Freak… When he whispered all this in His ear, the man was overcome by a sharp urge to cling to his throat, to close his fingers behind the larynx, as he had once done in the army, teaching the solobons intelligence… For a while, I debated whether to refuse. But the emptiness waiting for him at home-a hungry, unfed emptiness for the second day-seemed so eerie that he only nodded obediently. And went with everyone.