My Library

(Oh, that. Sure.) BB got into the act again. He reached down, scooped up a handful of red loam from between the grass roots. (What’ll you have? Wild rice? That’s my favorite.) I watched, fascinated … decided to go with the game. (No, uh … Silver Queen.) BB blanked. (Silver Queen? What kind of …) (Here, I’ll do it.) The woman took the dirt from BB, cupped it in her right hand, and stared at it intently. The dirt began to bubble and boil, changing color, re-formed into a small full-kerneled mature ear of white corn. She handed it to me and I took it. It was hot to the touch. I carefully put it up to my mouth, took a bite. It was Silver Queen, the sweetest corn I ever tasted, with the freshness of just being picked. It even had melted butter, no, oleo dripping from it. I looked at the woman as I chewed avidly. She smiled knowingly. If she kept leaking percepts, I’d have her ident whether I wanted to or not and she wouldn’t have her secret. I handed her the corn, and she bit into it. We both chewed and tasted. I swallowed, wondering where the corn went when I did so. It didn’t matter, so I smoothed. (All right, you’ve convinced me. What about no roads, no transportation? Suppose we wanted to go to Japan. That’s not within walking distance.) BB grinned. (Why, we just pull a skip, that’s all. Short version, of course. Why Japan?) (I noticed some very unusual patterns of growing things there when we came in.) The woman smiled. (It’s very lovely, isn’t it?) (First stop, Japan.) BB turned toward the woods, and the woman followed. (We’ll be right back.) I watched as they disappeared into the grove of oaks. I stood there waiting, mulling over the strange mixture of physical and other energies that was now earth life. I found I was unable to determine where one began and the other left off. There was no longer a sharp dividing line. Was it all like this? (All ready?) I turned and there was BB and the woman standing