Stranger in a Strange Land

Smith spotted at once that this creature was different from the others. He compared what he was seeing with pictures Nelson had shown him on the trip from home to his place — pictures intended to explain a puzzling configuration of this people group. This, then, was «woman.»

He felt both oddly excited and disappointed. He suppressed both in order that he might grok deeply, with such success that Dr. Thaddeus noticed no change in the dials next door.

But when he translated the last query he felt such surge of emotion that he almost let his heartbeat increase. He caught it and chided himself for an undisciplined nestling. Then he checked his translation.

No, he was mistaken. This woman creature had offered him water. It wished to grow closer.

With great effort, scrambling for adequate meanings, he attempted to answer with due ceremoniousness. «I thank you for water. May you always drink deep.»

Nurse Boardman looked startled. «Why, how sweet!» She found a glass, filled it, and handed it to him.

He said, «You drink.»

Wonder if he thinks I'm trying to poison him? she asked herself — but there was a compelling quality to his request. She took a sip, whereupon he took one also, after which he seemed content to sink back, as if he had accomplished something important.

Jill told herself that, as an adventure, this was a fizzle. She said, «Well, if you don't need anything, I must get on with my work.»

She started for the door. He called out, «No!»

She stopped. «Eh?»

«Don't go away.»

«Well…I'll have to go, pretty quickly.» She came back. «Is there anything you want?»

He looked her up and down. «You are … “woman”?»

The question startled Jill Boardman. Her impulse was to answer flippantly. But Smith's grave face and oddly disturbing eyes checked her. She became aware emotionally that the impossible fact about this patient was true; he did not know what a woman was. She answered carefully, «Yes, I am a woman.»

Smith continued to stare. Jill began to be embarrassed. To be looked at by a male she expected, but this was like being examined under a microscope. She stirred. «Well? I look like a woman, don't I?»

«I do not know,» Smith answered slowly. «How does woman look? What makes you woman?»

«Well, for pity's sake!» This conversation was further out of hand than any she had had with a male since her twelfth birthday. «You don't expect me to take off my clothes and show you!»

Smith took time to examine these symbols and try to translate them. The first group he could not grok at all. It might be one of those formal sounds these people used … yet it had been spoken with force, as if it might be a last communication before withdrawal. Perhaps he had so deeply mistaken right conduct in dealing with a woman creature that it might be ready to discorporate.

He did not want the woman to die at that moment, even though it was its right and possibly its obligation. The abrupt change from rapport of water ritual to a situation in which a newly won water brother might be considering withdrawal or discorporation would have thrown him into panic had he not been consciously suppressing such disturbance. But he decided that if it died now he must die at once also — he could not grok it any other wise, not after giving of water.

The second half contained symbols he had encountered before. He grokked imperfectly the intention but there seemed to be a way to avoid this crisis — by acceding to the suggested wish. Perhaps if the woman took its clothes off neither of them need discorporate. He smiled happily. «Please.»

Jill opened her mouth, closed it. She opened it again. «Well, I'll be darned!»

Smith could grok emotional violence and knew that he had offered a wrong reply. He began to compose his mind for discorporation, savoring and cherishing all that he had been and seen, with especial attention to this woman creature. Then he became aware that the woman was bending over him and he knew somehow that it was not about to die. It looked into his face. «Correct me if I am wrong,» it said, «but were you asking me to take my clothes off?»

The inversions and abstractions required careful translation but Smith managed it. «Yes,» he answered, hoping that it would not stir up a new crisis.

«That's what I thought you said. Brother, you aren't ill.»

The word «brother» he considered first — the woman was reminding him that they had been joined in water. He asked the help of his nestlings that he might measure up to whatever this new brother wanted. «I am not ill,» he agreed.

«Though I'm darned if I know what is wrong with you. I won't peel down. And I've got to leave.» It straightened up and turned toward the side door — then stopped and looked back with a quizzical smile. «You might ask me again, real prettily, under other circumstances. I'm curious to see what I might do.»