They carried everything upstairs, where there were three bedrooms. The beds were large, fortunately. To say the least. The smallest would have qualified as a king at home.
Framed pictures of, presumably, family members hung on the walls in all three rooms. One depicted four of them down on the beach, another showed Arin receiving a medallion, and a third was of a young couple, male and female, standing by a sculpted rock table. Possibly an altar?
The two islanders who’d brought the clothes went out and returned with towels, which they placed on the beds.
There was a bathroom, containing a shower, a sink, a toilet, and two cabinets. Everything was oversized, and there was some giggling that went on between Beth and Hutch. They also provided a laundry room at the rear. Hutch wasn’t sure what it was when she first saw it: There was no machine, only a waste-high basin divided into two sections, with a device consisting of two rollers that, she assumed, would be used to squeeze water out of freshly washed clothing.
Her room had a bedside table with a lamp. Perfect for reading if she had something to read. The table had a drawer, which was empty. She put the couplings into it.
She was relieved to get out of her wet clothes. Finding apparel that provided a decent fit took a while, but ultimately, she was able to make everything work. Arin gave them scissors to cut the excessive length of the pant legs and sleeves. But she couldn’t bring herself to do that. Eventually, he produced some cords that could be used to secure everything. Most of the shirts were pullovers. Ken commented that, when he wrote this part of his history, he’d call it “Flexibility Matters.”
When they’d all gotten dressed, Arin sat down with them in the living room. The place is yours, he told them with gestures. While he was explaining, the door opened and a female came in. At least, they thought it was a female because she was diminutive by local standards, though she dwarfed Hutch and Beth. And there was something also in the way she moved and spoke. Her voice was at a considerably higher pitch than Arin’s. Hutch could see she was surprised by the appearance of the visitors, all four of whom had gotten to their feet.
She found it impossible not to stare at them. Arin walked over and embraced her. She looked dumbfounded and asked a question, which had to be along the lines of “What in the world are these things?”
Arin replied with a single word. Then he delivered a giant smile, pointed a hand in her direction, and said, “Kwylla.”
Kwylla, Hutch thought, remained remarkably calm, considering the situation. She wondered how she would have reacted coming home and finding a group of aliens in the living room. In fact, they probably had no concept about aliens. For all they knew, Hutch and her companions might have been demons.
Kwylla responded to each in turn, extending a hand and projecting a greeting. Then she and Arin exchanged a few comments. When they’d finished, she spoke again to her guests in a tone that suggested they were welcome and, if they needed anything, they shouldn’t hesitate to ask. Then she laughed, a response that turned into a loud snort. It seemed a natural reaction, delivered through that oversized mouth and beak.
Ken wandered over to one of the bookshelves and opened a volume. Hutch took one down also. It had a cover that felt like leather, and a title across the front. Where else, of course, would you put a title? The lettering could have been Chinese or Hindi. She was impressed by the packaging and let Arin and Kwylla see her reaction. Arin indicated they could read one of the books if they wished. Or possibly keep it?
Kwylla declined a drink and, after a few minutes, excused herself and left.
She had just gone out the door when a bell rang. It was the phone. Arin picked it up. Hutch had not been able to get her mind off Wally. By now he would have flown over the beach area probably twice. Assuming he was still here. She wondered what she would do in similar circumstances. Wait here indefinitely until finally she had to give up and go home. Or leave immediately, hoping she could arrange for a rescue mission and get them back here as quickly as possible.
Arin remained on the phone. Ken had returned the book to the shelf, and Ken and Beth were wandering through the house, engaged in conversation. It was the perfect time to go outside to look for Wally.
• • •
The sky was clear. The sun had gone down. Hutch, standing on the porch, saw nothing moving overhead except a couple of birds. She had no idea how long it had been since the Eiferman had gone out of sight. Without a timepiece, and with no idea how long a day was on that planet, she felt lost. She’d forgotten to check on the details of this ocean world before they’d set out in the lander. That had been a serious blunder. She was getting careless.
Lights were on at the rear of the temple. A few others, from nearby cabins, were visible through the trees. A pleasant breeze was blowing in off the ocean, and the soft rumble of the incoming tide encouraged her to settle into one of the chairs and lean her head back. Just enjoy the night. Though she’d feel much better if they could contact Wally.
The door opened and Beth came out. “Any sign of him?” she asked.
“Not yet.”
She sat down beside Hutch. They could hear voices inside, including Arin’s. Then she saw Kwylla emerge from the temple’s side door and come their way.
“Don’t know what we’d have done without her and Arin,” said Beth.
“I know. We owe them.”
“I hate to think what they’re facing. Or their kids. I wonder if they have any kids. Or if they’re even a couple. Place like this, it’s hard to be sure of anything.”
“There are pictures of them with a couple of children,” said Hutch.
Beth nodded and took a deep breath. “I suspect she’d like to see us go away.”
“Who? Kwylla? What makes you say that?”
“It’s how I’d react if unexpected guests arrived.” She hesitated, and then continued: “Especially if I couldn’t even talk to them.”
Kwylla arrived at the porch steps, looked up, smiled, waved, and said something. Beth and Hutch both replied, and they all turned their inability to talk to one another into a joke. She climbed the steps onto the porch and reached for the door.
Hutch, looking for something to say, pointed toward the temple. “Nice piece of architecture.”
Kwylla’s smile widened. She understood perfectly that it didn’t matter whether she could understand literally what Hutch had said. “Koaka som,” she said. She reached out and squeezed Hutch’s shoulder, then nodded and went inside.
Beth and Hutch sat for a time talking about how lucky they’d been, how annoyed they were over the maintenance boondoggle, how the crash landing would become a major moment in Ken’s book. At least, it would if they were lucky. The wind began to gust, tree branches swung back and forth, and then after a time, it grew quiet. Something small and furry charged past the porch and went up a tree. Seconds later Beth jumped out of her chair. “Look!” She was staring out over the trees. One of the stars was moving. The Eiferman was back.
22.
Language—human language—after all, is but little better than the croak and cackle of fowls, and other utterances of brute nature—sometimes not so adequate.
—Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks, July 14, 1850
They all came outside to watch, and they stood shaking hands and raising fists as Wally slowly crossed the sky. Arin seized Derek, pointed at the ship and then at his visitors. The question he was asking was clear: Is that how you arrived? He looked stunned.
Derek nodded. “Yes.”
Arin followed with another question. Again, obvious: Will they come down for you?
Derek closed his eyes. “No.”
Hutch could see that Arin understood. Derek had been anxious to let the ship know they had survived. But if it could not land, it was of little value. She wondered whether Arin had a flashlight. She tried to ask, but couldn’t make the meaning clear. Finally, she went inside and picked up one of the lamps. The cord wasn’t long enough to allow her to take it ou
t the door. She unplugged it, carried it outside, and raised it as if to signal the ship, but Arin didn’t seem to get the message.
They watched as that single dull star moved westward. Arin took Derek’s arm and led him off the porch. He held up a hand, asking Derek to wait. Then he went inside and came out seconds later with something that looked like a blade. He led Derek to his car while everybody else watched, wondering what was going on. He got in, started the engine, and pulled slowly away. Then he put his right hand in the air and turned it downward, mimicking a crash. To make sure his point was understood, he did something in the car and the engine coughed, sputtered, and died. He climbed out, lifted the hood, tinkered with the engine, got back in and restarted it. He left it running and looked at Derek.
“What’s he doing?” asked Beth, who was leaning over Hutch’s shoulder.
“I think he wants to know whether we can repair the lander.”
“Can we?”
“If we can get it out of the ocean.”
Derek came back toward the cottage, signaling for Arin to follow. They went inside. Hutch joined them. Derek took the glass he’d been using, finished the drink, and picked up a bowl that had been on the counter beside the sink. He put the glass in it and filled the bowl with water, submerging it. Then he turned to face Arin and shook his head. “No, Arin,” he said. “We cannot fix it.”
Arin surprised Hutch again: “Okay.” He’d picked up some English.
Derek nodded, lifted the glass from the bowl, poured the water into the sink, held the glass horizontally over the counter and pretended it was taking off. “Now we can do it.”
Arin got the message: remove it from the sea, and it can be repaired. He pointed at himself and showed Derek his hands, fingers spread. Then he closed them, opened them again but only showed him eight. Eighteen?
“I think,” Derek said, “that he’s trying to tell us they’ll have the lander out of the water in eighteen days.”
Hutch was reading it the same way. But Beth raised the critical issue: “Even if that’s correct, will Wally stay that long?”
• • •
They went back outside and watched the Eiferman begin its descent toward the western horizon. Arin pointed at it and asked another question, but nobody could figure out what he wanted to know, other than maybe he was asking how long the ship would remain?
The temple door opened and Kwylla came out. She was carrying a small bag.
More food. She opened the bag as she came up onto the porch and showed them some cherry-colored nuggets. They looked good. Did anybody want one?
Everybody did. Maybe nobody wanted to take a chance of offending her. But these tasted much better than the orange-colored strips they’d offered earlier. The nuggets might also have been seafood, but Hutch couldn’t be sure. When they’d finished, Kwylla put what was left in the refrigerator and tried to ask a question. Probably was there anything else she could do for them?
“You’ve done more than we could have hoped for,” said Derek. She and Arin moved among them, clasping shoulders and forearms. Then they pointed toward the side door of the temple. They should feel free to go in if they needed anything? A few minutes later they said good-bye and returned to the temple.
Eventually, the humans retreated into the cottage and sat talking, going over the same topics. They became aware that some islanders had assembled outside. They stayed mostly at the edge of the trees, except for a few who came forward to stare through windows. Eventually, Derek went outside and waved at them, and said good-bye several times. “Bora hycut.” As far as Hutch could tell, nobody took the hint.
“Lock the door,” said Beth.
Ken tried but threw up his hands. “It doesn’t seem to have a lock.”
“That’s a good sign,” said Hutch. “Maybe these people don’t have thieves.”
They drew the curtains, and as best they could tell, the crowd eventually went away.
About an hour later, someone knocked. Ken opened the door and looked out at one of the females who’d brought over the boxes of clothes. She was carrying food this time. Ken took it from her, said thanks, and stood aside to invite her inside. But she said good-bye and withdrew.
“She’s scared of us,” said Beth.
Hutch tried the food. They were green niblets, and unlike the nuggets, they tasted flat. When she was growing up, that was always a good sign. Tasteless food was good for you. The stuff you liked was always what got you in trouble.
• • •
A chill crept into the cottage. They found a thermostat in the living room. Maybe. They weren’t certain at first, but when Ken turned the knob, it got cooler, so he reversed it and the temperature rose. Nobody was saying much. They were tired, and everyone was probably scared that they would never see home again. Consequently, the conversation was confined to comments intended simply to keep the dreary silence from swallowing them. “You think Arin’s a religious leader?”
“I wonder what kind of government they have here.”
“I feel fine. As far as I can tell, the food’s working.”
Hutch was wondering how long a day was on this world. “Don’t know,” said Beth. “We’ll see how long it takes for the sun to rise.”
“We’re lucky,” Ken said, “they have some technology.”
Nobody was going to argue with that. “I’m surprised these people have any decent level of technology at all,” said Hutch. “This world is nothing but a handful of islands.”
“I know. Hard to believe.” Ken looked impressed. “I wish we could understand the language. I’d like to be able to hear what they’re saying about us.”
Beth nodded. “Me too. I wonder if their sense of humor is the same as ours.”
“Who knows?” said Hutch. “Would all intelligent species laugh at the same things?”
“You know,” Beth said, “I think they would. What else could laughter be except a reaction to the unexpected? I guess if it’s also ironic. You know animals laugh, right?”
“But do they laugh at the same things we do?”
“To a degree. Tickle a monkey and watch his response. It’s the same sort of thing that gets a rise out of us. And it has all kinds of health benefits. I’d bet it will be the same everywhere.”
“I was struck,” said Derek, “by the way they responded to us. It suggests we all share the same sense of empathy.”
Ken grunted. “There are a lot of us who missed the boat on that one.”
Hutch was about to disagree, to mention the number of people who show up on news reports every day risking their lives for strangers, like the two Boy Scouts who’d charged into a house in the path of a Kansas tornado to rescue a disabled man. It had happened a few days before the Eiferman left Earth. And there was the group of women in Akoria who’d given their lives taking food and water to religious hostages in defiance of lethal lunatics. But she saw lights through the window and let it go. Arin’s car had just pulled away.
• • •
Hutch and Beth searched the house for a flashlight but found nothing. They were out on the porch when the Eiferman made another pass. Derek and Ken were there an hour and twenty minutes later when it came again. No formal watch had been established because everyone wanted to pretend that Wally would stay in place until a support vehicle arrived. Nevertheless, when they saw the moving star, they wasted no time informing their partners.
Hutch watched through her bedroom window when the moon showed up. It looked reassuring. This was in so many ways an amicable world. Pleasant climate, friendly inhabitants, beautiful views. Hard to believe they were in such trouble.
When Derek took over the outside watch, Ken joined him and brought up the flashlight issue. “Beth told me about it. I assume you still haven’t found one?”
“No,” he said.
“I was wondering whether we couldn’t convert a lamp. Take it outside and turn it on and off? Send something in Morse code maybe? Does anybody know Morse code?”
“
Not sure how we’d send a Morse code signal with a lamp. We have to find a better way.”
• • •
Hutch would have trusted Wally with her life. But on this occasion they needed him to make a decision that probably made no sense. He had no idea what had happened. He knew only that they’d gone missing over an ocean. And it was likely he’d assumed they were dead. Even if they weren’t, there was no reason to stay more than a few days. If they weren’t able to get back to the Eiferman, then there was no hope for them until he chased down a rescue mission. That would be at least two months. Probably longer. And the longer he waited around, the less their chances.
Or maybe it made more sense to wait. If they weren’t dead, then he’d assume the lander was damaged. How long should he wait for them to do repairs?
She lay staring up at the ceiling, listening to the wind rustling through the trees and some distant thunder. Hutch didn’t sleep well, and her discomfort increased when, after about an hour, she heard rain begin rattling down on the roof. Ordinarily, this kind of weather would have helped her relax. She enjoyed rainstorms and the occasional rumble of thunder. There was something about it that sounded lonely, that took her back to her childhood, imposing a sense of solitude and security. But on this night, they didn’t help.
In the morning, Arin was present with Beth and Ken when she came downstairs, carrying her uniform and the islander clothes she’d worn the day before. “Derek’s been outside since dawn,” said Beth. “As far as we can tell, Wally’s still there.”
That was good news. She sat with them for a few minutes and was about to make for the laundry room when Beth told her that Derek was using it.
“Hasn’t he gotten any sleep at all?”
“Not much.”
Arin must have caught the tone. His eyes shut momentarily. Then he said something and Ken nodded.
“Believe it or not,” said Beth, “they’ve been talking. Ken’s learning the language, aren’t you, love?”
The Long Sunset Page 19
