"Anna," he said, "there's no time to lose; get your things; quit this
job; come with me." He stopped anything she had to say. They were
married in the next hour. An hour after that they were on the way to
the planet whose existence Anna still doubted.
There was little room for doubt when that spot of entrancing green
in an ocean of black was sighted. "It's beautiful," Anna breathed,
squeezing his hand. "But what's the rush to get here?"
He explained without rancor. "Your lack of faith in me cost us far too
much time. This is a new breed of chicken; they propagate vigorously.
But they have no natural enemies. Every living thing needs a natural
enemy. Our Plymouths have probably overrun the planet."
She gurgled, then put her hand over her mouth.
He took her hand away. "Anna, dearest, laugh. Laugh as much as you
please. But I have no sense of humor. This you will discover as we move
through life together. I see nothing funny in this situation. Living
creatures need natural enemies."
When the ship landed, his meaning became obvious. Chickens flew in
great squawking clouds through the air, walked and clucked in rivers at
their feet. Feathers came down like heavy snow; the ground was covered
with fluffy white mounds. From horizon to horizon there seemed to be
little else but chicken.
Anna was appalled. Harvey was planning. A slaughter would be necessary.
"_We're_ their natural enemies," he explained. "Your chicken farm is
ready to pay off."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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