Alice: The Girl From Earth - Булычев Кир. Страница 21

If I had not dragged fish from the water yesterday with my own hands I would never have believed that such a thing could happen, I had to admit. Verkhovtseff was right; this planet was strange.

“I’d say the same.” Zeleny added, folded up his fishing rod, and went into the ship.

“There’s an enormous herd of antelope like critters on the horizon.” The loudspeaker said.

That was Poloskov from up top in the command section

But even without him scouting I already knew that the plains were flooded with animals. Things like field mice ran through the grass, a suslik was crawling all over a bush not far from where I stood, and some sort of creature very similar to a little bear was walking along the shore of the lake.

“Nothing all that terrible.” I said. “Let’s ready the ATV and catch some critters.”

But as soon as we had gotten the All Terrain Vehicle from the Pegasus it began to pour. The rain pounded down from the heavens far fiercer than it had the day before; it struck without warning and pounded the ATV’s roof like a mad drummer. Alice and I crawled inside and, ignoring the drumbeat of the rain, headed off for the plains where Poloskov had spotted the herd of antelope.

There were no antelope to be seen. Nor did we find any other animals. And when I exited the ATV and went down on my hands and knees to find the mice that had been running in the grass not all that long before, it turned out that there were no mice either. This time I released a bioscout over the plain. The bioscout came back after flying to the horizon; there was no doubt here was not a single animal on this planet.

“What are we going to do now? I asked Poloskov in desperation when we had loaded the ATV back onto the Pegasus and were seated in the crew’s lounge. “This really is an empty planet, and I really don’t want to leave here until we discover its secret.”

“There is no way we can remain here forever.” Poloskov said. “And we’re not the first who’ve come face to face with this mystery. Perhaps the secret of the empty planet is going to remain unresolved for a while longer.

“It’s too bad Zeleny forgot to close the lock.” Alice said suddenly “If we just had one of those fish left.”

“It’s too bad he was so excited.” I cut off Alice. “Something really is surprising here; we landed yesterday, it was raining and the lake was full of fish. In the morning the sky was filled with birds, but as soon as the wind picked up the birds vanished and the animals came out…” “Papa,” Alice said suddenly. “But I just guessed the secret to this planet.”

“O course!” The gloomy Zeleny said. “No one has determined it, but a Sherlock Holmes named Alice has!”

“Be a little bit more careful, there.” Poloskov said. “I’ve already lost one wish to Alice when we were searching for the tadprowlers.”

“Correct!” Alice agreed. “My way of thinking is not entirely scientific.”

“Well daughter, tell us then.” I said.

“With your permission I’d rather demonstrate than tell.”

“Whatever you prefer.”

“Then I’d like you to sit here for a few minutes; I’ll be right back.”

“You’re going outside? But it’s raining.”

“There is nothing to fear. I won’t even get wet. If you are afraid that something might happen to me look out the ports.. I’ll just be to the lake and back.”

I went over to the port and watched Alice, her head covered with her plash, run toward the lake and dip a bucket into the water. Once. Twice. A third time. Then she ran back to the ship.

Alice came into the crew lounge running and placed the bucket on the table.

“Take a look.” She said.

A small fish was slowly swimming around in the bucket.

“Oh-ho!” Zeleny said. “I completely forgot that here samyj klev in the evening. Where is the fishing rod?”

“Wait a moment.” Alice plunged her hand into the bucket, pulled out the fish, and threw it onto the table.

“What are you doing?”

“If I’m right….” Alice began, and immediately our eyes beheld a remarkable transfiguration. The fish turned itself over once or twice with powerful smacks from its tail, then the fins began to turn into wings, the scales into feathers, and a minute later a small bird sat preening and smoothing his feathers on the table.

As our mouths dropped from astonishment at having witnessed a fish become a bird, the bird shook its wings and flew up. It struck the ceiling of the crew’s lounge.

“Catch it!” I shouted. “It will break its wings!”

“Stop, papa! That’s not everything yet.” Alice said.

The bird struck the ceiling a few times and fell back onto the table. And, coming erect, began to change once more. But this time the feathers vanished, wings grew into the body, and in front of us sat something like a rodent. The rodent-oid darted past the tea cups and hid in the corner where the table came out of the wall.

“Is everything clear now?” Alice asked.

My daughter was preening. It is not every day that one is able to solve a mystery that had eluded so many other biologists.

“But how did you guess it?” I asked.

“You suggested the idea to me. You mentioned how when it was raining there were only fish, when the sun was out there were birds, and when the winds blew there were animals everywhere.”

“You’re right.” I said. “It is a remarkable adaptation, but perfectly suited to this planet. The living creatures take on the forms most suitable to the circumstances. They need fear neither wind, nor rain, nor sun. When, when winter comes, they must think of something…”

“That can be checked.” Alice said. “Just put the fish in the freezer.”

We did not put the fish in the freezer, but we did construct a cage containing an aquarium where the animal could spend the hours when it wanted to be a fish, yet tall enough that it could fly out of the water into the air and broad enough that it could run from corner to corner for feeding.

Chapter Eight

What the Audities said

All collectors and fanciers of anything wild in Galactic Sector Seven eventually find their way to the planet Blooke. There, once a week, in the city of Palaputra, a bazar is held.

In our Galaxy there are some billions of collectors. For example, the collectors of Sol System gather on the first Sunday of every month on Mars, on the tablelands beside the Grand Canal. They tell me that even in the Andromeda Galaxy there is an enormous community of collectors, and on one of its planets they are so numerous they have taken control of all industry and that world produces only stamp albums, tweezers, and aquariums.

I’’ve spent time with Martian collectors; I found rare flying fish for the Zoo through them. But I had not yet had a chance to spend any time at all on Blooke.

Palaputra turned out to be a medium sized city, but filled to overflowing with hotels and warehouses. And the Palaputra space port was the envy of most major planetary capitols.

As soon as the Pegasus settled to the vast concrete expanse a ground vehicle filled with guards approached.

“And where have you flown in from?” They asked Poloskov, who had stopped at the top of our extendable stairs.

“From Earth.” Poloskov answered.

“And where is that?”

“In Sector Three. Sol System.”

“A-ha. I thought as much.” The Chief border guard said.

He was very similar to a fan. He had three enormous round ears, and when he spoke his head bobbed up and down so much it produced a wind. That’s why, out in the Galaxy, they called the inhabitants of Blooke Audites.

The guards climbed on board the ship and came into the crew’s lounge.

“And what is it you will be selling?” A guard asked.

“We’d rather be looking.” I answered. “We’re here in search of interesting animals for the Moscow Zoo.”

“Does that mean that you have nothing you will be selling?” The guard asked.