In the middle of the summer Murray realized that he had been on Zalman for almost a year, and had thought very little about his parents. He wondered if somehow he could contact them. He asked the tect, and it suggested that Murray dictate a letter, which would be relayed to a public tect near Murray’s old home, and from there by messenger to Murray’s parents. He was glad to have the chance, but he was nervous, too. He wondered if his parents could understand how happy he was, how what had seemed like a strange and cruel punishment was really the reward the Representative had promised. He wondered if he could try to explain that without hurting their feelings. Finally, he addressed a short, noncommittal note to them; he never received a reply to it.
The summer and then the autumn passed. It was time again to begin the harvest. Murray’s livestock had multiplied during the year, as well. He now had three large tubs of jellyanimals, each producing three or four gray lumps a day. He learned that the lumps could be stored unboiled for an indefinite length of time, and that after boiling they could be chopped and fed to the other animals; the livestock seemed to thrive with this addition to their diet. The draft animals, which Murray had named “stupes,” were large bearlike creatures with shaggy white coats. They had intelligent expressions, but three of them had almost starved before Murray realized that they were too stupid to look for their food beyond its normal place. He had rearranged the inside of the barn and moved the feeding troughs; the stupes had nearly died before they adjusted. Now there were six adult stupes and four helpless cubs. The TECT booklet said that they might be slaughtered for food, but Murray tended to doubt that. He preferred to delay that experiment, at least another year. The other animals were doing just as well; there were a dozen creatures that looked like squirrels the size of large dogs, which supplied Murray with a thin blue “milk”; there were scores of tiny things which Murray called “mice,” although they were more like lizards with fur, and which had an inscrutable but vital relationship with the stupes; there were several members of a trisexual species of flightless bird, which ate the unboiled gray lumps of the jellyanimals and regurgitated an ugly but nutritious porridge; and there were other animals, to all of which Murray had grown accustomed and even fond.
The second winter began, raged, and passed. A new spring woke the land, and with it came the first communication from Earth in many months. Murray was astonished to see the red Advise light flashing when he came in for the evening meal. He hurried to read the message:
**ROSE, Murray S.—ExtT—RepNA Dis9 Secl4 Loc58-NY-337
M154-62-485-39Maj
22:43:12 8Feb 469 YR RepGreet ReplReq**
**ROSE, Murray S.:
Notification of Majority. Waiver of CAS term (Details follow)**
**ROSE, Murray S.:
Congratulations! Today you are nineteen years old, and an adult citizen under the protection of the Representative of North America. We understand that as a resident of the planet Zalman, you may feel somewhat apart from the day-to-day affairs of your fellow citizens; but be assured that you are never long out of our thoughts. Now that you are officially an adult citizen, we are even more concerned for you and your future**
**ROSE, Murray S.:
Upon notification of the attainment of majority, a citizen of North America is usually presented with a list of alternative services under the CAS authority which he may choose to fulfill his civic responsibility. As this is physically impossible under the circumstances, and as we are happy to waive this duty as a further reward for your outstanding record, you are to consider this aspect of your citizenship satisfactorily discharged**
**ROSE, Murray S.:
Other facets of adulthood, about which you may have questions, will be discussed with you according to proper standards, modified by your special situation and the wishes of the Representative of North America**
**ROSE, Murray S.:
You are ordered to appear at the Hall of Adjustments at 12:00:00 on 15March 469 YR to be married. A TECT TELETRANS portal will be subceived for your convenience one hour before this deadline. It will appear not more than one hundred yards from your domicile, and indicated by a semicircle of red flares. Failure to comply will be considered Contempt of RepWish and Wilfull Neglect of PropFunc**
**ROSE, Murray S.:
Understanding of above to be indicated**
**ROSE, Murray S.:
Affirm?**
“Yes,” said Murray, mystified and somewhat upset. “Query,” he said.
**ROSE, Murray S.:
?**
“Whom am I marrying?” he asked.
**ROSE, Murray S.:
STONE, Sharon F. RepNa Dis3 Sec5 Loc36-SD-848
F293-49-272-63Maj **
“Oh,” said Murray. Then he went into the kitchen to boil some gray lumps.
Like the periodic Tests in school, like the seemingly arbitrary way in which Murray had been settled on Zalman, the order to appear and be married reflected the total control possessed by the Representatives. Early in his life Murray had learned not to try to comprehend their sometimes baffling commands; now, he had the spring planting to worry about. He gave no further thought to the situation until the day of his return to Earth.
Murray knew that the subceiver would appear at eleven o’clock, RepNA time. He had to ask his tect what time that would be on Zalman; it was three o’clock in the morning. Murray sighed; he was glad the portal would be marked by flares. Still half asleep after the tect roused him according to his instructions, Murray hurried into his clothes and drank a quick cup of prairie grass tea. He wasn’t excited at all, not about returning to Earth or getting married. He checked his animals carefully, giving them a double ration of fodder in case he had to be away longer than he planned. Then he went out into the chilly darkness and walked toward the flares and the faintly glowing portal.
He stepped through, into a long hallway of gray cinderblocks. There was a large green arrow fastened to the wall, and Murray followed it toward a green metal door at the end of the hall. He paused outside for a moment, then knocked. A voice from the other side called to him to enter.
There were a couple of dozen chairs inside, most of them occupied by young men and women with anxious expressions. There was also a long line of couples leading up to a battered brown desk. The man behind the desk looked up from a form he was filling out and glanced at Murray. “Name?” he asked.
“Murray. Murray Rose.”
“Last name first, first name, middle initial,” said the exasperated clerk.
“Oh. Rose, Murray S.”
The clerk frowned. “All right. Let’s see, you’re with, uh, Stone, Sharon F. She’s not here yet. Take a seat. When she comes in, you can both get in this line.”
Murray sat down and waited, feeling at last some nervous symptoms. While he waited, he examined the other people in the room. They all seemed to be bright young men and women; who could tell what roles the Representative had chosen for them? Murray wondered if he looked any different than they, if his two years of hard work on Zalman showed in his face, his hands, his bearing. Soon he noticed his eyes burning; the air in the room was obnoxiously foul. The dense gray clouds of smog outside the Hall would excite no nostalgic thrills in Murray. Neither would the crowded streets and the filthy sidewalks. Murray was shocked by his own reaction. After all, here he was after a long absence, once more on the planet of his birth; all he felt was an impatience to get it all over with and go home—back to Zalman.