First published in Fantasy and Science Fiction. Nominated for a Nebula award and reprinted by Donald A. Wollheim, Terry Carr, Damon Knight, Edward L. Ferman, Robert P. Mills, and Gardner Dozois. This forms a part of Larry Niven's future history series, Known Space. Caveat: I will "ruin" some of these Larry Niven stories as it is impossible to discuss the science without revealing the key plot points.On Venus, human/ship Eric (character from "The Coldest Place") cannot feel his wings. When the narrator cannot find damage inside or out, there's a friendly stalemate. Is one or the other character mentally unstable? Is Eric being psychosomatic? Is the narrator stalling, not wanting to do his job? Or is there a third solution? When objects heat, usually they expand. In this case, Eric was losing contact. Good science mystery with a healthy dose of psychology thrown in. Worth seeking out.
