Descending Road - FERDINAND SAYS NO by Dana W. Paxson

FERDINAND SAYS NO

15?? 4D

He hangs among the Archive trees for a long time, motionless. The music takes on colors, colors for which he has no name (but I do!), making him stare and strain to hear the weaving tones gather themselves like birds flying against a star-jeweled sky. His senses merge, part, mingle, and become language that thrills him to where his blood runs. He shouts, screams, thrashes, as if each measure of meaning is itself alive. Then his body, shuddering, settles into silence.

I understand him. He is learning the addiction that killed me.

Two shining figures float by him on either side. They might be women; he isn’t sure. Pale light, shifting among azure and peach and soft gold, comes from them both. The one on his left puts her arms around him.

“Man. Why have you come here?” Her voice is more of the music, now sad and yet laughing, and for an instant his body jerks in an overload spasm of feeling.

“I don’t know. What are you?”

The other figure speaks. “We are guides. No one has come here in thousands of years. You are the first since the Great Death.”

“The Great Death?”

“Our makers died, all of them.”

A memory stirs in him. “Who were your makers?”

“The humans who came from Earth. They built this place. Then they died and left us here.”

“I am from Earth,” he says. “My ancestors built our Archives here.”

The figures draw back. “No.”

He looks around at the forest of Archive trees, their bark rippling and shading with delectable meanings. “Then who built them?”

“Those who left Earth later and arrived earlier. The builders of the Cities were human, masters of quantum bioengineering. They found other creatures in… dimensional modes you can’t perceive. The creatures became aware of them and destroyed them all. It happened a long time before your colonists arrived.”

“What became of the creatures? Did they colonize the Cities here?”

“No. They live in a cycle of time. They…" The voice fades.

Both figures turn to smoke as he shouts, “No! Tell me the rest! What are these creatures? Are they still here?”

The figures are gone.

The man’s thoughts fade to a colorless pulse, and I can at last pull away from him. I must find the answers. I will consume every morsel of these Archives, I will devour everything, I will…

No. If I continue, I will kill myself. I draw back. The answer is incomplete, but I’ll take it back and wait for the questioner to find me.

The man fades from my awareness as the two figures departed from his.

My name is Ferdinand, Steel of the Andros. It is time for me to do what I was created to do, and this is that task. I turn my back on this place. I need to find my body now, even if it is nothing but rotted bones.

Story List	SURPRISE ME	Author Page
USER SURVEY	PUZZLE ME	MAKE ELM MARK

HOVER Lucida Bright BARE	HOVER Lucida Bright FULL	HOVER Palatino Linotype BARE
HOVER Palatino Linotype FULL	HOVER Times New Roman BARE	HOVER Times New Roman FULL
PAD Arial BARE	PAD Arial FULL	PAD Lucida Bright BARE
PAD Lucida Bright FULL	PAD Times New Roman BARE	PAD Times New Roman FULL


	FERDINAND SAYS NO 15?? 4D He hangs among the Archive trees for a long time, motionless. The music takes on colors, colors for which he has no name (but I do!), making him stare and strain to hear the weaving tones gather themselves like birds flying against a star-jeweled sky. His senses merge, part, mingle, and become language that thrills him to where his blood runs. He shouts, screams, thrashes, as if each measure of meaning is itself alive. Then his body, shuddering, settles into silence. I understand him. He is learning the addiction that killed me. Two shining figures float by him on either side. They might be women; he isn’t sure. Pale light, shifting among azure and peach and soft gold, comes from them both. The one on his left puts her arms around him. “Man. Why have you come here?” Her voice is more of the music, now sad and yet laughing, and for an instant his body jerks in an overload spasm of feeling. “I don’t know. What are you?” The other figure speaks. “We are guides. No one has come here in thousands of years. You are the first since the Great Death.” “The Great Death?” “Our makers died, all of them.” A memory stirs in him. “Who were your makers?” “The humans who came from Earth. They built this place. Then they died and left us here.” “I am from Earth,” he says. “My ancestors built our Archives here.” The figures draw back. “No.” He looks around at the forest of Archive trees, their bark rippling and shading with delectable meanings. “Then who built them?” “Those who left Earth later and arrived earlier. The builders of the Cities were human, masters of quantum bioengineering. They found other creatures in… dimensional modes you can’t perceive. The creatures became aware of them and destroyed them all. It happened a long time before your colonists arrived.” “What became of the creatures? Did they colonize the Cities here?” “No. They live in a cycle of time. They…" The voice fades. Both figures turn to smoke as he shouts, “No! Tell me the rest! What are these creatures? Are they still here?” The figures are gone. The man’s thoughts fade to a colorless pulse, and I can at last pull away from him. I must find the answers. I will consume every morsel of these Archives, I will devour everything, I will… No. If I continue, I will kill myself. I draw back. The answer is incomplete, but I’ll take it back and wait for the questioner to find me. The man fades from my awareness as the two figures departed from his. My name is Ferdinand, Steel of the Andros. It is time for me to do what I was created to do, and this is that task. I turn my back on this place. I need to find my body now, even if it is nothing but rotted bones.