Read From the Ocean from teh Stars for Free Online

in which Myers had avoided all the obvious dangers. He did not say—true though it undoubtedly was— "I've discussed your case with Professor Stevens." Nor did he offer direct help; he managed to convey the assumption that Franklin wouldn't need it and was now quite capable of looking after himself.
    "I appreciate that," said Franklin sincerely. He felt he was going to like Dr. Myers, and made up his mind not to resent the surveillance he would undoubtedly be getting. "Tell me," he added, "just what do the people here know about me?"
    "Nothing at all, except that you are to be helped to qualify as a warden as quickly as possible. This isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened, you know—there have been high-pressure conversion courses before. Still, it's inevitable that there will be a good deal of curiosity about you; that may be your biggest problem."
    "Burley is dying of curiosity already."
    "Mind if I give you some advice?"
    "Of course not—go ahead."
    "You'll be working with Don continually. It's only fair to him, as well as to yourself, to confide in him when you feel you can do so. I'm sure you'll find him quite understanding. Or if you prefer, I'll do the explaining."
    Franklin shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. It was not a matter of logic, for he knew that Myers was talking sense. Sooner or later it would all have to come out, and he might be making matters worse by postponing the inevitable. Yet his hold upon sanity and self-respect was still so precarious that he could not face the prospect of working with men who knew his secret, however sympathetic they might be.
    "Very well. The choice is yours and we'll respect it. Good luck—and let's hope all our contacts will be purely social."
    Long after Myers had gone, Franklin sat on the edge of the bed, staring out across the sea which would be his new domain. He would need the luck that the other had wished him, yet he was beginning to feel a renewed interest in life. It was not merely that people were anxious to help him; he had received more than enough help in the last few months. At last he was beginning to see how he could help himself, and so discover a purpose for his existence.
    Presently he jolted himself out of his daydream and looked at his watch. He was already ten minutes late for lunch, and that was a bad start for his new life. He thought of Don Burley waiting impatiently in the mess and wondering what had happened to him.
    "Coming, teacher," he said, as he put on his jacket and started out of the room. It was the first time he had made a joke with himself for longer than he could remember.
    ☆ CHAPTER THREE
    When Franklin first saw Indra Langenburg she was covered with blood up to her elbows and was busily hacking away at the entrails of a ten-foot tiger shark she had just disemboweled. The huge beast was lying, its pale belly upturned to the sun, on the sandy beach where Franklin took his morning promenade. A thick chain still led to the hook in its mouth; it had obviously been caught during the night and then left behind by the falling tide.
    Franklin stood for a moment looking at the unusual combination of attractive girl and dead monster, then said thoughtfully: "You know, this is not the sort of thing I like to see before breakfast. Exactly what are you doing?"
    A brown, oval face with very serious eyes looked up at him. The foot-long, razor-sharp knife that was creating such havoc continued to slice expertly through gristle and guts.
    "I'm writing a thesis," said a voice as serious as the eyes, "on the vitamin content of shark liver. It means catching a lot of sharks; this is my third this week. Would you like some teeth? I've got plenty, and they make nice souvenirs."
    She walked to the head of the beast and inserted her knife in its gaping jaws, which had been propped apart by a block of wood. A quick jerk
    of her wrist, and an endless necklace of deadly ivory triangles, like a band saw made of bone, started to