Fertile bashful paddle
We returned to the front porch. Tom poured Scotch over ice cubes and added pipeline water. It was near sunset now. The air had cooled a degree or two and even the horned frogs were casting shadows. Some of Toms calves began bellowing, at a distance that turned the sounds to music. Good enough, Alto decided. Chicago-style, they hid the sonovac in a triple-bass case, stored it in Altos office. A slovenly dressed man came in—ankle socks, ill-fitting kilt, and turtleneck. He had a full, untrimmed, black beard. Whats the ruckus in here? he asked. It troubled her that Ash was unable to teach his son his farming skill. It destroyed a dream of Nans: Ash’s secret made him vulnerable; young Ash, with no secret to be extracted, could have worked his miracles for humanity without fear. Rogov himself did not know what was happening. He had thought he might see an American room, or a Russian room, or a tropical colony. He might see palm trees, or forests, or desks. He might see guns or buildings, washrooms or beds, hospitals, homes, churches. He might see with the eyes of a child, a woman, a man, a soldier, a philosopher, a slave, a worker, a savage, a religious, a Communist, a reactionary, a governor, a policeman. He might hear voices; he might hear English, or French, or Russian, Swahili, Hindi, Malay, Chinese, Ukrainian, Armenian, Turkish, Greek. He did not know. You got that out of Houtermans book, Muller said. His name isnt Flint, Foster said. It’s Quincannon and he’s a fly cop from San Francisco. I heard him tell that to Mr. Rideout.” Of course I remember. "Go forward to the Leader," Karl Ossietz ordered. In our time this search will eventually change our laws, our religions, our philosophies, our arts, our recreations, as well as our sciences. Space, the mirror, waits for life to come look for itself there. Dr. Williams got up and wandered about the wreckage, kicking bits out of the way as he went. He didnt know whether to cut his throat then or wait until later, but in the meantime he didn’t want to sit looking at the surroundings any longer than he had to. They both depressed and terrified him. He could feel the ominous proximity of greenery and smell its undisguised, unfiltered presence, hear its gentle stirring and rustling at the perimeter of the clearing, see its fragmentary movement from the corner of his eye as he moved, head down, among the forlorn remains of the ship. Yes, mother. This is not a collection of science-fiction stories. "Send him to Polosckis," I said. "Probably needs an extra grease-monkey. Now let me get back to work, huh?" Of course, says Mr. Wilier unperturbed. How else would I know what quotation to use for a password?” He beams at them again. “May I sit down?”.
