about his appearance. Carol had told me that they valued the beauty and power of the mind more than that of the body.

I remembered, however, that C.I. had stated that the body reflected the mind and the mind reflected the spirit. So I knew they would not ignore or take lightly their physical health and beauty.

I was surprised at how warmly and positively they responded to me and I to them. Overcoming my typical 1970s aversion to touching was coming along nicely, partly, I suspect, due to the fact that I honestly liked them all, and not with the usual superficial type of regard that I generally felt on first meetings back in the 20th century. It was surprising, but I felt a deep personal involvement with all of them. Somehow they radiated a quality of trust and positive regard that made it impossible for me to feel indifferent or defensive. I could relax with them, for they were my friends already-my very best of friends.

Someone entered the room, and I turned to find an absolutely perfect, beautifully sculptured man. I had thought of Greek statues of women, and here was one of a male, vibrantly alive. His tunic was a glistening white with the faintest suggestion of iridescent colors playfully showing here and there.

I wanted to burst with joy just looking at him and feeling his incredible strength, his power.

He took my hand and, placing his huge but gentle hand on my face said, "I feel your thought, Jon. And the joy is returned. It's so good to have you with us at last." He squeezed my hand affectionately. "Happy growing, Jon! We are one!" And was gone before I could respond.

"What happened? Where did he go? Who is he?" my questions almost tripped over one another.

"That was Eli, our Ktar. He, like other level tens, travels about on thought. He had to get back to what you think of as the planet Uranus, where he's been very busy helping clear up some problems in their magnetic field. This leaves him very little time to spend here on earth, but he did want very much to greet you and welcome you to 2150."

I groped mentally for a frame of reference into which I could fit what I had just heard.

"You mean that he just thinks himself from planet to planet?"

"That's right," Joyce answered. "Level tens spend a lot of time away from Earth helping others and growing. Evolved souls from other planets spend much time here helping us, too."

Alan suggested something that at first made me think I had misunderstood, for it sounded like he had said, "Let's dance!"

His suggestion was immediately received with shouts of agreement. He took my hand and we ran after the others down the long living room.

What happened during the next fifteen or twenty minutes was almost unbelievable to me. Suddenly the great room was filled with the most exciting music I had ever heard.

Imagine strenuous folk dancing like a spirited polka or Offenbach's Gaite Parisie