“These things are all supposed to be waterproof,” Hutch said.
“So what’s wrong with them?” asked Beth.
Derek took a long time to reply. “We’ve been cutting corners everywhere we can. It’s what happens when they slice funding.” He stared hopelessly at his commlink.
“Wally won’t even know what happened to us,” Beth said. “When he gets back in the area, we’ll just be missing.”
For a moment, Hutch thought Ken was going to throw his commlink at Derek. “You know,” he said, “if you were going to be cutting corners on the equipment, it might have been a good idea to let us know about it before we came on board.” His glare locked on Hutch. “Did you know about this?”
“She had no idea,” Derek said. “To be honest, neither did I. But I knew we might have problems. Look, I’m sorry. I just didn’t think anything like this would happen.”
“I guess not,” said Ken. “I’m inclined to wonder what else could go wrong, but I doubt it’ll matter now.” His eyes turned to Hutch. “You might have been able to make land if you’d tried a little harder.”
“I didn’t have control of the thing, Ken. I might have killed a bunch of them.”
“You’ve killed us.”
Derek asked for the plastic bag. Hutch handed it over and he opened it and took the couplings out. “At least they’re dry,” he said. “For whatever good it will do.”
Ken looked back at either the ocean or the group of islanders who were standing nearby. “The water might not have been too deep out there. Hutch, do you know how to install these things?”
“Yes. It’s simple enough.”
“Okay.” Ken took a deep breath. “Now, if we could get down there and do it, would it work? Or would the water be a problem again?”
She sat down on a fallen log, and the others joined her. “The water would be a problem. The couplings have to be kept dry. I think.”
“Maybe we could hire a ship with a crane.”
Nobody laughed.
• • •
The beach crowd was almost mingling. They had apparently decided that their visitors meant no harm. Both groups were making efforts to communicate, but they couldn’t get much beyond touching hands and pointing at each other. The humans delivered some smiles, and the islanders returned snorts and giant grins.
Ken looked overawed. “This is really off the charts. Is this the kind of advanced life form you get if most of a planet is underwater?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” said Derek. He was still standing, exchanging nonverbals with one of the islanders. “By the way, let me introduce my good friend Arin. He and I go way back.”
Arin extended his left hand to Hutch. She took it and was impressed by the gentleness of the gesture. “Hello, Arin,” she said.
He responded with something on the order of “Rakul,” except that the k somehow came out as two syllables. It sounded like a nut being cracked. It didn’t matter. His eyes lit up, and Hutch followed her inclination and hugged him. “I’m glad to meet you, Arin. Maybe we have more in common that I thought.”
“And maybe,” added Derek, “you just did something damned stupid. Be careful.”
There were more attempts at exchanges. The islanders were talking with one another in a manner than made it clear that whatever fear they might have felt had dissipated.
Gradually, Hutch was feeling more relaxed. Getting off this world was going to be a major problem, but the atmosphere had certainly calmed.
Someone arrived with a food tray. It was filled with strips of a lemon-colored fruit and crackers. Hutch picked up one of the strips and looked toward Beth.
“Probably won’t hurt you,” Beth said. “But no guarantees.”
It was going to be all they’d have for a while. She put the strip on a cracker and took a small bite. Not particularly tasty, but it went down easily. It might have been trout that hadn’t been cooked properly.
“It’s good,” said Derek, trying to look pleased.
• • •
“We have to let Wally know we’re still alive,” said Derek.
Hutch nodded. She’d been doing an internal count, trying to keep track of the time. Her best guess was that it had been about forty minutes since the Eiferman had left the area. It would take approximately an hour and twenty minutes to complete an orbit. So, it was probably halfway around the planet. “So how are we going to do this?” asked Ken. “Go out on the beach and jump up and down?”
“That’s probably the best we have.”
The islanders came close, two and three at a time, and tried talking with them. They were obviously enjoying themselves. The nonverbals weren’t hard to pick up, especially from creatures with large eyes that lit up every time one of the visitors spoke to them. They were especially good at signaling that whatever had just been said had eluded them. But it was okay. We’re all friends here.
In time, the young ones came in too, invariably accompanied by parents.
Eventually, Derek and Arin came over and sat down beside Hutch. “I’ve been trying to explain to Arin that we’ve got another vehicle in the sky, and that we need to signal it and let Wally know we’re alive.”
“How has that gone?”
“Actually, not badly. I think he understands that there are more of us and that we’re trying to make contact. The problem with your plan is that if we go out onto a beach with a thousand bathers, we can jump up and down all we like, but we’re not going to stand out very much. Especially since they’re all bigger than we are. And Wally doesn’t even know where to look for us.” He turned and nodded at Arin, who smiled, reached over, said something, and got to his feet.
Hutch watched him walk away. There were a couple other islanders who’d been waiting nearby. They exchanged gestures with Arin that involved tapping their skulls. Then they proceeded out through the trees onto the beach. They walked across the sand, stopping to talk to others, and as she watched the movement expanded. They were spreading out, explaining something, sharing information, and gradually everyone began coming back toward the trees.
“What’s going on?” asked Hutch.
“How much time do we have?” asked Derek. “Before Wally gets back?”
“I’d guess about fifteen minutes.”
“Then let’s go.”
They all went back out onto the sand. As they watched, the area cleared. Those who were in the surf stayed there. Everyone else, except for a few, was moving away from the center of the beach, leaving it for their visitors.
“Incredible,” said Hutch. “They’re doing this for us?”
“Thank Arin.”
She’d lost track of him. They formed a line, hand in hand, facing the ocean. One of the islanders hurried over to them and gave each of them a towel.
The sun was moving into the western sky. Most of the clouds that had been present earlier were gone. Derek was peering into the east. “Should have brought sunglasses,” he said. “You guys see anything?”
“I doubt we’ll be able to see it,” Hutch said. “Not in the daylight anyhow. We wouldn’t have any problem picking it up tonight.”
“That would work fine if we could shine some lights at it.”
Hutch began waving her towel. Please, Wally, she thought, be there.
21.
Alone, alone, all all alone,
Alone on a wide, wide sea!
And never a saint took pity on
My soul in agony.
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” 1798
They stayed with it, waving towels and occasionally yelling at the empty sky until finally they were exhausted and overheated. The ocean by then looked extraordinarily inviting and Hutch might have considered going for a swim, except that she had nothing to change into.
There was no sign of the Eiferman. “But he would probably have stayed with the original course,” she said. “So, if he was scoping the islands, he might have seen us.”
&nbs
p; “You don’t sound optimistic,” said Beth.
“I’d feel more confident if he’d been there when we went down.”
Arin came over and looked at Derek. Derek nodded and held up a hand. Arin understood, and a few minutes later the Dolphins reclaimed their beach.
“You can’t stay out here forever.” That seemed to be the message Arin was trying to deliver as he stood and looked back over his shoulder toward the trees and held out his hands invitingly. Yes. Of course. Hutch and her friends exchanged glances and nods, and followed him back into the forest.
When they’d gotten out of the sun, Arin confronted Derek and asked a question, part language, part signals. It wasn’t hard to guess the meaning: Did we think we’d contacted whoever was in the sky?
Derek shook his head and held out his hands. No way to know. He turned to Hutch. “He realizes we were in trouble and you could have crash-landed on the beach. I’m pretty sure he appreciates what you did.”
Arin signaled they should walk.
They looked at one another. “We’re going to need his help,” said Derek, “if we have any chance to survive.” He waved everybody on. “Let’s go.”
“Where to?” asked Ken.
“I’d guess wherever Arin wants to take us.”
• • •
They came out of the trees onto a winding dirt road that led north. Nobody said anything. Behind them, the sunbathers gathered and watched but did not follow. There were a few parked cars, which looked more like golf carts with canvas roofs. A couple of the islanders came out of the foliage, got into two of the vehicles, and pulled abreast of them, where they stopped and had a brief conversation with Arin. Everybody waited while some sort of agreement was reached. Then Arin indicated they should get into the cars. Each was designed to accommodate three passengers. Actually, the rear seat was so large, it could have taken three itself. Beth and Ken got into one, and Derek, Hutch, and Arin into the other. Derek raised a hand to signal they were ready. Arin said something to their driver and he returned a smile that was wider and somehow as congenial and innocent as any Hutch could remember. They pulled out onto the road and continued north.
The trees blocked off the sky. Birds sang and flapped in the upper branches. A pair of creatures that might have been lizards chased one another up a vine. A small creature with brown fur watched from behind a bush.
They passed a few cabins and cottages. In one of them, two creatures sat on a porch. They got out of their seats and stared as the cars approached. Hutch couldn’t help noticing that a lamp was lit in one of the windows. That drew her attention to wires attached to several places.
She was getting better at distinguishing the sexes. The females were more graceful, with softer features and voices. They wore mostly what she thought of as casual clothing, skirts, tunics, and pants; males wore primarily pullovers with images and lettering, jeans, and shorts.
The road crossed a small wooden bridge over a stream and forked. They stayed right, remaining close to the ocean. The sky was beginning to darken. “Storm coming,” said Derek.
They heard the rumble of thunder. Again, just like home. They slowed for a curve. One of the natives was standing just off to one side. As they passed, he retreated behind a tree.
Arin, seated up front, turned, grinned, and pointed ahead. He added a comment that sounded encouraging. Probably along the lines of “We’re almost there.”
They came through a break in the woods and saw that the tower loomed ahead. A light drizzle began to fall. A handful of islanders were standing outside the front entrance, at the foot of some stone steps, watching as they came out of the trees.
“I think,” said Derek, “they knew we were coming.”
“Maybe they have radios.”
“Let’s hope. That would solve a problem.”
The tower rose out of a structure of brick and stone that might have been a meeting hall or a school. Its arches and gables stood out from the utilitarian structures they’d seen in the town and near the harbor. And the azure globe at its peak gleamed in the sun. The architecture was uncomplicated and graceful, with a gloss that might almost be described as classical. “I think it’s a temple,” she said.
They pulled into a parking area and stopped next to a two-story stone cottage. Arin got out of the vehicle as the second car arrived. He spoke with both drivers. Everybody got out and said thank you, which prompted more giant smiles. The cars rode off, and Arin led them up a walkway to the cottage. A wooden front deck supported a couple of oversized chairs. Two sets of windows looked out from each floor. Curtains were drawn across all of them, but they were open, protected by screens. They climbed three steps onto a porch and opened the front door. Some of the natives who’d been standing back at the tower waved. The humans waved back.
The front door had a latch. Arin stood before it, turned it, and opened the door. The rain began to intensify. He reached inside and lights came on.
Arin held the door, inviting everyone in. The interior looked like an ordinary household. They were in a carpeted room with several chairs and a long table, a fireplace, and a half dozen electric lamps, two of which were lit. A staircase set against one wall rose to the upper level and a balcony. One wall held two shelves of books and a clock. The clock had two hands, one large and one small, and sixteen numbers. At least Hutch assumed that was what the symbols on its face were.
“Maybe there’s only one way to make a clock,” said Ken.
And they got a surprise: A dark wooden side table held a telephone. Which explained how some of the residents seemed to know so quickly about their arrival. The phone was twentieth-century style, pink rather than black like the ones in the movies. The handset was longer, but the speaker and earpiece were similar. Instead of a dial there were push buttons. It was plugged into a socket. Across the room Hutch saw another electrical device. She went over to look more closely and was joined by Arin, who seemed amused at her curiosity. Although, to tell the truth, the islanders consistently looked amused. She’d gotten a sense they thought that, despite their lander, their visitors weren’t very bright. She lifted the handset and listened. It tinkled. “If they have this,” Ken said, “they should have radio.”
“Apparently not,” said Hutch. “We heard nothing coming in.”
“I guess.” Ken took the phone from Hutch and studied it. “This would be worth a fortune at home.”
“You know it’s not a real antique,” said Beth.
“Of course it isn’t, but it’s a telephone built on an alien world.” He looked around at the others. “You think we could buy it from them and take it back with us?”
“Maybe,” said Derek, “we should concentrate on finding a way to get ourselves home first.”
Arin indicated he wanted a word with Derek. They walked over close to the clock. He pointed at it and then looked at Derek as if waiting for an answer.
Derek needed a minute, but he decided he was being asked whether there was a time problem. Did they have to connect quickly with whatever was in the sky? He looked at Arin and nodded. Yes.
• • •
Arin showed them the kitchen, which had a sink and faucet, cabinets and drawers, an electric range, some cooking utensils, and a large silver metal case that was probably a refrigerator. One of the drawers held knives, scoops, and two-pronged forks.
The refrigerator had food in bowls and containers. And a bottle of dark liquid. Arin indicated they should feel free to help themselves.
“We should probably get used to it,” said Derek. Arin opened a cabinet and collected some cups. He handed them out, and set one on the counter for himself. Then he opened the bottle of dark liquid and poured some of it into his cup, which he drank. He handed the bottle to Derek. The message was clear enough: I can understand you don’t know what this is. But be assured it is safe.
Everybody looked at Beth. What did she think?
Derek filled his cup, lifted it about halfway, and waited for the verdict.
“We probably don’t need to worry about it,” she said. “We’re not likely to get poisoned or anything like that. The biggest concern is that we may not get any nutrients.”
“Which means what?”
“Gone in three weeks.”
“You’re not serious?”
“It’s probably not a problem. In any case, we don’t have an option.”
Derek raised his glass to her. “The eternal optimist. Here’s looking at you, kid.” He tasted it. Then drank it down.
“Alcohol?” asked Ken.
“I don’t think so. But it provides something of a lift.”
Beth filled her cup and tried it. “Tastes okay.” She raised the drink to their host. “Thank you, Arin.”
They all joined in, and obviously enjoyed the drink. When they finished, Arin demonstrated how the lamps worked, as it became apparent the cottage was going to be offered to them as a temporary home. It might take a little getting used to. They would, for example, have to push buttons to get the lamps to turn on and off rather than simply tell them what to do or touch them.
Arin provided towels and made a phone call. A few minutes later two of his friends showed up with boxes of clothing. They set the boxes on a table and the sofa, and Arin indicated the clothing was theirs. He pulled out a light blue shirt and held it up for Beth. It was considerably larger than she would have worn normally, but she accepted it gratefully. Arin smiled and signaled that there would probably be other size issues and he was sorry, but he just had no alternatives at the moment.
He waited while they picked out what they could use. They’d have to manage without socks during whatever time they’d be on the island, but they were otherwise able to make selections that would work, though everything was several sizes too big for them. Even Derek looked overwhelmed measuring himself against a pullover shirt and shorts that reached almost to his shins.
But the shorts and pullovers could also function as bathing suits. Derek tried to signal he was concerned whether they were taking over Arin’s home. It took a while to get the message across, but they finally connected and Arin pointed at the tower. Or, as they were beginning to think of it, the temple. There was a clear connection between the temple and, apparently, supplying clothes and a cottage for those in need.
The Long Sunset Page 18