heating fixed here." 5
[5] For generations the Store nomes had known that temperature was caused by air conditioning and the heating system; like many of them, Gurder never quite gave up certain habits of thinking.
"No one fixes heating Outside, it just happens," said Angalo.
"If I get old, this is the kind of place I'd like to live, if I had to live Outside," Gurder went on, ignoring him.
"It's a wildlife preserve," said the Thing.
Gurder looked shocked. "What? Like jam? Made of animals'?"
"No. It is a place where animals can live unmolested."
"You're not allowed to hunt them, you mean?"
"Yes."
"You're not allowed to hunt anything, Masklin," said Gurder.
Masklin grunted.
There was something nagging at him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Probably it was to do with the animals after all.
"Apart from turtles with long necks," he said, "what other animals are there here, Thing?"
The Thing didn't answer for a moment. Then it said, "I find mention of sea cows and alligators." Masklin tried to imagine what a sea cow looked like. But they didn't sound too bad. He'd met cows before. They were big and slow and didn't eat nomes, except by accident.
"What's an alligator?" he said.
The Thing told him.
"What?" said Masklin.
"What?" said Angalo.
"What?" said Gurder. He pulled his robe tightly around his legs.
"You idiot!" shouted Angalo.
"Me?" said Masklin hotly. "How should I know? How should I know? Is it my fault? Did I miss a sign at the airport saying 'Welcome to Floridia, home of large meat-eating reptiles up to twelve feet long'?"
They watched the grasses. A damp warm world inhabited by insects and turtles was suddenly a disguise for horrible terrors with huge teeth.
Something's watching us, Masklin thought. I can feel it.
The three nomes stood back-to-back. Masklin crouched down, slowly, and picked up a stone.
The grass moved.
"The Thing did say they don't all grow to twelve feet," said Angalo, in the silence.
"We were blundering around in the darkness!" said Gurder. "With things like that around!" The grass moved again. It wasn't the wind that was moving it.
"Pull yourself together," muttered Angalo.
"If it is alligators," said Gurder, trying to look noble, "I shall show them how a nome can die with dignity."
"Please yourself," said Angalo, his eyes scanning the undergrowth. "I'm planning to show them how a nome can run away with speed." The grasses parted.
A nome stepped out.
There was a crackle behind Masklin. His head spun around. Another nome stepped out. And another. And another. Fifteen of them.
The three travellers swivelled like an animal with six legs and three heads.
It was the fire that I saw, Masklin told himself. We sat right down by the ashes of a fire, and I looked at them, and I didn't wonder who could have made them.
The strangers wore argy They seemed to be all sizes. And every single one of them had a spear.
I wish I had mine, Masklin thought, trying to keep as many of the strangers as possible in his line of sight.
They weren't pointing their spears at him. The trouble was, they weren't exactly not pointing them, either.
Masklin told himself that it was very rare for a nome to kill another nome. In the Store it was considered bad manners, while Outside... well, there were so many other things that killed nomes in any case. Besides, it was wrong. There didn't have to be any other reasons.
He just had to hope that these nomes felt the same way.
"Do you know these people?" said Angalo.
"Me?" said Masklin. "Of course not. How could I?"
"They're Outsiders. I dunno, I suppose I thought all Outsiders would know each other."
"Never seen them before in my life," said Masklin.
"I think," said Angalo, slowly and deliberately, "that the leader is that old guy with the big nose and the topknot with a feather in it. What do you think?" Masklin looked at the tall, thin old nome who was scowling at the three of them.
"He doesn't look as if he likes us very much."
"I don't
[5] For generations the Store nomes had known that temperature was caused by air conditioning and the heating system; like many of them, Gurder never quite gave up certain habits of thinking.
"No one fixes heating Outside, it just happens," said Angalo.
"If I get old, this is the kind of place I'd like to live, if I had to live Outside," Gurder went on, ignoring him.
"It's a wildlife preserve," said the Thing.
Gurder looked shocked. "What? Like jam? Made of animals'?"
"No. It is a place where animals can live unmolested."
"You're not allowed to hunt them, you mean?"
"Yes."
"You're not allowed to hunt anything, Masklin," said Gurder.
Masklin grunted.
There was something nagging at him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Probably it was to do with the animals after all.
"Apart from turtles with long necks," he said, "what other animals are there here, Thing?"
The Thing didn't answer for a moment. Then it said, "I find mention of sea cows and alligators." Masklin tried to imagine what a sea cow looked like. But they didn't sound too bad. He'd met cows before. They were big and slow and didn't eat nomes, except by accident.
"What's an alligator?" he said.
The Thing told him.
"What?" said Masklin.
"What?" said Angalo.
"What?" said Gurder. He pulled his robe tightly around his legs.
"You idiot!" shouted Angalo.
"Me?" said Masklin hotly. "How should I know? How should I know? Is it my fault? Did I miss a sign at the airport saying 'Welcome to Floridia, home of large meat-eating reptiles up to twelve feet long'?"
They watched the grasses. A damp warm world inhabited by insects and turtles was suddenly a disguise for horrible terrors with huge teeth.
Something's watching us, Masklin thought. I can feel it.
The three nomes stood back-to-back. Masklin crouched down, slowly, and picked up a stone.
The grass moved.
"The Thing did say they don't all grow to twelve feet," said Angalo, in the silence.
"We were blundering around in the darkness!" said Gurder. "With things like that around!" The grass moved again. It wasn't the wind that was moving it.
"Pull yourself together," muttered Angalo.
"If it is alligators," said Gurder, trying to look noble, "I shall show them how a nome can die with dignity."
"Please yourself," said Angalo, his eyes scanning the undergrowth. "I'm planning to show them how a nome can run away with speed." The grasses parted.
A nome stepped out.
There was a crackle behind Masklin. His head spun around. Another nome stepped out. And another. And another. Fifteen of them.
The three travellers swivelled like an animal with six legs and three heads.
It was the fire that I saw, Masklin told himself. We sat right down by the ashes of a fire, and I looked at them, and I didn't wonder who could have made them.
The strangers wore argy They seemed to be all sizes. And every single one of them had a spear.
I wish I had mine, Masklin thought, trying to keep as many of the strangers as possible in his line of sight.
They weren't pointing their spears at him. The trouble was, they weren't exactly not pointing them, either.
Masklin told himself that it was very rare for a nome to kill another nome. In the Store it was considered bad manners, while Outside... well, there were so many other things that killed nomes in any case. Besides, it was wrong. There didn't have to be any other reasons.
He just had to hope that these nomes felt the same way.
"Do you know these people?" said Angalo.
"Me?" said Masklin. "Of course not. How could I?"
"They're Outsiders. I dunno, I suppose I thought all Outsiders would know each other."
"Never seen them before in my life," said Masklin.
"I think," said Angalo, slowly and deliberately, "that the leader is that old guy with the big nose and the topknot with a feather in it. What do you think?" Masklin looked at the tall, thin old nome who was scowling at the three of them.
"He doesn't look as if he likes us very much."
"I don't
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