thing?” she asked Calvin.
“Pretty well,” He was smiling at the blimp, happier than Cirocco had ever seen him.
“It’s an easy language to learn, then?”
He frowned. “No, I don’t think you could say that.”
“You’ve been here—how long? Seven days?”
“I tell you, I know how to talk to it. I know a lot about it.”
“Then how did you learn it?”
The question obviously troubled him.
“I woke up knowing it.”
“Say again?”
“I just
know
it. When I first saw him, I knew all about him. When he talked, I understood. As simple as that.”
It was far from simple, Cirocco was sure. But he obviously did not want to be pressed on the question.
It took the better part of an hour for Whistlestop to position himself, then to nose in carefully until he nearly touched the side of the cliff. During the operation, Gaby and Cirocco moved well back. They felt better when they saw its mouth. It was a meter-wide slash, ridiculously tiny for a creature of Whistlestop’s size, set twenty meters below the forward eye. There was a separate orifice below the mouth: a sphincter muscle that doubled as a pressure-relief valve and whistle.
A long, rigid object protruded from the mouth and extended to the ground.
“C’mon,” Calvin said, beckoning to them. “Let’s get aboard.”
Neither Gaby nor Cirocco could think of a line to go with that. They just stared at him. He looked exasperated for a moment, then smiled again.
“I guess it’s hard for you to believe, but it’s true. I do know a lot about these things. I’ve already been for a ride. He’s perfectly willing; he’s going our way anyhow. And it’s
safe
. He only eats plants, and very little of that. He can’t eat too much, or he’d sink.” He put a foot on the long gangplank and walked toward the entrance.
“What’s that thing you’re standing on?” Gaby asked.
“I guess you could call it his tongue.”
Gaby started to laugh, but it had a hollow sound, and died in a cough. “Isn’t that all just a bit too … I mean, Jesus, Calvin! There you stand on the damn thing’s tongue, asking me to walk into his
mouth
, dammit. I suppose at the end of … shall we call it the throat? At the end of the throat is something that’s not really a stomach but just serves the same purpose. And those juices that start flowing over us, you’ll have a nice, glib explanation for that, too!”
“Hey, Gaby, I promise you, it’s as safe as—”
“No,
thank
you!” Gaby shouted. “I may be Mama Plauget’s dumbest daughter, but nobody ever said I didn’t have the sense to stay out of some fuckin’ monster’s
mouth
. Jesus! Do you
know what you’re asking
? I’ve already been eaten alive once on this trip. I’m not going to let it happen again.”
She was screaming by now, shaking, and her face was red. Cirocco agreed with everything Gaby said, on an emotional level. She stepped onto the tongue, anyway. It was warm, but dry. She turned, and held out her hand.
“Come on, shipmate. I believe him.”
Gaby stopped shaking and looked stunned.
“You wouldn’t leave me here?”
“Of course not. You’re coming with us. We have to get down there with Bill and August. Come on, where’s the courage I know you have?”
“That’s not fair,” Gaby whined. “I’m not a coward. You just can’t ask me to do
that
.”
“I
am
asking you. The only way to deal with your fear is to face it. Come on in.”
Gaby hesitated a longtime, then squared her shoulders and marched up as if going to her execution.
“I’ll do it for you,” she said, “because I love you. I have to be with you, wherever you go, even if it means we die together.”
Calvin looked at Gaby strangely, but said nothing. They went into the mouth, found themselves in a narrow, translucent tube with a thin floor over even thinner air. It was a long walk.
Amidships was the large pouch she had seen from the outside. It was thick, clear material, a hundred meters long by thirty
“Pretty well,” He was smiling at the blimp, happier than Cirocco had ever seen him.
“It’s an easy language to learn, then?”
He frowned. “No, I don’t think you could say that.”
“You’ve been here—how long? Seven days?”
“I tell you, I know how to talk to it. I know a lot about it.”
“Then how did you learn it?”
The question obviously troubled him.
“I woke up knowing it.”
“Say again?”
“I just
know
it. When I first saw him, I knew all about him. When he talked, I understood. As simple as that.”
It was far from simple, Cirocco was sure. But he obviously did not want to be pressed on the question.
It took the better part of an hour for Whistlestop to position himself, then to nose in carefully until he nearly touched the side of the cliff. During the operation, Gaby and Cirocco moved well back. They felt better when they saw its mouth. It was a meter-wide slash, ridiculously tiny for a creature of Whistlestop’s size, set twenty meters below the forward eye. There was a separate orifice below the mouth: a sphincter muscle that doubled as a pressure-relief valve and whistle.
A long, rigid object protruded from the mouth and extended to the ground.
“C’mon,” Calvin said, beckoning to them. “Let’s get aboard.”
Neither Gaby nor Cirocco could think of a line to go with that. They just stared at him. He looked exasperated for a moment, then smiled again.
“I guess it’s hard for you to believe, but it’s true. I do know a lot about these things. I’ve already been for a ride. He’s perfectly willing; he’s going our way anyhow. And it’s
safe
. He only eats plants, and very little of that. He can’t eat too much, or he’d sink.” He put a foot on the long gangplank and walked toward the entrance.
“What’s that thing you’re standing on?” Gaby asked.
“I guess you could call it his tongue.”
Gaby started to laugh, but it had a hollow sound, and died in a cough. “Isn’t that all just a bit too … I mean, Jesus, Calvin! There you stand on the damn thing’s tongue, asking me to walk into his
mouth
, dammit. I suppose at the end of … shall we call it the throat? At the end of the throat is something that’s not really a stomach but just serves the same purpose. And those juices that start flowing over us, you’ll have a nice, glib explanation for that, too!”
“Hey, Gaby, I promise you, it’s as safe as—”
“No,
thank
you!” Gaby shouted. “I may be Mama Plauget’s dumbest daughter, but nobody ever said I didn’t have the sense to stay out of some fuckin’ monster’s
mouth
. Jesus! Do you
know what you’re asking
? I’ve already been eaten alive once on this trip. I’m not going to let it happen again.”
She was screaming by now, shaking, and her face was red. Cirocco agreed with everything Gaby said, on an emotional level. She stepped onto the tongue, anyway. It was warm, but dry. She turned, and held out her hand.
“Come on, shipmate. I believe him.”
Gaby stopped shaking and looked stunned.
“You wouldn’t leave me here?”
“Of course not. You’re coming with us. We have to get down there with Bill and August. Come on, where’s the courage I know you have?”
“That’s not fair,” Gaby whined. “I’m not a coward. You just can’t ask me to do
that
.”
“I
am
asking you. The only way to deal with your fear is to face it. Come on in.”
Gaby hesitated a longtime, then squared her shoulders and marched up as if going to her execution.
“I’ll do it for you,” she said, “because I love you. I have to be with you, wherever you go, even if it means we die together.”
Calvin looked at Gaby strangely, but said nothing. They went into the mouth, found themselves in a narrow, translucent tube with a thin floor over even thinner air. It was a long walk.
Amidships was the large pouch she had seen from the outside. It was thick, clear material, a hundred meters long by thirty
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