The New Death and others by James Hutchings Page B

high. Yet
they agreed not to grow due to their greater wisdom. How may two
things each precede the other?"
    "O dweller in my leaves," replied the old
tree, "how may they not? There is no tree that did not come from an
acorn. Nor is there an acorn that did not come from a tree." At
this answer the bird was not satisfied.
    "Yet I may not set out in flight after I
arrive. Nor may I eat the fruit before I have taken it, nor
defecate it before it is eaten." This counter-argument the young
tree found absurd, and provoked it to respond.
    "One wave is not the sea," it said, "and the
wave may crash, yet the waves are without end."
    "The fish of the deep ocean could not imagine
an edge to the sea," replied the bird, "yet there is the beach. The
mayfly could not imagine an end to the day, yet we shall see the
sunset."
    Thus their argument went, with the trees
declaring the bird's arguments absurd and immaterial, and the bird
doing likewise to those of the trees. The language of trees and
birds has been forgotten, and thus none may say how it ended. Or
perchance the trees were right, and it did not end, nor did it
begin, but birds have ever argued thus with trees, and are arguing
still.
     
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    Monsters
     
    Once every century, representatives of the
various kindred of monsters meet in a certain graveyard. In the
year 20__ the mood of the assembly was one of sadness and
defeat.
    "These are grim days," the Werewolf lamented.
"No one even thinks about us any more, let alone finds us
terrifying."
    "Things are worse for us," said the Vampire.
"Everyone knows who we are--we are mascots for breakfast cereal,
puppets who teach children to count, objects of lust for young
girls."
    The Ghost sighed.
    "At least they lust after you because they
find you a bit frightening. Have you seen that TV show where the
psychic talks to people's dead relatives? We're comforting ."
    "You guys all have it tough," said the
Wendigo. "but people know what you are."
    The last member of the group looked
confused.
    "I'm really sorry to hear that everybody. I'm
quite surprised too. People seem to be just as scared of us as they
always were," said the Foreigner.
     
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    The Sailor
     
    When I was much younger I longed for the
sea
    and never once wondered if she longed for
me.
    The captains and kings of the world all
agree
    that death is the lot of the sailor.
     
    The sea is a wine that's too heady for
Man.
    I thought I could take it but nobody can
    and well I recall that my miseries began
    with the stories and songs of the
sailors.
     
    I heard all their stories and hung on their
claims
    that men are born free but are put into
chains.
    Now they're all long gone and the ocean
remains
    and death is the lot of the sailor.
     
    The land may be bitter and barren and
stark
    but none who pass over it leave it
unmarked.
    The sea has no trails and her depths are all
dark
    and no one remembers the sailor.
     
    When I was much younger I longed for the
sea
    and never once wondered if she longed for
me.
    Indifferent, uncaring, immortal and
free:
    such is the love of the sailor.

 
     
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    The Prince and the
Sky-Maiden
     
    Once upon a time, long ago, there was a crone
named Dokka. Dokka was the cleverest crone that ever there was. If
a woman who was barren went to her, why by the time Dokka got
through with her that woman would lie with her husband in the night
and have ten strong babies by morning. A pregnant woman could go to
her, and just by looking Dokka could say if her baby was going to
be healthy or sick. If there was a thing she couldn't do, I'm sure
I've never heard of it.
    But Dokka was so clever that she saw a great
danger coming, which no one else could see--or if they could see,
they certainly didn't know what to do about it. It was a great
evil, with no shape and no sound, and if it had a name only Dokka
knew it. It had more power than anyone, even Dokka herself. It
wanted