The Long Cosmos by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter

Author:Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter [Pratchett, Terry & Baxter, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Published: 2016-05-01T22:00:00+00:00

31

THE PLANE LANDED without fuss maybe a half-mile from the bluff. Joshua set off in that direction, hobbling on his home-made crutch.

Sancho and the other adult trolls displayed a supreme indifference to the miracle of technology that had suddenly appeared out of an empty sky. Matt, though, bounded ahead of Joshua towards the plane, a bundle of curiosity and energy on the dusty ground.

Matt had reached the plane by the time a hatch opened and Rod clambered out. He’d already changed out of his flight suit into a practical if faded shirt, traveller’s jacket, jeans and a broad-brimmed hat, and he carried a heavy-looking white pack on his back. Matt jumped up and down before him, slapping himself on the head and rolling in the dust. Joshua could see his son kneel down, grinning, to speak to Matt, and then he took something from his pocket and threw it in the air. Matt caught it one-handed, hooted and rolled, and then scampered back towards the bluff.

Rod walked in and met his hobbling father not a hundred yards from the bluff. He slowed, somewhat warily, as if assessing Joshua’s mood. ‘Hi, Dad.’

‘Rod.’

‘Look, Dad, I know I’m breaking your sabbatical. I can also see you’re in trouble.’ He patted the pack, which Joshua guessed contained medical supplies. ‘Well, I came prepared. You’re either going to tell me I took my time getting here, or to piss off. Right?’

‘Rod—’

‘But I didn’t come out looking for you on a whim, or just because you’re overdue. I have some news for you—’

‘Shut your yap.’ Joshua stumbled forward and embraced his son. Rod smelled of the plane, of engine oil and electricity and a new-carpet cabin smell. Joshua dreaded to think what he smelled like. ‘I am in trouble. I busted my damn leg. Thanks for coming, son.’

They broke, awkwardly, and began to plod, at Joshua’s snail pace, back to the bluff.

If they were shy of each other, Matt was shy of neither of them. He came back, trailed by his sister Liz, and they both rolled and hooted alongside Rod as he walked. Rod dug into his pockets again. ‘Here, you guys, plenty of sugar for both of you.’ They snatched the white lumps out of the air and crammed them into their broad mouths.

‘You’re good with trolls,’ Joshua observed.

‘What, is that a surprise? Dad, we, my family, we live among trolls. Or they live among us. You ought to know that. You would, if you ever spent any time with us.’

‘OK, OK. But you won’t stay popular with their mothers and fathers if you keep feeding them sugar.’

Rod raised his eyebrows. ‘It’s gen-enged, Dad. No dental caries, and slips through the digestive system harmlessly. You’re behind the times.’

They reached the rock bluff, and Joshua’s rough camp. Sancho still sat on top of the bluff, wrapped once again in the survival blanket. He observed Rod’s approach with a grave but remote interest. Rod bowed to him and said, ‘Hoo?’

‘Hoo.’ Sancho turned away, evidently accepting Rod as simply as that.

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