DATE WITH THE GODS

46 DATE WITH THE GODS

were serious. She looked straight at me with those
strange eyes. She was serious. "Oh, well, then, allow me
to introduce myself," I said, with exaggerated gallantry.
"My name is Napoleon Bonaparte." She kept looking at
me with those serious eyes. "Or I might start looking for
Mr. Funt's candid camera. But above all, I would smile."
She took a few moments before answering. Then she
said very slowly and deliberately, her eyes still fastened
to mine, "Charles, yo u might just as well start smiling,
because I am informing you that at this moment you are
talking to an extraterrestrial. Yes," she said, nodding
slowly, "someone from outer space."
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't. Her words, her
expression, her eyes, made me feel uncomfortable.
"Look, Rama," I said, "I've heard a lot of far out stories,
but yours takes the cake. What have you been smoking?
"I had you pegged as a smart girl, but .... "
I was getting ready to let her have it when something
about her expression stopped me. Her eyes looked into
me with such an expression of sadness, I couldn't
continue. She looked down, uncharacteristically avert­
ing her eyes. All my anger left me. Again this young
woman was managing to touch me. I remembered my
promise to her to keep an open mind. "Okay, let's say for
the moment that I buy your story," I said, "and that I go
along with it."
"Good," she said, her sad face transformed by a
dazzling smile.
"Now, wait a minute, Rama, I said I wanted to hear
more, not that I'm necessarily going to believe you."
"That's fine," she said, "You don't have to believe me.
Not this minute, anyway. That will come later, by itself."
"Your friends-are they also alien beings from outer
space?"
"Yes, they are. We are all here. We live right here in
these mountains."