Homo Inferior

The aircar made the trip in just a few hours—but it was farther than Eric had ever traveled in his life, and farther than most people ever bothered traveling. Gwin began to cry and Myron cursed softly, on the perception level so that Eric wouldn't hear them. She stopped and looked up, right into Eric's face, and for the first time he realized that she was blind. The last line of the poem shouted in his mind, and he laughed, for he knew finally what the poet had meant, what the old race had lived for.