Asimov’s Future History Volume 19

by Isaac Asimov

  Hiroko, in surprise, nearly dropped the flute, and Fallom cried out, “I did it. I did it. Jemby said someday I could do it.”

  Hiroko said, “Was it thou that made the sound?”

  “Yes, I did. I did.”

  “But how didst thou do so, child?”

  Bliss said, red with embarrassment, “I’m sorry, Hiroko. I’ll take her away.”

  “No,” said Hiroko. “I wish her to do it again.”-

  A few of the nearest Alphans had gathered to watch. Fallom furrowed her brow as though trying hard. The fluorescents dimmed rather more than before, and again there was the note of the flute, this time pure and steady. Then it became erratic as the metal objects along the length of the flute moved of their own accord.

  “It’s a little different from the “Fallom said, a little breathlessly, as though the breath that had been activating the flute had been her own instead of power-driven air.

  Pelorat said to Trevize, “She must be getting the energy from the electric current that feeds the fluorescents.”

  “Try again,” said Hiroko in a choked voice.

  Fallom closed her eyes. The note was softer now and under firmer control. The flute played by itself, maneuvered by no fingers, but moved by distant energy, transduced through the still immature lobes of Fallom’s brain. The notes which began as almost random settled into a musical succession and now everyone in the hall had gathered around Hiroko and Fallom, as Hiroko held the flute gently with thumb and forefinger at either end, and Fallom, eyes closed, directed the current of air and the movement of the keys.

  “It’s the piece I played,” whispered Hiroko.

  “I remember it,” said Fallom, nodding her head slightly, trying not to break her concentration.

  “Thou didst not miss a note,” said Hiroko, when it was done.

  “But it’s not right, Hiroko. You didn’t do it right.”

  Bliss said, “Fallom! That’s not polite. You mustn’t-”

  “Please,” said Hiroko peremptorily, “do not interfere. Why is it not right, child?”

  “Because I would play it differently.”

  “Show me, then.”

  Again the flute played, but in more complicated fashion, for the forces that pushed the keys did so more quickly, in more rapid succession and in more elaborate combinations than before. The music was more complex, and infinitely more emotional and moving. Hiroko stood rigid and there was not a sound to be heard anywhere in the room.

  Even after Fallom had finished playing, there was not a sound until Hiroko drew a deep breath and said, “Little one, hast thou ever played that before?”

  “No,” said Fallom, “before this I could only use my fingers, and I can’t do my fingers like that.” Then, simply and with no trace of vaunting, “No one can.”

  “Canst thou play anything else?”

  “I can make something up.”

  “Dost thou mean-improvise?”

  Fallom frowned at the word and looked toward Bliss. Bliss nodded and Fallom said, “Yes.”

  “Please do so, then,” said Hiroko.

  Fallom paused and thought for a minute or two, then began slowly, in a very simple succession of notes, the whole being rather dreamy. The fluorescent lights dimmed and brightened as the amount of power exerted intensified and faded. No one seemed to notice, for it seemed to be the effect of the music rather than the cause, as though a ghostly electrical spirit were obeying the dictates of the sound waves.

  The combination of notes then repeated itself a bit more loudly, then a bit more complexly, then in variations that, without ever losing the clearly heard basic combination, became more stirring and more exciting until it was almost impossible to breathe. And finally, it descended much more rapidly than it had ascended and did so with the effect of a swooping dive that brought the listeners to ground level even while they still retained the feeling that they were high in the air.

  There followed sheer pandemonium that split the air, and even Trevize, who was used to a totally different kind of music, thought sadly, “And now 17’11 never hear that again.”

  When a most reluctant quiet had returned, Hiroko held out her flute. “Here, Fallom, this is thine!”

  Fallom reached for it eagerly, but Bliss caught hold of the child’s outstretched arm and said, “We can’t take it, Hiroko. It’s a valuable instrument.”

  “I have another, Bliss. Not quite as good, but that is how it should be. This instrument belongeth to the person who playeth it best. Never have I heard such music and it would be wrong for me to own an instrument I cannot use to full potential. Would that I knew how the instrument could be made to play without being touched.”

  Fallom took the flute and, with an expression of deep content, held it tightly to her chest.

  83.

  EACH OF THE two rooms of their quarters were lit by one fluorescent light. The outhouse had a third. The lights were dim, and were uncomfortable to read by, but at least the rooms were no longer dark.

  Yet they now lingered outside. The sky was full of stars, something that was always fascinating to a native of Terminus, where the night sky was all but starless and in which only the faint foreshortened cloud of the Galaxy was prominent.

  Hiroko had accompanied them back to their chambers for fear they would get lost in the dark, or that they would stumble. All the way back, she held Fallom’s hand, and then, after lighting the fluorescents for them, remained outside with them, still clutching at the youngster.

  Bliss tried again, for it was clear to her that Hiroko was in a state of a difficult conflict of emotions. “Really, Hiroko, we cannot take your flute.”

  “No, Fallom must have it.” But she seemed on edge just the same.

  Trevize continued to look at the sky. The night was truly dark, a darkness that was scarcely affected by the trickle of light from their own chambers; and much less so by the tiny sparks of other houses farther off.

  He said, “Hiroko, do you see that star that is so bright? What is it called?” Hiroko looked up casually and said, with no great appearance of interest, “That’s the Companion.”

  “Why is it called that?”

  “It circleth our sun every eighty Standard Years. It is an evening star at this time of year. Thou canst see it in daytime, too, when it lieth above the horizon.”

  Good, thought Trevize. She’s not totally ignorant of astronomy. He said, “Do you know that Alpha has another companion, a very small, dim one that’s much much farther away than that bright star. You can’t see it without a telescope.” (He hadn’t seen it himself, hadn’t bothered to search for it, but the ship’s computer had the information in its memory banks.)

  She said indifferently, “We were told that in school.”

  “But now what about that one? You see those six stars in a zigzag line?”

  Hiroko said, “That is Cassiopeia.”

  “Really?” said Trevize, startled. “Which star?”

  “All of them. The whole zigzag. It is Cassiopeia.”

  “Why is it called that?”

  “I lack the knowledge. I know nothing of astronomy, respected Trevize.”

  “Do you see the lowermost star in the zigzag, the one that’s brighter than the other stars? What is that?”

  “It is a star. I know not its name.”

  “But except for the two companion stars, it’s the closest of all the stars to Alpha. It is only a parsec away.”

  Hiroko said, “Sayest thou so? I know that not.”

  “Might it not be the star about which Earth revolves?”

  Hiroko looked at the star with a faint flash of interest. “I know not. I have never heard any person say so.”

  “Don’t you think it might be?”

  “How can I say? None knoweth where Earth might be. I-I must leave thee, now. I will be taking my shift in the fields tomorrow morning before the beach festival. I’ll see you all there, right after lunch. Yes? Yes?”

  “Certainly, Hiroko.”

&nb
sp; She left suddenly, half-running in the dark. Trevize looked after her, then followed the others into the dimly lit cottage.

  He said, “Can you tell whether she was lying about Earth, Bliss?”

  Bliss shook her head. “I don’t think she was. She is under enormous tension, something I was not aware of until after the concert. It existed before you asked her about the stars.”

  “Because she gave away her flute, then?”

  “Perhaps. I can’t tell.” She turned to Fallom. “Now, Fallom, I want you to go into your room. When you’re ready for bed, go to the outhouse, use the potty, then wash your hands, your face, and your teeth.”

  “I would like to play the flute, Bliss.”

  “Just for a little while, and very quietly. Do you understand, Fallom? And you must stop when I tell you to.”

  “Yes, Bliss.”

  The three were now alone; Bliss in the one chair and the men sitting each on his cot.

  Bliss said, “Is there any point in staying on this planet any longer?”

  Trevize shrugged. “We never did get to discuss Earth in connection with the ancient instruments, and we might find something there. It might also pay to wait for the fishing fleet to return. The men might know something the stay-at-homes don’t.”

  “Very unlikely, I think,” said Bliss. “Are you sure it’s not Hiroko’s dark eyes that hold you?”

  Trevize said impatiently, “I don’t understand, Bliss. What have you to do with what I choose to do? Why do you seem to arrogate to yourself the right of sitting in moral judgment on me?”

  “I’m not concerned with your morals. The matter affects our expedition. You want to find Earth so that you can finally decide whether you are right in choosing Galaxia over Isolate worlds. I want you to so decide. You say you need to visit Earth to make the decision and you seem to be convinced that Earth revolves about that bright star in the sky. Let us go there, then. I admit it would be useful to have some information about it before we go, but it is clear to me that the information is not forthcoming here. I do not wish to remain simply because you enjoy Hiroko.”

  “Perhaps we’ll leave,” said Trevize. “Let me think about it, and Hiroko will play no part in my decision, I assure you.”

  Pelorat said, “I feel we ought to move on to Earth, if only to see whether it is radioactive or not. I see no point in waiting longer.”

  “Are you sure it’s not Bliss’s dark eyes that drive you?” said Trevize, a bit spitefully. Then, almost at once, “No, I take that back, Janov. I was just being childish. Still-this is a charming world, quite apart from Hiroko, and I must say that under other circumstances, I would be tempted to remain indefinitely.-Don’t you think, Bliss, that Alpha destroys your theory about Isolates?”

  “In what way?” asked Bliss.

  “You’ve been maintaining that every truly isolated world turns dangerous and hostile.”

  “Even Comporellon,” said Bliss evenly, “which is rather out of the main current of Galactic activity for all that it is, in theory, an Associated Power of the Foundation Federation.”

  “But not Alpha. This world is totally isolated, but can you complain of their friendliness and hospitality? They feed us, clothe us, shelter us, put on festivals in our honor, urge us to stay on. What fault is there to find with them?”

  “None, apparently. Hiroko even gives you her body.”

  Trevize said angrily, “Bliss, what bothers you about that? She didn’t give me her body. We gave each other our bodies. It was entirely mutual, entirely pleasurable. Nor can you say that you hesitate to give your body as it suits you.”

  “Please, Bliss,” said Pelorat. “Golan is entirely right. There is no reason to object to his private pleasures.”

  “As long as they don’t affect us,” said Bliss obdurately.

  “They do not affect us,” said Trevize. “We will leave, I assure you. A delay to search further for information will not be long.”

  “Yet I don’t trust Isolates,” said Bliss, “even when they come bearing gifts.”

  Trevize flung up his arms. “Reach a conclusion, then twist the evidence to fit. How like a-”

  “Don’t say it,” said Bliss dangerously. “I am not a woman. I am Gaia. It is Gaia, not I, who is uneasy.”

  “There is no reason to-” And at that point there was a scratching at the door.

  Trevize froze. “What’s that?” he said, in a low voice.

  Bliss shrugged lightly. “Open the door and see. You tell us this is a kindly world that offers no danger.”

  Nevertheless, Trevize hesitated, until a soft voice from the other side of the door called out softly, “Please. It is P”

  It was Hiroko’s voice. Trevize threw the door open.

  Hiroko entered quickly. Her cheeks were wet.

  “Close the door,” she gasped.

  “What is it?” asked Bliss.

  Hiroko clutched at Trevize. “I could not stay away. I tried, but I endured it not. Go thou, and all of you. Take the youngster with you quickly. Take the ship away-away from Alpha-while it is yet dark.”

  “But why?” asked Trevize.

  “Because else wilt thou die; and all of you.”

  84.

  THE THREE OUTWORLDERS stared frozenly at Hiroko for a long moment. Then Trevize said, “Are you saying your people will kill us?”

  Hiroko said, as the tears rolled down her cheeks, “Thou art already on the road to death, respected Trevize. And the others with you.-Long ago, those of learning devised a virus, harmless to us, but deadly to Outworlders. We have been made immune.” She shook Trevize’s arm in distraction. “Thou art infected.”

  “How?”

  “When we had our pleasure. It is one way.”

  Trevize said, “But I feel entirely well.”

  “The virus is as yet inactive. It will be made active when the fishing fleet returns. By our laws, all must decide on such a thing-even the men. All will surely decide it must be done, and we keep you here till that time, two mornings hence. Leave now while it is yet dark and none suspects.”

  Bliss said sharply, “Why do your people do this?”

  “For our safety. We are few and have much. We do not wish Outworlders to intrude. If one cometh and then reporteth our lot, others will come, and so when, once in a long while, a ship arriveth, we must make certain it leaveth not.”

  “But then,” said Trevize, “why do you warn us away?”

  “Ask not the reason.-Nay, but I will tell you, since I hear it again. Listen-”

  From the next room, they could hear Fallom playing softly-and infinitely sweetly.

  Hiroko said, “I cannot bear the destruction of that music, for the young one will also die.”

  Trevize said sternly, “Is that why you gave the flute to Fallom? Because you knew you would have it once again when she was dead?”

  Hiroko looked horrified. “Nay, that was not in my mind. And when it came to mind at length, I knew it must not be done. Leave with the child, and with her, take the flute that I may never see it more. Thou wilt be safe back in space and, left inactive, the virus now in thy body will die after a time. In return, I ask that none of you ever speak of this world, that none else may know of it.”

  “We will not speak of it,” said Trevize.

  Hiroko looked up. In a lower voice, she said, “May I not kiss thee once ere thou leavest?”

  Trevize said, “No. I have been infected once and surely that is enough.” And then, a little less roughly, he added, “Don’t cry. People will ask why you are crying and you’ll be unable to reply.-I’ll forgive what you did to me in view of your present effort to save us.”

  Hiroko straightened, carefully wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands, took a deep breath, and said, “I thank thee for that,” and left quickly.

  Trevize said, “We will put out the light, and we will wait awhile, and then we will leave.-Bliss, tell Fallom to stop playing her instrument. Remember to take the flute, of course.-Then we will
make our way to the ship, if we can find it in the dark.”

  “I will find it,” said Bliss. “Clothing of mine is on board and, however dimly, that, too, is Gaia. Gaia will have no trouble finding Gaia.” And she vanished into her room to collect Fallom.

  Pelorat said, “Do you suppose that they’ve managed to damage our ship in order to keep us on the planet?”

  “They lack the technology to do it,” said Trevize grimly. When Bliss emerged, holding Fallom by the hand, Trevize put out the lights.

  They sat quietly in the dark for what seemed half the night, and might have been half an hour. Then Trevize slowly and silently opened the door. The sky seemed a bit more cloudy, but stars shone. High in the sky now was Cassiopeia, with what might be Earth’s sun burning brightly at its lower tip. The air was still and there was no sound.

  Carefully, Trevize stepped out, motioning the others to follow. One of his hands dropped, almost automatically, to the butt of his neuronic whip. He was sure he would not have to use it, but-

  Bliss took the lead, holding Pelorat’s hand, who held Trevize’s. Bliss’s other hand held Fallom, and Fallom’s other hand held the flute. Feeling gently with her feet in the nearly total darkness, Bliss guided the others toward where she felt, very weakly, the Gaia-ness of her clothing on board the Far Star.

  Part VII: Earth

  19. Radioactive?

  85.

  THE FAR STAR took off quietly, rising slowly through the atmosphere, leaving the dark island below. The few faint dots of light beneath them dimmed and vanished, and as the atmosphere grew thinner with height, the ship’s speed grew greater, and the dots of light in the sky above them grew more numerous and brighter.

  Eventually, they looked down upon the planet, Alpha, with only a crescent illuminated and that crescent largely wreathed in clouds.

  Pelorat said, “I suppose they don’t have an active space technology. They can’t follow us.”

  “I’m not sure that that cheers me up much,” said Trevize, his face dour, his voice disheartened. “I’m infected.”