Odd Exam by Piers Anthony

Author:Piers Anthony [Anthony, Piers]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Premier Digital Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“You had the question. I didn't think of it until you commented.”

“We make a team, all right, for what it's worth. Next question: where are the oaks and pines and flowers?”

Ike considered. “I thought the pomegranate seeds were just marked sections to indicate different challenges. But this suggests that they are more than that. This could be another world.”

“With the same gravity, temperature, atmosphere, and halfway familiar plants? That's a reach.”

He nodded. “It must be Earth. But it could be from a different time.”

“Time travel? Complete with ferocious paradoxes?”

“Or maybe an alternate Earth, parallel but not identical, that split off from ours some time ago. All the seeds could be different alternates, some with dinosaurs, some with nothing but insects, some with nothing but birds, depending on what won out in their particular frames. We've seen some imports, like those dart dogs and the big running bird.”

“So every pomegranate seed is a different parallel world? That's one hell of a fancy virtual game set up!”

“Or a series of sets made up to resemble other Earths,” he said. “Sets aren't as complicated as real worlds, and for this purpose they work about as well.”

“For this odd examination,” she agreed. “It's still a remarkably elaborate setup just to see how prospective students manage.”

Ike smiled. “Did you notice how quiet our familiars are? They know what the deal is, but can't tell us. We have to figure it out for ourselves.”

“You're too smart for your own good,” Miss Demeanor said, and Blue hissed agreement.

“All the same, we'd better be ready for trouble,” Felony said. “Maybe one of us have the sword ready, and the other the shield. Just in case.”

“Just in case,” Ike agreed. “Because whatever the setup, they don't want dopes or fools.”

They moved on into the seed, Ike with his laser sword ready, Felony with her laser shield. Their colored line had faded out; they were on their own.

They passed through a forest of cycads, but encountered no creatures of any kind. This was a relief, but it also made Ike nervous. There surely were animals; where were they hiding?

“I know you're thinking the same thing I am,” Felony said. “So what's your answer?”

“Maybe some calamity, like a meteor strike, wiped out all the animals, leaving only the plants, which can grow from seeds that survive the holocaust. But I'm not satisfied with that, because the world is in balance, with plants emitting oxygen and animals breathing it. Take out one, and the other will soon suffer. So there should be animals here.”

“There should be,” Felony agreed. “Except that a lot of the life on Earth is bacterial and viral. I understand that there are ten times as many bacteria in each person's digestive system as in all the rest of his body. So there can be balance here, just not birds, reptiles, and mammals.”

“And they're not attacking us because they're not used to mammals,” Ike agreed. “It could be like the Garden of Eden, a paradise without people.”

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