gone?
Lbbp helped her up. - One of them bent down and touched you and then they all disappeared. FaZoon, ship, everything.
Vstj was still shouting - What did you say to them? What did you say?
Terra was confused. - I just read out what was . . .
- The Ymn child scared them away! said a voice from the crowd.
- Whose stupid idea was it to let the Ymn talk to them? said another. Shm and the Chancellor exchanged awkward glances.
With angry murmurs and disappointed groans, the crowd began to disperse.
Terra looked tearfully up at Lbbp. - I didn’t do anything . . . They spoke to me inside my head . . . I don’t really remember what they . . . I didn’t tell them anything I wasn’t supposed to . . . did I?
Lbbp put his arm around her. - Come on home. It doesn’t matter. Nobody blames you.
- Are you sure? asked Terra. She gestured to the retreating crowd. I think some of them do.
- Well, nobody who matters blames you, said Lbbp.
- Look! Fthfth shouted. They did leave us a message!
The movement of the crowd had revealed strange symbols, freshly carved into the white paving stones. The FaZoon had given the Mlmlns a gift of knowledge after all.
Vstj, who had been slumped despairingly on the steps, leapt to his feet.
- Where is it? Where? Out of the way, let me see . . .
Vstj stared at the symbols. He produced his slate from under his robe and began translating.
- Two whole pt-ssh . . . one fnj, chopped . . . one ch-fsh leaf, one pinch vshk . . .
Vstj sat down on the steps.
- It’s soup. They’ve given us a recipe for soup.
Lbbp smiled. - So it hasn’t been a complete waste of an evening. He took Terra home.
The next morning, the square was deserted. The FaZoon symbols remained carved into the stones.
Later that day, Pktk came back to the square. He diligently copied the symbols onto his slate, and carefully translated the whole inscription. He went to the fresh produce market, bought the ingredients, went home and followed the recipe to the letter.
It was really good soup.
2.12
T he next few days passed smoothly enough, although Terra couldn’t help but feel that a cloud of suspicion still hung over her with regard to the FaZoon incident. For all of Pktk’s protestations that no, seriously, you should try it, it’s really good soup the general feeling was that the Fnrrns had been collectively cheated out of something, and while no one was foolish or nasty enough to suggest that it was in some way Terra’s fault while in her presence . . .
The matter of the Interface was also unresolved. Given that there didn’t appear to be a way for Terra to use the device safely, she’d been excused from Interface sessions and given the time to do extra reading. But, much as Terra had feared, she couldn’t keep up with the sheer volume of information that her classmates were absorbing. For every text or article she read, her friends would simply programme a hundred or more directly into their heads.
Lbbp would do his best to cheer her up, but Terra was consumed with worry that she’d be held back an orbit, or worse, banished back to the Pre-Ac.
Sometimes, of an evening, Lbbp would pass Terra’s room. He would peek inside and see the child peering furiously at her slate, scanning through screens and screens of information. He wondered if she could possibly take anything in at that speed. On other occasions he would pass outside her door and hear her crying quietly. The first time this happened, he hurried in to her, offering consolation and hugs, but her obvious embarrassment at having been caught in tears made him feel guilty at having added to her distress. After this incident he would stand outside the door, listening to her sobs and feeling wretched at his failure to help her.
This couldn’t go on. Lbbp resolved to demand an audience with the Preceptor. He owed them a favour.
2.13
T erra ached all over as she floated towards home. Gshkth was not really her sort of game at all, she decided.
Fthfth’s
Lbbp helped her up. - One of them bent down and touched you and then they all disappeared. FaZoon, ship, everything.
Vstj was still shouting - What did you say to them? What did you say?
Terra was confused. - I just read out what was . . .
- The Ymn child scared them away! said a voice from the crowd.
- Whose stupid idea was it to let the Ymn talk to them? said another. Shm and the Chancellor exchanged awkward glances.
With angry murmurs and disappointed groans, the crowd began to disperse.
Terra looked tearfully up at Lbbp. - I didn’t do anything . . . They spoke to me inside my head . . . I don’t really remember what they . . . I didn’t tell them anything I wasn’t supposed to . . . did I?
Lbbp put his arm around her. - Come on home. It doesn’t matter. Nobody blames you.
- Are you sure? asked Terra. She gestured to the retreating crowd. I think some of them do.
- Well, nobody who matters blames you, said Lbbp.
- Look! Fthfth shouted. They did leave us a message!
The movement of the crowd had revealed strange symbols, freshly carved into the white paving stones. The FaZoon had given the Mlmlns a gift of knowledge after all.
Vstj, who had been slumped despairingly on the steps, leapt to his feet.
- Where is it? Where? Out of the way, let me see . . .
Vstj stared at the symbols. He produced his slate from under his robe and began translating.
- Two whole pt-ssh . . . one fnj, chopped . . . one ch-fsh leaf, one pinch vshk . . .
Vstj sat down on the steps.
- It’s soup. They’ve given us a recipe for soup.
Lbbp smiled. - So it hasn’t been a complete waste of an evening. He took Terra home.
The next morning, the square was deserted. The FaZoon symbols remained carved into the stones.
Later that day, Pktk came back to the square. He diligently copied the symbols onto his slate, and carefully translated the whole inscription. He went to the fresh produce market, bought the ingredients, went home and followed the recipe to the letter.
It was really good soup.
2.12
T he next few days passed smoothly enough, although Terra couldn’t help but feel that a cloud of suspicion still hung over her with regard to the FaZoon incident. For all of Pktk’s protestations that no, seriously, you should try it, it’s really good soup the general feeling was that the Fnrrns had been collectively cheated out of something, and while no one was foolish or nasty enough to suggest that it was in some way Terra’s fault while in her presence . . .
The matter of the Interface was also unresolved. Given that there didn’t appear to be a way for Terra to use the device safely, she’d been excused from Interface sessions and given the time to do extra reading. But, much as Terra had feared, she couldn’t keep up with the sheer volume of information that her classmates were absorbing. For every text or article she read, her friends would simply programme a hundred or more directly into their heads.
Lbbp would do his best to cheer her up, but Terra was consumed with worry that she’d be held back an orbit, or worse, banished back to the Pre-Ac.
Sometimes, of an evening, Lbbp would pass Terra’s room. He would peek inside and see the child peering furiously at her slate, scanning through screens and screens of information. He wondered if she could possibly take anything in at that speed. On other occasions he would pass outside her door and hear her crying quietly. The first time this happened, he hurried in to her, offering consolation and hugs, but her obvious embarrassment at having been caught in tears made him feel guilty at having added to her distress. After this incident he would stand outside the door, listening to her sobs and feeling wretched at his failure to help her.
This couldn’t go on. Lbbp resolved to demand an audience with the Preceptor. He owed them a favour.
2.13
T erra ached all over as she floated towards home. Gshkth was not really her sort of game at all, she decided.
Fthfth’s
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