[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

will come up behind the other, and the one in front can wait for the other to
c up.##
"Sounds good. Uh, Rocky, how long are these batteries good for?"
Cirocco grimaced, and rubbed her forehead.
"Maybe a month of use. It could depend on how long we were ... you know, how
long we were inside. I don't have any ideas on that. Do you?"
"No. Do you have any hair?"
"Not a strand." She rubbed her hand over her scalp, and no- ticed that it did
not feel quite as smooth. "But it's growing back in. "
Cirocco walked downstream, holding the speaker and mike in place so they co
uld talk to each other.
"I feel hungriest when I think about it," Gaby said. "And I'm thinking about
it right now. Have you seen any of these little berry bushes?"
Cirocco looked around but didn't spot anything like that.
"The berries are yellow, and about as big as the end of your thumb. I'm holdi
ng one now. It's soft and translucent."
"Are you going to eat it?"
There was a pause. "I was going to ask you about that."
"We'll have to try something sooner or later. Maybe one won't be enough to k
ill you."
"Just make me sick," Caby laughed. "This one broke on my teeth. There's a thi
ck jelly inside, like honey with a minty taste. It's dissolving in my mouth .
.. and now it's gone. The rind is not so sweet, but I'm going to eat it anywa
y. It might be the only part with any food value."
If even that, Cirocco thought. There was no reason why any part of it shoul d
sustain them. She was pleased that Gaby had given her such a detailed des
cription of her sensations while eating the berry, but she knew the purpose of
Page 25
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
it. Bomb de-fusing teams used the same technique. One stayed away while the
oth- er reported every action over the radio. If the bomb went off, th e
survivor learned something for the next time.
When they judged enough time had passed with no ill effect, Gaby began eati ng
more of the berries. In time, Cirocco found some. They were almost as go od as
that first taste of water had been.
"Gaby, I'm about dead on my feet. I wonder how long we've been awake?"
There was a long pause, and she had to call again.
"Hm? Oh, hi. How did 1 get here?" She sounded slightly drunk.
Cirocco frowned. "Where's here? Gaby, what's happening?"
"I sat down for a minute to rest my legs. I must have fallen asleep."
"Try to wake up enough to find a good place for it." Cirocco was already lo
oking around. It was going to be a problem. Nothing looked good, and she kn ew
it was the worst possible idea to lie down alone in strange country. The only
thing worse would be trying to stay awake any longer.
She went a short distance into the trees, and marveled at how soft the grass f
elt under her bare feet. So much better than the rocks. It would be nice to si
t down in it for a minute.
She awoke on the grass, sat up quickly and looked all around. Nothing was
moving.
For a meter in every direction from where she had slept, the grass had turned
brown, dried out like hay.
She stood and looked down at a large rock. She had approached it from the d
ownstream side while looking for a place to sleep. Now she walked around it
, and on the other side was a large letter "G. "
CHAPTER FIVE
Gaby insisted on turning back. Cirocco didn't protest; it sounded good to he
r, though she could never have suggested it.
She walked downstream, often passing the marks Gaby had made. At one point she
had to leave the sandy shore and go up onto the grass to avoid a large pile of
boulders. When she reached the grass she saw a series of oval brown spots
spaced like footprints. She knelt and touched them. They were dry an d
brittle, just like the grass where she had slept.
"I've found part of your trail," she told Gaby. "Your feet couldn't have touc
hed the grass more than a second, and yet something in your body killed it."
"I saw the same thing when I woke up," Gaby said. "What do you think of it
?"
"I think we secrete something that's poison to the grass. If that's true, we m
ight not smell very good to the kind of large animals that might normally take
an interest in us."
"That's good news."
"The bad part is that it might mean we have very dffierent sorts of biochemic
als. That's not so good for eating."
"You're so much fun to talk to."
***********
"Is that you up ahead?"
Cirocco squinted into the pale yellow light. The river ran straight for a good
distance, and just where it started to bend was a tiny figure.
"Yep. It's me, if that's you waving your arms."
Gaby whooped, a painful sound in the tiny earphone. Cirocco heard the sound
again a second later, much fainter. She grinned, and then felt the grin ge
tting bigger and bigger. She hadn't wanted to run, it was so like a bad mov
ie, but she was running anyway and so was Gaby, taking absurdly long hops i n
the low gravity.
Page 26
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
They hit so hard they were both breathless for a moment. Cirocco embraced t he
smaller woman and lifted her off her feet.
"D-d-d-damn, you look s-s-so good!" Gaby said. One of her eyelids was twitc
hing, and her teeth chattered.
"Hey, hold on, take it easy," Cirocco soothed, rubbing Gaby's back with both
hands. Gaby's smile was so wide it hurt to look at it.
"I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to be hysterical. Isn't that a laugh?" And
she did laugh, but it was flat and hurt the car, and before long turned into
shudders and gasps. She held Cirocco strongly enough to break ribs. Cirocco d
idn't fight it, but eased her down to the sandy river bank and held her close
while huge, low-gravity tears dripped onto her shoulders.
Cirocco was not sure at what point the comforting hugs turned into somethin g
else. It was so gradual. Gaby was quite insensible for a long time, and i t
seemed the natural thing to hold and stroke her while she calmed down. Th en
it seemed natural that Gaby should stroke her, and that they should pres s
close together. The first moment when it began to seem a little unusual w as
when she found herself kissing Gaby, and Gaby kissing back. She thought she [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]