Chapter 14
“So do you think I am wasting my time Terren?” Abe asked as he bit into one of the little fruits. It was full of tart juice, reminded him faintly of cranberry, but not quite.
“No, I don’t and I’ll tell you why. Setting one’s mind at rest over a question is very important. And that is what you are doing. That is never a waste of time. Peace of mind is a blessing.”
“Peace of mind. I wonder if that is something I will ever know again?”
Abe picked through his pile of food in silence for a while.
“This place is so different from my own planet, Abe said. In order to live off the land, you would have to roam far and wide, and dig for roots and eat some pretty unsavory things. Like grubs and grasshoppers. But here, even in a semi barren area, though it might get monotonous, one would never starve.” He thought of the life of the Aborigines. This seemed so much more civilized.
“There are people, Terren said, that choose not to live permanently in a place, and do travel all over the planet. Some on foot, some have horses or even a cart. They are not suited to community and are free to be “on the road” I think is your expression for it. But they do not suffer deprivation. And if they are open to it, they are always welcome to spend a few days or longer in the Tree of some community. Some people roam for several years, and then settle somewhere that suits them. Others prefer their own company.”
Abe digested this bit of news. Perhaps this would be the life he would choose since it looked like he was stuck here. Maybe. He was not giving up on the idea of going home just yet.
“I think I will try to get to sleep.” He said. The sun had gone completely now and the moons were coming up. From what Abe could tell, they changed in position just like the moon around earth. Only here, the two of them did a sort of dance, sometimes looking closer together, sometimes farther apart, but never at opposite ends of the sky. And they were so much bigger and brighter, he found it hard to ignore them as sometimes one could do with the moon at home.
Home. Where was home? If it had been a worm hole that the ship had gone through, for all he knew, he could be on the other side of the universe. It was a thought that filled him with dread. He had a place in that world. He was practically a celebrity. The hope of the new paradigm, where man and technology would finally merge and stop being so at odds with each other. He just knew it was possible, that the gap could be bridged. They were so close and he had been a part of that. A part of a completely new thing on Earth. Greater than the discovery of fire. A change greater than the printing press or the industrial revolution. This was a leap so profound that there was nothing to compare it to. Except maybe when the first organism climbed out of the primordial ooze onto dry land. But then there were no witnesses, this time the paradigm shift would be experienced by the whole planet. The possibilities for great things were endless in Abe’s mind. And he was going to miss it. He was going to miss it here in this backward place. And while he could not dismiss the fact that it was an amazingly pleasant place, all the things that he held dear were not to be found. Technology was eaten alive here. Eaten alive.
He sighed. But maybe, just maybe there was something left of the ship, perhaps it was too big to be absorbed by the roots. The fact that it was inoperative might have spared it. He had to know. He pulled the quilted blanket over his head and slept. Only to dream of Earth on the brink of the Singularity, and he, gazing across the starry expanse, missing it all.
* * * *
Someone was shoving him in the back. He threw back the blanket and saw that the sun was just coming over the horizon. B’rofi was nudging him. “I’m awake, I’m awake.” He said, sitting up and reaching over to scratch the animal’s ears. It made him a bit nervous to be lying on the ground with this large animal looming over him though, so he stood up. He saw Terren coming toward him with a cloth sack full of breakfast.
“I walked a little ways up the hill and found some Baslets.
I think you will like these.”
He spilled the fruits and leaves out onto his blanket. And there among the things that Abe was familiar with, were what looked like another kind of fungus. “These are wonderful. Have a bite.” Terren said and handed him one.
It was about the size of the palm of his hand and about as thick. It was golden brown. He took a bite. It was the closest thing to bread as you might ever find in nature he decided. Although it did remind one of a mushroom, a bit moist. It was slightly herby and very dense. He decided it would taste good with one of the little cranberry like fruits so he alternated one with the other. “Wonderful. Really. What did you call these again?”
“Baslets. They are one of my favorites too.”
They finished their meal and saddled the horses. Abe got everything right except for the girth. Terren showed him once more how to do it.
And then untied it and had Abe do it himself.
“Good! That should hold. You’ll be a good horseman one day Abraham.”
They mounted their horses who where a bit frisky and eager to get going. “Are you ready to try a gallop?” Terren asked.
“Alright, what do I do?” Abe said trying to sound nonchalant.
“Lean forward, hold the reins firmly, and get a handful of mane. Stand up a bit in your stirrups so you don’t bounce up and down too much.”
Abe did as he was told, glancing with dismay how far it was to the ground.
Terren turned his horse away from the road and they headed out along the edge of the foothills on the flats. He whistled shortly to his horse and off they went.
Abe could do nothing at first but hold on for dear life. He found himself bouncing to the right and left erratically. B’rofi slowed to a trot and let Abe find his feet in the stirrups. Then off they went in pursuit of Terren. After several strides he got into the rhythm of the gallop and found that Terren was right, standing up a bit in the stirrups let the horse move beneath him without him being jounced around overmuch. He then found an even more solid balance leaning forward and putting some of his weight on his hands entwined in B’rofi’s mane.
The air was fresh, the morning new and the joy of the horses was contagious. The romp quickly turned into a horse race. It was exhilarating. And pretty soon his eyes were watering from the air rushing past.
After several minutes, the horses slowed and soon were walking and blowing and tossing their heads. Then Terren’s horse suddenly let out a wild and starling whiney, which Abe’s horse chimed in on right away. It was the closest thing to a horse… “Waaaa Hoooo!” as he had ever heard. He was laughing at the funny feeling to be sitting on a horse who was making that sound, he could feel the vibration of its body under him.
“That was great!” He exclaimed.
Terren beamed over at him, “I thought you might think so.”
They had covered a lot of ground in that wild gallop. They began to look for tracks in the sandy soil.
“Is there any landmark you remember?”
“Well I do remember using a certain outcropping of rock to navigate with on the mountain rim.” He looked up to his right and searched along the peaks. I think that might be it, over there. He pointed about a mile ahead, We need to get closer and more at right angles to it for me to be sure.”
“Alright, we will take a look, but in the meantime, keep checking for tracks just in case.”
They rode on until the outcropping was clearly visible and Abe said,” Yep, that’s it. See the V there that the rocks make right there? That’s the thing I kept an eye on. And I went right up these hills in as straight a line as I could manage.”
“Let’s get down and walk a while and check carefully for your trail.”
“Good idea.” Abe was glad of a break from sitting on the horse. He was a bit sore, but didn’t want to whine to Terren about it. Walking felt great. Stretching out his knees was especially good.
Terren was walking ahead of Abe and about 10 yards to his left.
“Here it is!” He shouted back to Abe.
Abe hurried over and sure enough, there was a crooked trail of irregular footsteps. Looking at it gave Abe a strange feeling. These footsteps had been made in desperate circumstances. And he felt a wave of compassion for his clueless self that had made them. He looked at the scars on his forearm and felt gratitude that he had survived.
“Okay, now let’s get going.” Terren said and mounted his horse.
They traveled at a trot for quite a while and then alternated between trotting and walking. The horses sensed that they had ground to cover and the trail was surprisingly straight. But one could not see it far ahead because of the bushes. They continued at a brisk trot for another three hours taking breaks every hour…. Then they saw it.
Abe pulled on the reins and his horse slowed to a walk. He jumped down and walked slowly around the large depression in the ground.
It was deeper than he had realized. He was amazed to see that small shrubs had already sprouted here and there. He walked around and down into to crater and found nothing, nothing at all except disturbed soil and young plants. He hung his head in disappointment, moving soil around with the tip of his shoe.
Terren was silent, letting Abe have a few moments. He had dismounted too and was standing quietly near his horse Samar, who was nuzzling his elbow. Abe walked to and fro, his eyes on the ground searching for what he did not know.
At his Samar’s insistence, Terren touched his forehead and immediately heard him ask, ‘What is man-child looking for?’
Terren answered, ‘He came in a machine from his world. The Tree has absorbed it.’
‘Ahhh, but this is as it should be is it not?”
‘Things are not the same on his world. There is no Tree on his world.’
Samar snorted. ‘How do beings live with no Tree, Terren?’
‘They do, my friend. But it is very hard. The man-child’s people must work very hard indeed, just to live.’
They ended their conversation abruptly as Abe turned toward them and walked back. He had dropped the reins and B’rofi was now standing close to the others. He was nosing Terren’s elbow now wanting to ask the same question as Samar, but saw he would have to wait.
“Well, at least that is settled. I just had to check you know.” Abe apologized.
“It’s completely understandable. I would do the same if our positions were reversed.”
The thought flashed through Abe’s mind of Terren stranded on Earth. It would have seemed a cruel place to him. And he probably would have been poisoned by now by eating oleander leaves or some such foolishness.
“I thank you for helping me get here.” Abe said. “I really appreciate you taking time to do this for me.”
“It has been my honor Abraham. And it’s good to have a friend on such an errand.”
Abe looked at him and nodded. ‘Good indeed’. He said.
They set out backtracking, but now at a slower pace. Terren sensing that Abe needed to just be alone with his thoughts, did not make conversation. Even the horses were subdued. For in a moment of preparation to leave Terren had merged with B’rofi to let him know what was going on.
With each step on the homeward journey, Abe felt his heart sink lower. He was well and truly stranded. A bitter taste filled his mouth and his gut churned at the finality of it. This was a far cry from the grandiose plans that had been hatched at the Institute, now so far out of reach. Nothing. Not one thing had gone according to that plan. What the hell was he going to do now?
* * * *
The trip home was uneventful and in the late afternoon of the next day they arrived when the shadows were long in the valley. The sky was bright orange and gold and Abe could see threatening clouds hanging on the top of the western ridge. He wondered if it was going to rain. It was something that hadn’t happened yet, but then he hadn’t been here that long either.
“Is there a storm coming?” Abe ask Terren.
“Looks like it he said. The hills will be glad of it. The grasses will grow tall right after, you wait and see.”
A slight breeze blew in their direction as they neared the tree and he heard the leaves rustling. It was a beautiful, if awesome sound. It was as if a whole forest was sighing, and it was just one tree.
They took the horses to the field where they were greeted by their companions with much to do and nickering and whinnying. Abe unsaddled B’rofi and hesitated, stroking him before taking off the halter.
“Thank you for being patient with a beginner.”
He was surprised when the horse put his head down low and leaned into Abe who reached up and laid an arm across his neck for a moment.
Terren watched this exchange and said, “I think you have made a friend there Abraham.”
“I think I have made more than one friend.”
He walked over to Terren and shook his hand with both of his.
“Let’s go see what’s for dinner…looks like everyone is in the hall already, I don’t see anyone about.”
Sure enough, everyone was in the dinning hall, making a cheerful racket when they entered. There were greetings from all over as they were reunited with the group.
The elder got up and came to greet them.
“I hope your journey went smoothly.”
“Yes, all went well, said Terren.
“There was nothing left of the ship.” Abe said simply.
Aeron nodded gravely.
“We have much to talk about my friend, and it is time that I answer all your questions. Tomorrow….we will talk.”
“But come, eat. Misha has made you a special dessert. We thought you might be coming home tonight.”
He and Terren sat next to the elder Aeron and enjoyed the hot food.
When the dessert showed up Abe was delighted to see it looked like egg custard. It was surrounded by some kind of tiny red berries. It was absolutely delicious. He stood up and found Misha looking his way. He held up his bowl of custard and then bowed in her direction with a flourish. She turned red in the face and clapped her hands together in glee. Everyone laughed. Even in his sadness, it was good to be -- he couldn’t quite say …home. In his mind he settled for, -- back.
“There is a storm coming.” Said Aeron. We will have a quiet few days indoors I suspect.”
Abe said nothing. He was glad of it. The weather would suit his mood.
After dinner, he said goodnight to everyone and went to his room.
He filled the tub with hot water and sank into its comfort. The lights were glowing a gentle amber and were soothing to his mind and body.
There was so much to think about. So much to adjust to. If this was going to be his home now, what was he going to do that would keep him from going absolutely crazy? He just seemed so disconnected from all the homely pursuits he had seen so far. But maybe there was more going on than he knew. He would be a liar if he said he didn’t miss the rush of having the world at his fingertips. At one minute, he could see what the weather was in Tibet, and the next, order Chinese from the corner chop shop and then watch old movies from 50 years ago with surround sound and digital picture on a screen that almost filled his bedroom wall. And then listen to any piece of music ever composed in all the history of earth at literally the touch of a button. He realized how godlike he had felt. He took it as a right, and mostly for granted. It was easy to forget how much all this power cost. Especially for him as the high tech life he lived was paid for by the institute. But this only brushed the edges of his memory. He wanted to feel god-like again. Here he felt like a child.
And a particularly dull child at that.
Chapter 15
He awoke to the sound of wind and rain. It was dark enough that the lights were glowing in his room. Water trickled down the glass of his windows and he could see the branches swaying.
His gloomy mood had spilled over into the morning. He went through the motions of his limited morning routine. He did not feel much like company this morning and decided to skip breakfast. He sat in a chair in the shadows of his balcony and heard the noises of the people coming and going in the great hall below. Was it his imagination or did it seem everyone was a little subdued today. Perhaps the weather was effecting them too.
When everyone had dispersed after the meal, he walked up the convoluted stairway to Aeron’s study. He knocked and heard him say “Come in!”
“Good morning Abraham, we are having quite a storm today. It’s your first taste of “weather” isn’t it?”
“I’m glad Terren and I aren’t out there now….” It was all Abe could think to say, wondering how Aeron knew it was him at the door, calling out in English that way.
“I think it’s time I told you a little about our history. It might help you understand some things that I am sure are bothering you. Have a seat.”
Abe’s ears pricked up at this, maybe he would finally find out where the fly in the ointment was in all this convenient “providing” G’var Daath was doing. “I’m all ears.” Abe said.
Aeron smiled, “Your language has the most amusing idioms.”
Abe had to smile in spite of himself…. That WAS a pretty odd saying come to think of it.
“Since I know something of your memories, I think I have a fairly good grasp of the conditions on your planet. The ancient history is pretty hazy, but the current events seem pretty clear from our mind merge.”
“I was never a very good history student, I am sorry to say.” Said Abe.
“Well, don’t worry about it, for our purposes I think we have enough information to have an intelligent conversation about the things we need to cover.”
“First off, I should explain to you, that G’var Daath hasn’t always been with us.”
This made Abe sit up in his chair. Finally, he thought to himself, his mind racing.
“About a thousand years ago, our world was not dissimilar to your own.”
“What? Describe ‘not dissimilar’…”
“There was a time when we lived very differently than we do now.”
He said it with sadness in his eyes and a faraway look. I hardly know where to begin. And you will find what I am going to say difficult to believe. But in our past, we too had machines very much like the ones I saw in your mind. All very much alike, cars, machines that did all manner of manufacturing and hauling, machines that washed clothes, and machines that were used for cleaning. And yes, even what you call computers. Only ours were called Adosa . In your language I think the word would mean something like “assistant”. And just as I have seen in your world, we were using “assistants” to do all manner of work for us.”
“Everyone lived in separate houses then too. And our economy revolved around our machines. We had problems with pollution of our air and water, illness was common, people lived in large cities like you have on your Earth. In fact the similarities are rather striking. I was surprised at how our civilizations developed along like paths. Then we started to delve into our genetic origins and our scientists too began to manipulate the very foundation stones of life. There were accidents with plants that began to cause some food shortages. But we thought we could overcome these problems with more intricate manipulations. We kept going forward because we had the idea that stopping meant being ‘backward’, less evolved. So even though the cost was enormous in money and in ecological risk, we kept moving ‘forward’ until the first real disaster struck.”
“There was a group of scientists working on genetically engineering humans that were to be stronger and more intelligent. They had decided to use genetic material from an animal much like your apes I would say, although on this planet they were bigger and stronger than your apes.
There was a virus that the apes were immune to, that crossed over to the altered humans. It spread quickly to the general population and thousands upon thousands died and we had to quarantine an entire continent.”
“That is when everything changed. We don’t know how it happened or where it came from, but in the middle of the effected continent, the first G’var Daath began to grow. This tree sprouted, and grew outwards. And wherever it encountered something man made, it covered it in roots and pulled in down into the soil. Whole buildings were absorbed in a few days. There was always time for the people to get out, but even if they managed to get their possessions out too, those were eventually absorbed as there was no place that was safe to store them.”
“Oh, we tried to fight it, and I am ashamed to say we tried to destroy the Tree. By fire, explosives, poisons, and sometimes in frustration, people would take axes and try to cut the roots. But as you know, they are incredibly strong. In the end, there was nothing that would stop it.”
Abe sat staring at Aeron, shaking his head in disbelief.
“It was a difficult time. There were many who did away with themselves.
They could not imagine a life without their machines and adosas. Even though from the very beginning, the Tree made food and shelter available. For every building that went under, there was provision made by the Tree. Many Trees grew, all just about the size of our Tree here. Each large enough to sustain about five hundred people. Trees would grow to maturity in a few days with open doorways and anyone who needed shelter found it. If they didn’t like the people around them, they moved to another Tree usually not too far away. At first there was competition for places to live, and people fought each other for room. But soon everyone saw that there were other places available that were so similar that it made no difference.
It took time for people to understand what was going on. In the places where the Tree was growing, communications were cut off. Reporters with cameras would come and film what was going on, and this did cause panic in other parts of the planet. Some people tried to protect their buildings or factories with rock or water barriers, but in the end, nothing was spared. Only the people were left alone.
There are stories of people who would not leave their homes and refused to come out when the roots were surrounding them. The roots would encapsulate the person, and move him or her outside the building until it was gone and then gently release them unharmed. In the end, it was this kind of seemingly intelligent, compassionate behavior that helped people start thinking about G’var Daath in a new light.”
“Of course people were in shock all over our planet. Everything that they had ever known was gone. The structure of society was changed so much as to be unrecognizable. Much as you must be experiencing right now Abraham.” The elder looked at him with understanding. But his compassion only made Abe feel angry.
He finally spoke. “You mean to tell me, this Tree, and he said it with contempt, invaded your planet? And now look at you, you are slaves to its dominance! You don’t even know how to make a simple telegraph system that the Tree won’t gobble up it its omniscience? How can you have become so docile?”
Even as he said the words, he knew he was being unfair, here they were cozened in this warm room out of the rain. But this same seemingly benevolent organism had literally eaten a civilization alive.
“Many of our ancestors felt the same frustration that you do right now, and warned that we what we had lost was our autonomy, that we would become so dependent as to be worthless. We have many similar opinions written in our history books. Angry men and women who often called for a revolt against the Tree, but all their efforts were in vain. The laws of nature on our planet had changed forever. The age of machines ended and a new age had begun. It took a whole generation before we began to recognize what we had gained.”
“What do you mean gained?” Abe yelled, “You are living like people in the middle ages on my planet. You know what my life was like, having read my mind.” Abe said in contempt. “I had the world at my fingertips! I knew what was going on all over the planet, I had access to all the great literature, music and art that had ever been created by my people at my disposal! And we are on the brink of discovering a way to link man and machine, to go on to the next level of evolution. It will change everything. We will be able to solve those problems that you encountered with genetics and the environment. With enough knowledge, these problems can be overcome! YOU might have overcome your temporary glitches too, if this parasite hadn’t invaded your world!” He spat out the last sentence flinging his hand in the air.
Abe stood up and paced the room, back and forth, running his hands through his hair…. “I was at the locus of change on my world, standing on the brink of the breakthrough with a front row seat and I get thrown into THIS place!” His anger had completely taken over his thoughts, he put out of his mind the kindness shown to him so far. He warped it into a sick conspiracy to convince him that this prison was such a wonderful thing, when to his mind, it was a juggernaut of resistance to progress.
Aeron kept his silence.
Abe threw himself into the chair and sat chewing on a fingernail in frustration. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you have done for me, and your obvious hospitality.” His conscience made him say, “I just feel so cheated to have been stranded here when there is the dawning of a new age on MY world. Okay, so you made some big mistakes, that doesn’t mean we are going to have the same problems. What happened here is your history. That does not mean it will be our history. All progress comes at a cost to the age it leaves behind. This is the way of the world. You will excuse me, but I can’t see this, this Tree the way you do. I just can’t.”
The elder sat with a frown on his face. “I see, and I understand that from your perspective, what you say is true. There is another aspect of this story that I must explain, though you may not accept it either. We have not spoken of it much, knowing that you had enough on your mind adjusting to a whole new planet. Please hear me out. We have not spoken about God.”
Abe squirmed in his chair. Geeze, he sounds just like Marshall. Here we go.
“One of the things that changed radically for us in our society after the Tree arrived was that before its appearance, God’s presence in our world was obtuse, hidden, not at all obvious. One could go through life thinking that one was only a bit of dust that would perish and disappear. This also left open the possibility to think that all we had constructed, invented and manipulated in our world came from our own efforts and had nothing to do with the Almighty. We could come to the conclusion that we were God. It could even be considered a completely rational way to function in life.
Surely there were believers among us before the Tree. But they labored under the fact that God was unseen, and therefore could be ignored by many.
But after the shock of the transition phase, in vast numbers, we began to understand that this Tree was no accident of evolution. Its intimate awareness of the needs of human beings was too obvious to ignore.
Those who had faith before the Tree saw its advent as a new step closer to the Divine. Like a veil had been removed and His presence in the affairs of men was more felt. More revealed.”
And here the elder hesitated and took a breath, for he knew what he was going to say was going to be difficult for Abe to hear.
“You are right Abraham, we are dependent on G’var Daath, (at this Abe’s head came up and he looked the elder in the eyes.) But now we know who is behind it. Many of your people think that they are creating their own technological utopia. They think they are behind it. That is the same arrogance that we had when we took our planet to the brink of disaster. We forgot our Creator. We thought we knew better. We were wrong.”
Abe sat slumped in his chair looking anywhere but at Aeron. Was there nowhere in the entire universe that he could escape from these fanatics?
The elder decided to go the distance and get his thoughts out in the open.
“There are people on your planet who worry about these same things.
At the press conference there were questions asked that should be asked.
There are those who are trying to warn you that the direction you are going could bring disaster. Not only ecologically, but spiritually.”
Abe had heard enough.
“Marshall is a crank, a nut job, and a Luddite! What does he know about the possibilities that the breakthrough will open? Technology is our future! It’s the next step on the stairway of progress my people have been on for centuries. And I think we can make it happen. We need time, we just need more time.” He said this last leaning over Aeron’s desk with one hand raised in a fist.
Abe’s mind was racing…. “Listen, I need to get away from here. I need to think. Do I have your permission to borrow one of the horses? Maybe for a long time.”
“Of course Abraham, of course.” Aeron whispered pulling at his chin to hide its quivering… Perhaps he is not the one. Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe there will be another.
Abe stood up, “I do thank you for taking me in, and for all you have done, but you understand, I can’t live here right now.”
“I will say this, if you ever change your mind, you are always welcome among us Abraham of Earth. God speed you on your journey.”
The words grated on Abe’s nerves but he held his tongue. And hated himself for it.