He blinked his eyes frantically, but the bird wouldn't go away and it didn't die. There was no air out there, millions of miles from the nearest planet. The bird flapped its wings in the airless space and went through the motions of singing.
It was ridiculous. There was nothing to carry the sound. But he could imagine hearing it anyway, through the thick armorglass of the visionport—a bird singing in space.
Resolutely he closed his eyes and kept them closed. He had enough trouble without taking on hallucinations.
Franklan finished the new bandage and tapped his shoulder. "You can come out of it now."
Alsint tried not to, but he couldn't resist. He stared past Franklan toward the visionport.
"Is it gone?" asked Franklan. His voice was quiet.
"It's gone," Alsint said in relief.
"Good. These things happen occasionally. As long as you can adjust back to reality, you have nothing to worry about." Franklan rummaged through the medical supplies. "Take these. They may help you."
Wordlessly, Alsint took the packet and went back to his room. He was sweating and shaken.