That put the three boys back in the dome-tent. The mud was completely gone. Their clothes were piled about five feet away from them. Keith and Davy wandered over and redressed. "All that mud just disappeared!" said Keith.

"It was holographic." said Jahv, grinning.

"It sure FELT real enough." remarked Keith.

There was a rustle at the dome-tent. Davy looked over, and grinned. "THEIRS isn't holographic."

Keyro and Martin appeared in the entryway, both plastered in mud. If it weren't for Keyro's large eyes and antennae, it would have been hard to distinguish one from another. But something wasn't quite right. Keyro was supporting most of Martin's weight — rather effortlessly, it looked like — and Martin had a pained expression on his face.

Keith was the first to notice. "What happened?"

Then Martin limped in and it was obvious. There was an ugly gash on his upper leg. The boy was close to tears, but trying to be brave.

"We think there was a sharp tree branch or something under the mud." said Keyro.

"We should clean him up and take him home, quickly." said Keith.

"May I try something?" asked Jahv. "I might be able to heal this much more quickly."

Keith frowned. "Jahv, you may know some first aid, but you can't know anything about treating humans."

"A cut tends to be a cut." said Jahv. "We're not that different."

"Let him help, please." cried Martin. "This hurts too much to wait."

Keith bit his lip, but nodded. Davy and Keyro hauled Martin over to a nearby table. Jahv was already fishing around in his backpack. He brought out what looked like an oversized lunch box with alien script on it. "Basic first aid kit." he explained. He opened it, and very few of the contents looked familiar to either Keith or Davy — except from a few episodes of Star Trek.

Jahv dug around, scratching his left antennae. He was remembering basic procedure for cleaning and treating large cuts. First — clean the area. Medicinal cleaning spray. He found the spray container. "This may sting, Martin." he informed the whimpering boy. Jahv sprayed the cut and Martin screamed, pulling his leg away. Everybody flinched.

When Martin stopped quivering, Jahv inspected the cut. "Well, the spray didn't do any damage, but I have to clean this area to treat it."

"It hurts too much!" insisted Martin. Jahv frowned. Then he thought of an idea. "Keyro? I need your help. Remember when your little cousin cut his arm on that table edge? What you were trained in?"

Keyro nodded, and walked over to Martin. "What are you gonna do?" asked Martin.

"Make it stop hurting." said Keyro. "Martin, I promise I would never hurt you. Please let me help."

Martin frowned, but nodded. Keyro touched his finger to Martin's forehead, and Martin froze like a doll.

"What did you just do to him?!" exclaimed Keith.

"Telepathic anesthesia." explained Jahv. "Only about one in twelve people can do it. Keyro knows how. Martin will be fine. Won't feel a thing. Won't flinch anymore, either."

"Will you be able to bring him out of that?" demanded Keith, as Jahv went abour cleaning the mud out of and from around the cut with the medicinal spray. The mud seemed to dissolve, and the skin around the cut seemed to go down somewhat in swelling.

Jahv nodded. "Of course. About the worst that'll happen is he'll be a little — foggy for a few minutes. Might act a bit silly."

Jahv turned back to the first aid kit and brought out what looked like a small blue sponge. "Medicated bandage. Leave it on until you get close to his home. Then take it off. As quickly as the spray worked, about all that should be left is a small scratch." Jahv pressed the bandage into the wound, where it adhered immediately.

"What about cleaning him off?" asked Davy. "He can't go home covered with mud like that."

"The bandage is water resistant." replied Jahv. "Toss him in the lake on your way out. Keyro?"

The lavendar alien boy walked over, and touched his finger to Martin's forehead again. The boy blinked, yawned, and mumbled. "Huh. M'leg feels better now." Then his eyes opened wider and he got a silly grin on his face. He looked at Keith and Davy. "Hi, you guys!" He stood up, stumbled over, and practically tackled the two of them, of course smearing mud all over both boys.

"Oh, great." said Keith. "Looks like the lake for all three of us."

"Four." said Jahv. "Including Keyro."

"Don't make me splatter you, big brother!" stated Keyro.

Martin, for some reason, had settled on attacking Davy, and was attempting to undo the straps to the older boy's overalls, mumbling, "Wan' his pants."

"I think he's remembering the first time we met." said Keith, trying not to laugh with only slight success. The first time Martin and Keith had met Davy, Keith had called Davy a "dork with baggy pants," which Martin had subsequently yanked off and tossed out of Davy's treehouse.

"Wan' his pants." said Martin again, first attempting to undo one strap and then the other, even as Davy sought to refasten them. Keith couldn't hold in his laughter any longer. "You might as well give them up, Davy. I don't think he's gonna give up."

"All right, fine!" said Davy, standing up (and as such rather unceremoniously dumping Martin to the floor), yanking off his overalls, and tossing them outside the tent, with Martin in close pursuit.

"At least that got him closer to the lake." remarked Davy. "And we really do need to get going, Jahv — Keyro."

"You will return soon, won't you?" asked Jahv, almost pleading. "Sometimes — we both get lonely out here, and you're such good friends."

"We'll be back." said Davy.

"Definitely." added Keith. "You two are the most interesting people I know."

"Thank you." said Jahv.

Davy and Keith headed out of the tent, to find Martin having draped Davy's overalls over his head. "I hope he doesn't sneeze in there." said Davy. "I hope for his sake you didn't fart in there before you took them off." added Keith. The two boys dragged Martin to the lake, where they all washed off the accumulated mud, redressed as needed, and headed back in the direction of Davy's house, where Keith and Martin had left their bicycles. Along the way, Davy and Keith explained how they had sort of visited Jahv's homeworld. "So what was it like?" asked Martin.

"You gotta watch what you eat, that's for sure." said Davy.

"And they've got music that sounds worse than either rap or heavy metal." added Keith.

"And how about that blue rodent-thing in the arcade?" remarked Davy.

"And the toy rifle." said Keith. "Think the Army would like to get their hands on a few thousand of those?"

"Huh??!??!" exclaimed Martin. Davy and Keith laughed. On the rest of the walk home, they explained in full about their latest adventure with the alien boys living in the woods.