World Out of Mind by J T McIntosh

Author:J T McIntosh [McIntosh, J T]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781440559372
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 1953-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

chapter five

RAIGMORE LEANED ON THE RAIL, THINKING. WHAT HE wanted to do was tell Alison everything, anyway. He had given Carter no promise. But that was out of the question. Telling a whole story was possible, but giving her the few fragments he possessed would serve no useful purpose. She would believe him, no doubt; if believing such a story needed imagination and openness of mind, she had both. But the result would only be, at best, that she would be as puzzled as he was. No, it wasn’t a practical proposition, trying to turn her into an ally or at least an interested onlooker.

He didn’t think Carter would trouble him again. One of the big puzzles about the whole business was the immense difference in the members of his party. On the one hand, Carter and Peach; on the other, Margo and himself. It almost made him think there must be two separate groups pretending to work together. Yet Peach had done her job when he called on her, and he had no doubt that Carter, if he had been needed, would have been just as obedient and efficient.

He thought he could see why what Carter had to say had been so vague and stilted. Carter, though not brilliant, couldn’t be a fool. It hadn’t been mere lack of intelligence that had made him speak so vaguely. He was trying to put into words a knowledge that was not in words — an almost incomprehensible concept from the unremembered world. But why had Carter been left with a little more knowledge than Raigmore?

When Carter said “they will come” he must, Raigmore decided, have meant invasion from space. Nothing else made sense.

No other intelligent life had been found in the solar system. But intelligence was only a matter of degree. Plants had been found, and plants were intelligent; plants would be clever if there weren’t so many cleverer organisms about. Somewhere there might exist creatures who were at least as intelligent as men.

If such creatures came to Earth could they benefit the humans? Undoubtedly they could. There were so many benefits that such a race might have to offer Earth that Raigmore left that line of speculation after a glance at some of them — immortality, trade, new sciences, the way to the stars.

Whether such benefits were likely from a meeting of the worlds was another matter. They were certainly possible.

Raigmore left it there. Seeing Carter and making him say what he knew hadn’t really altered the situation much. He was still waiting. He was still resting, knowing nothing further he was supposed to do.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” said Alison in a small voice.

Surreptitiously he glanced at his watch. He was surprised to find it was nearly three hours since he had parted with Alison. She must have spent most of that time waiting there on F deck, for the spray, which was very thin and fine, had starred her hair and water glistened on her arms and legs. It was so warm, however, that the spray was no discomfort.

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