R. A. Lafferty - Among the Hairy Earthmen

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This is an allegory that contains a good deal of subtlety. It is

an entertaining and fanciful story by a writer who, although a

relative newcomer to science fiction, has developed a unique

understanding of his craft. Incidentally, Mr. Lafferty prefers

the title "A Pride of Children" for this story.

AMONG THE HAIRY EARTHMEN

R. A. Lafferty

There is one period of our World History that has aspects so

different from anything that went before and after that we can

only gaze back on those several hundred years and ask:

"Was that ourselves who behaved so?"

Well, no, as a matter of fact, it wasn't. It was beings of

another sort who visited us briefly and who acted so glorious-

ly and abominably.

This is the way it was:

The Children had a Long Afternoon free. They could go to

any of a dozen wonderful places, but they were already in

one.

Seven of themfull to the craw of wonderful places

decided to go to Eretz.

"Children are attracted to the oddest and most shambling

things," said the Mothers. "Why should they want to go to

Eretz?"

"Let them go," said the Fathers. "Let them seebefore they

be goneone of the few simple peoples left. We ourselves

have become a contrived and compromised people. Let the

Children be children for half a day."

Eretz was the Planet of the Offense, and therefore it was to

be (perhaps it recently had been) the Planet of the Restitution

also. But in no other way was it distinguished. The Children

had received the tradition of Eretz as children receive all

traditionslike lightning.

Hobble, Michael Goodgrind, Ralpha, Lonnie, Laurie, Bea

and Joan they called themselves as they came down on Eretz

for these were their idea of Eretzi names. But they could

have as many names as they wished in their games.

An anomalous intrusion of great heat and force! The rocks

ran like water where they came down, and there was formed

a scarp-pebble enclave.

It was all shanty country and shanty towns on Eretz

clumsy hills, badly done plains and piedmonts, ragged fields,

uncleansed rivers, whole weedpatches of provincesnot at all

like Home. And the Towns! Firenze, Praha, Venezia, Londra,

Colonia, Gant, Romawhy, they were nothing but towns

made out of stone and wood! And these were the greatest of

the towns of Eretz, not the meanest.

The Children exploded into action. Like children of the less

transcendent races running wild on an ocean beach for an

afternoon, they ran wild over continents. They scattered. And

they took whatever forms first came into their minds.

Hobbledark and smoldering like crippled Vulcan.

Michael Goodgrinda broken-nosed bull of a man. How

they all howled when he invented that first form!

Ralphalike young Mercury.

And Lonniea tail giant with a golden beard.

Laurie was fire, Bea was light, Joan was moon-darkness.

But in these, or in any other forms they took, you'd always

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R. A. Lafferty - Among the Hairy Earthmen

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