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retrieving the errant glyph stylo and spotting whatever it was they had
spotted all that way below them in the airsphere's blue, blue depths. 974 Praf
had immediately flown off to report to her superior. Uagen had decided to
have a snooze after all the excitement. This proved difficult, so he forced
himself to sleep with some glanded shush. On waking, after exactly one hour,
he had smacked his lips and come to the conclusion that some jhagel tea
might be in order.
The circular window of his little kitchen looked out across the sloping forest
that was Yoleus' upper forward surface. The window had a series of gauzy
curtains he could fasten over it, but he usually left those gathered to each
side. The view had once been wonderful and airy but for the last three years it
had been in shadow beneath the looming bulk of Muetenive, Yoleus'
prospective mate. Yoleus' skin foliage was starting to look shrunken and
anaemic in the shade of the other creature. Uagen sighed and began the
process of making the infusion.
The jhagel leaves were very precious to him. He had only brought a few kilos
from home; he had about a third of that amount left now and he'd been
rationing himself to one cup every twenty days to eke out his supply. He
should have brought seeds as well, he supposed, but somehow he'd forgotten.
Making the infusion had become something of a ritual for Uagen. Jhagel tea
was supposed to be calming, however it had occurred to him that the process
of making it was itself quite relaxing. Perhaps when his supply was entirely
gone he ought to go through the motions with some placebo mixture -
stopping short of actually drinking it - to observe what degree of tranquillity
might be induced just by the ceremony of preparation.
Frowning with concentration, he began to transfer some of the steaming pale
green infusion into a warmed cup through a deep container which held
twenty-three graduated layers of filters, variously chilled to between four and
twenty-four degrees below.
Then Interpreter 974 Praf thudded onto his window ledge without warning.
Uagen gave a start. Some of the hot liquid splashed over his hand.
'Ow! Umm. Hello, Praf. Umm, yes; ow.'
He put the strainer and the pot down, then placed his hand under cold
running water.
The creature hopped through the circular window, keeping its leathery wings
tightly folded. In the small scullery, it suddenly seemed very big.
It looked at the puddle of splashed infusion. 'A time for dropping,' it
observed.
'Eh? Oh, yes,' Uagen said. He looked at his reddened hand. 'What can I do for
you, Praf?'
'The Yoleus would talk with you.'
This was unusual. 'What, now?'
'Immediately.'
'What, face to - umm, well ... ?'
'Yes.'
Uagen felt just a little frightened. He could do with some calming down. He
pointed at the pot simmering on his little cooker. 'What about my jhagel tea?'
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974 Praf looked at it, then him. 'Its presence is not required.'
'Are you sure, Yoleus? Umm. I mean, well...'
'Sufficiently sure. Do you desire a percentage to be expressed?'
'No. No, no need for that, it's just. This is awfully. I'm not sure that. It's very.'
'Uagen Zlepe, scholar, you are not finishing your sentences.'
'Amn't I? Well, I mean.' Uagen felt himself go gulp. 'Do you really think I need
to go down there?'
'Yes.'
'Oh.'
'Umm. The. Umm. Whatever it is couldn't come up here, then?'
'No.'
'And you're sure?'
'Sufficiently sure. That which it is thought that you would be best to
experience is in a situation/setting similar to this.'
'Ah. I see.'
Uagen was standing, a little precariously, on what felt like a particularly
wobbly bit of marsh. In fact he was deep inside the body of the dirigible
behemothaur Yoleus, within a chamber he had only once ever seen before
and had rather hoped he might not have to visit again during his stay.
The place was about the size of a ballroom. It was a hemisphere, with ribs and
curves everywhere. Even the floor had curves, low swells and hollows. The
walls looked like gigantic folded curtains, gathered into a sphincter shape at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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