Free All Living : A Seedvision Saga (9781621473923) by Michael C. Humphrey Page B

was surprised to find that he was surrounded by animals, curious to inspect him. He rubbed each of them in turn, pleased with this reception. He marveled at the many furred and feathered faces around him; amazed that his own father had named each one. “You, my friend, are called moose,” he said to one largely inquisitive creature, then knelt to stroke the fur of another. “And you, I believe, are a skunk.”
    The procession of beasts and birds lasted until midday. He decided then to wash in the river and, removing all his clothing, stepped in to the soothing waters. He was careful not to get his head too near its surface. As he watched the sunlight filter down through the leaves and sparkle on the ripples of current, he admired the many fish that swam around his legs. Reaching down he cupped his hands underneath a large trout. It did not try to swim away. Lifting it out of the water he held it up to his face, admiring its texture and shimmering scales. “You are a fine specimen,” he said before releasing it once more to the flowing fluid of the river.
    Kole climbed out of the water and looked at his clothing. The skin that his mother had once made for him was stained and torn, stretched thin at its stitching. He considered dressing briefly then changed his mind. The idea of clothing suddenly seemed odd and he left them lying on the ground. He decided instead to run. The feel of the grass on his bare feet invigorated him, and the air around him dried the water from his lean muscles. He stretched his legs to lengthen each stride. The animals around him, only momentarily startled by his strange behavior, kept pace, and he led them swiftly through the garden. Not knowing where he was within the garden, he was surprised to suddenly burst forth into an open clearing filled with bright sunlight. He slowed to a stop and looked around, catching his breath in wonder.
    In the center of the clearing stood two enormous trees, both equal in height and girth. They stood taller than all the other trees and spread their limbs to cover an expansive swath. The meadow was far larger than it appeared, and the trees spaced so that not a branch from one touched a branch of the other. A thought flashed through Kole’s mind, the trees; the two trees.
    He was about to walk over to them when he realized he was no longer surrounded by animals. He turned and saw that the edges of the meadow, just within the tree line, was filled with animals, all watching him but none daring one step into the clearing. It made Kole uneasy to see them that way. They are not water, and this is not a riverbank, Kole thought. Why do they not approach? I feel no warning issuing from these leaves of grass. I feel no caution within the voice of the wind. I sense no natural resistance to my presence from this pasture. The land is large and the grass is green, and the Lord makes no evil thing.
    Kole turned to look at the two trees again. He could not tell one from the other at this distance. He walked toward them for a long time. The trees were even bigger than he had imagined. As he stepped into the shadow of their company, he felt the wind grow cool against his skin. Their trunks were thick, and he could not wrap his arms around them. Ten men, in fact, could not join hands around one of them. The limbs were much too high to reach, nearly halfway up before branching out. He could not climb up nor reach the branches, but looking up he spotted the fruit.
    Both had flowering blossoms and young buds among their leaves, both also had a few fully mature fruits dangling from thin stems. They were different than any he had yet seen. One tree had more of an oval fruit spangling its features while the other had fruit that was round and full. Yet that, to Kole’s eyes, was the only slight difference in appearance. Both types were milky mother-of-pearl, iridescent in their luster, capturing the light and shadow both upon the contours of their shape and reflecting it back outward in