Another Heaven, Another Earth by H M Hoover

Author:H M Hoover
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Published: 1981-03-26T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

When they flew over the village, only a few people were working in the fields. The beach was empty. They landed in front of Gareth’s door. No one came to meet them but a walla. The only sound was the song of a hen celebrating an egg.

“It’s much too quiet. Something’s wrong.” Gareth slipped free of Major Singh’s supportive arm and stood alone, clutching the red blanket around her. “Margo? Paul? Is anybody here?”

The hen quit singing. There was silence. She started down the path to the dome, unsteady but determined. The other two followed. As she neared the door, it opened slowly and Paul emerged, walking with a cane. He stopped short at the sight of her.

“Gareth—why are you dressed like that?”

“It doesn’t matter. Are you sick? Is everyone?”

“Oh, yes,” he said easily, “everyone here and most of the village.”

Lee made a discouraged noise, and the major said something about “work cut out,” that Gareth didn’t grasp.

“They’re blaming it on you,” Paul told them.

“How bad is it?”

Paul hesitated. “Two have died in the village.” He took a deep breath and leaned against the door. “But we can discuss that later too. You look like the rest of us, Gareth—and your friends don’t look much better. Did they take you to their compound?”

“No. They found me at the water hole on the plains.” She explained why they had come back for her. “Their medicine saved my life. They came to help the rest of us.”

“We must get you to bed,” Lee said firmly to Gareth. “I’ll get you settled in, and the major can take care of Paul—and then we’ll see about the others.”

“The villagers may not want your help,” Paul warned. “They’re afraid as well as sick.”

Ten minutes later Gareth was in her own bed, her protests ignored, and left with nothing to do but worry and watch the fire in the fireplace that Lee ignited by pointing a metal cylinder at the logs. Seeing the logs start to smoke and then flame, without a match, was as unreal as the fact that she was safe at home again. The speed and ease with which these people did things left one no time to think, to understand. That bothered her, and she wondered if it ever bothered them—but they seemed so sure of themselves.

Through the window she could hear the muffled voices of Paul, Major Singh, and the translator. They sounded as if they were sitting on the airtruck’s ramp. Lee had disappeared, gone to get her a drink of water and not returned. Maybe she’s exploring the house, Gareth thought, and wasn’t sure she liked that idea. She considered getting up and going to find her, then decided not to; that would imply distrust, and besides, she lacked the energy.

Searching for the kitchen, Lee had found herself instead in what appeared to be a lounging area. Windows looked down across the ruins and beyond, over the trees to the village. Shelves and stacks of books were everywhere, volumes of a type she’d seen only in museums.

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