Special Deliverance by Simak Clifford D

Author:Simak, Clifford D. [Simak, Clifford D.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781504024105
Publisher: Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

17

When Lansing woke in the morning, all the rest were still asleep. Underneath the huddled blankets, the Parson had uncoiled a bit. He was still in a semifetal position, but not tied up in quite so hard a knot.

Jurgens squatted beside the fire, watching a bubbling pot of oatmeal. The coffee was set off to one side, on a small bed of raked-out coals, keeping warm.

Lansing crawled out of his sleeping bag and squatted beside Jurgens.

“How is our man?” he asked.

“He rested fairly easily,” said Jurgens. “The last few hours he’s been all right. Earlier he had a spell of shakes, quivering all over. No use calling anyone, for no one could have done anything for him. I watched over him and made sure that he kept covered. Finally he quit shaking and drifted off to sleep. You know, Lansing, we could have brought along some medicine. Why didn’t someone think of that?”

“We do have some bandages and painkillers and disinfectants,” said Lansing, “but I suppose that was all that was available. It wouldn’t do us much good if we had other medicines. Not one of us has a shred of medical knowledge. Even if we had medicines, we’d not know how to use them.”

“It seemed to me,” said Jurgens, “that the Brigadier was uncommonly rough on him.”

“The Brigadier was scared,” said Lansing. “He has problems of his own.”

“I don’t see any problems for him.”

“He’s assumed the responsibility of watching after us. The kind of man he is, it’s quite natural for him. He worries about everything we do, every step we take. He acts like a mother hen. It’s not easy for him.”

“Lansing, we can look out for ourselves.”

“I know, but he doesn’t think so. He probably blames himself for what happened to the Parson.”

“He doesn’t even like the Parson.”

“I know. No one likes the Parson. He is hard to get along with.”

“Then why did you go walking with him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I was sorry for him. He seems so much alone. No man should be as alone as he is.”

“You’re the one,” said Jurgens, “who takes care of all of us. Without showing it, you take care of all of us. You have told no one about me, not about what I told you. Who I am and where I came from.”

“When Mary asked you, you begged to be excused. I figured then that you wanted no one else to know.”

“But I told you. You see what I mean. I told you. I trusted you. I don’t know why, but I thought it was all right. I wanted you to know.”

“Maybe because I have a father-confessor image.”

“It’s more than that,” said Jurgens.

Lansing got up and walked to the entrance. On the stairs outside, he stopped and looked about the plaza. It was a peaceful scene. Although the east was brightening, the sun was not up yet. In the thin light of early dawn, the buildings that surrounded the plaza showed pink rather than the red they would become when the sun came up.

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