Thea Alexander - 2150 A.D.

"You mean you're planning on dying?" I asked with surprise. I remembered that C.I. had once told me that when Macro society members decide that they have learned all they can in any particular incarnation, they break the connection between their astral and physical bodies, causing the latter to die, while the soul is then free to evolve to the next level on the m-M continuum. They called this process evolation.

Suicide meant running away from the past; evolation– contraction of evolve and graduation-meant embracing the future.

"Yes, I want to join my twin souls in another dimension," he answered. "Besides, I've accomplished all I can in this lifetime, so it's time to move on."

He laughed at my uncertain expression and continued, saying, "You don't need to worry, Jon. I'm not planning on evolating immediately. In fact, it will be some months yet before my successor is chosen, and, of course, I couldn't leave until the new Deltar is ready to take over."

I told him that I hoped I would see him again in this life. Then we continued our run.

Along the other side of the lake I noticed that there were more people swimming and playing on the beaches. Carol explained that mid-afternoon was the favorite time for outdoor recreation. She asked if I wanted to speed up our journey in order to join Neal and Jean sooner.

I replied, "How much faster can we run?"

"Lots faster," she replied. "Just think lightly and swiftly."

We did and veered from the lakeshore to the less populated park area behind the Gammas. Our running soon became very close to a form of low flying. I don't know how fast we were going, but in an incredibly short time we had completed the full circle of the lake and arrived at the third triad's recreation area. Less than an hour had passed since we started our run and, while I now felt some fatigue, I was not at all uncomfortable. In fact, after waiting a few minutes while Neal and Jean finished playing soccer, we resumed our tennis game-this time with the stipulation that the first set would be played without the use of PK.

Without PK Jean and I won the first set, but just barely. Then, in the next two sets, in which we used our PK, I was pleased that while we lost, it was much closer than it had been the day before. I was making progress even faster than I had hoped.

After tennis we again took a dip followed by a fascinating and very complex game, similar to three-dimensional chess, which was played as a team sport. Because of my inexperience in this game Carol and I played the two children, and again I was amazed at the remarkable intelligence of these two 7-year-olds. They beat us three straight games, but at least by the last game I was catching on to some of its intricate complexities and we came very close to winning.

Then it was time to return to our Gammas and our individual Alphas for the Macro dance. Again we were running, but this time with Jean by my side and Neal just ahead of Carol. Never had I seen children run so swiftly. I was sure that these 7-year-olds could easily break every track record of my 20th century. We waved goodbye at the entrance to our Gamma, and as we made our way to our respective Alphas there were telepathic reminders of what we would do together tomorrow:

Back in our Alpha I was soon engaged for the second time in the energetic and delightful combination of ballet, folk dancing, and gymnastics called the Macro dance. The exciting musical accompaniment was supplied by C.I. through a speaker system so designed that the music seemed to emanate equally from all parts of the room. With my growing telepathic skills I was able to keep up with more of the flashing ins and outs and other dazzlingly swift interactions of the others in the room. I was no longer surprised to find Joyce on my shoulders or Alan throwing me in the air, or the tumbling over and under each other that occurred so regularly. Utilizing our telepathic bond I knew what was coming and was more or less prepared to accept what I had at first thought were impossible physical gyrations for the human body.

While my first experience with the Macro dance had left me bewildered and doubting the evidence presented by my own eyes, I was now prepared to accept the Macro powers as non-miraculous, though thrilling and surprising. However, the day's demands on my PK had been strenuous, so after about fifteen minutes I found myself very tired and grateful that my Alpha had ended the dancing early in deference to my fatigue.

I was soon floating comfortably in our Beta swimming pool perfectly content to just watch the energetic water activities of the other 99 members of my Beta. There was no doubt in my mind that I was viewing the greatest athletes the human race had ever produced, and I Was sure that my comrades had reached the limits of, physical grace, dexterity, and superhuman stamina. A few couples were playfully making love as they enjoyed the rhythm of the moving waters supporting their united bodies. Carol dove underwater and as her wet breasts found their way up my thighs to my chest her legs wrapped around me and we joined together joyously. Appreciating the uninhibited joy of love expressed openly and freely, I made a mental note to apologize to Karl and Cindy.

Before we left the pool, Leo our Betar, organized a type of water ballet, a game that was breathtaking to watch.

I vowed that tomorrow I would become a part of this activity, too.

After dinner I listened to my Alpha do some magnificent singing and discovered that Nancy and Steve had voices that would have been the envy of our greatest opera singers of the 20th century. To provide musical accompaniment they merely had to ask C.I. to give them whatever they wished in the line of music, since C.I. had recordings of every imaginable kind. Carol explained to me that they ended most evening meals with song, and it was only because of my arrival and our lengthy conversations that I had not heard them sing until tonight.

I could have listened to them sing all night and even discovered I was able, with the aid of telepathy, to join in some of the songs. However, long before I was ready to end it, Alan was saying that it was time for tutoring and I was leaving for my visit with Rana. I was pleased that we would be meeting with her this evening since I planned to ask her to use all her Macro power to help me attain my third Macro contact.

Rana immediately picked up this intention of mine, or perhaps she had precognitively anticipated it, because she asked me how I thought she could help me attain Macro contact.

"Well I-I-don't know," I answered, feeling rather surprised at her question. "But, after all, you are a level ten and if anyone should know how to help me, you should."

"Yes," Rana replied, "but last time we met I told you that it is desire and belief that determine all things. No one can give you these two essentials."

"All right," I said, "but I thought if I could establish a strong telepathic bond with you, that when you establish Macro contact I would be able to make it more easily myself."

Rana shook her head. "It won't work with you and me because our soul notes are too dissimilar. However, it might work with Lea if you could completely eliminate all resistance. But, once again, we're back to desire and belief.

Even telepathically connected to Lea you would fail to attain Macro contact if you didn't have sufficient desire and belief. What's more, you would then interfere with your twin soul attaining Macro contact. Of course, since Lea has been using her Macro powers to maintain your time-space translation she has not been able to attain Macro contact at all."

Perceiving my thoughts Rana said, "No, Jon, there is no easy way. At least none that I know of, and I spent many lifetimes looking for them rather than accepting the responsibility for my own personal growth or lack thereof."