Amy Thomson - The Color of Distance

“But you would be there!” Moki insisted. “My home is with my sitik!”

“Ukatonen is your sitik now. You must stay with him.”

Just then Juna’s wrist chrono chimed.

“It’s time for me to head back.”

“Let me come with you to the beach!” Moki begged.

Ukatonen put a hand on Moki’s shoulder. “You may come with us to the boat, Moki, but you must stop asking Eerin to take you with her. You’re making things harder for all of us.”

Moki subsided into stillness, turning a dull, sullen red. He trailed after them, sulky and obstinate, all the way to the edge of the jungle.

As they were about to come out into the open, Ukatonen put a hand on Juna’s arm. “Could we visit the floating island where the humans live?” he asked.

“I’ll ask Dr. Bremen and Captain Edison,” Juna replied. “You’ll have to wear an e-suit while you’re there. Talking will be difficult.”

“That doesn’t matter. I want to see how you humans live. It will help me understand your people.”

“Can I come too?” Moki asked, his sullenness forgotten.

“It will depend on what Dr. Bremen and Captain Edison say,” Juna told him.

“I hope they say yes. I want to see where you live,” Moki said.

They left the jungle and walked through the rain to the beach. A boat launched from the Survey ship arced toward them over the grey water. It pulled up on the beach and the crew members got out.

“Hello,” Moki said in skin speech Standard. “My name is Moki. Who are you?”

“It knows Standard!” one of the crew said, a startled expression on his face.

Juna nodded. “Moki is my bami. I’ve been teaching him written Standard.”

“So this is your adopted child,” the crewman said. He bent forward and said, “Hello, Moki. My name’s Bruce Bowles. Nice to meet you.”

Juna translated for Moki.

“Hello, Bruce, I’m pleased to meet you too,” he replied in Standard.

Bruce chuckled. “What a cute kid!” he remarked to Juna. He stuck out his hand. “Can you shake hands?”

Moki looked up at Juna, ears spread in inquiry. Juna explained handshakes to him. He nodded and extended his hand, which Bruce enfolded in his huge glove, and gently shook. Then he laughed and patted Moki on the head. Juna found herself bristling at Bruce’s condescension.

Ukatonen came forward. “My name is Ukatonen,” he said in Standard, holding out his hand.

The crewman shook the enkar’s hand. “Pleased to meet you,” he said.

Juna smiled, and translated his words.

“This is Anitonen,” Ukatonen said in Standard skin speech.

Bruce shook Anitonen’s hand.

“Why didn’t he touch us on the head?” Anitonen wanted to know.

“He’s treating Moki like a human child. Sometimes people do that with children. It’s a way of showing affection.”

“What are they saying?” Bruce asked, intrigued.

“They wanted to know why you didn’t pat them on the head, like you did with Moki.”

Bruce laughed. “Oh hell, I’ve just made a fool of myself, haven’t I?”

Juna shrugged, suddenly liking this big, stocky man. “No more than I did when I first met them. Moki is almost as old as you are, by the way.”

“Really? He looks like a kid!”

Juna nodded. “He does, but he’s at least thirty years old.” She shook her head, remembering. “He was determined to get adopted. It was either that or die of old age while he was still a child.”

“I’ve read some of the summaries of your notes,” Bruce said. “It’s hard to believe anyone could be that cruel to their young.”

“It’s normal for them, and it works,” Juna explained. “Still, it’s hard to watch it happen.”

“What are you talking about?” Anitonen asked.

Juna summarized their conversation in skin speech for her, judiciously softening some of Bruce’s more critical remarks.

“That’s really something,” Bruce commented. “Watching your skin change color like that, I mean. What does it feel like?”

Juna turned a deep, embarrassed brown, and looked away. “I don’t know. How does it feel when you move your arm?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just so beautiful, and well, you know, strange. And you do it so well.”

Juna looked up and met his gaze. Bruce had large brown eyes that looked both sad and earnest. He had a nice voice, too, deep and resonant. She felt a flicker of golden warmth run up her spine. Glancing around, she saw Anitonen’s ears lift in inquiry. Again, she flushed with embarrassment.

“Hey, Bruce, we’d better get back,” the other crew member shouted. “It’s nearly dinnertime, and those mucky idiots won’t leave anything for us.”

Juna nodded, grateful for the interruption. Her own stomach was growling with hunger. “I’m sorry to keep you.” She turned and embraced Moki. “I have to go now,” she told him in skin speech.

He looked away, turning the mournful color of the rain-clouded sea.

Juna touched his chin. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Moki.”

His color lightened and he nodded. Reluctantly, he let her go.

“Goodbye, Moki,” Bruce said. “It was nice meeting all of you.”

Juna translated Bruce’s words, thankful for the distraction that made this parting easier.

“Goodbye, Bruce,” Moki spelled out in Standard. He reached out and shook Bruce’s hand.

Juna turned and climbed into the boat. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she repeated.

The Tendu watched as the boat pulled away from shore. Moki’s color greyed, his figure receding into the steady rain.

“It must be hard on both of you to be separated,” Bruce remarked. “He reminds me of my nephew. He’s about eight years old.” He shook his head. “He’s the closest thing I have to a son. I miss him.”

Juna nodded, remembering her own nephew, Danan, and understanding how he felt. “I love Moki very much,” she said. “I’m grateful that Ukatonen is adopting him. I hope it works out.” She blinked back sudden tears.

Bruce squeezed her shoulder in wordless sympathy, then turned to see to the boat. Juna looked back at the beach. She couldn’t see anything but dark blurs that might be clumps of seaweed on the beach. Moki was lost in the rain.

Floki fought the urge to claw off the restricting suit he was wearing. He felt as if he were being smothered. Concentrate on what’s going on around you, he told himself sternly. This is important. Eerin had gotten permission for half a dozen Tendu to visit the humans’ Survey ship. It was fascinating, though the e-suits kept them from saying much. He had to talk to the others through the clear coverings over their faces, so it was hard to understand what they were saying.

Moki looked up at Eerin, who was also wearing an uncomfortable e-suit. Her height and her obvious ease in the confining suit made her stand out from the Tendu. He wondered how she managed it. The other humans escorted them down a long cave called a hallway. It was like a hollow tree trunk turned on its side, with doors opening on two sides instead of all four like the trunk of a na tree. It was lit with hot yellow globes of light, much harsher and brighter than the cool blue light of glow-fungus. Moki paid close attention, trying to memorize every detail of the humans’ ship.

Humans peered out of the doorways at them. They looked like Eerin, but they had hair all over the tops of their heads, and little furry caterpillars over their eyes. Some of the male humans had hair on their chins and over their mouths. Moki wondered why some males chose to grow beards and others removed them. Did it reflect some kind of status? Was it an indication of their willingness to mate?