Read Online Into the New Millennium: Trailblazing Tales From Analog Science Fiction and Fact, 2000 - 2010 by Penny Publications - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Penny Publications
Tags: Science-Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Anthologies, Anthologies & Short Stories
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prove that this god stuff is nothing but myth," said K'chir, breathlessly. "I am going to climb to the so-called heaven and look around."
"What!" Jerik grabbed his friend and the two spun around on the ice as if they were dancing. "You're joking."
"I'm serious."
Jerik dug the rough sides of his legs against the ice and their spinning slowed to a stop. He addressed his friend mandible to mandible. "They'll kill you for this."
"If God actually exists," said K'chir in an annoyingly logical voice, "then when I go down to the ice again, yes, they might kill me. But then I'd just float back up to God. He'll punish me, perhaps. But he's supposed to be good and kind. So, I expect his punishment will probably not be too bad. And anyway, I really want to know if there actually is a god."
"Have you been sipping sulfur-bubbles?"
K'chir chirped a weak smile and went on. "But then if, as I believe, there is no god—well, Harshket can tell if people are lying. He'll know I'm telling the truth, so there'll be nothing he can beat me for." K'chir clicked his mandibles, smugly.
"But climbing to heaven?" Jerik threw an exasperated ping upward. "That's impossible!"
"Why?" K'chir pinged in the approximate direction of the Rippling Wall, but they were too far away for an echo. "In bad times, the people had to climb ever higher for the edible growths on the rocks. That was long before you were born—before I was born either. That was before the people had learned to stabilize our population by rationing life-bubbles." He started gliding again toward the wall. "So I'll go to a wall and climb higher—to heaven . . . to see what's there."
"What's there?" Again Jerik strove to keep up. "It's friggin' heaven! Are you so eager to die?"
K'chir sighed. "I'm bored to death already."
"Well . . . well maybe the grinding in the ice will turn out to be something interesting. Maybe it's the thing Harshket saw."
"And maybe it isn't. I don't want to wait anymore. I'm climbing."
"I'm coming with you," said Jerik, firmly.
"What?" K'chir braked to a stop. "No. Finish school. Maybe Sixth School will have answers—at least for you."
Jerik stiffened his legs, drawing himself to his full height. "I'm coming with you!"
"This is very, very dangerous," said K'chir. "I'd rather you didn't do it."
"Don't make me say it again," said Jerik.
After a few seconds of exploratory chirps, K'chir crossed his forward legs in acceptance. "Fine. Then come." He started away but then turned. "And thanks. I appreciate your company."
K'chir leading, they headed toward the Rippling Wall, guided first by magnetic fields, then by chirp echoes, and finally by the smell of the stone.
With ping and claw, they explored the base of the wall, looking for a cleft, a place with good leg holds.
"How about this one?" said Jerik.
K'chir scuttled over. "It is good, very good."
Jerik began to climb.
"No, wait," K'chir called. "Let's rub down our legs and bodies first. To strip the life-bubbles from our fur."
"Why?" Jerik wasn't crazy about the idea. Life-bubbles were precious.
"To make ourselves lighter," said K'chir with a chuckle. "Not so light so we'd rise. We'd have to be dead for that." K'chir began wiping away the bubbles. "But if we fall, we'll hopefully drift slowly down to the surface and not hurt ourselves on the ice."
"Hopefully!" Jerik also pressed down his fur, leaving a small lake of air on the ice. "But we'll roll around in the bubbles when we get back. Right?"
"Of course!" K'chir began climbing.
Jerik followed after. "I guess," he said as he pinged the rock face, "if God didn't want us to climb to heaven, he wouldn't have provided footholds."
"Unless," said K'chir, "he was testing our faith." By voice alone, Jerik could tell K'chir's mandible was extended in amusement.
Using the cracks in the rock and the purchase afforded by the thick growths of edible molds clinging to the walls, K'chir and Jerik made quick progress. "At least we won't starve," said Jerik.
"What!" Jerik grabbed his friend and the two spun around on the ice as if they were dancing. "You're joking."
"I'm serious."
Jerik dug the rough sides of his legs against the ice and their spinning slowed to a stop. He addressed his friend mandible to mandible. "They'll kill you for this."
"If God actually exists," said K'chir in an annoyingly logical voice, "then when I go down to the ice again, yes, they might kill me. But then I'd just float back up to God. He'll punish me, perhaps. But he's supposed to be good and kind. So, I expect his punishment will probably not be too bad. And anyway, I really want to know if there actually is a god."
"Have you been sipping sulfur-bubbles?"
K'chir chirped a weak smile and went on. "But then if, as I believe, there is no god—well, Harshket can tell if people are lying. He'll know I'm telling the truth, so there'll be nothing he can beat me for." K'chir clicked his mandibles, smugly.
"But climbing to heaven?" Jerik threw an exasperated ping upward. "That's impossible!"
"Why?" K'chir pinged in the approximate direction of the Rippling Wall, but they were too far away for an echo. "In bad times, the people had to climb ever higher for the edible growths on the rocks. That was long before you were born—before I was born either. That was before the people had learned to stabilize our population by rationing life-bubbles." He started gliding again toward the wall. "So I'll go to a wall and climb higher—to heaven . . . to see what's there."
"What's there?" Again Jerik strove to keep up. "It's friggin' heaven! Are you so eager to die?"
K'chir sighed. "I'm bored to death already."
"Well . . . well maybe the grinding in the ice will turn out to be something interesting. Maybe it's the thing Harshket saw."
"And maybe it isn't. I don't want to wait anymore. I'm climbing."
"I'm coming with you," said Jerik, firmly.
"What?" K'chir braked to a stop. "No. Finish school. Maybe Sixth School will have answers—at least for you."
Jerik stiffened his legs, drawing himself to his full height. "I'm coming with you!"
"This is very, very dangerous," said K'chir. "I'd rather you didn't do it."
"Don't make me say it again," said Jerik.
After a few seconds of exploratory chirps, K'chir crossed his forward legs in acceptance. "Fine. Then come." He started away but then turned. "And thanks. I appreciate your company."
K'chir leading, they headed toward the Rippling Wall, guided first by magnetic fields, then by chirp echoes, and finally by the smell of the stone.
With ping and claw, they explored the base of the wall, looking for a cleft, a place with good leg holds.
"How about this one?" said Jerik.
K'chir scuttled over. "It is good, very good."
Jerik began to climb.
"No, wait," K'chir called. "Let's rub down our legs and bodies first. To strip the life-bubbles from our fur."
"Why?" Jerik wasn't crazy about the idea. Life-bubbles were precious.
"To make ourselves lighter," said K'chir with a chuckle. "Not so light so we'd rise. We'd have to be dead for that." K'chir began wiping away the bubbles. "But if we fall, we'll hopefully drift slowly down to the surface and not hurt ourselves on the ice."
"Hopefully!" Jerik also pressed down his fur, leaving a small lake of air on the ice. "But we'll roll around in the bubbles when we get back. Right?"
"Of course!" K'chir began climbing.
Jerik followed after. "I guess," he said as he pinged the rock face, "if God didn't want us to climb to heaven, he wouldn't have provided footholds."
"Unless," said K'chir, "he was testing our faith." By voice alone, Jerik could tell K'chir's mandible was extended in amusement.
Using the cracks in the rock and the purchase afforded by the thick growths of edible molds clinging to the walls, K'chir and Jerik made quick progress. "At least we won't starve," said Jerik.
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