YOUTH
by ISAAC ASIMOV
Red and Slim found the twostrange little animals themorning after they heard thethunder sounds. They knewthat they could never showtheir new pets to theirparents.
There was a spatter ofpebbles against the windowand the youngster stirredin his sleep. Another, and hewas awake.
He sat up stiffly in bed.Seconds passed while he interpretedhis strange surroundings.He wasn't in hisown home, of course. Thiswas out in the country. It wascolder than it should be andthere was green at the window.
"Slim!"
The call was a hoarse, urgentwhisper, and the youngsterbounded to the openwindow.
Slim wasn't his real name,but the new friend he hadmet the day before had neededonly one look at his slightfigure to say, "You're Slim."He added, "I'm Red."
Red wasn't his real name,either, but its appropriatenesswas obvious. They werefriends instantly with thequick unquestioning friendshipof young ones not yetquite in adolescence, beforeeven the first stains of adulthoodbegan to make their appearance.
Slim cried, "Hi, Red!" andwaved cheerfully, still blinkingthe sleep out of himself.
Red kept to his croakingwhisper, "Quiet! You want towake somebody?"
Slim noticed all at oncethat the sun scarcely toppedthe low hills in the east, thatthe shadows were long andsoft, and that the grass waswet.
Slim said, more softly,"What's the matter?"
Red only waved for him tocome out.
Slim dressed quickly, gladlyconfining his morningwash to the momentarysprinkle of a little lukewarmwater. He let the air dry theexposed portions of his bodyas he ran out, while bare skingrew wet against the dewygrass.
Red said, "You've got to bequiet. If Mom wakes up orDad or your Dad or even anyof the hands then it'll be'Come on in or you'll catchyour death of cold.'"
He mimicked voice andtone faithfully, so that Slimlaughed and thought thatthere had never been so funnya fellow as Red.
Slim said, eagerly, "Do youcome out here every day likethis, Red? Real early? It's likethe whole world is just yours,isn't it, Red? No one elsearound and all like that." Hefelt proud at being allowedentrance into this privateworld.
Red stared at him sidelong.He said carelessly, "I'vebeen up for hours. Didn't youhear it last night?"
"Hear what?"
"Thunder."
"Was there a thunderstorm?"Slim never sleptthrough a thunderstorm.
"I guess not. But there wasthunder. I heard it, and thenI went to the window and itwasn't raining. It was allstars and the sky was justgetting sort of almost gray.You know what I mean?"
Slim had never seen it so,but he nodded.
"So I just thought I'd goout," said Red.
They walked along thegrassy side of the concreteroad that split the panoramaright down the middle all theway down to where it vanishedamong the hills. It wasso old that Red's fathercouldn't tell Red when it hadbeen built. It didn't have acrack or a rough spot in it.
Red said, "Can you keep asecret?"
"Sure, Red. What kind ofa secret?"
"Just a secret. Maybe I'lltell you and maybe I won't.I don't know yet." Red brokea long, supple stem from afern they passed, methodicallystripped it of its leaflets andswung what was left whip-fashion.For a moment, hewas on a wild charger, whichreared and champed underhis iron control. Then he gottired, tossed the whip asideand stowed the cha