i think this is a windup although you can never be sure of course . year 73 at last the end has come . `` give me five minutes , '' he said , then disappeared inside . `` last chance to reconsider , '' he murmured . he slipped and slid on the floor next to don . `` tell me what 's in your head , '' he encouraged softly . with this final damned statement , the strange figure bent right down to the face of the stranger and looked beyond his eyes and into the very core of his soul . 