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diff --git a/28030-h/28030-h.htm b/28030-h/28030-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..76a443e --- /dev/null +++ b/28030-h/28030-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,690 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Reluctant Genius, by O. H. Leslie + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + p {margin-top: .75em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: .75em;} + h1,h2 {text-align: center; font-weight: normal;} + hr {width: 45%; margin: 1em auto; visibility: hidden; clear: both;} + body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .figc {margin: 1em auto; width: 600px;} + .trn {border: solid 1px; margin: 3em 15%; padding: 1em; text-align: justify;} + img {border: none;} + p.cap:first-letter {float: left; margin-right: .05em; padding-top: .05em; font-size: 300%; line-height: .8em;} + .dcap {text-transform: uppercase;} + .bk1 {width: 25em; margin: 1em auto 2em;} + .bk2 {margin-top: 2em; text-align: right;} +// --> +/* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Reluctant Genius, by Henry Slesar + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Reluctant Genius + +Author: Henry Slesar + +Release Date: February 9, 2009 [EBook #28030] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RELUCTANT GENIUS *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<div class="figc"><img src="images/001.png" width="600" height="378" alt="" title="" /></div> + +<h1><big>RELUCTANT GENIUS</big></h1> + +<h2>By O. H. LESLIE</h2> + +<div class="bk1"><p><i>It is said that Life crawled up from the slime of the +sea-bottoms and became Man because of inherent +greatness bred into him before the dawn of time. +But perhaps this urge was not as formless as we think.</i></p></div> + +<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">Buos</span> was chastising Laloi +as they sped through +the ionosphere of the green +planet. But like the airy creature +she was, Laloi ignored +the criticism and rippled +zephyr-like through a clump +of daffodils when they completed +their descent.</p> + +<p>"So pretty," she sighed. +She flung her incorporeal +substance around each flower, +absorbing their unified +beauty of scent, sight, and +feel. Buos shrilled himself +into a column of wind to express +his displeasure at her +attitude.</p> + +<p>"Stupid, silly, shallow +thing!" he said. "If the others +only knew how you behaved—"</p> + +<p>"And you'll be glad to tell +them, of course," she said, +extending her fingers of air +into the roots of the wind-bent +grass. She rolled across +the hill ecstatically, and Buos +followed in grumbling billows +of energy.</p> + +<p>"I don't carry tales," he +replied, somewhat mortified. +"But we're here as observers, +and you insist upon making +this world a plaything ..."</p> + +<p>"I love it," she said happily. +"It's so warm and +green."</p> + +<p>Buos whipped in front of +her angrily. "This is an assignment," +he snapped, his +emotion crackling the air +about him. "We have a purpose +here."</p> + +<p>"Purpose!" she groaned, +settling over a patch of +crowded clover. "How many +centuries will this assignment +last?"</p> + +<p>"This world is young," +said Buos. "It will take +time."</p> + +<p>"But how long?" she asked +mournfully. "Our world +will be shrivelled and dead +before these people have the +knowledge to rescue us. Why +can't we spend our lives +here ..."</p> + +<p>"And leave the others behind?" +said Buos stiffly. +"Selfish being," he said sadly. +"This world cannot support +one-fourth our number."</p> + +<p>"Oh, I know, I know," Laloi +said. "I do not mean to +say such things. I am twisted +by my sorrow ..." As if to +express her self-abnegation, +she corkscrewed out of the +clover and into a thin spiral +of near-nothingness.</p> + +<hr /> + +<p>"Settle down, foolish one," +said Buos, not unkindly. "I +know your feelings. Do you +think I am not tormented as +well, by the slow pace of +these Earth-things? Crude, +barbaric beings, like children +with the building blocks of +science. They have such a +long way to go ..."</p> + +<p>"And so few <i>know</i>," said +Laloi despairingly. "A handful +of seeing minds, tens of +millions of ignorant ones. +Not even first principles—they're +stupid, stupid!"</p> + +<p>"But they will learn," +Buos said stubbornly. "That +is historical fact. Someday, +they will know the true meanings +of matter and light and +energy. Slowly, yes, slowly. +But in terms of their growth, +it will seem like great speed +to them ..."</p> + +<p>"And in terms of our +world," said Laloi, spinning +sadly over the ground, "they +may be far too late ..."</p> + +<p>"No!" In his excitement, +Buos forgot himself and entwined +with the flowing form +of the she-creature, and the +result was a rending of the +air that cracked like heat +lightning over the field. "No," +he repeated again. "They +must not be too late. They +must learn. They must build +from the very ground, and +then they must fly. And then +their eyes must be lifted to +the stars, and desire must extend +them to all the universe ..."</p> + +<p>"It seems so hopeless—"</p> + +<p>"It cannot be! Our destiny +is not extinction. They must +come to us, in fleets of silver, +and replant our soil, and send +towers of green shooting into +our sky, breathing out air."</p> + +<p>"Yes, yes!" Laloi cried pitifully. +"It will be that way, +Buos. It will be that way! +That man-creature, we will +begin with him ..."</p> + +<p>Buos floated earthward disconsolately. +"He is a dreamer," +he said cheerlessly. "His +mind is good; he thinks of +tomorrow; he is one of the +knowing ones. But he cannot +be moved, Laloi. His thoughts +may fester and die in the +prison of his brain ..."</p> + +<p>"No, they will not! We +have watched him. He understands +much. He will help +us!"</p> + +<p>"I have seen his like before," +said Buos hopelessly. +"He thinks and he works, and +his conclusions will die stillborn, +for lack of a moving +force ..."</p> + +<p>"Then let us provide it, +Buos. Let us move him!"</p> + +<p>"With what?" said the +other disdainfully. "Arms of +nothing? Hands of vacuum? +A breeze against his cheek? +A rustle of leaves? A meaningless +whistle in his ear?"</p> + +<p>"Let us try. Let us try! +This empty watchfulness is +destroying us. Let us move +him, Buos. Come!"</p> + +<p>Faster than the sky-sweeping +clouds they flew, over the +gently swelling hills, over the +yearning branches of the +trees, over the calm blue +waters of the lakes. Swifter +than the flight of birds they +came, searching for a thinking +mind ...</p> + +<p>They found him at last.</p> + +<p>"He knows, he knows," +said Laloi. "Only now to say +'this is so because' and 'this +must happen when'! Only to +think—to understand—"</p> + +<p>They hovered over his +head, in a pandemonium of +helplessness. They whirled, +and tumbled, and shrilly circled. +And then to Laloi the +inspiration came.</p> + +<p>The apple, caught by a sudden +gust of wind, twisted +from the tenuous hold of the +tree and fell to the ground.</p> + +<p>The man, startled, picked +it up.</p> + +<p>He gazed at it, deep in +thought.</p> + +<p class="bk2"><b>THE END</b></p> + +<div class="trn"><b>Transcriber's Note:</b> +This etext was produced from <i>Amazing Stories</i> January 1957. +Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. +copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and +typographical errors have been corrected without note.</div> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Reluctant Genius, by Henry Slesar + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RELUCTANT GENIUS *** + +***** This file should be named 28030-h.htm or 28030-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/8/0/3/28030/ + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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