else.
Masklin lifted up the Thing. "Talking box no go," he said helplessly. "Good grief, why should I have to speak like this? You must be at least as intelligent as me. Go on, go away. Go back to the others." He turned and ran. He looked back briefly, and saw Pion watching him.
How much time have I got? he wondered. Thing once told me the Ship flies very fast. Maybe it could be here any minute. Maybe it's not coming at all.
He saw figures looming over the scrub. Yes, follow any track, and sooner or later you find humans. They get everywhere.
Yes, maybe the Ship isn't coming at all.
If it isn't, he thought, then what I'm going to do now is probably the most stupid thing any nome has ever done anywhere in the total history of nomekind.
He stepped out into a circle of gravel. A small truck was parked in it, with the name of the Floridian god NASA painted on the side. Close by, a couple of humans were bent over a piece of machinery on a tripod.
They didn't notice Masklin. He walked closer, his heart thumping.
He put down the Thing.
We used to talk, he said. Well, maybe it's time to try again.
He cupped his hands around his mouth.
He tried to shout as clearly and as slowly as possible.
"Hey, there! You! Humans!"
"He did what?" shouted Angalo. Pion ran through his pantomime of gestures again.
"Talked to humans." said Angalo. "Went in a thing with wheels'?"
"I thought I heard a truck engine," said Gurder. Angalo pounded a fist into his palm.
"He was worried about the Thing," he said. "He wanted to find it some electricity!"
"But we must be miles from any buildings!" said Gurder.
"Not the way Masklin's going!" Angalo snarled.
"I knew it would come to this!" Gurder moaned. "Showing ourselves to humans! We never used to do that sort of thing in the Store! What are we going to do?"
Masklin thought, Up to now, it's not too bad. The humans hadn't really known what to do about him. They'd even backed away! And then one of them had rushed to the truck and talked into a machine on a string. Probably some sort of telephone, Masklin thought knowledgeably.
When he hadn't moved, one of the humans had fetched a box out of the back of the truck and crept toward him as if expecting Masklin to explode. In fact, when he waved, the human jumped back clumsily.
The other human said something, and the box was cautiously put down on the gravel a few feet from Masklin.
Then both humans watched him expectantly. He kept smiling, to put them at their ease, and climbed into the box. Then he gave them another wave.
One of the humans reached down gingerly and picked up the box, lifting it up in the air as though Masklin was something very rare and delicate. He was carried to the truck. The human got in, and still holding the box with exaggerated care, placed it on its knees. A radio crackled with deep human voices.
Well, no going back now. Knowing that, Masklin very nearly relaxed. Perhaps it was best to look at it as just another step along life's side-walk They kept staring at him as if they didn't believe what they were seeing.
The truck lurched off. After a while it turned onto a concrete road, where another truck was waiting. A human got out, spoke to the driver of Masklin's truck, laughed in a slow human way, looked down at Masklin, and stopped laughing very suddenly.
It almost ran back to its own truck and started speaking into another telephone.
I knew this would happen, Masklin thought. They don't know what to do with a real nome. Amazing.
But just so long as they take me somewhere where there's the right kind of electricity.
Dorcas, the engineer, had once tried to explain electricity to Masklin, but without much success because Dorcas wasn't too certain about it, either.
There seemed to be two kinds, straight and wiggly. The straight kind was very boring and stayed in batteries. The wiggly kind was found in wires in the walls and things, and somehow the Thing could steal some of it if it was close enough. Dorcas used to
Masklin lifted up the Thing. "Talking box no go," he said helplessly. "Good grief, why should I have to speak like this? You must be at least as intelligent as me. Go on, go away. Go back to the others." He turned and ran. He looked back briefly, and saw Pion watching him.
How much time have I got? he wondered. Thing once told me the Ship flies very fast. Maybe it could be here any minute. Maybe it's not coming at all.
He saw figures looming over the scrub. Yes, follow any track, and sooner or later you find humans. They get everywhere.
Yes, maybe the Ship isn't coming at all.
If it isn't, he thought, then what I'm going to do now is probably the most stupid thing any nome has ever done anywhere in the total history of nomekind.
He stepped out into a circle of gravel. A small truck was parked in it, with the name of the Floridian god NASA painted on the side. Close by, a couple of humans were bent over a piece of machinery on a tripod.
They didn't notice Masklin. He walked closer, his heart thumping.
He put down the Thing.
We used to talk, he said. Well, maybe it's time to try again.
He cupped his hands around his mouth.
He tried to shout as clearly and as slowly as possible.
"Hey, there! You! Humans!"
"He did what?" shouted Angalo. Pion ran through his pantomime of gestures again.
"Talked to humans." said Angalo. "Went in a thing with wheels'?"
"I thought I heard a truck engine," said Gurder. Angalo pounded a fist into his palm.
"He was worried about the Thing," he said. "He wanted to find it some electricity!"
"But we must be miles from any buildings!" said Gurder.
"Not the way Masklin's going!" Angalo snarled.
"I knew it would come to this!" Gurder moaned. "Showing ourselves to humans! We never used to do that sort of thing in the Store! What are we going to do?"
Masklin thought, Up to now, it's not too bad. The humans hadn't really known what to do about him. They'd even backed away! And then one of them had rushed to the truck and talked into a machine on a string. Probably some sort of telephone, Masklin thought knowledgeably.
When he hadn't moved, one of the humans had fetched a box out of the back of the truck and crept toward him as if expecting Masklin to explode. In fact, when he waved, the human jumped back clumsily.
The other human said something, and the box was cautiously put down on the gravel a few feet from Masklin.
Then both humans watched him expectantly. He kept smiling, to put them at their ease, and climbed into the box. Then he gave them another wave.
One of the humans reached down gingerly and picked up the box, lifting it up in the air as though Masklin was something very rare and delicate. He was carried to the truck. The human got in, and still holding the box with exaggerated care, placed it on its knees. A radio crackled with deep human voices.
Well, no going back now. Knowing that, Masklin very nearly relaxed. Perhaps it was best to look at it as just another step along life's side-walk They kept staring at him as if they didn't believe what they were seeing.
The truck lurched off. After a while it turned onto a concrete road, where another truck was waiting. A human got out, spoke to the driver of Masklin's truck, laughed in a slow human way, looked down at Masklin, and stopped laughing very suddenly.
It almost ran back to its own truck and started speaking into another telephone.
I knew this would happen, Masklin thought. They don't know what to do with a real nome. Amazing.
But just so long as they take me somewhere where there's the right kind of electricity.
Dorcas, the engineer, had once tried to explain electricity to Masklin, but without much success because Dorcas wasn't too certain about it, either.
There seemed to be two kinds, straight and wiggly. The straight kind was very boring and stayed in batteries. The wiggly kind was found in wires in the walls and things, and somehow the Thing could steal some of it if it was close enough. Dorcas used to
Similar Books
