the sounds in this grove. The world
has changed, and slow must incorporate the quick before the
quick destroys the slow. We have waited a million years along-
side you, but if we continue apart, we will vanish because of
you. We cannot stay ourself and survive. And if we vanish, you,
too, will vanish without our air, our rain, our shade and wind,
our animals and our shelter. None of us can live alone."
"That's what I tell my sister, but she laughs at me."
"There is no longer time to talk and convince. We must both
change."
"I'll do it."
"Beware. The transformation we propose is profound. We are
the oldest race and slow to change, but everything must change.
We must accept the new quickness in me world, and your quick
intelligence must blunt its cutting individuality as you lose your-
self in ancient communion."
FIAT SILVA 75
Into his back emanated a blurred vision of darkness lifting, a
hazy sight of early dawn.
"Okay, I'll do it." Proud and scared and responsible.
"You will no longer be yourself."
"I tell my classmates I would die if it would save the earth."
"You will not die, but you won't be yourself."
"Okay."
"Then take this, and be fruitful and multiply." A whisper in
the air above whistled and with a crackle a cone bounced at his
feet "The seeds in this cone contain the germ of a new forest.
Your breath will fertilize them. Shake out the seeds, breathe upon
them, and cast them. As the new forest grows, the particularity
of your essence and ours will diminish, will combine, and a new
creation will begin."
A sensation of love and urging passed through Adam, A sense
of excitement gathered in the airy grove, as if the tall trees
leaned forward. He turned the cone in his hands, shook it, and
two small brown spheres rolled out. He held them in his palm
and breathed softly on them.
Dizziness, a flowing outward from himself; the trunk behind
him sighed and its force diminished minutely.
At first he saw nothing but a concentration of green light; then
two tender shoots like spring green stalks of grass, which grew an
inch, two inches, a foot, thickened and^rew thicker like his finger,
browned, passed eye level, sprouted branches and green needles-
"So fast!"
"Your quickness intensified by our breadth.'*
Two trees shot up, one sequoia and one sugar pine. *Two
kinds from one cone?"
"The seeds will develop best suited to the conditions where
they fall."
"Life!" cried the trees with the wonder of youth in a tone in-
timately his own, as if he were in the trees, as if he had painted
a picture of himself and stepped back to look, yet more than the
mute reflection in a voiceless mirror—these trees were part of
himself yet not himself, an extension, a bond, a family tie, a
union.
"Yes," he breathed, "Yes," sighed the grove. "Yes, ess, ess,"
twittered the bird.
Adam arose and took a picture of the trees. 1 wonder if the
blue glow will show up. He left the grove in a dream, walked
past the silent sugar pines, and found his way through the chap-
arral- This is a good place for a tree, he thought. He shook the
76 Jack OaUey
cone until he had a handful of seeds, blew upon them, and scat-
tered them with a sweep of his arm.
Again a dizzy green haze clouded his vision and he weakened
as his forces flowed outward- He sat down to rest and watched
a dozen spears rise and writhe into the twisted torsos of a young
manzanita grove. "Life!" they sang and his stomach sang coun-
terpoint. It was several moments before he came to himself.
Good-bye, trees. Good-bye Adam. He found the lake and re-
turned to the campsite.
"I don't want to go home," he said. "This was our best vaca-
tion ever."
"It was, wasn't it?" said his father.
"But school starts the day after tomorrow," said Evelyn. "I've
had enough of this, anyway. I can't wait to see my friends
again."
"I'm going to stay
has changed, and slow must incorporate the quick before the
quick destroys the slow. We have waited a million years along-
side you, but if we continue apart, we will vanish because of
you. We cannot stay ourself and survive. And if we vanish, you,
too, will vanish without our air, our rain, our shade and wind,
our animals and our shelter. None of us can live alone."
"That's what I tell my sister, but she laughs at me."
"There is no longer time to talk and convince. We must both
change."
"I'll do it."
"Beware. The transformation we propose is profound. We are
the oldest race and slow to change, but everything must change.
We must accept the new quickness in me world, and your quick
intelligence must blunt its cutting individuality as you lose your-
self in ancient communion."
FIAT SILVA 75
Into his back emanated a blurred vision of darkness lifting, a
hazy sight of early dawn.
"Okay, I'll do it." Proud and scared and responsible.
"You will no longer be yourself."
"I tell my classmates I would die if it would save the earth."
"You will not die, but you won't be yourself."
"Okay."
"Then take this, and be fruitful and multiply." A whisper in
the air above whistled and with a crackle a cone bounced at his
feet "The seeds in this cone contain the germ of a new forest.
Your breath will fertilize them. Shake out the seeds, breathe upon
them, and cast them. As the new forest grows, the particularity
of your essence and ours will diminish, will combine, and a new
creation will begin."
A sensation of love and urging passed through Adam, A sense
of excitement gathered in the airy grove, as if the tall trees
leaned forward. He turned the cone in his hands, shook it, and
two small brown spheres rolled out. He held them in his palm
and breathed softly on them.
Dizziness, a flowing outward from himself; the trunk behind
him sighed and its force diminished minutely.
At first he saw nothing but a concentration of green light; then
two tender shoots like spring green stalks of grass, which grew an
inch, two inches, a foot, thickened and^rew thicker like his finger,
browned, passed eye level, sprouted branches and green needles-
"So fast!"
"Your quickness intensified by our breadth.'*
Two trees shot up, one sequoia and one sugar pine. *Two
kinds from one cone?"
"The seeds will develop best suited to the conditions where
they fall."
"Life!" cried the trees with the wonder of youth in a tone in-
timately his own, as if he were in the trees, as if he had painted
a picture of himself and stepped back to look, yet more than the
mute reflection in a voiceless mirror—these trees were part of
himself yet not himself, an extension, a bond, a family tie, a
union.
"Yes," he breathed, "Yes," sighed the grove. "Yes, ess, ess,"
twittered the bird.
Adam arose and took a picture of the trees. 1 wonder if the
blue glow will show up. He left the grove in a dream, walked
past the silent sugar pines, and found his way through the chap-
arral- This is a good place for a tree, he thought. He shook the
76 Jack OaUey
cone until he had a handful of seeds, blew upon them, and scat-
tered them with a sweep of his arm.
Again a dizzy green haze clouded his vision and he weakened
as his forces flowed outward- He sat down to rest and watched
a dozen spears rise and writhe into the twisted torsos of a young
manzanita grove. "Life!" they sang and his stomach sang coun-
terpoint. It was several moments before he came to himself.
Good-bye, trees. Good-bye Adam. He found the lake and re-
turned to the campsite.
"I don't want to go home," he said. "This was our best vaca-
tion ever."
"It was, wasn't it?" said his father.
"But school starts the day after tomorrow," said Evelyn. "I've
had enough of this, anyway. I can't wait to see my friends
again."
"I'm going to stay
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