d swept his hair over his forehead. With a shake of his head
he tossed it back in place and ran again, feeling the air rush into his
lungs with coolness and vibrance unknown since adolescence. No nicotine
spasms choked him and the air was refreshing.

Then up the hill he sped, pushing hard, as the marigolds and dandelions
parted before him. At the top he stopped and looked and smiled
ecstatically as he saw the green rolling land and the stream, curving
around from behind the house, his house, the oaks forming a secret lair
behind it, and he felt the youth of the world in his lungs and under his
feet. He heard the voice calling from that house, his house, calling him
to Saturday lunch.

"I'm coming!" he cried happily and was tumbling down the hill, rolling
over and over, the hill and ground and sky blending blues and greens and
nothing had perspective. The world was spinning and everything was black
again. He shook his head to clear the dizziness.

* * * * *

"Well?" Jenkins said. "How was it?"

Allenby looked up at him as Jenkins swung the helmet back and unhooked
the seatbelt. He squinted as Jenkins flipped the light switch and the
brightness hit him.

His surroundings became distinguishable again very slowly and he knew he
was back in the room. "Where was I?" he asked.

Jenkins shrugged. "I don't know. It was all yours. You went wherever you
wanted to go, wherever home is." Jenkins smiled down at him. "Did you
visit more than one place?" he asked. The buyer nodded. "I thought so.
It seems that a person tries a few before finally deciding where to go."

The buyer stood up and stretched. "Could I please see the barn?" he
asked, meaning the huge workshop where Jenkins did the construction
work.

"Sure," Jenkins said and opened the door opposite the red curtain into
the workshop. It was empty.

"You mean it was all up here? I didn't move at all?" He tapped his
cranium with his index finger.

"That's right," Jenkins said anxiously. "Do you want it or not?"

Allenby stood looking into the empty room. "Yes ... yes, of course," he
said. "How long did the whole thing last?"

"About ten seconds," Jenkins said, looking at his watch. "It seems much
longer to the traveler. I'm not sure, but I think the imagined time
varies with each person. It's always around ten seconds of actual time,
though, so you can make a lot of money on it, even if you only have one
machine."

"Money?" Allen