unei.

"O.K., Ollie, O.K."

* * * * *

_One month out_:

"Get out of the way!" yelled Brunei. He gave the dragon a kick. It
mooed plaintively.

"That wasn't very nice, Ollie," said Lazar.

"That dragon is always underfoot," said Brunei. "Why don't you get rid
of it?"

"I've taken a liking to it," said Lazar. "Besides, what about your
Saint Bernard?"

"This ship is getting too cluttered up with everyone's
hallucinations," said Brunei. "Ever since ... when was it, a week
ago?... ever since we've been able to conjure 'em up by ourselves, and
make everyone else see 'em."

Daker dematerialised the woman on his lap. "Why don't we get
together?" he said.

"Get together?"

"Yes. We could agree on an environment. Look at this common room for
example. What a mess! Here, it's a meadow, there it's a beach, a
palace, a boudoir."

"You mean we should make it the same for all of us?" asked Lazar.

"Sure. We can have whatever we want in our cabins, but let's make some
sense out of the common room."

"Good idea," said Brunei. "I'll call the others."

* * * * *

_Three months out_:

Brunei stepped through the stuccoed portal, and into the central
Spanish garden. He noticed that the sky was blue, with a few fleecy
white clouds.

But then, the weather was always good. They had agreed on it.

Lazar, Ingrid, Lin Pey and Vera were sitting on the green lawn
surrounding the fountain.

Daker, Joby, Linda and Donner preferred the shade, and lounged against
the white arabesqued wall which enclosed the garden on four sides,
broken only by four arched entrance portals.

The garden had been a good compromise, thought Brunei. Something for
everyone. Fresh air and sun-shine, but also the mental security
offered by the walls, which also provided shade for those who wanted
it. A fountain, a few palm trees, grass, flowers, even the little
formal Japanese rock garden that Lin Pey had insisted on.

"Hello, Ollie," said Lazar. "Nice day."

"Isn't it always?" replied Brunei. "How about a little shower?"

"Maybe tomorrow."

"I notice a lot of sleeping people today," said Brunei.

"Yes," said Lin Pey. "By now, the garden seems to be able to maintain
itself."

"You think it has a separate existence?" asked Ingrid.

"Of course not," said Vera. "Our subconscious minds are maintaining
it. It's probably here when we're all asleep."

"No way of telling _that_," sai