midday
`` An ' I wo n't care whether you an ' Mommy like it or not ! '' she declared aloud , sticking out her chin at an imaginary father before her . Before she realized it , a tiny , lime-washed stone house appeared not a hundred yards ahead of her . That was the odd thing about the Martian midday ; something small and miles away would suddenly become large and very near as you approached it . The heat waves did it , her father had told her . `` Really ? '' she had replied , and -- _ you think you know so doggone much _ , she had thought .