The Long Sunset

by Jack McDevitt

  “I think,” said Hutch, “he wants you to write a message to be delivered to Wally. And I know that makes no sense, but—”

  “Hold on.” Ken held both hands out for Arin, with his fingers spread. Then he closed them into fists and opened them again with the thumbs tucked away. And his right index finger folded down. Seventeen.

  Arin broke into one of his giant grins. “Kaka!”

  So, it was a message for Wally, and they’d locked down the eighteen fingers Arin had shown them yesterday. He had been referring to days. But this was minus one. “So, what’s going to happen in seventeen days?” asked Beth.

  “I can only think of one thing,” said Hutch. “They’re going to recover the lander.” She looked at the pad. “Write the message.”

  “Hutch, they have no way of sending it. Hell, they won’t even be able to read it.”

  “What can we lose? Write it and see what happens.”

  Ken let her see he considered it an exercise in futility. But he took a moment to think, and then began printing: HELLO, WALLY. DON’T GO ANYWHERE. IF ALL GOES WELL WE WILL BE WITH YOU IN 17 DAYS. MORE OR LESS. HOPE YOU’RE OKAY.

  He held it where Beth and Hutch could see it and then passed it to Arin, who was already frowning and shaking his head. He bit his lower lip and pressed his palms together. Then he separated them and moved them back beyond the edges of his placemat. He looked with disapproval from one to the other. Then he brought them close together, until they were separated by about a centimeter. And he looked from Ken to Hutch.

  “The message is too long,” said Beth.

  “I understand that,” said Ken. “What I don’t understand is what we’re talking about.”

  Hutch was watching Arin. “I don’t get it either. But let’s assume he knows what he’s doing.”

  Arin returned the notebook, and Ken tried again: DON’T GO ANYWHERE. WE’LL BE WITH YOU IN 17 DAYS.

  It was still too long.

  Ken rewrote it: BE WITH YOU IN 17 DAYS.

  Arin still wasn’t happy. “Let me try it,” said Hutch.

  Ken passed the notebook to her. She wrote: BK IN 3 WKS.

  Yes. Ken translated it for Arin, who raised a fist. Excellent. He finished the bun, helped himself to another one, smiled at Hutch, and left.

  • • •

  Hutch and Beth had enjoyed their day at the beach, so they decided to go back. Ken joined them. They went over to Arin’s quarters to invite him and Kwylla. Both declined, but Kwylla did what they’d hoped she would by offering to drive them. Unfortunately, she and Ken couldn’t communicate very well, so he was unable to determine whether she’d offered to return for them. But it would not be a major issue. It was only a half-hour walk.

  Maybe it was Ken’s presence at the beach, but whatever was the mitigating factor, the islanders showed more attention than they had since the first visit. Many came over to see them and to shake hands with them. Two of the females pretended to admire Ken. “I guess,” he said, “they recognize good looks when they see them.” Kids chased one another around the umbrella, stopping to stare whenever they thought they could get away with it. And when their parents stepped in to pull them away, they laughed.

  Several males were also drawn in their direction. Some tried to talk with Beth and Hutch. One even paused to ask a question, and when Hutch responded simply with a hello, he swung his shoulders in a manner that could only be interpreted as a flirtation.

  “Make your move, Hutch,” said Beth. “You may not get another chance.”

  Eventually, they went into the water and drifted out just beyond where the waves were breaking, so they could rise and fall with the incoming surf. Ken kept looking in the direction of the sunken lander. “Don’t even think about it,” said Beth.

  “It’s not that far out.”

  “It’s far enough. Just let it be.”

  “Beth—”

  “What’s the point, love? It’s not as if you could go out there and drag it in.” She turned in Hutch’s direction. “I wonder if they have sharks here.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me. Probably big ones.”

  They’d been in the water about an hour when Hutch saw Arin stride out of the woods. He waved at them and they went ashore. He and Ken had a short exchange, which Hutch had no trouble reading. He didn’t mean for them to cut their time short, and they could go back into the ocean if they wanted. But he’d brought the car if they wanted a ride home. “He’s got a surprise for us when we get back to the temple,” said Ken.

  “What kind of surprise?” asked Beth.

  “I don’t know. I can’t follow him most of the time.”

  “Maybe a chicken salad,” said Hutch.

  “Yum,” said Ken. “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

  They wiped themselves down with their towels, Ken closed the umbrella, and he and Beth started for the car. Hutch had noticed that one of the Dolphins, a female, seemed to be trying to get her attention. She lingered behind and finally dropped back when the female raised a hand, apparently asking her to wait. Two others were with her, a male, and a child whom she belatedly recognized. It was the one she’d thought was in trouble yesterday and had tried to rescue. The child pointed at her and backed shyly away. The female advanced and her eyes filled with emotion. “Koraka som,” she said. She introduced herself and the male, and came forward with obvious reluctance. When Hutch didn’t back away, she embraced her. Then she delivered a surprise. “Thank you, Parsilla,” she said. Her voice shook.

  The male closed his eyes and bowed his head.

  • • •

  On the way back to the cottage, Arin explained. Ken listened with a smile growing ever wider. “He says they called last night and asked your name. And how to say thank you.”

  “She did pretty well,” Hutch said, wondering if she’d be remembered as Parsilla. “But I don’t think the kid was ever really in trouble. I misread the situation.”

  Ken translated for Arin. And the response came: “That doesn’t matter. You put yourself at risk to help her child.”

  They arrived at the cottage. The three passengers got out, Arin said something, which Ken interpreted as back in a minute, and drove across the parking lot. They walked slowly toward the front door, watched him get out of the car and go inside the temple. “I guess he’s getting the chicken salad,” said Ken. They mounted the steps onto the porch and went into the house. Derek was asleep on the sofa.

  They waited in the living room. The temple was visible through a side window, but Arin’s door remained closed. “Maybe it was just good-bye,” said Beth.

  “Maybe,” Ken said. They gave it another couple of minutes and then went upstairs, dried off, and got dressed. When they returned to the living room and sat down, there was still no sign of Arin.

  Derek was still asleep. “So what do we do now?” asked Beth.

  “Well,” Ken said, “we could try to figure out how much time passes when the big hand circles the clock.”

  “Good,” she said. “Watch the clock.”

  Ken grinned. “Sorry. It’s all I’ve got.”

  “We should have stayed at the beach,” said Hutch.

  Ordinarily, after concluding the surprise was a misunderstanding, they wouldn’t have mentioned it to Derek. But there was so little to talk about that Ken told him about it immediately after he woke up, and then asked if he had gotten any impression that something was going to happen.

  Derek looked over at Hutch. “The only thing I can think of,” he said, “is the note you wrote for him this morning. What was it? ‘Back in three weeks’?”

  Finally, the temple’s side door opened, and Arin came out. He stopped, talking with someone inside, and then started across the parking area to the cottage. “Maybe we’re about to find out,” said Beth.

  He knocked and came through the door, smiled, and said, “Hello.” Again in English. Then he spoke to Ken, who explained. “We’re invited over to their place for dinner.”

  • • •


  There was a third islander at the meal, a young male, introduced as Murik. He was the son of Kwylla and Arin. There was also a daughter somewhere, although they couldn’t determine where she lived. Kwylla made it clear she was anxious to meet the visitors and would come as soon as she could.

  The meal itself, as the others had been, was flat. But everybody pretended to enjoy it. When it ended, the sun had descended into the trees. Conversation, of course, was difficult for both sides, and the humans thanked their hosts, tried to inform Murik how pleased they were to meet him, and finally excused themselves. Arin walked back with them to the cottage. When they arrived, he took Ken aside and tried to explain something to him. The conversation involved some pointing at the temple.

  “He doesn’t want us going anywhere this evening,” Ken explained. “He wants us to visit the temple tonight.”

  Derek looked at Arin, who responded with a giant smile. “You have any idea why?”

  “Something he wants us to see.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. He tried to explain, but I can’t follow him.”

  24.

  Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,

  Lead Thou me on!

  The night is dark, and I am far from home—

  Lead Thou me on!

  Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

  The distant scene, —one step enough for me.

  —John Henry Newman, “Light in the Darkness,” 1833

  Derek and Hutch were back out on the porch when the sun went down. They waited through the twilight, keeping an eye on the temple’s side door. The surf was loud that evening, and the moon was full. There wasn’t much traffic on the road, no more than two or three cars as the sky darkened. When the stars finally appeared, the Eiferman was in the western sky, sinking into the trees. Wally was still there.

  Ken came out and smiled when he saw it. “We owe him,” he said. “I wonder how many people would have stuck around this long.”

  Someone in the temple began rehearsing with a horn. It lasted a few minutes, then faded out until there was only the rumble of the ocean and an occasional gust of wind in the trees.

  The conversation was always the same: Was there any chance Ken had misunderstood Arin? What would they do on the night that the Eiferman didn’t show up? If they got home, would they ever again think about leaving on a mission without allowing time for a complete service of the vehicle? All eyes turned to Derek. “Dumb,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  It was depressing.

  The temple’s side door opened and Arin started across the parking lot in their direction, bringing a wave of hope. Though nobody admitted to it, Hutch felt it in her heartbeat, and saw it in the faces of her colleagues. It was ridiculous. There was nothing he could do, yet he was all they had.

  But he behaved as if everything was under control.

  They were all on the porch when he turned onto the walkway. He got within a few steps, stopped, and indicated they should all follow him. Then he proceeded back to the temple and opened the door for them.

  It was the first time Hutch had actually gotten a look at the interior, other than the section dedicated to Arin’s quarters. Rows of benches lined a spacious section overlooked by a balcony. She saw a pipe organ off to the far side, and noticed a flowery fragrance of some sort, as well as a touch of camphor. There was little doubt that it was in every sense a temple.

  Kwylla came out of the shadows and joined them as Arin led the way to a rear door and onto a circular staircase at the base of the tower. He turned on lights and they started up. Hutch thought they were headed for the balcony, but they passed it and kept climbing.

  The tower hadn’t looked especially tall from outside, but it was a difficult haul up a staircase designed for climbers with considerably longer legs than the humans’. Periodically, they passed windows, which, as they gained altitude, provided an increasingly wide view of treetops, the ocean, the beach, and cottages spread through the area.

  Arin saw that the stairs presented a challenge for his guests, especially for Beth and Hutch, so he slowed down and occasionally stopped to give everyone a break. They passed more doorways and eventually entered the cupola. It was furnished with thick carpeting, a sofa, a desk, four armchairs, and two lamps on side tables. A wooden chair was set at the desk. There was also a telephone and a clock. A sketch of the temple adorned one of the walls. And a framed photo of two children was mounted beside the doorway. A stringed instrument, resembling a cello, lay in one of the chairs. Curtained windows looked out in all directions. They could see the port area, which was dark except for a few lights on the piers, a docked ship, and outside the warehouses.

  To the east, the ocean glittered beneath the stars and the full moon. The beach, of course, was dark. Behind it lay the town they’d seen originally during the last moments of the lander. Houses, cabins, cottages, were all glowing. Only the larger buildings were dark.

  “It’s bigger than I remembered,” said Derek. “I assume it has a name? The town?”

  Ken passed the query to Arin. “Kara,” he said.

  Beth picked up the cello and glanced at Arin. Arin shook his head and indicated that it belonged to Kwylla. Signals went back and forth, Kwylla smiled, took the instrument, and played a few notes. The melody was soft and suggested to Hutch a pair of lovers standing in moonlight.

  “Beautiful,” said Ken, who quickly corrected himself and repeated the comment in the Volarian language. Kwylla’s smile widened.

  They slipped into the chairs and sofa while Arin walked over to a window that provided a view of the sea. “Why are we here?” asked Hutch. “Is something going to happen?”

  “I’ve asked him,” said Ken. “He just wants us to wait. I’m not sure why.”

  Derek smiled at Arin. “You certainly enjoy playing games.”

  “Just to be safe,” said Ken, “he’s acquiring some English.”

  Arin grinned as if he’d understood everything. He picked up the phone, punched in a number, waited a moment, and then held a short conversation with someone. At the end he seemed satisfied and hung up.

  “Ken,” said Beth, “did you get any of that?”

  “Not much. He was giving somebody instructions, and everything seems to be okay. Beyond that, I’ve no idea. Derek’s right about the games. He’s enjoying himself.”

  Arin walked over to the desk and leaned against it. It creaked. He said something, but the only thing Hutch picked up was Ken’s name.

  Ken smiled helplessly. “I think he said it won’t be long.”

  Arin took a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket, looked at it, glanced up at the clock, and sat down on the sofa.

  “Wally will be in the sky in a few minutes,” Derek said. “Whatever he’s planning is connected with that.”

  “It’s probably a blinker of some sort that he’s set up,” said Beth. “If that’s so, let’s hope it’s bright enough for Wally to see it.”

  • • •

  Kwylla left the room and returned minutes later with several cups of water on a tray. She was passing it out as the Eiferman rose in the eastern sky. When she was done, she looked out at it, squeezed Arin’s shoulder, and said something to him.

  They watched as the Eiferman approached. When it got close, Arin went back to the phone, punched in a number, spoke briefly, and hung up.

  Hutch was struck by the sheer beauty of the landscape, illuminated by the town behind the beach, and by the assorted cabins and cottages and post lights spread around the area. As she watched, lights also came on in one of the larger buildings. It was the one that resembled a school. And one of the other buildings lit up. Within a minute, so had the rest. The factories, and a place that looked like a city hall, everything was turning on lights. The port area also lit up. Including the ship which was still at the dock.

  She caught her breath. Suddenly, the lights went out. First the ship, then the port area, and finally the town. At almost th
e same moment. The world remained dark for about fifteen seconds. Then it lit up again. Everywhere.

  And went out again. It went back and forth, every few seconds, between utter blackout and a brilliantly illuminated town and port.

  “There’s no way,” said Derek, “he could miss that.”

  “Ken,” Hutch said, “they’ve been shutting off everybody’s power? I hope they haven’t told anyone it’s because of us.”

  Arin apparently caught the meaning. He smiled at her but spoke to Ken, who translated. “He says they all knew it was coming. They notified as many in advance as they could. And nobody had a problem with it. If I got it right, he says they like us.”

  25.

  Spartans, stoics, heroes, saints, and gods use a short and positive speech.

  —Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The Superlative,” 1847

  The question that remained on Hutch’s mind was the written message Arin had asked for: BK IN 3 WKS. But either he didn’t want to explain himself or he couldn’t figure out how to do it for people who had no real grasp of the language. Or maybe he just liked springing surprises. Her best guess was that it was a combination of the three.

  She slept soundly the night they’d blinked the lights for Wally. At least that had assured her that he was very likely aware they were alive and well. Even had Wally not been watching, there was no way Barry could have missed the stunt. She’d gone to bed thinking of Tom Axler, a part of her life that she’d taken for granted. How nice it would be to share an evening with him again. Assuming they could get back to where they’d been before the president had gotten in the way.

  And on those hopeful thoughts, the world faded out.

  • • •

  The following day, Arin returned to the cottage in the morning, wearing his rumpled equivalent of a bathing suit. He talked with Ken, and Ken explained to Hutch: “He says we have to locate the lander. He wants me to go out with him in a boat so we can mark the spot. Do we know precisely where it sank?”

  At the time of the crash, Hutch had automatically lined it up with three trees at the back of the beach. But that didn’t tell her how far offshore it was. She’d guessed three hundred meters. But it was a guess. “More or less,” she said. “How about if I go with you?”