The tree of knowledge
Leon Zeldis
The spaceship floated calmly over the rocky plain, erect above a cataract of blue, red and purple fire that was dimly reflected on the hills of the Atacama Desert.
Slowly, the cylindrical shape descended, finally settling down softly on the sandy ground amid a cacophony of sounds. The ship was huge; its weight could be judged by the depth to which it sank in the sand.
Some last tongues of fire flashed before dying out and in the darkening sunset only the embers of molten silica attached to the metal marked out a circle around the ship.
Running to see the ship better, Abe cursed for the nth time his stingy department head, who had authorized only a single jeep and radio for the expedition. The vehicle, together with the radio, was on the way to Iquique, where Reuben had gone to purchase supplies. Abe has been left alone with two local assistants, without any means of communication. Panting, he reached the top of a hill and took a cautious look down.
The ship was must bigger than what he had first assumed. When he had seen it for the first time, as it started to descend, it looked like any rocket seen on the TV screen. Now he could appreciate its height, over 30 meters.
He bent down, suddenly afraid of being spotted. After a moment, curiosity was stronger than fear.
He took another look. No movement could be seen. The only noise was the sputtering of smoldering brushes and the creaks of cooling metal. He turned and made a sign to the two locals to stay down. They sat with crossed legs and counted the beads of rosaries.
It was getting dark and the cold wind of the desert was getting stronger. He didn't want to leave the spot, so he asked the two men to bring him the sleeping bag and some food and water. After an hour, without movement from the ship, he went to sleep.
The noise woke him up. He had an instant of panic but then realized he was alone. Looking back to the tent he saw the two locals had abandoned him during the night, taking the boxes of provisions. He took a look at the ship. It was still in the same position, but now strange noises were coming from the steel cylinder. Screeches, crashes, buzz of machinery.
Abe considered his options. He could run away, but without a vehicle, he could not go very far, and the aliens, if they wanted, could easily catch him. Of he could face the extraterrestrials. Anybody capable of building such a piece of machinery could not be in such a state of barbarism as to attack an intelligent being that posed no threat.
He made a decision. With a sigh, he began walking slowly towards the ship, keeping his hands well apart from his body, showing he held no weapons.
Reaching the ship, he realized with awe that the cylinder was completely cold to the touch. It must have a spuer0strong cooling system. No shock from the contact, the metal was smooth but no polished.
Stepping back, Abe walked around the ship, looking for a door or hatch. There were not one, but a number, of various sizes, but they all were tightly closed. The surface of the ship was covered by numerous knobs, rods, handles, antennas of every imaginable shape. Everything was fixed, unmoving.
He finally reached a pace where a sign had been engraved in the metal. No writing, only the image of a bird, with one bright eye made of some green mineral.
Almost an hour had passed, and Abe was ready to return to his tent to find some water, when one of the ports suddenly jumped open and a narrow ladder slid out until touching the ground.
With bated breath, Abe observed as two figures wearing what was obviously a space suit descended carefully, step by step, as if they were not used to the force of gravity. Their proportions were human, and their shape was also familiar, two legs, two arms, one head. One of the figures turned around and discovered Abe, and then both walked at once towards him.
Abe stood upright, as rooted o the ground. He was seized with apprehension and at the same time exultation.
He was the first man to make contact with the aliens!
With slow, calmed gestures, one of the spacemen released an instrument from his belt and pointed it to Abe, who closed his eyes, expecting the worst.
He then heard the voice of the being, amplified by the instrument he was holding.
"Ne vous inquietez pas," said the voice. "Comprenez-vous ce que j'ai dit?"
"Yes, I understand," said Abe, opening his eyes.
The spaceman made some adjustment to the instrument.
"I'm sorry. I thought you spoke French"
The instrument, Abe understood, was an instant translator. Who knows what their original language was.
"We want to ask you to submit to certain tests," said the other spacemen, who had unlatched his own instrument.
"These tests do not cause pain and will not harm you in any way. They are very important for your future and that of your race, and they are also important for us. Are you ready to submit to these tests?"
He had no alternative. "Yes," he said with difficulty. "I am ready."
"Excellent. Follow us, please."
All three entered the ship. The room was not very large, with the walls entirely covered by dials, gauges and screens of all sizes, whose significance he could not even guess.
One of the figures, who had not removed heir clothing, led him to an adjoining room. This was larger, carpeted with a soft yellow substance, elastic under the feet. The spaceman's helmet was covered with a silver coating that didn't allow seeing inside.
Obeying the instructions of the spaceman, Abe sat on an armchair. From the ceiling descended a kind of medusa of cables and instruments. With quick, precise movements the spaceman connected some of the terminals to Abe's hands, his cheeks, eyelids, ears and top of his head. Immediately a vertiginous succession of visions, sounds and smells assaulted the mind of Abe, but without losing consciousness. The spacemen observed him, making some adjustments to the instruments from time to time, observing some screens. Before Abe could say a word, or ask what was happening, the sensations disappeared, the spaceman withdrew the sensors and all the instruments retreated to the ceiling.
The two spacemen started discussing the results, without paying any attention to Abe. The translator instruments were working, however, so he could understand every word.
"Too bad," said one. "It seems El-Mt'ak was wrong in his projections."
He made some adjustments to the instruments on the wall and pointed put something to the other spaceman.
"Yes," he said. "I warned him that the Folger radiation was too strong in this planet. Not suitable for activation. Here is the proof. Poor creatures, totally degenerative, with high Khun-emotive quotient."
He removed a small plaque from the wall and passed it to the other.
"See? Very high Paps aggressiveness factor, Inertial khurindex excessively high, too."
Abe watched them with growing indignation. It was as if they were doctors discussing a patient at his bedside, totally ignoring him. Worse still, they showed no interest at all on matters of culture. Why didn't they ask about human music, literature, art, religion? They had not asked a single question!
One of the spacemen now turned to Abe and told him: "Poor being. Wait a few moments and you will suffer no longer. Come with us."
They came out to the sun, which was rather low and Abe understood that he had lost the sense of time while being tested. It was late, the jeep should return at any moment. He felt a spark of hope.
The two spacemen left him alone and started to examine the ground, searching for something. They were using long handled instruments and sometimes they inserted a rod into the ground, while looking at the Andes Mountains in the distance, measuring, taking points of reference. One of them stepped back several meters, inserted his rod and cried to his partner;
"Here it is! I though it was further south, but this is the spot. Help me to dig it out."
The two stared using a kind of flashlight that had the effect of a small tornado, throwing out the sand where the light touched the ground. They finally uncovered a strange artifact, made of bars and bulbs, with a shape that vaguely resembled a Christmas tree.
Without knowing why, Abe felt a shiver of fear down his spine. He stepped back, but couldn't escape. Flight was pointless in any case.
The spacemen extracted the object and laid it on the ground, where it reflected the setting sun. It was a beautiful sight, yet Abe felt growing panic. One of the beings leaned down, looking for something. Then he stretched a hand and did something to one of the bulbs. Abe couldn't see which.
Immediately, Abe felt a sensation of going away, sliding down a slope without having anything to hold. Strangely, he felt happy, released. Yes, he was alive, feeling well, relaxed. The clothes bothered him. With impatient movements, he threw away the shoes, ugly things. He took off his shirt, and had forgotten its name. He gave the thing a tentative bite, didn't like it and threw it away. He removed the rest of the things covering his body. He was happier than ever. He laughed and jumped a few times, scratching the skin. What a pleasure, to do this. Forgot its name. Good, good, good. Images flashed in his mind, now, wordless pictures. He looked around and saw the two strange beings looking at him. Frightened, he ran away, hiding behind a rock.
Calmly, the spacemen returned to the ship, folding back the activator, to be used in another planet more appropriate for the development of intelligence.
All ports closed down and the spaceship started to hum and shake.
Before leaving the planet, the spaceship circled it for the last time observing the surface with its special telescopes. Not a single sapient being was left on earth that could realize what had happened.