The Talkative Tree Read online

  Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Jana Srna and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  By H. B. Fyfe

  THE TALKATIVE TREE

  Dang vines! Beats all how some plants have no manners--but what do you expect, when they used to be men!

  All things considered--the obscure star, the undetermined damage to thestellar drive and the way the small planet's murky atmosphere defiedprecision scanners--the pilot made a reasonably good landing. Despitesour feelings for the space service of Haurtoz, steward Peter Kolin hadto admit that casualties might have been far worse.

  Chief Steward Slichow led his little command, less two third-classration keepers thought to have been trapped in the lower hold, to apoint two hundred meters from the steaming hull of the _Peace State_. Helined them up as if on parade. Kolin made himself inconspicuous.

  "Since the crew will be on emergency watches repairing the damage,"announced the Chief in clipped, aggressive tones, "I have volunteered mysection for preliminary scouting, as is suitable. It may be useful todiscover temporary sources in this area of natural foods."

  _Volunteered HIS section!_ thought Kolin rebelliously.

  _Like the Supreme Director of Haurtoz! Being conscripted into thisidiotic space fleet that never fights is bad enough without a tin god onjets like Slichow!_

  Prudently, he did not express this resentment overtly.

  His well-schooled features revealed no trace of the idea--or of anyother idea. The Planetary State of Haurtoz had been organized somefifteen light-years from old Earth, but many of the home world's lesskindly techniques had been employed. Lack of complete loyalty to thestate was likely to result in a siege of treatment that left the subjectsuitably "re-personalized." Kolin had heard of instances wherein mereunenthusiastic posture had betrayed intentions to harbor treasonablethoughts.

  "You will scout in five details of three persons each," Chief Slichowsaid. "Every hour, each detail will send one person in to report, and hewill be replaced by one of the five I shall keep here to issue rations."

  Kolin permitted himself to wonder when anyone might get some rest, butassumed a mildly willing look. (Too eager an attitude could arousesuspicion of disguising an improper viewpoint.) The maintenance of aproper viewpoint was a necessity if the Planetary State were to survivethe hostile plots of Earth and the latter's decadent colonies. That, atleast, was the official line.

  Kolin found himself in a group with Jak Ammet, a third cook, and EvaYrtok, powdered foods storekeeper. Since the crew would be eatingpackaged rations during repairs, Yrtok could be spared to command ascout detail.

  Each scout was issued a rocket pistol and a plastic water tube. ChiefSlichow emphasized that the keepers of rations could hardly, in anemergency, give even the appearance of favoring themselves in regard tofood. They would go without. Kolin maintained a standard expression asthe Chief's sharp stare measured them.

  Yrtok, a dark, lean-faced girl, led the way with a quiet monosyllable.She carried the small radio they would be permitted to use for messagesof utmost urgency. Ammet followed, and Kolin brought up the rear.

  * * * * *

  To reach their assigned sector, they had to climb a forbidding ridge ofrock within half a kilometer. Only a sparse creeper grew along theirway, its elongated leaves shimmering with bronze-green reflectionsagainst a stony surface; but when they topped the ridge a thick forestwas in sight.

  Yrtok and Ammet paused momentarily before descending.

  Kolin shared their sense of isolation. They would be out of sight ofauthority and responsible for their own actions. It was a strangesensation.

  They marched down into the valley at a brisk pace, becoming more awareof the clouds and atmospheric haze. Distant objects seemed blurred bythe mist, taking on a somber, brooding grayness. For all Kolin couldtell, he and the others were isolated in a world bounded by the rockyridge behind them and a semi-circle of damp trees and bushes severalhundred meters away. He suspected that the hills rising mistily aheadwere part of a continuous slope, but could not be sure.

  Yrtok led the way along the most nearly level ground. Low creepersbecame more plentiful, interspersed with scrubby thickets of tangled,spike-armored bushes. Occasionally, small flying things flickered amongthe foliage. Once, a shrub puffed out an enormous cloud of tiny spores.

  "Be a job to find anything edible here," grunted Ammet, and Kolinagreed.

  Finally, after a longer hike than he had anticipated, they approachedthe edge of the deceptively distant forest. Yrtok paused to examine somepurple berries glistening dangerously on a low shrub. Kolin regarded thetrees with misgiving.

  "Looks as tough to get through as a tropical jungle," he remarked.

  "I think the stuff puts out shoots that grow back into the ground toroot as they spread," said the woman. "Maybe we can find a way through."

  In two or three minutes, they reached the abrupt border of theodd-looking trees.

  Except for one thick trunked giant, all of them were about the sameheight. They craned their necks to estimate the altitude of the monster,but the top was hidden by the wide spread of branches. The depths behindit looked dark and impenetrable.

  "We'd better explore along the edge," decided Yrtok. "Ammet, now is thetime to go back and tell the Chief which way we're--_Ammet!_"

  Kolin looked over his shoulder. Fifty meters away, Ammet sat beside thebush with the purple berries, utterly relaxed.

  "He must have tasted some!" exclaimed Kolin. "I'll see how he is."

  He ran back to the cook and shook him by the shoulder. Ammet's headlolled loosely to one side. His rather heavy features were vacant,lending him a doped appearance. Kolin straightened up and beckoned toYrtok.

  For some reason, he had trouble attracting her attention. Then henoticed that she was kneeling.

  "Hope she didn't eat some stupid thing too!" he grumbled, trotting back.

  As he reached her, whatever Yrtok was examining came to life and scootedinto the underbrush with a flash of greenish fur. All Kolin saw was thatit had several legs too many.

  He pulled Yrtok to her feet. She pawed at him weakly, eyes as vacant asAmmet's. When he let go in sudden horror, she folded gently to theground. She lay comfortably on her side, twitching one hand as if tobrush something away.

  When she began to smile dreamily, Kolin backed away.

  * * * * *

  The corners of his mouth felt oddly stiff; they had involuntarily drawnback to expose his clenched teeth. He glanced warily about, but nothingappeared to threaten him.

  "It's time to end this scout," he told himself. "It's dangerous. Onegood look and I'm jetting off! What I need is an easy tree to climb."

  He considered the massive giant. Soaring thirty or forty meters into thethin fog and dwarfing other growth, it seemed the most promising choice.

  At first, Kolin saw no way, but then the network of vines clinging tothe rugged trunk suggested a route. He tried his weight gingerly, thenbegan to climb.

  "I should have brought Yrtok's radio," he muttered. "Oh, well, I cantake it when I come down, if she hasn't snapped out of her spell bythen. Funny ... I wonder if that green thing bit her."

  Footholds were plentiful among the interlaced lianas. Kolin progressedrapidly. When he reached the first thick limbs, twice head height, hefelt safer.

  Later, at what he hoped was the halfway mark, he hooked one knee over abranch and paused to wipe sweat from his eyes. Peering down, hediscovered the ground to be obscured by foliage.

  "I should have checked from down there to see how open the top is," hemused. "I wonder how the view will be from up there?"

  "Depends on what you're looking for, Sonn
y!" something remarked in asoughing wheeze.

  Kolin, slipping, grabbed desperately for the branch. His fingersclutched a handful of twigs and leaves, which just barely supported himuntil he regained a grip with the other hand.

  The branch quivered resentfully under him.

  "Careful, there!" whooshed the eerie voice. "It took me all summer togrow those!"

  Kolin could feel the skin crawling along his backbone.

  "Who _are_ you?" he gasped.

  The answering sigh of laughter gave him a distinct chill despite itssuggestion of amiability.

  "Name's Johnny Ashlew. Kinda thought you'd start with _what_ I am.Didn't figure you'd ever seen a man grown into a tree before."

  Kolin looked about, seeing little but leaves and fog.

  "I have to climb down," he told himself in a reasonable tone. "It's badenough that the other two passed out without