classes, or are you coming in?"
25 "The lecture!" thought North. Carefully North eased off the bed, and
signed back to the Guard. "Tell them I'm coming." He went back to
Valley Blossom's room, got a change of clothes and took a shower. When
he came out he found his daughter waiting for him. She handed
her father his clothes as he dressed.
26 When her father was completely dressed, she put her head on his
chest. "I'm going to miss him so much," she moaned, "so very, very
much. He was so good to me, so much better than other boys are to their
sisters."
2 7 She began to sniffle and North put his fingers to her lips. "The
time for crying is done," he insisted, "now it is time to remember the
joyous things, of the good times we shared together. Remember that
secret thing that Mother Blossom taught you? No one ever really dies,
they just go to another place and someday we'll all go there, too.
He'll be waiting to greet us; that nothing can ever keep us from going
there."
28 "Do you really believe that, father?" North's daughter asked.
29 "I really believe it," North assured. "Morn mentioned something like
that to me, also, and you know how smart Morn is."
30 "Morn’s smart, father," the girl beaamed, "but he's not as smart as
you!"
31 "There, you’re very, very wrong precious one," North answered, "In
many ways Morn is smarter than I'll ever be!" North looked at his watch. "I have to go," he announced.
"Tell your mothers I had to attend to my duties, and I will be home as
quick as I can. I don't want anybody going out for any reason, and do
whatever the Guards tell you."
32 "Yes, father!" the girl answered. North hurried off to the transport
station. He grabbed some breakfast cakes and juice out of a vending
machine while he waited