Chapter Twenty Two

"Left to its own devices the wild astonishes us with results that defy the possible. Sheltered between the mountains and the sea in the movement of warm humid air entire microclimates formed, fertile and excessive. Plants found the best combinations to thrive in this environment, both taking sustenance from and reinforcing their new stable and self reliant surroundings."

"Nature doesn't believe in thrift, it constantly pushes life higher, better, closer together, it takes everything to the limit of resources, finding the perfect point of balance to keep the cycle going indefinitely. There is no space left in its vegetal extravagance, no square inch of dirt uncovered, no lack, no waste. We often say there is no perfection in the world, but how can one believe it if a completely self-contained ecosystem can function for so long with this degree of precision like a living breathing perpetual motion machine."

 

"Did you compare the last two atmospheric humidity readings?" asked Seth irritated, trying to squeeze through a compact group of visitors who were attracted to Sarah's shop like moths to a flame. This was happening because her herb scented shed had the highest density of fragrant cats per square foot and all but guaranteed a sighting.

Sarah couldn't find it in her heart to declare her haven off limits and was trying her best to perform both duty and hobby amidst a chaotic crowd that reached under the countertops and stretched to the rafters, oblivious to simmering pots of oil and chemical processes in progress. In this bedlam the poor cats, frazzled by the excessive attention, were jumping dangerously close to open flames and glassware filled with hot liquids, trying to find shelter in the open roof structure, practically the only place that was safely out of reach.

"I'm sorry, I was going to get to it later", Sarah apologized, understanding from Seth's tone that the readings had already been compared and found lacking. "What's wrong?"

"See for yourself", Seth boomed, throwing a few thunderbolts from her eyes, evidently annoyed by the ceaselessly moving mob.

Sarah looked: between yesterday afternoon and the present morning humidity had dropped from 87 to 52%, with the temperature staying a steady 82 degrees.

"There must be something wrong with the readings", Sarah started, but was harshly interrupted.

"There isn't. I triple checked them and asked Sister Jove to check them too." Sarah felt strangely guilty, as if the density of water vapor in the air was her direct responsibility.

"We watered this blessed dirt for six years straight", Seth blasted,  "if the vapors vanish into nothingness I'll... " She paused, recomposed herself and continued. "Could you please put together a team and go on a field trip to see what the problem is?"

Sarah honestly didn't think that a field trip was going to provide the miraculous solution to their now front and center problem, but was grateful to get out of the chaos for a few days and see more of the planet. For all their dare devil adventure after landing on Terra Two they became more tied to the land than any Earth farmer would be, since the crops and the animals required their constant attention and leaving even for a day would have imposed undue burdens on the remaining sisters.

The farthest Sarah had ventured was the sharp mountain rim on the horizon, probably five miles away if even that. She knew that by now several islands had been settled, and they were in constant communication with their neighbors, but none of them had time to visit. Terra Two had come to life with a vigor surpassing all expectations and every seed that was carried by the wind or the insides of a bird fell on the ground and multiplied, covering the undeveloped areas with a weird farm-like vegetation, all mixed together and growing wild for the benefit of the little birds and animals that called the islands home.

"I'll take sister Mary-Francis and sister deAngelis", started Sarah.

"Sister Mary-Francis it is. Can't spare two."

Sarah didn't say anything, but thought it kind of dangerous to venture off into the wilderness in such a small group.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine", Seth answered her thoughts. They wore the neural interlink bracelet all the time now, and since no one ever bothered to politely reframe their thoughts it didn't make any difference whether they were talking or thinking. "Two days, go north."

"Which way is north?" Sarah asked herself, for the first thing they found out after they landed was the magnetic field of Terra Two shifted constantly in response to the movement of the two suns and one couldn't use a compass to save one's life.

"That way", Seth picked a random direction and pointed towards it decisively.

"How are we going to find our way back?" asked Sarah, in a quietly alarmed tone.

"Trail some breadcrumbs", said Seth and left. Sarah didn't know sometimes if Seth had a high level of trust in her abilities or was trying to get her killed. She shrugged, though, and looked for a suitable material for the bread crumbs. Everything mineral in nature on the planet looked exactly the same: a brick colored, even textured aggregate with no distinguishing features.

 

***

 

The next day Sarah and sister Mary Francis left the camp carrying two very heavy backpacks filled with colorful glass beads that dropped behind them to form a winding path as they passed. Sweating buckets in the 82 degree heat they both offered a few unguarded opinions about the unfortunate choice of material and the weight thereof.

Sister Roberta wanted to be 100% sure that they had enough breadcrumbs for two days, so she built a margin of safety in the quantity of beads by almost doubling it.

They walked quietly among the wild tomato chords and the trailing grape vines, gently pushing clumps of wheat out of the way, scattering the over ripe kernels on the ground. Every now and then a little field mouse or a garden snake scurried out of the way, unaccustomed to visitors.

They reached the sharp mountain range and stopped for a new reading: the humidity had come back to 87 and a few rain fascicles turned on suddenly like faucets, drenching them in less than five minutes, after which they disappeared into thin air as if they have never been.

Sarah had thoughts about some people's jumping to conclusions and making unnecessary work for other people who had better things to do than to carry thirty pounds of ballast on their back up the mountain.

"I know", Seth's thoughts resonated through the neural interlink, "I saw the reading, keep on going and let me know what you find."

The view from the mountain top was a pastoral dream, fields of green undulated gently softening the sharp contours of the valleys and loosing themselves into the distance, almost blending with the metallic blue of the sea. There was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that looked alarming and as she sat on a rock admiring the view without the backpack pushing her into the ground, Sarah was pleased to have taken this brief vacation. Far towards the horizon she could distinguish the contours of neighboring islands, lost in a chocolate haze that thickened with the distance, looking like enormous grazing animals peacefully at rest.

"We should keep going, we need to find a suitable camping site before nightfall", said sister Mary Francis almost apologetically. They were cleaning up the remnants of their frugal meal when another set of rain fascicles appeared from blue skies and drenched them to the bone again.

"What the...", Sarah thought.

"Language!" a choir of sisters thought in response.

"You should be talking, especially you, sister Joseph!" retorted the redhead.

Nobody answered. Sarah and sister Mary Francis continued their descent as dense clouds kept gathering and rain splattered on and off stubbornly.

The landscape had changed, grass land plants had given room to trees, pear trees to be precise, with vanilla vines clinging fiercely to their trunks and clambering avidly towards the suns. In the shade of the pear tree forest coffee bushes ran wild, growing clusters of red berries in a dense thicket and attracting flocks of very loud yellow and green canaries. Every now and then stately stalks of rhubarb towered over the lower plants, and puddles of water dotted the landscape, with a gentle mist floating above them in the heat of the afternoon. Rain started again, generous and rumbling, creating temporary torrents that ran down the sides of the mountain, washing off the dirt and taking it downstream.

In the distance, in a clearing, turmeric had spread and it was in bloom, covering an entire hill with lavender flowers, reflecting the violet fruit and flowers of the eggplants on the other side. Large butterflies sprinkled the landscape, gathering nectar from the flowers of star anise that scented the humid overheated air with an intense licorice fragrance.

"The entire floor is wet, I don't think we can camp here", said sister Mary Francis, trying to extract her feet from the thick muck with the boots still on. "We need to go back", she said, and rain started again as if summoned, drenching them.

 

***

 

The next morning the rain was gone and the suns were shining in the coffee sky casting a warm glow over the pear tree rainforest. Sarah took a humidity reading and it was 52% again.

"That's ok, you can come back now", Sarah could sense Seth laugh, "there is no point in you two getting rained on for two more days, we're good. Get a few vanilla beans so we can assess the quality."

"Can we dump the remaining twenty pounds of glass beads? We can see the camp from here."

"Bring some pears too", asked Seth, with a completely uncharacteristic but powerful craving for the fruit.

"Got you, master Yoda, you are human after all", thought Sarah.

"Did you say something to me?" Seth asked, sharply.

"We're coming back."