
good? May I take some to eat?"
There was no reply. Seth was relieved. If the tree had talked, it would
probably have been as irate as the other one. How could he have been sure
whether it would tell the truth about its fruit? It might say it was poisonous
when it wasn't, or, worse, say it was good, in an effort to destroy the
intruder. It was better to use his own judgment.
He picked a fruit about the size of an apple. Its color, however, was white.
It seemed to be ripe, and it smelled like a peach. But, being experienced in
outdoor living, Seth did not take a large bite. Mushrooms weren't the only
things that could be deceptive! He sucked on a small piece, resting beside the
trunk. It tasted much like strawberry, and he found it very satisfying when he
closed his eyes so as not to see how clearly it was something else.
After waiting a while and suffering no ill effects, he ate a larger portion.
He waited again. This was tedious, but better than taking an unnecessary risk.
Again, he suffered no ill effects. Unless this was something like red squill,
the stuff used to poison rats without making them sick immediately, this
pseudo-apple-peach-strawberry would do.
He ate with greater abandon, but did not stuff himself. Even non-poisonous
food could be troublesome, if too much was eaten on a long-empty stomach. Then
he made a knapsack out of his un-needed winter jacket, and packed more of the
fruit. This should solve his food problem for the next day or so, and by then
he hoped to have found something else to eat. This really did not seem to be
an inhospitable region, just strange. Quite strange!
Before resuming his walk, he took inventory. All of his clothes appeared to be
on him, except for his scarf, which must have fallen into the lake. Or the
sea. He still had no idea how he had come from one to the other. Maybe he had
floated down and down through the lake, and somehow that water opened into
this other sea in this strange land, and he had washed ashore and lain there,
recovering. Certainly he was lucky to be alive, and if the loss of his scarf
was all it had cost him, it was a bargain!
He had a few dollars in his wallet, which he suspected would be worthless
here. What use would money be to talking trees? Still, he saved them; one
never could tell. There was also a pocket knife, which contained a flint and a
magnesium rod for starting fires. Seth was no arsonist, but he felt a lot more
secure knowing that he could start a fire if he needed to. Finally, there were
a few coins: a dime and three pennies. Not much, certainly, but a tangible
reminder of home. Somehow he thought it would be long before he saw that home
again.
How was his mother doing? His sister? Did they think him dead in the lake?
That hurt! He pictured Ferne crying for him, her cheery nature abolished, her
brown eyes turning red, and that hurt worse. No more tickle fights! He wished
he could tell them that he was all right, in a land that seemed a good deal
friendlier than the one he had left. No punkers here! But the image of men
dredging the lake came to his mind, breaking the ice to search for his body.
They wouldn't find it, but would that give them hope? How could they possibly
guess the truth? He hardly believed it himself! Yet maybe, somehow, they would
know...
Seth resumed his trek, paying careful attention to the scenery around him. A
short distance from the path some trees were bending to the sides, as if
something were pushing them. He saw no animal, and there was not enough breeze
to account for it. What did it mean?