[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
tomorrow morning and south and with someone who probably knows
how to stay alive in this country better than anyone but the Oankali."
There was a silence.
"We really are on an island, you know," Lilith said.
"No, I don't know," Tate answered. "But I'm willing to take your word
for it. We'll have to cross the river."
"And in spite of what we see on what seems to be the other side, I
believe we'll find a wall over there."
"In spite of the sun, the moon and the stars? In spite of the rain and
the trees that have obviously been here for hundreds of years?"
Lilith sighed. "Yes."
"All because the Oankali said so."
"And because of what I saw and felt before I Awoke you."
"What the Oankali let you see and made you feel. You wouldn't believe
some of the stuff Kahguyaht has made me feel."
"Wouldn't I?"
"I mean, you can't trust what they do to your senses!"
"I knew Nikanj when it was too young to do anything to my senses
without my being aware of it."
Tate looked away, stared toward the river where the glint of water
could still be seen. The sun-artificial or real-had not quite vanished
and the river looked browner than ever.
"Look," she said, "I don't mean anything by this, but I have to say it.
You and Nikanj. . ." She let her voice die, abruptly looked at Lilith as
though demanding a response. "Well?"
"Well, what?''
"You're closer to him-to it-than we are to Kahguyaht. You..."
Lilith stared at her silently.
"Hell, all I mean is, if you won't go with us, don't try to stop us."
"Has anyone tried to stop anyone from leaving?"
"Just don't say anything. That's all."
"Maybe you are stupid," Lilith said softly.
Tate looked away again and shrugged. "I promised Gabe I'd get you to
promise."
"Why?"
"He thinks if you give your word, you'll keep it."
"Otherwise, I'll run and tell, right?"
"I'm beginning not to care what you do."
Lilith shrugged, turned and started back toward camp. It seemed to
take Tate several seconds to see that she meant it. Then she ran after
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Lilith, pulled her back away from the camp.
"All right, I'm sorry you're insulted," Tate rasped. "Now are you going
or aren't you?"
"You know the breadnut tree up the bank-the big one?"
"Yes?"
"If we're going, we'll meet you there after breakfast tomorrow."
"We won't wait long."
"Okay."
Lilith turned and walked back to camp. How many Oankali had heard
the exchange? One? A few? All of them? No matter. Nikanj would
know in minutes. So it would have time to send for Ahajas and
Dichaan. It would not have to sit and go catatonic like the others.
In fact, she still wondered why the others had not done it. Surely they
had known that their chosen humans were leaving. Kahguyaht would
know. What would it do?
Something occurred to her suddenly-a memory of tribal people
sending their sons out to live for a while alone in the forest or desert
or whatever as a test of manhood.
Boys of a certain age who had been taught how to live in the
environment were sent out to prove what they had learned.
Was that it? Train the humans in the basics, then let them go out on
their own when they were ready?
Then why the catatonic ooloi?
"Lilith?"
She jumped, then stopped and let Joseph catch up with her. They
walked together to the fire where people were sharing baked yams
and Brazil nuts from a tree someone had stumbled upon.
"Did you talk to Tate?" he asked. She nodded.
"What did you tell her?" "That I'd talk to you." Silence.
"What do you want to do?" she asked.
"Go."
She stopped, turned to look at him, but his face told her nothing.
"Would you leave me?" she whispered.
"Why would you stay? To be with Nikanj?"
"Would you leave me?"
"Why would you stay?" The whispered words had the impact of a
shout.
"Because this is a ship. Because there's nowhere to run."
He looked up at the bright half moon and at the first scattering of
stars. "I've got to see for myself," he said softly. "This feels like home.
Even though I've never been in a tropical forest before in my life, but
this smells and tastes and looks like home."
" . . . I know." "I've got to see!" "Yes."
"Don't make me leave you."
She seized his hand as though it were an animal about to escape.
"Come with us!" he whispered.
She closed her eyes, shutting out the forest and the sky, the people
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
talking quietly around the fire, the Oankali, several physically joined
in silent conversation. How many of the Oankali had heard what she
and Joseph were saying? None of them behaved as though they had
heard.
"All right," she said softly. "I'll go."
4
Joseph and Lilith found no one waiting at the breadnut tree after
breakfast the next morning. Lilith had seen Gabriel leave camp,
carrying a large basket, his ax, and his machete as though intending to
chop wood. People did that as they saw need just as Lilith took her
own machete, ax, and baskets and went to gather forest foods when
she saw need. She took people with her when she wanted to teach and
went alone when she wanted to think. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
tomorrow morning and south and with someone who probably knows
how to stay alive in this country better than anyone but the Oankali."
There was a silence.
"We really are on an island, you know," Lilith said.
"No, I don't know," Tate answered. "But I'm willing to take your word
for it. We'll have to cross the river."
"And in spite of what we see on what seems to be the other side, I
believe we'll find a wall over there."
"In spite of the sun, the moon and the stars? In spite of the rain and
the trees that have obviously been here for hundreds of years?"
Lilith sighed. "Yes."
"All because the Oankali said so."
"And because of what I saw and felt before I Awoke you."
"What the Oankali let you see and made you feel. You wouldn't believe
some of the stuff Kahguyaht has made me feel."
"Wouldn't I?"
"I mean, you can't trust what they do to your senses!"
"I knew Nikanj when it was too young to do anything to my senses
without my being aware of it."
Tate looked away, stared toward the river where the glint of water
could still be seen. The sun-artificial or real-had not quite vanished
and the river looked browner than ever.
"Look," she said, "I don't mean anything by this, but I have to say it.
You and Nikanj. . ." She let her voice die, abruptly looked at Lilith as
though demanding a response. "Well?"
"Well, what?''
"You're closer to him-to it-than we are to Kahguyaht. You..."
Lilith stared at her silently.
"Hell, all I mean is, if you won't go with us, don't try to stop us."
"Has anyone tried to stop anyone from leaving?"
"Just don't say anything. That's all."
"Maybe you are stupid," Lilith said softly.
Tate looked away again and shrugged. "I promised Gabe I'd get you to
promise."
"Why?"
"He thinks if you give your word, you'll keep it."
"Otherwise, I'll run and tell, right?"
"I'm beginning not to care what you do."
Lilith shrugged, turned and started back toward camp. It seemed to
take Tate several seconds to see that she meant it. Then she ran after
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Lilith, pulled her back away from the camp.
"All right, I'm sorry you're insulted," Tate rasped. "Now are you going
or aren't you?"
"You know the breadnut tree up the bank-the big one?"
"Yes?"
"If we're going, we'll meet you there after breakfast tomorrow."
"We won't wait long."
"Okay."
Lilith turned and walked back to camp. How many Oankali had heard
the exchange? One? A few? All of them? No matter. Nikanj would
know in minutes. So it would have time to send for Ahajas and
Dichaan. It would not have to sit and go catatonic like the others.
In fact, she still wondered why the others had not done it. Surely they
had known that their chosen humans were leaving. Kahguyaht would
know. What would it do?
Something occurred to her suddenly-a memory of tribal people
sending their sons out to live for a while alone in the forest or desert
or whatever as a test of manhood.
Boys of a certain age who had been taught how to live in the
environment were sent out to prove what they had learned.
Was that it? Train the humans in the basics, then let them go out on
their own when they were ready?
Then why the catatonic ooloi?
"Lilith?"
She jumped, then stopped and let Joseph catch up with her. They
walked together to the fire where people were sharing baked yams
and Brazil nuts from a tree someone had stumbled upon.
"Did you talk to Tate?" he asked. She nodded.
"What did you tell her?" "That I'd talk to you." Silence.
"What do you want to do?" she asked.
"Go."
She stopped, turned to look at him, but his face told her nothing.
"Would you leave me?" she whispered.
"Why would you stay? To be with Nikanj?"
"Would you leave me?"
"Why would you stay?" The whispered words had the impact of a
shout.
"Because this is a ship. Because there's nowhere to run."
He looked up at the bright half moon and at the first scattering of
stars. "I've got to see for myself," he said softly. "This feels like home.
Even though I've never been in a tropical forest before in my life, but
this smells and tastes and looks like home."
" . . . I know." "I've got to see!" "Yes."
"Don't make me leave you."
She seized his hand as though it were an animal about to escape.
"Come with us!" he whispered.
She closed her eyes, shutting out the forest and the sky, the people
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
talking quietly around the fire, the Oankali, several physically joined
in silent conversation. How many of the Oankali had heard what she
and Joseph were saying? None of them behaved as though they had
heard.
"All right," she said softly. "I'll go."
4
Joseph and Lilith found no one waiting at the breadnut tree after
breakfast the next morning. Lilith had seen Gabriel leave camp,
carrying a large basket, his ax, and his machete as though intending to
chop wood. People did that as they saw need just as Lilith took her
own machete, ax, and baskets and went to gather forest foods when
she saw need. She took people with her when she wanted to teach and
went alone when she wanted to think. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]