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replies to our questions. Some wonder openly if it would be possible to converse with your parents.
I don t think that would be such a good idea, Chad replied slowly. I know my mother wouldn t react
quietly. Dad I m not so sure about. He s used to talking with foreigners. But it would double the number
of humans who know of your existence.
Which is why it was decided against. The Council anticipates wider contact yet are simultaneously
terrified of it. They are constantly considering and discarding proposals. You must understand that they
have no precedent from which to proceed, and the Quozl have always relied on precedent. Humans are
much more versatile when it comes to dealing with the un-known or the unexpected. He extended a
delicate, seven-fingered hand. Regardless of what is decided, it cannot damage our friendship.
As always, Chad marveled at the slim but strong grip. No. Nothing can harm that.
The new arrangement made things much easier. Chad and Runs-red-Talk-ing were allowed to do pretty
much as they pleased while the rotating study teams gained access to two intelligent young humans.
Meanwhile Mindy helped team members with their gathering and recording while they pro-vided her with
material for new shows.
The ratings forQuozitime remained number one in their time slot while Quozl toys and related products
continued to sell well. Other companies tried to hire the genius behind the Quozl away, which resulted in
regular unre-quested bonuses and perks from her employers, who would do whatever was necessary to
keep their star writer happy.
Mindy Collins was one very content young lady.
She shared her good fortune with friends and family. As for Chad, he had little time to watch the
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program. His Ph.D. continued to elude him and he had trouble finding jobs which would let him spend
three months in the mountains. His sister had no such problem. Her producers were delighted to let her
join the family at their summer retreat since she invariably returned with a stack of fresh new story ideas.
So Chad was more than a little surprised when Mindy announced one year that she would not be
accompanying her parents and brother to the cabin by the lake. When he pressed her for an explanation
she informed him that this spring there was simply too much work requiring her personal attention, ideas
for new shows including Quozi Babies, revisions to existing material which hadn t been properly
developed by the staff. With luck she would be able to clear it up in a few weeks. Then she would join
them.
He was reading in the cabin s den, contemplating the next meeting with Runs-red-Talking and a new
brace of researchers, when his mother an-nounced that his sister had finally arrived and that his father
was on the way to Boise to bring them back.
Chad finished the paragraph he was on, then frowned and looked toward the kitchen where his mother
was working. She moved slower now than when he d been a child but if anything her cooking had
improved.
Them?
Mindy and her fiancé, of course. You mean you don t know? No, of course you don t know. You bury
yourself so deep in your work it s hard to find you, and you re so forgetful.
How long has this been going on? He put the book aside and sat up, gazing out the window at the
smooth surface of the lake.
Going on? Oh, you mean how long has she been engaged? A little over three months, I think. His name
is Arlo.
Arlo. What could Mindy be thinking, bringing a total stranger here? Not that there was any intrinsic
harm in that. Unless.
What does he do?
He s in the entertainment business, like your sister. I think he s an agent of some kind. I don t know
what he agents, but he seems prosperous enough, and your sister certainly loves him.
Chad didn t reply. As his mother said, he was forgetful. But right now his mind was very busy, and very
full.
Though he tried to reserve judgment he disliked Arlo at first sight. It might have had something to do
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