Free The Alien by K. A. Applegate Page A
Authors: K. A. Applegate
following Tobias higher and higher.
Tobias instructed.
It was exhilarating. We were thousands of feet above the ground. Down below, humans lay on the beach wearing less clothing than usual. Clothing is a strange human habit. They must wear it all the time. Except at the beach, when they may wear less.
I donât understand this. The
World Almanac
had no explanation. Although I did know that the United States imported 93.3 billion dollars worth of textiles.
Tobias said.
I asked, shaken out of my dreamy thoughts.
I decided to keep an eye on the falcon. Earth is a dangerous, wild place. At least, if youâre a bird.
I thought it must be terrible sometimes for Tobias. He lives in fear of things that no human would need to fear. He has lost his position at the top of the food chain of Earth. Hawks are predators, but they are also prey. Yet he seemed to have accepted his fate. Was it possible he even preferred being a hawk? Was that why he never asked me what I might know about him being a
nothlit
?
Or did he think I would refuse to answer, or worse yet, lie?
Fortunately, the falcon ignored us and we flew on, following the coastline. Soon we had left the city behind. The beaches were gone, too. The coastline grew more rugged, with waves that crashed in explosions of foam against jagged broken rocks.
A single road wound along the coast below us. There were cars on it, but few buildings. Then, in the distance, I saw a large white structure.
Actually, several structures. There was a tall building with a dome top. And arrayed around it in various positions were several large white flattened bowls. It took me several seconds to figure out their purpose.
I laughed.
Tobias asked.
I said.
T he large building with the dome?> I asked Tobias as I swept above the observatory.
I looked with my incredible hawk vision. There was a huge, rectangular opening in the top of the dome. Inside I could see a vast circle of glass. I laughed in recognition. optical
telescope? What can they possibly believe
that
will show them?>
Tobias said.
I asked.
Tobias agreed. He led the way down.
We dived at high speed, rocketing down through the air. The brilliant white dome rushed up at us. I shot through the open rectangle and banked sharply right.
It was much darker inside than outside. Below me was the incredibly long tube of the telescope.
Tobias said.
It was exhilarating. We were thousands of feet above the ground. Down below, humans lay on the beach wearing less clothing than usual. Clothing is a strange human habit. They must wear it all the time. Except at the beach, when they may wear less.
I donât understand this. The
World Almanac
had no explanation. Although I did know that the United States imported 93.3 billion dollars worth of textiles.
I decided to keep an eye on the falcon. Earth is a dangerous, wild place. At least, if youâre a bird.
I thought it must be terrible sometimes for Tobias. He lives in fear of things that no human would need to fear. He has lost his position at the top of the food chain of Earth. Hawks are predators, but they are also prey. Yet he seemed to have accepted his fate. Was it possible he even preferred being a hawk? Was that why he never asked me what I might know about him being a
nothlit
?
Or did he think I would refuse to answer, or worse yet, lie?
Fortunately, the falcon ignored us and we flew on, following the coastline. Soon we had left the city behind. The beaches were gone, too. The coastline grew more rugged, with waves that crashed in explosions of foam against jagged broken rocks.
A single road wound along the coast below us. There were cars on it, but few buildings. Then, in the distance, I saw a large white structure.
Actually, several structures. There was a tall building with a dome top. And arrayed around it in various positions were several large white flattened bowls. It took me several seconds to figure out their purpose.
T he large building with the dome?> I asked Tobias as I swept above the observatory.
I looked with my incredible hawk vision. There was a huge, rectangular opening in the top of the dome. Inside I could see a vast circle of glass. I laughed in recognition. optical
telescope? What can they possibly believe
that
will show them?>
We dived at high speed, rocketing down through the air. The brilliant white dome rushed up at us. I shot through the open rectangle and banked sharply right.
It was much darker inside than outside. Below me was the incredibly long tube of the telescope.
Tobias said.
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