Baba slapped his furry haunches, his blue teeth glowing.
"Let's go!" Johnny clicked to the two eagles. He ran as hard as he could and leaped off the edge of the high cliff, hurtling down and down. Right after him, Baba jumped, too.
There was the sound of great wings, and the two tremendous Venus eagles swept after them. One dived at Johnny, its claws spread. The long powerful claws hooked into Johnny's belt and whisked him through the air toward the settlement. The other grasped Baba by the shoulders. Together the two friends flew on.
"That was fun!" said Johnny.
His furry blue pal nodded his agreement.
[Facts About Venus]
An Afterword for Curious Boys and Girls (As well as Parents, Teachers and Librarians)
"Daddy, is this what Venus is really like?" demanded Blake, my eleven-year-old son. He had just finished reading my manuscript.
I have an idea that among my readers there may be other curious boys and girls who might ask the same question my son did. This was my answer:
The job of a science fiction writer, I think, is to spin out tales about other times and strange planets, using known facts as beginning points, and without violating any known facts. In Venus Boy I have tried to do this. I think I have created a picture of life on the surface of Venus that is possible, if just barely possible.