[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"Oh, a little above forty years," Sharras replied. Ware concealed his surprise. From the Sylvan's words
and attitude, he had assumed that the creature was much older, well over a hundred. It appeared that this
"proper nutrition" was no better at retarding the effects of aging than any other regimen.
Still, it could not be doubted that the creature was in excellent physical shape; the diet surely contributed
to that.
"I find it difficult to tell your males from the females," Ware continued diffidently. "I know this may
seem blind of me, but-"
"There are no males and females," Sharras interrupted. Ware gave him an incredulous look.
"There are no males and females," Sharras insisted. "This is a society of complete equality, and there can
be no equality where there are two separated sexes. We are all both male and female, and life-partners
take turns in bearing the children. Only in this way can there be complete equality in all things. Life-
partners wishing to bear children must wait until there have been two deaths in our land; then they both
become gravid, and bear their offspring at the same time. This makes all things equal."
"So you are mortal," Ware exclaimed without thinking.
Sharras made a face, but said nothing. "All of our people are changed by our science, so that all are
equally beautiful," he continued. "In this way, too, we achieve complete equality. There is no ugliness,
and when the signs of age become too obvious, the Sylvan will retire from the world. I am about to do
just that," it concluded proudly.
"Retire?" Ware said, carefully. "Do you mean-die?"
"Die? Great Forest, no!" Sharras laughed, as if Ware were some kind of idiot for even suggesting such a
thing. "Do you understand nothing I have said? We take no lives, not even in defense. No, I will simply
join the rest who are aged, in a special community, surrounded by a wall of roses, where we will clothe
the signs of age with pleasant masks and costumes, where we will live the remainder of our lives with
nothing but leisure to fill our days. And when the final time comes, I will be taken to a place where I
shall fast and be given special herbs, so that I may meet rebirth with a tranquil spirit."
Where it would be closed off so that none of its kindred would have to look upon the terrifying reality of
age and death, Ware thought in disgust. And where it would be drugged and starved so that it would die
more quickly, so that someone else could have a child.
The masks and costumes would disguise the fact that the population of these little communities changed
so quickly; no one who did not know the secret would guess. But Ware had centuries of observing
humans and their nature, and changed as these people were, they still were human, and there was very
little they could do that would surprise him. Disgust him, yes. Surprise him, hardly. "You have answered
all my queries most gracefully, Sharras," he said, putting aside his stew and standing up. "And I thank
you for your time and trouble. Now I must go, before my companions miss me."
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Click here to buy
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He turned and walked quickly away, slipping into the shadows at the entrance to the clearing, and
keeping to them as only a demon could, becoming the next thing to invisible. Sometimes he was
tempted to enter Xylina's sleeping chamber this way, just to gaze on her as she slept. But he did not; he
was not looking for illicit temptation, but for a relationship meaningful beyond the comprehension of
most human beings. So he had to be patient. He did believe that he was making progress; Xylina no
longer looked on him with disgust, and indeed seemed to be coming to respect him. In time she could
come to him of her own accord.
Then, of course, he would have to tell her the rest of the truth. That well might destroy the relationship.
So, much as he desired her now, he was not eager to rush the matter. This tacit relationship might be the
best they were to have. When he passed through the stone walls that Xylina had erected around the
camp, he found the Mazonite in her tent, discussing the Sylvans with her slave. They both looked up at
his slight cough, and Xylina waved him inside. "I assume you've been out of the camp," she said, "since
no one could find you in it. Did you learn anything, skulking about?"
Was there an edge to that query? Or was she genuinely concerned for him? Perhaps both. She was so
lovely even in her incidental ways! "Some," he replied, and described his conversation with Sharras in
detail-then added his own guesses.
Xylina made a face. "And these people call us barbarous!" she said with contempt. "Well, I will give
orders to the men to take no notice of them, and to answer no provocations. I think the best way to deal
with Sylvans who choose to harass us is to ignore them."
"That is probably a good idea," Ware said thoughtfully. "They may have sanctions against the taking of
lives, but I would not care to find myself being drugged and 'educated' so as to see the error of my
barbarous ways."
"My thought precisely," Xylina replied. "They are slippery, these Sylvans; they say one thing and mean
twenty others. I think they have very little idea of honor, and I would put nothing past them. We have
provisions enough to carry us across their land; I think we should eat nothing of theirs, and drink
nothing but water, and have as little to do with them as may be. I do not trust them." She looked directly
into Ware's eyes for the first time since the journey began. "In fact, compared to them, you are a model [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
"Oh, a little above forty years," Sharras replied. Ware concealed his surprise. From the Sylvan's words
and attitude, he had assumed that the creature was much older, well over a hundred. It appeared that this
"proper nutrition" was no better at retarding the effects of aging than any other regimen.
Still, it could not be doubted that the creature was in excellent physical shape; the diet surely contributed
to that.
"I find it difficult to tell your males from the females," Ware continued diffidently. "I know this may
seem blind of me, but-"
"There are no males and females," Sharras interrupted. Ware gave him an incredulous look.
"There are no males and females," Sharras insisted. "This is a society of complete equality, and there can
be no equality where there are two separated sexes. We are all both male and female, and life-partners
take turns in bearing the children. Only in this way can there be complete equality in all things. Life-
partners wishing to bear children must wait until there have been two deaths in our land; then they both
become gravid, and bear their offspring at the same time. This makes all things equal."
"So you are mortal," Ware exclaimed without thinking.
Sharras made a face, but said nothing. "All of our people are changed by our science, so that all are
equally beautiful," he continued. "In this way, too, we achieve complete equality. There is no ugliness,
and when the signs of age become too obvious, the Sylvan will retire from the world. I am about to do
just that," it concluded proudly.
"Retire?" Ware said, carefully. "Do you mean-die?"
"Die? Great Forest, no!" Sharras laughed, as if Ware were some kind of idiot for even suggesting such a
thing. "Do you understand nothing I have said? We take no lives, not even in defense. No, I will simply
join the rest who are aged, in a special community, surrounded by a wall of roses, where we will clothe
the signs of age with pleasant masks and costumes, where we will live the remainder of our lives with
nothing but leisure to fill our days. And when the final time comes, I will be taken to a place where I
shall fast and be given special herbs, so that I may meet rebirth with a tranquil spirit."
Where it would be closed off so that none of its kindred would have to look upon the terrifying reality of
age and death, Ware thought in disgust. And where it would be drugged and starved so that it would die
more quickly, so that someone else could have a child.
The masks and costumes would disguise the fact that the population of these little communities changed
so quickly; no one who did not know the secret would guess. But Ware had centuries of observing
humans and their nature, and changed as these people were, they still were human, and there was very
little they could do that would surprise him. Disgust him, yes. Surprise him, hardly. "You have answered
all my queries most gracefully, Sharras," he said, putting aside his stew and standing up. "And I thank
you for your time and trouble. Now I must go, before my companions miss me."
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
He turned and walked quickly away, slipping into the shadows at the entrance to the clearing, and
keeping to them as only a demon could, becoming the next thing to invisible. Sometimes he was
tempted to enter Xylina's sleeping chamber this way, just to gaze on her as she slept. But he did not; he
was not looking for illicit temptation, but for a relationship meaningful beyond the comprehension of
most human beings. So he had to be patient. He did believe that he was making progress; Xylina no
longer looked on him with disgust, and indeed seemed to be coming to respect him. In time she could
come to him of her own accord.
Then, of course, he would have to tell her the rest of the truth. That well might destroy the relationship.
So, much as he desired her now, he was not eager to rush the matter. This tacit relationship might be the
best they were to have. When he passed through the stone walls that Xylina had erected around the
camp, he found the Mazonite in her tent, discussing the Sylvans with her slave. They both looked up at
his slight cough, and Xylina waved him inside. "I assume you've been out of the camp," she said, "since
no one could find you in it. Did you learn anything, skulking about?"
Was there an edge to that query? Or was she genuinely concerned for him? Perhaps both. She was so
lovely even in her incidental ways! "Some," he replied, and described his conversation with Sharras in
detail-then added his own guesses.
Xylina made a face. "And these people call us barbarous!" she said with contempt. "Well, I will give
orders to the men to take no notice of them, and to answer no provocations. I think the best way to deal
with Sylvans who choose to harass us is to ignore them."
"That is probably a good idea," Ware said thoughtfully. "They may have sanctions against the taking of
lives, but I would not care to find myself being drugged and 'educated' so as to see the error of my
barbarous ways."
"My thought precisely," Xylina replied. "They are slippery, these Sylvans; they say one thing and mean
twenty others. I think they have very little idea of honor, and I would put nothing past them. We have
provisions enough to carry us across their land; I think we should eat nothing of theirs, and drink
nothing but water, and have as little to do with them as may be. I do not trust them." She looked directly
into Ware's eyes for the first time since the journey began. "In fact, compared to them, you are a model [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]