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birthday, when she decided it was time to retire and return to her home planet to have a litter of her own. Tete's kind were an intelligent race of lovable teddy bear creatures. They were understandably popular for positions in the child rearing field.
    When she left, Gabriel decided he was sufficient to the task of raising his daughter alone. Spring never ceased to be a joy to him, though he was still uncertain if he had raised her or the other way around. She was ever a precocious child and had stepped in to help out almost as soon as she could walk. At the age of five, she took a serious interest in her father's work with the crystals. The colors and sparkles fascinated her so that she could not learn fast enough. By ten, she was capable of reading the chakras with surprising insight, and could select exactly the right gem to prescribe for most ills.
    Yet, as complete as was her understanding of the stones, her greatest talent lay in a different field as an herbalist. That had been her mother's great love. Spring had discovered Laurel's thick book of pressed leaves and flowers and began to make a deep study of herb medicine and botany. There was hardly a plant in the League of Planets she could not now identify at a glance. When she was fourteen, she had set up a small corner area in Gabriel's shop with vials of dried herbs she had gathered and prepared herself, and soon had her own loyal clientele.
    Gabriel had joked that she was stealing his patients away. Spring protested it was nothing against the crystals, but only a supplemental help for the most difficult cases. So serious, so loyal, even then. What a treasure!
    When Gabriel began to delve deeper into his metaphysical studies with the crystals, she had been an able research assistant, working long hours without a murmur of complaint. He was well aware he owed much of his progress to her devotion.
    Now he pondered his wisdom regarding his daughter. Were those pangs of guilt he felt for not insisting she get out more with young people of her own age? A bit late, if so. He knew he should have encouraged her to enjoy her youth more, to have been less serious, more carefree, to see young men more often. She was not too young to think of marriage. Oh, he knew that marriage was an antiquated custom on many planets these days, but it was still alive and well on New Landers, and he was thankful for that.
    His short but precious union with Laurel had meant quite a lot to him through the years, and he was certain Spring would feel the same once she had found the proper young man. Whenever he had broached the subject, however, she usually laughed in that impish way she had, and said he was the only man in her life that mattered. That she had lots of time for that later on.
    No, Gabriel had not encouraged her, and he regretted that now. Didn't it please him to have a devoted and lovely daughter by his side? Didn't she honestly enjoy the work they did together? And time did not go on forever. Who should know that better than he? He had been so intent on perfecting his discovery that it soon became all he could think about. He had referred many of his patients to an associate, to give more time to his research and it had paid off. He had discovered a way to tap secrets from the crystals, secrets that could change the world.
    Cursed secrets! If he had only seen where it was leading, had only known then what it would mean for them now, he would have done many things differently. Would he not? Would he not? That question frightened him, for he still was not certain of the answer.
    Lovely Spring! She was the very image of her mother at the same age; lithe and small with soft amber tresses that turned golden in the sunlight. He missed her immensely, his lovely shadow. But the secret-now that Zygote's spies were beneath each rock, behind every tree, she was far and away safer where she was. Spring's wellbeing was all that was important to him now. He could not bear to lose her as well.