I followed obediently， waving my unnecessary foreign arms. I could not raise my eyes. I walked through a strange world turned upside down， where people had their feet pasted to the ceilings， and where engines stood with their bases upward， and where， still lower， the sky merged in the heavy glass of the pavement. I remember what pained me most was the fact that looking at the world for the last time in my life I should see it upside down rather than in its natural state； but I could not raise my eyes.
We stopped. Steps. One step...and I should see the figures of the doctors in their white aprons， and the enormous， dumb Bell.
With force， with some sort of an inner twist， I succeeded at last in tearing my eyes away from the glass beneath my feet， and I noticed the golden letters， "Medical Bureau." Why did he bring me here rather than to the Operation Department？ Why did he spare me？ About this I did not even think at the moment. I made all the steps in one jump， firmly closed the door behind me， and took a very deep breath—as if I had not breathed since morning， as if my heart had not beaten for the same length of time， as if only now I started to breathe and only now a sluice opened in my chest....
Inside there were two of them， one a short specimen with heavy legs， his eyes like the horns of a bull tossing the patients up， the other extremely thin with lips like sparkling scissors， a nose like a blade—it was the same man who...I ran to him as to a dear friend， straight over close to the blade， and muttered something about insomnia， dreams， shadows， yellow sand. The scissors lips sparkled and smiled.
"Yes， it is too bad. Apparently a soul has formed in you.
A soul？ That strange， ancient word that was forgotten long ago
"Is it...v-very dangerous？" I stuttered.
"Incurable，" was the cut of the scissors.
"But more specifically， what is it？ Somehow I cannot imagine—"
"You see...how shall I put it？ Are you a mathematician？"
"Yes."
"Then you see...imagine a plane， let us say this mirror. You and I are on its surface. You see？ There we are， squinting our eyes to protect ourselves from the sunlight， or here is the bluish electric spark in that tube， there the shadow of that aero that just passed. All this is on the surface， is momentary only. Now imagine this very same surface softened by a flame so that nothing can glide over it any longer， so everything will instead penetrate into that mirror world which excites such curiosity in children. I assure you， children are not so foolish as we think they are！ The surface becomes a volume， a body， a world. And inside the mirror—within you—there is the sunshine， and the whirlwind caused by the aero propeller， and your trembling lips and someone else"s lips also. You see， the cold mirror reflects， throws out， while this one absorbs； it keeps forever a trace of everything that touches it. Once you saw an imperceptible wrinkle on someone’s face， and this wrinkle is forever preserved within you. You may happen to hear in the silence a drop of water falling—and you will hear it forever！"
"Yes， yes， that is it！" I grasped his hand. I could hear drops of water dripping in the silence from the faucet of a washstand， and I knew at once it was forever.
"But tell me please， why suddenly...suddenly， a soul？ There was none， yet suddenly.... Why is it that no one has it， yet I ..." I pressed the thin hand； I was afraid to loosen the safety belt.
"Why？ Well， why don"t we grow feathers or wings but have only shoulder blades， bases for wings？ We have aeros； wings would only be in the way. Wings are needed in order to fly， but we don"t need to fly anywhere. We have arrived at the terminus. We have found what we wanted. Is that not so？"
I nodded vaguely. He glanced at me and laughed a scalpel-like， metallic laugh. The other doctor overheard us and stamped out of his room on his heavy legs. He picked up the thin doctor with his horn eyes， then picked me up.
"What is the matter—a soul？ You say a soul？ Oh， damn it！ We may soon retrogress even to the cholera epidemics. I told you"—he tossed the thin one on the horns—"I told you the only thing to do is to operate on them all， wholesale！ Simply extirpate the center for fancy. Only surgery can help here， only surgery." He put on a pair of enormous X-ray spectacles and remained thus for a long while， looking into my skull， through the bones into my brain， and making notes.
"Very， very curious！ Listen." He looked firmly into my eyes."Wouldn"t you consent to have me perform an extirpation on you？ It would be invaluable to the United State； it might help us prevent an epidemic. If you have no special reasons， of course..."
Some time ago I should probably have said without hesitation， "I am willing，" but now—I was silent. I caught the profile of the thin doctor； I implored him！
"You see，" he said at last， "Number D-503 is building the Integral， and I am sure the operation would interfere "
"Ah-h！" grumbled the other， and stamped back into his room.
We remained alone. The paper-like hand was put lightly and caressingly upon mine， the profile-like face came nearer， and he said in a very low voice： "I shall tell you a secret. You are not the only one. My colleague is right when he speaks of an epidemic. Try to remember， haven"t you noticed yourself， someone with something similar， very similar， identical？"
He looked at me closely. What was he alluding to？ To whom？...Is it possible？ ...
"Listen." I jumped up from my seat. But he had already changed the subject. In a loud， metallic tone：
"...As for the insomnia and the dreams you complain of， I advise you to walk a great deal. Tomorrow morning you must begin taking long walks... say， as far as the Ancient House."
Again he pierced me with his eyes and he smiled thinly. It seemed to me that I saw enveloped in the tender tissue of that smile a word， a letter， a name， the only name... Or was it only my imagination？ I waited impatiently while he wrote a certificate of illness for today and tomorrow. Once more I gently and firmly pressed his hand； then I ran out.
My heart now feels light and swift like an aero； it carries me higher and higher....I know joy will come tomorrow. What joy？ ...
