Eden by Stanislaw Lem

Author:Stanislaw Lem [Lem, Stanislaw]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780156278065
Google: 632NPQAACAAJ
Amazon: 0156278065
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 1991-09-30T22:00:00+00:00

VIII

At noon five half-naked men with tanned faces and necks were lying near the ship. Around them were utensils, pieces of equipment, and a square of canvas covered with suits, boots, and towels. The smell of freshly brewed coffee came from an open thermos. Shadows of clouds moved silently across the plain. Had it not been for the creature sitting motionless several feet farther beneath the hull, the scene might have resembled a picnic on Earth.

"Where's the Engineer?" asked the Physicist. He propped himself up lazily on his elbows.

"Writing his book."

"You mean, on how to repair one's spaceship?"

"Yes, it should make for interesting reading. A thick volume!"

The Physicist looked at the speaker. "You're in a good mood. That's important. And your wound is almost healed. I don't think the cut would have closed so fast on Earth."

The Captain touched the scab on his forehead and raised his brows. "That's possible. The ship was sterile, and the bacteria here are harmless to us. And there don't seem to be any insects. I haven't seen any, have you?"

"The Doctor's white butterflies," the Physicist said quietly, reluctant to talk in the heat.

"Well, that's only a hypothesis."

"And what isn't a hypothesis here?" asked the Doctor.

"Our presence," the Chemist said, turning over on his back. "You know, I wouldn't mind a change of scenery...."

"Nor would I," agreed the Doctor.

"Did you notice how red the doubler's skin became after only a few minutes in the sun?" the Captain said.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. That means either that he has never been in the sun before, or that normally he wears some sort of clothing. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"I don't know what...."

"Things aren't too bad," said the Cyberneticist, looking up from a sheet of paper covered with writing. "Henry tells me he can get the diodes from Defender. If everything checks out tomorrow, by evening we'll have the first robot working. I'll put it in charge of the rest, and if it can patch together three units, our troubles are over. We'll get the hoists going, the shovel, and in a week the ship will be up, and..."

"And what?" asked the Chemist. "We climb in and take off?"

The Doctor grinned. "Space travel is the purest expression of man's curiosity," he said. "Did you hear? The Chemist doesn't want to leave now!"

"No, but seriously, Doctor, what about the doubler? You've been with him all day!"

"That's true."

"Well? Don't get mysterious! We've had enough mystery!"

"I wish I had something to be mysterious about! He's behaving ... like a child. A retarded child. He recognizes me. When I call him, he comes. When I push him away, he sits."

"You took him to the engine room. How did he react?"

"Like a baby. It didn't interest him at all. When I went behind the generator and he couldn't see me, he began to sweat with fear. If it is sweat, and if the sweat does signify fear..."

"Can he speak? I could hear him gurgling to you."

"He doesn't produce articulate sounds. I made tape recordings and analyzed the frequencies.

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