Brood of the Dark Moon: (A Sequel to "Dark Moon")Diffin, Charles Willard
Science
Brood of the Dark Moon: (A Sequel to "Dark Moon")
Diffin, Charles Willard
Science fiction
Then he went on at a pace Chet found difficulty in following, until they
came to a place where Towahg tore a vine aside to show easier going, but
climbed instead over a fallen tree, grown thickly with vines, and here
even Chet could see that other feet had tripped and stumbled. The Master
Pilot glanced at the triple star still pinned to his blouse; he thought
of the study and training that had preceded the conferring of that
rating, the charting of the stars, navigational problems in a
three-dimensional sea. And he smiled at his failure to read this trail
that to Towahg was entirely plain.
* * * * *
"Every man to his job," he told the black, and patted him on the
shoulder, "and you know yours, Towahg, you're good! Now, where do we
sleep?"
He ventured to suggest a bed of leaves that had gathered amongst a maze
of great rocks, but Towahg registered violent disapproval. He pointed to
a pendant vine; his hands that were clumsy at so many things gave an
unmistakable imitation of a bud that developed on that vine and opened.
Then Towahg sniffed once at that imaginary flower, and his body went
suddenly limp and apparently lifeless as it fell to the ground.
"You're right, old top!" Chet assured him, as Towahg came again to his
feet. "This is no place to take a nap." A crashing of some enormous body
that tore the tough jungle in its rush came from beyond the rocks.
"And there are other reasons," he added as he followed Towahg's example
and leaped for a hanging tangle of laced vines. Here was a ladder ready
to take them to the high roof above, but they did not need it; the
crashing died away in the distance.
It was Chet's first intimation that this section of the Dark Moon held
beasts more huge than the "Moon-pigs" he had killed: it was a disturbing
bit of knowledge. He caught Towahg's cautious, wary eyes and motioned
toward the branches high overhead.
"How about hanging ourselves up there for the night?" he asked, and the
gestures, though not the words, were plain, as the ape-man's quick
dissent made clear.
* * * * *
He motioned Chet to follow. Down they plunged, and always down. Towahg
gave Chet to understand that Kreiss had slept some distance beyond: they
would try to reach the same place. But the quick-falling dusk caught
them while yet among the black rubbery trees. And the dark showed Chet
why their branches might not be inviting as a sleeping place.
By ones and twos they came at first, occasional lines of light that
flowed swiftly and vanished through the black tangle of limbs. Chet
could hardly believe them real; they appeared and were lost from sight
as if they had melted.
But more came, and it seemed at last as if the roof above were alive
with light. The moving, luminous things glowed in hues that were never
still: were pure gold, were green, then red, melting and changing
through all the colors of the spectrum.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account