Waterfall

George heard the rumbling from the Ruby Pavillion long before he saw it. "What could that be?" he thought. No animal back home made that sound. Something reminded him of the growl of a bear, and something else evoked a thunderstorm. But the day was clear, and no animal could be that big.

The trees thinned at a point on the trail overlooking the valley of the park. George saw a lush field of short grass and clover. In the midst of the field was a shiny, translucent hemisphere of the rivalled the brightest orange-yellow of sunrise, and on the other side was another shiny, translucent hemisphere of the brilliant indigo of a summer's twilight.

The two farmers said nothing. They both recognized from the incident with the yarn that Checkers was colour-blind, and so her description of the colours of 'ruby' and 'sapphire' were off. If this was a traditional story, as it appeared to be, then she was the norm for her race.

Splitting the two pavillions was a huge river. At the point where the bridge needed to go, the river separated the pavillions by several hundred paces. But the worst part was the river had cut down into the earth by about forty paces, and blocking the way was not a still creek that George had known from home, but a high waterfall, with a rolling, roaring mass of white water ready to sweep away anyone who attempted to cross!

George sat down on the trail, and pondered the scene, trying to fit a bridge into a landscape that was hostile to it. "The Powers have played a great practical joke upon me," said George to himself. "This is a scene that is beautiful, majestic, and one that frustrates me to no end. No matter where I build it, I either have to deal with a raging waterfall, a crushing current, or, where the river may be quieter, too great a distance between the two pavillions to finish." George decided to walk back to consult with his friends, and to assure Geomi that he was not alone in facing an apparently hopeless task.

By the evening of the first day, the five creatures had met, and it turned out that none of them had any luck. Draco grumbled, "When they mentioned that I was to bathe a giant, I had no idea that the powers literally wanted me to soak someone the size of a small hill!"

"You could use my waterfall," George offered.

"It is a nice thought, but I cannot make the giant understand me. I sound like a buzzing insect to him. But it might work, if only we could move him there.

"I wish the filth in my stables was water, and then I might be able to help you," added Adar. "The Powers keep some huge animals, and they have never bothered to clean up after them. I can only stay in there for three or four breaths before I have to run out and breathe the fresh air. The smell of that place - I do not think that I can make it."

Geomi and Edain also had little good news. With all the creatures converging on Eden, and the labour demands that entailed, there was no way that they were going to be able to hire an orchestra or entertainment. Edain was going to have to provide this on his own. The only item that he was able to purchase was eight large casks of vinegary wine. And Geomi dispaired of cutting enough trees and laying enough stone for a highway.

1. The five creatures ate, and then walked to the waterfall.

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