from the book

[another knock on door]  Come in.

[middle-aged woman in wraparound dress enters with young woman, nude]

DR. CHO        Welcome, Elena, Dinka.  Wow Dinka, you’re

                        getting even darker.

DINKA            [giggles, unsteady on her feet]

ELENA           She’s trying for Fitzgerald One, sunning two

                        hours every day.

ALISON          There might have to be a Fitzgerald Type Zero

                        for her . . .  Dinka is from Sudan, naturally dark

                        anyway.  Ethel, this is Professor Winkle, and

                        one of her students, just in from the Multi-O

                        room.  This is my old advisor, Dr. Ethel Cho.

DR. CHO        Is this girl the one I saw tied up, all --

                        connected, shall we say?

ELENA           Yes.  Sorry, I thought she’d be back to earth by

                        now.

DINKA            [giggling] No I don’t -- think so -- whee!! [nearly

                        falls over, held up by ELENA]  I’m flying!  [slips

                        on floor]

ALISON [laughing] I’ll see you two later.  [they leave, ELENA dragging DINKA out of the room, sound of slipping bare feet fading away]