"James Van Pelt - Lashawnda at the End" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pelt James Van)

least bit, as if they yearned for us to lay down.

Lashawnda said, тАЬLetтАЩs not walk through that. WeтАЩd crush too many of them.тАЭ She fastened the last of
the sensors to the delicate leaves at the end of the little clearing. Her movements were spare, exact. The
final sensor fastened, she paused on her knees, facing the bed of plants. She reached out, hand flat, and
brushed the leaves gently. They strained to meet her, leaves wrapping around her fingers; a
longer-stemmed leaf encircled her wrist. Within a few seconds, her hand, wrist, and arm to her elbow
were encased.

I stepped toward her. The expanse of leaves had changed color! Then I realized the color was the same,
but the plants had shifted even further to face her. Sunlight hit them differently. All lines pointed toward
Lashawnda. My voice felt choked and tight. тАЬWhat are you doing?тАЭ

тАЬIf I move, I must contain water. TheyтАЩre just trying to get it. They work together; isnтАЩt that superb? If
they got my water, theyтАЩd send it to where it was needed.тАЭ Gradually she pulled her arm free. The leaves
slipped their hold without resistance.

Careful not to step on the plants, we made our way to the edge of the gully and clambered out. The
startlingly pink sun brushed the horizon, and yellow and gold glowing streamers layered themselves a
third of the way up the sky.

тАЬThatтАЩs amazing.тАЭ I held LashawndaтАЩs hand through the clumsy gloves, the same hand the leaves had
covered.
тАЬYou havenтАЩt seen one before?тАЭ She squeezed my hand back. тАЬEvery sunset is like this. ItтАЩs the dust in
the atmosphere.тАЭ

The streamers twisted under the influence of upper air disturbances that didnтАЩt touch us.

тАЬI saw your medical reports,тАЭ I said.

She sighed. The sky darkened as more and more of the sun vanished until only a pink diamond winked
between two distant hills, and the final golden layer dulled into a yellow haze. тАЬYouтАЩre the last one. Are
you going to wish me well too? YouтАЩd think everyone turned into death and dying counselors. If I hear,
тАШYouтАЩve had a good four hundred years,тАЩ again, IтАЩll scream.тАЭ

тАЬNo, I wasnтАЩt going to say that.тАЭ But I donтАЩt know what I was going to say. I couldnтАЩt tell her that I
wanted to do some screaming of my own.

By the time we returned to the ship, the night had grown incredibly cold, and the decontamination
chamber wasnтАЩt any warmer. I longed for a hot spiced tea, but First Chair was waiting for us on the other
side.

тАЬI need you to drop your other projects and concentrate on the water problem.тАЭ His eyes had that
haunted I-wish-I-didnтАЩt-have-a-leadership-position look to them. тАЬThe geology team is looking for
aquifers; the engineers are making more dew traps, and the chemists are working on what can be
extracted from the rock, but none of them are hopeful we can find or make enough water fast enough. Is
there anything youтАЩve learned about the plants that might help?тАЭ

Lashawnda said, тАЬTheyтАЩve spent millions of years learning how to conserve water. I donтАЩt think theyтАЩll
give it up easily. Spencer and I are working on an experiment right now that ought to tell us more.тАЭ