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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b2f1c2f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50890 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50890) diff --git a/old/50890-h.zip b/old/50890-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 880a988..0000000 --- a/old/50890-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50890-h/50890-h.htm b/old/50890-h/50890-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 4650120..0000000 --- a/old/50890-h/50890-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1030 +0,0 @@ -<!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=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birds of Lorrane, by Bill Doede. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birds of Lorrane, by Bill Doede - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Birds of Lorrane - -Author: Bill Doede - -Release Date: January 10, 2016 [EBook #50890] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRDS OF LORRANE *** - - - - - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="392" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>THE BIRDS OF LORRANE</h1> - -<p>By BILL DOEDE</p> - -<p>Illustrated by BURNS</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Magazine August 1963.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>Intelligent birds! They knew a dead-end<br /> -planet when they visited one!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Ingomar Bjorgson knew he was going to die.</p> - -<p>He turned his back on his useless ship and went inside the bubble house -that had been his home for ninety-nine days. Methodically he donned his -all-weather clothes, his environment suit. He did not want to die in -this place. Here was food and refrigeration for the days, warmth and -comfort for the nights. He could not bring himself to put a gun to his -head, or end it by any other direct, willful act. But out there in the -desert, away from man-made helps for survival ... there a man could get -himself into circumstances where nature took care of it.</p> - -<p>That was his reason for being here on this lonely planet, in the first -place—the promise of finding intelligent life. For intelligence was -rare in the universe, after all. A lone adventurer, a year before, -forced down on this planet by a cosmic storm, had waited a week here -for the storm to subside, then had landed on Earth with the feverish -news of intelligent life. Ingomar Bjorgson had come to investigate.</p> - -<p>Birds, yet.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They were only two. Two birds with minds like the edge of a razor, -living alone on this planet that was one hundred per cent desert.</p> - -<p>He took one last look around the bubble, then walked out, leaving the -door open. From ten feet away he watched the sand already blowing in -through the doorway, and he felt very lonely and small. He knew that -his death, like his life, would never be marked anywhere with any -degree of permanence.</p> - -<p>He walked. There was no hurry, so he walked slowly, stopping -occasionally to turn and stare at the tracks his feet had scuffed in -the sand, watching sand drift into them. He smiled wryly. The universe -was so eager to be rid of him—as if he were a disease.</p> - -<p>He looked up again, studying the whole sky. But there was no movement -of wings, no silver streak of a ship coming to pick him up. Only one -spot marred the desert's domain—the tiny bright reflection of the -burning sun on the now distant bubble.</p> - -<p>The birds had promised him. They had been so sure of themselves.</p> - -<p>When he knew that the fierce sun and wind would kill him before he -could get back to the bubble, he started removing his all-weather -clothes. He flung them aside like a dancer. Coat to the left, trousers -to the right. The hot wind threw the trousers back against his face. He -tore them off with a curse. Shirt to the left. He kept the shoes on, -out of respect for his feet. Then he trudged on, wondering vaguely how -a half dressed man, dying on his feet, could make the same marks in the -sand as a fully clothed, comfortable one.</p> - -<p>He stumbled on an outcropping of rock. He fell. He picked himself up -again. It would be quick, after all. The sun was in league with the -rest of the universe. He would die soon.</p> - -<p>He fell again.</p> - -<p>He had found the planet of Lorrane easily. The adventurer's charts were -accurate. It was a dry, barren place, an old, worn-out world where only -wind and sand moved, where mountains shoved their eroded peaks into -the impotent sky. But Ingomar found, upon emerging from his ship, that -there was another movement. Two black dots appeared far away in the sky -and rapidly grew larger. He had been told that the planet was populated -by an intelligent form of bird life. Two were approaching now.</p> - -<p>He smiled to himself. "Imagine that," he said to himself, "A smart -bird. How should you meet a smart bird? Should you shake hands?"</p> - -<p>The birds alighted in the sand before him. They eyed him with bright, -intelligent eyes. They were quite large, standing at least two feet -tall. Their gray feathers lay smooth and straight, immaculately cared -for. Ingomar cast around in his mind for something to say, or some sign -to make that indicated friendship.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="513" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Then one of the birds looked at the other and said, "This one is -larger."</p> - -<p>"Much," the other replied.</p> - -<p>Ingomar was astonished. "You can talk?" he asked, "In English?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. Didn't the first man tell how he instructed us?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, of course," Ingomar said, confused. "But I didn't remem ... -that is.... Well, I didn't believe it."</p> - -<p>The birds eyed each other again. "I like him," one said. "If there's -anything I hate, it's a completely honest person."</p> - -<p>The other gave him a vicious peck on his back. "Shut up!" it said, "Do -you want him to think we condone dishonesty?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not," the other retorted hotly, "I just meant that, -considering social protocol, it is sometimes kind to tell a very small -lie."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ingomar was speechless. He looked back at his ship, standing tall and -straight, ready to blast itself into the sky again. He glanced around -at the lonely landscape. Finally he said, "It is difficult to see a -difference between you two. Do you have names that I might be able to -use?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. We beg your pardon. How uncivil of us. Our name, translated -into your tongue, is Pisces."</p> - -<p>"The fish?"</p> - -<p>"Well," they said, "from our home planet the constellation does not -look like a fish."</p> - -<p>"Oh. Well, are both of you named Pisces? Oh, I see. That is your -species. I am called Man; you are called Pisces."</p> - -<p>"Of course not," they said, "You were right the first time. Pisces is -our name. You can say, 'Pisces, get me that ship.' And we would do so."</p> - -<p>"How can both of you have the same name? Are you actually one -intelligence? And see that you keep your hands ... I mean, see that you -leave my ship alone."</p> - -<p>One said, "We wouldn't think of touching your ship." The other said, -"No, we are two separate entities."</p> - -<p>Ingomar passed a hand over his face, thinking. The two very -Earth-looking birds stood quietly before him, their feet buried in the -sand so that it looked like their legs were two stilts shoved into the -ground. At last he said, "Well, I know what we'll do. I will call you -Pisces I," he pointed to the bird on his left, "and your companion -Pisces II."</p> - -<p>The identical birds glanced at each other, then leapt into the air. -They circled high above his head. They swooped low. They engaged in -marvelous aerial gymnastics wonderful to see. Ingomar made notes in his -book concerning their agility. Finally they came to rest before him -again, so suddenly that he stepped backward quickly, frightened.</p> - -<p>"Now," they said, "which one of us is Pisces I and which is Pisces II?"</p> - -<p>Puzzled, Ingomar studied them carefully. The one with the quick temper -might show this characteristic in some way. He pointed to the bird on -his right. "You," he said, "are Pisces I."</p> - -<p>They laughed. It was a verbal sound only. No expression showed in their -eyes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"All right," Ingomar said, after some thought. "I can fix that." He -entered his ship and rummaged around in his clothes locker, then -emerged with a brilliant red ribbon of plastic. "I'll tie this to your -leg. That way I'll know that you are Pisces I. If you promise not to -move it from one to the other."</p> - -<p>"We promise."</p> - -<p>He stooped over to tie the plastic on the leg of the one he thought was -Pisces I, and was almost caught in the sudden flurry of slashing beaks -and raking claws, like a mating fight in an aviary.</p> - -<p>"<i>I</i> am Pisces I," one screamed, administering a resounding peck on the -other's back.</p> - -<p>"No, you're not. I am." This one leapt into the air and landed on the -other's back. He raked vicious, long talons across the well-groomed -feathers. "I am more intelligent than you. <i>I</i> should be Pisces I."</p> - -<p>From a safe ten feet away, Ingomar threw the ribbon at them. "Stop it!" -he yelled.</p> - -<p>They obeyed instantly, and stood quietly side by side facing him. -Ingomar drew his hand gun and pointed it at them. "Now stop your -fighting, or I'll blow you to kingdom come."</p> - -<p>"Fine," they said. "Anything to get off this miserable planet. How far -is it?"</p> - -<p>Ingomar smiled, in spite of his anger. "It's an expression. It means I -will destroy you."</p> - -<p>One of the birds quickly picked up the plastic ribbon and carried it -to the other, and dropped it near the leg. Then both took it in their -beaks and together they tied it around the leg. It was done so quickly -that Ingomar stood there aghast, surprised into immobility. He had -never before seen birds tie knots.</p> - -<p>"It would not be wise to destroy us," Pisces I said. "We can help you."</p> - -<p>"How?"</p> - -<p>"You need help," Pisces II said. "A storm is coming."</p> - -<p>"A cosmic storm?" Ingomar asked. "I'm not worried about that. I'll stay -here until it moves on."</p> - -<p>Pisces I shook his head. "A planetary storm."</p> - -<p>"When?"</p> - -<p>"Sometime tonight."</p> - -<p>"Okay," Ingomar said. "Thanks. I'll stay inside."</p> - -<p>"It's not so easy as that. You must blast off and put your ship in -orbit for the night."</p> - -<p>"Why? Do you know how much fuel it takes to get into orbit? I have none -to spare."</p> - -<p>Pisces II scratched in the sand with his claws, thinking. Then he said, -"Only one alternative exists. If you remain, the storm will wreck your -ship. Take us aboard now, and blast off for your home planet. To stay -here means death."</p> - -<p>Ingomar snorted and turned back toward his ship. He thought, "Take -them aboard my ship? Not in a million years." He saw their plan, now. -They wanted to get into his ship. Then, by some means he could not now -foresee, they would take the ship away from him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He was so shaken by this conclusion that he quickly retreated to -safety, closing the airlock. The birds stayed outside. They were -arguing between themselves. He could tell by the gesticulations they -made with their heads. Once Pisces I attacked Pisces II viciously, -raking him mercilessly with sharp talons. Pisces II fought back -ferociously. They rolled over and over in the sand. Ingomar threw a -switch that gave him communication outside the ship, and yelled at them.</p> - -<p>They stopped fighting at once. He said, "Have you two lost your minds?"</p> - -<p>Pisces II laughed. "Now how could one lose his mind? It goes with him -everywhere."</p> - -<p>"All right," Ingomar said. "I meant, have you become insane?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not," Pisces I said. "We are peaceful entities. We -intentionally developed this argument to break the monotony of life -here."</p> - -<p>"Is it so bad as that?"</p> - -<p>"It is terrible. Will you take us aboard?"</p> - -<p>Ingomar did not answer, but switched the communicator off and busied -himself with recording his observations. He took advantage of their -continued presence and took photographs.</p> - -<p>Finally, after several hours, they leapt into the air and flew away -toward the distant mountains. Ingomar was sorry to see them leave, and -more than once checked his instruments for signs of a coming storm in -case they were right. But nothing outside had changed.</p> - -<p>After they had left he opened the ship and stepped outside, taking -readings with instruments to record the character of the planet. He -trudged through the eternally drifting sand, looking for some sign of -life. No plants, insects, animals anywhere. Only the fine, mobile sand, -occasionally an outcropping of rock not yet eroded away. And the heat! -Ingomar was forced to turn the controls of his environment suit almost -all the way up to keep comfortable. Then, when the sun receded behind -the ghostly barren mountains, the cold came creeping in. Ingomar turned -his controls in the other direction, while walking back to his ship. He -was afraid he would not keep the cold outside.</p> - -<p>The landscape, with the sun's absence, was dark and fearful. Shadows -moved in the wind, shadows of drifting sand that took on the -shapes of monsters lurking in the darkness. Ingomar was not one to -frighten easily, but the night took on such ominous sighs and moans -and movements that his imagination began to magnify them beyond -recognition. When he finally saw the ship loom up before him he ran, -stumbling toward it. He fumbled in the darkness for the control knob -to open the lock and found it at last. He leapt inside, accompanied by -a cold blast of wind and sand, and stood there panting, hearing his -heart pound in his ears.</p> - -<p>The night was long and lonely. He was too far from civilization for -his radio equipment to bring the comfort of familiar sounds. He tried -to read, but found concentration impossible. He thought of the birds, -wondering where they were now, how they kept from freezing to death at -night. He rewrote his notes, adding remembered facts and impressions. -Finally he decided sleep was the most painless way of spending the -night, and swallowed a small capsule designed to induce total sleep for -at least six hours.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He awoke the next morning standing on his head.</p> - -<p>The bed, horizontal the night before, was now vertical. The whole room -was vertical. Panic swept over him like a wave of burning fire. He -scrambled to the airlock. It opened grotesquely.</p> - -<p>The ship, which last night had stood so proudly, now lay on its side. -And in his drugged sleep he had not known when it fell. For Ingomar, -the bottom dropped out of everything, and his heart dropped with it. -There was no resetting of a ship once it had fallen. This took special -equipment. Ingomar Bjorgson was a doomed man, and he knew it.</p> - -<p>While he stood outside in the morning sun, staring at the horrible -spectacle before him, the two birds alighted, one on each side.</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you listen to us?" Pisces I said in an accusing tone.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Pisces II echoed angrily. "You make me sick, thinking you're -so smart, coming down here in your big ship and strutting around like -you think you're a God, or something. Now, how big do you feel? Do you -realize that this is our first opportunity to leave this planet? I've a -good notion to peck your stupid eyes out right here and now."</p> - -<p>"Leave him be," Pisces I said. "He may not be so bright, but I think -he would have taken us with him, after he got used to us and saw how -harmless we are."</p> - -<p>Pisces II leapt at him, almost knocking Ingomar off his feet. "Shut up! -I've a good notion to peck your eyes out, too."</p> - -<p>"Oh, stop it!" Ingomar said wearily. "We're all doomed to spend the -rest of our lives here. How was I to know that the storm would be so -bad? My instruments gave no indication whatever."</p> - -<p>"Actually, it was our fault," Pisces II said, more calmly. "We failed -to mention the nature of the storm. We thought you knew. It was a -magnetic storm. A shifting of magnetic currents surrounding the planet. -We had no idea that you would think of the weather."</p> - -<p>They walked with him around the fallen ship. It was not injured, that -much Ingomar could see. The soft bed of sand had cushioned its fall. If -it could only be righted! Ingomar knew it was impossible.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="600" height="386" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"It is pointed toward that knoll out there. See? Suppose we all got -inside and blasted off. We would slide along and maybe when we reached -the knoll we'd have enough speed to keep on going in a straight line -until we could point her nose upward."</p> - -<p>Ingomar shook his head, but he appreciated the suggestion. It indicated -that they were willing to try anything. He knew their motives were not -entirely philanthropic, but he liked them more for it, anyway.</p> - -<p>He said, "There is only one way out, and that is for someone to come in -and get us."</p> - -<p>"Well," Pisces II said, "What are you waiting for? Call them."</p> - -<p>"I can't. We are too far out for communication."</p> - -<p>The two gray birds eyed one another in disbelief. Pisces I scratched -his breast impolitely. Then he said, "Are you telling us that you have -come this far from your own solar system, knowing that you could not -call for help, if necessary?"</p> - -<p>Ingomar nodded.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Pisces II snorted through his beak, and scratched in the sand. -"Stupidity," he said. "There is no other word for it."</p> - -<p>"Yes, there is," Pisces I answered, somewhat sharply. "In fact, there -are several possible words. Bravery. Desperation. Actually I think -it is a combination of both. I am sure that you are aware how rare -intelligent life is in the universe. When you heard of us, you rushed -out here at once. I would call it bravery to go beyond the sound of the -voices of your kind. You are desperate because you are lonely in an -almost empty universe."</p> - -<p>"We must help him," said Pisces II.</p> - -<p>"Of course. But first let's make him comfortable. It will be a long -wait."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," Ingomar said, moved by their sympathy. "But you cannot -help. Or do you have a way to send messages?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, in a way," Pisces II said, "You see...."</p> - -<p>Pisces I lifted a huge wing and knocked Pisces II in the sand. He -turned to Ingomar. "Do you promise to take us with you, if we should -succeed in getting help?"</p> - -<p>Ingomar did not think it over. "Yes," he said.</p> - -<p>"Then we will do it. But first we must make you comfortable. Do you -have equipment for shelter, besides the ship?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, there is the bubble. It can be expanded to become a house."</p> - -<p>"Get it," Pisces II said.</p> - -<p>Ingomar did. He dragged it outside and began to unfold it, in -preparation for inflation. But Pisces II stopped him. "Not here," he -said. "It will be a long time. Our calculation is that it will take at -least forty-five days to get help. The trip from your planet alone is -at least forty days. You will not wish to stare at your toppled ship -for so long. I suggest we go beyond the first knoll."</p> - -<p>Pisces I laughed and said to Ingomar, "For once he is using his brain. -We will carry it."</p> - -<p>He grasped the bubble in his claws, flapped his enormous wings and -sailed off. Soon he returned, and among the three of them all his food -and books and any equipment he might need was carried over the knoll -out of sight of the wrecked ship.</p> - -<p>"We will not return," they said, "until the rescue ship arrives. So -make yourself comfortable. Do not stray too far from the ship. This is -the most miserable planet in the universe. Give us plenty of time. We -know we can summon help, but we do not know how long it will take. We -may need as many as seventy-five days."</p> - -<p>Ingomar settled down to wait.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The fierce, burning sun had turned Ingomar's face and naked arms into -fried areas of intense pain, but he regained consciousness when he felt -the coolness of the ointment. It penetrated deep down, under the burned -skin, into flesh and muscle, soothing injured cells.</p> - -<p>He opened his eyes. He moved his head. The eyes were burned and -bloodshot, but he could see a ship standing a hundred feet away. It was -not sleek and long, pointing its needle nose at the sky, though. It was -round, dull white, like a giant egg laid by a giant bird.</p> - -<p>Bird? Ingomar chuckled, senses returning, thinking through his pain of -Pisces I or Pisces II laying an egg. Then he laughed aloud.</p> - -<p>He stopped, quite abruptly, and looked again. The egg was still there, -but it was not an egg. It was actually a ship and the airlock was open -and Pisces II was backing out, dragging a sort of stretcher on wheels.</p> - -<p>"It's a ... a ... ship!" he exclaimed, tears running down his cheeks, -over the ointment. "Whose ship is it?"</p> - -<p>"Ours," said Pisces I.</p> - -<p>"Yours?" Ingomar said, after a long pause while the pain raged over -his skin. He tried to sit up, and Pisces I got behind him and pushed, -nudging him upright. "Where did you get it?"</p> - -<p>"Oh," Pisces II interrupted. "We had it all the time."</p> - -<p>"Shut up!" Pisces I yelled. "He asked me."</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue," Pisces II retorted hotly, "or I'll take off and -leave you here. I've had enough of you in the past century to last a -lifetime."</p> - -<p>Pisces I said to Ingomar, "Pay no attention to that peasant." He helped -Pisces II push the stretcher next to Ingomar. Then he pushed a lever -and the stretcher reduced itself to ground height. It was too short -for Ingomar's body, having been designed for the body of a bird. "He's -right, though," Pisces I continued, giving the stretcher a kick because -it wasn't long enough. "We had the ship all along. It was despicable of -us to deceive you, but our ship was defective, and we needed yours for -parts."</p> - -<p>Ingomar shook his head. "There was no magnetic storm?"</p> - -<p>Pisces II nodded his head. "Oh, yes, there was a storm. But not a -natural phenomenon, I'm sorry to say. Too bad. The natural storms are -much more beautiful."</p> - -<p>"And you had the bubble set up away from the ship so I wouldn't see -you steal the parts?"</p> - -<p>They hung their heads. "Despicable," they said. "A rotten thing to do."</p> - -<p>Ingomar was too ill for anger. "Let me understand this," he said. "You -ruined my ship to get parts for yours. Why? Why not just take my ship?"</p> - -<p>"Too slow," Pisces II said. He took the container of ointment in his -beak and set it beside Ingomar's hand. "Here, you can rub it on by -yourself now. Get busy."</p> - -<p>Pisces I said, "By your standards our planet is a terrible distance -away. Your ship would take too long. Hurry, now. We've got to take you -to ... what do you call it, Earth? What an odd name! We're in sort of a -hurry to get home, as you might imagine."</p> - -<p>Ingomar hurried. With the help of the mysterious, healing ointment he -was soon able to get up and make his way to the ship.</p> - -<p>"One more question," he said. "Your ship was defective and you set down -here and you've been here for a long time, and you're a long way from -home. What were you doing so far from home, in the first place?"</p> - -<p>"What do you suppose?" said Pisces I irritably. "We were looking for -intelligent life. Get a move on, now. If we don't waste too much time -on this Earth, we may still find some!"</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birds of Lorrane, by Bill Doede - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRDS OF LORRANE *** - -***** This file should be named 50890-h.htm or 50890-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/8/9/50890/ - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Birds of Lorrane - -Author: Bill Doede - -Release Date: January 10, 2016 [EBook #50890] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRDS OF LORRANE *** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE BIRDS OF LORRANE - - By BILL DOEDE - - Illustrated by BURNS - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Magazine August 1963. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - Intelligent birds! They knew a dead-end - planet when they visited one! - - -Ingomar Bjorgson knew he was going to die. - -He turned his back on his useless ship and went inside the bubble house -that had been his home for ninety-nine days. Methodically he donned his -all-weather clothes, his environment suit. He did not want to die in -this place. Here was food and refrigeration for the days, warmth and -comfort for the nights. He could not bring himself to put a gun to his -head, or end it by any other direct, willful act. But out there in the -desert, away from man-made helps for survival ... there a man could get -himself into circumstances where nature took care of it. - -That was his reason for being here on this lonely planet, in the first -place--the promise of finding intelligent life. For intelligence was -rare in the universe, after all. A lone adventurer, a year before, -forced down on this planet by a cosmic storm, had waited a week here -for the storm to subside, then had landed on Earth with the feverish -news of intelligent life. Ingomar Bjorgson had come to investigate. - -Birds, yet. - - * * * * * - -They were only two. Two birds with minds like the edge of a razor, -living alone on this planet that was one hundred per cent desert. - -He took one last look around the bubble, then walked out, leaving the -door open. From ten feet away he watched the sand already blowing in -through the doorway, and he felt very lonely and small. He knew that -his death, like his life, would never be marked anywhere with any -degree of permanence. - -He walked. There was no hurry, so he walked slowly, stopping -occasionally to turn and stare at the tracks his feet had scuffed in -the sand, watching sand drift into them. He smiled wryly. The universe -was so eager to be rid of him--as if he were a disease. - -He looked up again, studying the whole sky. But there was no movement -of wings, no silver streak of a ship coming to pick him up. Only one -spot marred the desert's domain--the tiny bright reflection of the -burning sun on the now distant bubble. - -The birds had promised him. They had been so sure of themselves. - -When he knew that the fierce sun and wind would kill him before he -could get back to the bubble, he started removing his all-weather -clothes. He flung them aside like a dancer. Coat to the left, trousers -to the right. The hot wind threw the trousers back against his face. He -tore them off with a curse. Shirt to the left. He kept the shoes on, -out of respect for his feet. Then he trudged on, wondering vaguely how -a half dressed man, dying on his feet, could make the same marks in the -sand as a fully clothed, comfortable one. - -He stumbled on an outcropping of rock. He fell. He picked himself up -again. It would be quick, after all. The sun was in league with the -rest of the universe. He would die soon. - -He fell again. - -He had found the planet of Lorrane easily. The adventurer's charts were -accurate. It was a dry, barren place, an old, worn-out world where only -wind and sand moved, where mountains shoved their eroded peaks into -the impotent sky. But Ingomar found, upon emerging from his ship, that -there was another movement. Two black dots appeared far away in the sky -and rapidly grew larger. He had been told that the planet was populated -by an intelligent form of bird life. Two were approaching now. - -He smiled to himself. "Imagine that," he said to himself, "A smart -bird. How should you meet a smart bird? Should you shake hands?" - -The birds alighted in the sand before him. They eyed him with bright, -intelligent eyes. They were quite large, standing at least two feet -tall. Their gray feathers lay smooth and straight, immaculately cared -for. Ingomar cast around in his mind for something to say, or some sign -to make that indicated friendship. - -Then one of the birds looked at the other and said, "This one is -larger." - -"Much," the other replied. - -Ingomar was astonished. "You can talk?" he asked, "In English?" - -"Certainly. Didn't the first man tell how he instructed us?" - -"Yes, yes, of course," Ingomar said, confused. "But I didn't remem ... -that is.... Well, I didn't believe it." - -The birds eyed each other again. "I like him," one said. "If there's -anything I hate, it's a completely honest person." - -The other gave him a vicious peck on his back. "Shut up!" it said, "Do -you want him to think we condone dishonesty?" - -"Of course not," the other retorted hotly, "I just meant that, -considering social protocol, it is sometimes kind to tell a very small -lie." - - * * * * * - -Ingomar was speechless. He looked back at his ship, standing tall and -straight, ready to blast itself into the sky again. He glanced around -at the lonely landscape. Finally he said, "It is difficult to see a -difference between you two. Do you have names that I might be able to -use?" - -"Oh, yes. We beg your pardon. How uncivil of us. Our name, translated -into your tongue, is Pisces." - -"The fish?" - -"Well," they said, "from our home planet the constellation does not -look like a fish." - -"Oh. Well, are both of you named Pisces? Oh, I see. That is your -species. I am called Man; you are called Pisces." - -"Of course not," they said, "You were right the first time. Pisces is -our name. You can say, 'Pisces, get me that ship.' And we would do so." - -"How can both of you have the same name? Are you actually one -intelligence? And see that you keep your hands ... I mean, see that you -leave my ship alone." - -One said, "We wouldn't think of touching your ship." The other said, -"No, we are two separate entities." - -Ingomar passed a hand over his face, thinking. The two very -Earth-looking birds stood quietly before him, their feet buried in the -sand so that it looked like their legs were two stilts shoved into the -ground. At last he said, "Well, I know what we'll do. I will call you -Pisces I," he pointed to the bird on his left, "and your companion -Pisces II." - -The identical birds glanced at each other, then leapt into the air. -They circled high above his head. They swooped low. They engaged in -marvelous aerial gymnastics wonderful to see. Ingomar made notes in his -book concerning their agility. Finally they came to rest before him -again, so suddenly that he stepped backward quickly, frightened. - -"Now," they said, "which one of us is Pisces I and which is Pisces II?" - -Puzzled, Ingomar studied them carefully. The one with the quick temper -might show this characteristic in some way. He pointed to the bird on -his right. "You," he said, "are Pisces I." - -They laughed. It was a verbal sound only. No expression showed in their -eyes. - - * * * * * - -"All right," Ingomar said, after some thought. "I can fix that." He -entered his ship and rummaged around in his clothes locker, then -emerged with a brilliant red ribbon of plastic. "I'll tie this to your -leg. That way I'll know that you are Pisces I. If you promise not to -move it from one to the other." - -"We promise." - -He stooped over to tie the plastic on the leg of the one he thought was -Pisces I, and was almost caught in the sudden flurry of slashing beaks -and raking claws, like a mating fight in an aviary. - -"_I_ am Pisces I," one screamed, administering a resounding peck on the -other's back. - -"No, you're not. I am." This one leapt into the air and landed on the -other's back. He raked vicious, long talons across the well-groomed -feathers. "I am more intelligent than you. _I_ should be Pisces I." - -From a safe ten feet away, Ingomar threw the ribbon at them. "Stop it!" -he yelled. - -They obeyed instantly, and stood quietly side by side facing him. -Ingomar drew his hand gun and pointed it at them. "Now stop your -fighting, or I'll blow you to kingdom come." - -"Fine," they said. "Anything to get off this miserable planet. How far -is it?" - -Ingomar smiled, in spite of his anger. "It's an expression. It means I -will destroy you." - -One of the birds quickly picked up the plastic ribbon and carried it -to the other, and dropped it near the leg. Then both took it in their -beaks and together they tied it around the leg. It was done so quickly -that Ingomar stood there aghast, surprised into immobility. He had -never before seen birds tie knots. - -"It would not be wise to destroy us," Pisces I said. "We can help you." - -"How?" - -"You need help," Pisces II said. "A storm is coming." - -"A cosmic storm?" Ingomar asked. "I'm not worried about that. I'll stay -here until it moves on." - -Pisces I shook his head. "A planetary storm." - -"When?" - -"Sometime tonight." - -"Okay," Ingomar said. "Thanks. I'll stay inside." - -"It's not so easy as that. You must blast off and put your ship in -orbit for the night." - -"Why? Do you know how much fuel it takes to get into orbit? I have none -to spare." - -Pisces II scratched in the sand with his claws, thinking. Then he said, -"Only one alternative exists. If you remain, the storm will wreck your -ship. Take us aboard now, and blast off for your home planet. To stay -here means death." - -Ingomar snorted and turned back toward his ship. He thought, "Take -them aboard my ship? Not in a million years." He saw their plan, now. -They wanted to get into his ship. Then, by some means he could not now -foresee, they would take the ship away from him. - - * * * * * - -He was so shaken by this conclusion that he quickly retreated to -safety, closing the airlock. The birds stayed outside. They were -arguing between themselves. He could tell by the gesticulations they -made with their heads. Once Pisces I attacked Pisces II viciously, -raking him mercilessly with sharp talons. Pisces II fought back -ferociously. They rolled over and over in the sand. Ingomar threw a -switch that gave him communication outside the ship, and yelled at them. - -They stopped fighting at once. He said, "Have you two lost your minds?" - -Pisces II laughed. "Now how could one lose his mind? It goes with him -everywhere." - -"All right," Ingomar said. "I meant, have you become insane?" - -"Of course not," Pisces I said. "We are peaceful entities. We -intentionally developed this argument to break the monotony of life -here." - -"Is it so bad as that?" - -"It is terrible. Will you take us aboard?" - -Ingomar did not answer, but switched the communicator off and busied -himself with recording his observations. He took advantage of their -continued presence and took photographs. - -Finally, after several hours, they leapt into the air and flew away -toward the distant mountains. Ingomar was sorry to see them leave, and -more than once checked his instruments for signs of a coming storm in -case they were right. But nothing outside had changed. - -After they had left he opened the ship and stepped outside, taking -readings with instruments to record the character of the planet. He -trudged through the eternally drifting sand, looking for some sign of -life. No plants, insects, animals anywhere. Only the fine, mobile sand, -occasionally an outcropping of rock not yet eroded away. And the heat! -Ingomar was forced to turn the controls of his environment suit almost -all the way up to keep comfortable. Then, when the sun receded behind -the ghostly barren mountains, the cold came creeping in. Ingomar turned -his controls in the other direction, while walking back to his ship. He -was afraid he would not keep the cold outside. - -The landscape, with the sun's absence, was dark and fearful. Shadows -moved in the wind, shadows of drifting sand that took on the -shapes of monsters lurking in the darkness. Ingomar was not one to -frighten easily, but the night took on such ominous sighs and moans -and movements that his imagination began to magnify them beyond -recognition. When he finally saw the ship loom up before him he ran, -stumbling toward it. He fumbled in the darkness for the control knob -to open the lock and found it at last. He leapt inside, accompanied by -a cold blast of wind and sand, and stood there panting, hearing his -heart pound in his ears. - -The night was long and lonely. He was too far from civilization for -his radio equipment to bring the comfort of familiar sounds. He tried -to read, but found concentration impossible. He thought of the birds, -wondering where they were now, how they kept from freezing to death at -night. He rewrote his notes, adding remembered facts and impressions. -Finally he decided sleep was the most painless way of spending the -night, and swallowed a small capsule designed to induce total sleep for -at least six hours. - - * * * * * - -He awoke the next morning standing on his head. - -The bed, horizontal the night before, was now vertical. The whole room -was vertical. Panic swept over him like a wave of burning fire. He -scrambled to the airlock. It opened grotesquely. - -The ship, which last night had stood so proudly, now lay on its side. -And in his drugged sleep he had not known when it fell. For Ingomar, -the bottom dropped out of everything, and his heart dropped with it. -There was no resetting of a ship once it had fallen. This took special -equipment. Ingomar Bjorgson was a doomed man, and he knew it. - -While he stood outside in the morning sun, staring at the horrible -spectacle before him, the two birds alighted, one on each side. - -"Why didn't you listen to us?" Pisces I said in an accusing tone. - -"Yes," Pisces II echoed angrily. "You make me sick, thinking you're -so smart, coming down here in your big ship and strutting around like -you think you're a God, or something. Now, how big do you feel? Do you -realize that this is our first opportunity to leave this planet? I've a -good notion to peck your stupid eyes out right here and now." - -"Leave him be," Pisces I said. "He may not be so bright, but I think -he would have taken us with him, after he got used to us and saw how -harmless we are." - -Pisces II leapt at him, almost knocking Ingomar off his feet. "Shut up! -I've a good notion to peck your eyes out, too." - -"Oh, stop it!" Ingomar said wearily. "We're all doomed to spend the -rest of our lives here. How was I to know that the storm would be so -bad? My instruments gave no indication whatever." - -"Actually, it was our fault," Pisces II said, more calmly. "We failed -to mention the nature of the storm. We thought you knew. It was a -magnetic storm. A shifting of magnetic currents surrounding the planet. -We had no idea that you would think of the weather." - -They walked with him around the fallen ship. It was not injured, that -much Ingomar could see. The soft bed of sand had cushioned its fall. If -it could only be righted! Ingomar knew it was impossible. - -"It is pointed toward that knoll out there. See? Suppose we all got -inside and blasted off. We would slide along and maybe when we reached -the knoll we'd have enough speed to keep on going in a straight line -until we could point her nose upward." - -Ingomar shook his head, but he appreciated the suggestion. It indicated -that they were willing to try anything. He knew their motives were not -entirely philanthropic, but he liked them more for it, anyway. - -He said, "There is only one way out, and that is for someone to come in -and get us." - -"Well," Pisces II said, "What are you waiting for? Call them." - -"I can't. We are too far out for communication." - -The two gray birds eyed one another in disbelief. Pisces I scratched -his breast impolitely. Then he said, "Are you telling us that you have -come this far from your own solar system, knowing that you could not -call for help, if necessary?" - -Ingomar nodded. - - * * * * * - -Pisces II snorted through his beak, and scratched in the sand. -"Stupidity," he said. "There is no other word for it." - -"Yes, there is," Pisces I answered, somewhat sharply. "In fact, there -are several possible words. Bravery. Desperation. Actually I think -it is a combination of both. I am sure that you are aware how rare -intelligent life is in the universe. When you heard of us, you rushed -out here at once. I would call it bravery to go beyond the sound of the -voices of your kind. You are desperate because you are lonely in an -almost empty universe." - -"We must help him," said Pisces II. - -"Of course. But first let's make him comfortable. It will be a long -wait." - -"Thank you," Ingomar said, moved by their sympathy. "But you cannot -help. Or do you have a way to send messages?" - -"Yes, in a way," Pisces II said, "You see...." - -Pisces I lifted a huge wing and knocked Pisces II in the sand. He -turned to Ingomar. "Do you promise to take us with you, if we should -succeed in getting help?" - -Ingomar did not think it over. "Yes," he said. - -"Then we will do it. But first we must make you comfortable. Do you -have equipment for shelter, besides the ship?" - -"Yes, there is the bubble. It can be expanded to become a house." - -"Get it," Pisces II said. - -Ingomar did. He dragged it outside and began to unfold it, in -preparation for inflation. But Pisces II stopped him. "Not here," he -said. "It will be a long time. Our calculation is that it will take at -least forty-five days to get help. The trip from your planet alone is -at least forty days. You will not wish to stare at your toppled ship -for so long. I suggest we go beyond the first knoll." - -Pisces I laughed and said to Ingomar, "For once he is using his brain. -We will carry it." - -He grasped the bubble in his claws, flapped his enormous wings and -sailed off. Soon he returned, and among the three of them all his food -and books and any equipment he might need was carried over the knoll -out of sight of the wrecked ship. - -"We will not return," they said, "until the rescue ship arrives. So -make yourself comfortable. Do not stray too far from the ship. This is -the most miserable planet in the universe. Give us plenty of time. We -know we can summon help, but we do not know how long it will take. We -may need as many as seventy-five days." - -Ingomar settled down to wait. - - * * * * * - -The fierce, burning sun had turned Ingomar's face and naked arms into -fried areas of intense pain, but he regained consciousness when he felt -the coolness of the ointment. It penetrated deep down, under the burned -skin, into flesh and muscle, soothing injured cells. - -He opened his eyes. He moved his head. The eyes were burned and -bloodshot, but he could see a ship standing a hundred feet away. It was -not sleek and long, pointing its needle nose at the sky, though. It was -round, dull white, like a giant egg laid by a giant bird. - -Bird? Ingomar chuckled, senses returning, thinking through his pain of -Pisces I or Pisces II laying an egg. Then he laughed aloud. - -He stopped, quite abruptly, and looked again. The egg was still there, -but it was not an egg. It was actually a ship and the airlock was open -and Pisces II was backing out, dragging a sort of stretcher on wheels. - -"It's a ... a ... ship!" he exclaimed, tears running down his cheeks, -over the ointment. "Whose ship is it?" - -"Ours," said Pisces I. - -"Yours?" Ingomar said, after a long pause while the pain raged over -his skin. He tried to sit up, and Pisces I got behind him and pushed, -nudging him upright. "Where did you get it?" - -"Oh," Pisces II interrupted. "We had it all the time." - -"Shut up!" Pisces I yelled. "He asked me." - -"Hold your tongue," Pisces II retorted hotly, "or I'll take off and -leave you here. I've had enough of you in the past century to last a -lifetime." - -Pisces I said to Ingomar, "Pay no attention to that peasant." He helped -Pisces II push the stretcher next to Ingomar. Then he pushed a lever -and the stretcher reduced itself to ground height. It was too short -for Ingomar's body, having been designed for the body of a bird. "He's -right, though," Pisces I continued, giving the stretcher a kick because -it wasn't long enough. "We had the ship all along. It was despicable of -us to deceive you, but our ship was defective, and we needed yours for -parts." - -Ingomar shook his head. "There was no magnetic storm?" - -Pisces II nodded his head. "Oh, yes, there was a storm. But not a -natural phenomenon, I'm sorry to say. Too bad. The natural storms are -much more beautiful." - -"And you had the bubble set up away from the ship so I wouldn't see -you steal the parts?" - -They hung their heads. "Despicable," they said. "A rotten thing to do." - -Ingomar was too ill for anger. "Let me understand this," he said. "You -ruined my ship to get parts for yours. Why? Why not just take my ship?" - -"Too slow," Pisces II said. He took the container of ointment in his -beak and set it beside Ingomar's hand. "Here, you can rub it on by -yourself now. Get busy." - -Pisces I said, "By your standards our planet is a terrible distance -away. Your ship would take too long. Hurry, now. We've got to take you -to ... what do you call it, Earth? What an odd name! We're in sort of a -hurry to get home, as you might imagine." - -Ingomar hurried. With the help of the mysterious, healing ointment he -was soon able to get up and make his way to the ship. - -"One more question," he said. "Your ship was defective and you set down -here and you've been here for a long time, and you're a long way from -home. What were you doing so far from home, in the first place?" - -"What do you suppose?" said Pisces I irritably. "We were looking for -intelligent life. Get a move on, now. If we don't waste too much time -on this Earth, we may still find some!" - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birds of Lorrane, by Bill Doede - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRDS OF LORRANE *** - -***** This file should be named 50890.txt or 50890.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/8/9/50890/ - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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