But there had been no acceleration.
"Dytie!" he yelled, and in the confined space the noise was deafening. "What's happening to me?"
Wincing a bit, she looked around at him. "Shh, Phil. You in free-fall but not falling. I turn off grav'ty."
Still retching, Phil tried to comprehend that idea. "Turn off gravity?" He was still falling, but no longer so sure he was going to hit anything.
Dytie looked along his helplessly sprawled body at his face. "Sure, Phil. Grav'ty go round this little boat just like light do. Grav'ty no pull it, light no show it."
"That's why it was invisible?"
"Vis'ble? Nobody see it. Wait bit, Phil, got do things."
"But in a ship like this you could travel—" Phil began, his mind suddenly full of dizzying speculations.
"This not ship, Phil, just dinghy. No talk now."
Phil's falling acquired a direction. He found himself drifting gently toward Dytie. "Here 'side me, Phil," she instructed. A few moments later he was comfortably stretched out on his stomach beside Dytie, his head poised like hers above the screen.