        Dale’s throat hurt from trying to emulate the alien’s name, although it came out of the creature’s mouth in a smooth, lyrical flow.  The range was the first problem—he wasn’t sure he could have spoken in such a treble range even before he hit puberty.  He could have brought a tank of helium, which might have given him a chance.  But he was mentally kicking himself; he had heard them speak before, and all of them had a higher range than he did, apparently.