Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

Excellent seaports can create metropolises, but seaports have an unavoidable defect, that is, their altitude must be lower than sea level.The ever-expanding ocean submerged New York City.The Bronx is perhaps the least affected of New York's five boroughs; the heights around Inwood and Riverdale still stand proudly.Most of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island are shallows, with a handful of peaks left unsubmerged by ice-eroded mountains created by glaciation in the last Ice Age .The island of Manhattan is in this vast ocean.Where there are hills, even a small hill like Murray Hill, the top is still dry.Wall Street has become another Venice, the streets between the skyscrapers are filled with blue water, and the huge bridges rise from the water at one end and submerge at the other end.Across the former Hudson River—now an extension of the mixed-water Lower Inlet—the rocky walls along the river still rise above the sea, and this is where the city of Hudson rose.The city is an important metropolis because it has two major advantages.One is its salvage industry, where there is still much to be salvaged from flooded buildings in downtown New York.The other is sentimentality.No old New Yorker would accept a world without New York, even if it was moved to New Jersey.

Sandy was still asleep when the blimp landed in Hudson.He missed his first glimpse of the city that was, or thought it was, the center of humanity.He was still bleary-eyed as they drove through Hudson to the hotel.In his sleepy and absent-minded state, he still noticed that Hudson was much bigger and busier than Dawson.However, his curiosity about this huge human settlement was quickly driven away by the confusion that arose in his mind after talking with Margea. This time he and Polly lived not in two separate rooms, but in a "suite" consisting of three connected rooms, with a bedroom on one side and a larger living room in the middle.As soon as the others left, Sandy followed Polly into her bedroom and confronted Margeley about what she had said.

Unsurprisingly, her response was aggressive. "Lying to you?" she cried. "What's that? Of course the Senators didn't lie to you. Have you lost your mind about copulating with that Earth woman?" Sandy clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall next to him.The walls shook and Polly screamed. "Stop talking about me and the Earth woman!" he yelled. "Answer my question! She's telling the truth. I don't remember the ship ever going to that other star, do you?" Polly murmured. "I don't remember very well either," she admitted, "but what does that prove? Earthlings don't know anything about time dilation, do they? When we get back to the spaceship, you can ask the elders what to do next." Clarify your doubts."

He glared at her. "Who said I'm going back to the spaceship?" "Well," she conceded, "maybe you don't have to go back. I don't know if this has been decided." "Maybe I can't go back at all. Besides, who's going to ask the senators?" he roared in English. "Well, then you can go over the radio and ask Tych Law. I'm going to get in touch with him this morning. When I'm done, you can speak to him in person, no sooner than that. And, tell me Hackley Chinese, don't speak earth language." She added finally. He blinks. "Why is that?" he asked, but switched to Heckley.

Polly looked sullen and righteous. "Lysander, you just don't know how to pay attention. The earthlings are watching us all the time. Look at your room, look here..." She pointed to a lighting fixture on the ceiling. "Can't you see that camera? It's a camera. All the rooms have cameras. I've seen it before, not the first time." Sandy stared at the small, almost invisible piece of glass. "Don't look at it that way!" ordered Polly. "Don't let them know that we've discovered their secret." He looks away. "All the rooms?" he repeated.

"Of course all the rooms, not just this one," she said sternly. "You should have found out by yourself. The Earthlings watch us all the time, even when we sleep. Now you must go, a 1/ You are not allowed to come back within 12 days..." She paused, looked at her watch and corrected, "It is about 85 minutes on the earth, so I can talk to Qing Taiqi Luo alone without being overheard." "Why are you talking alone? Why am I leaving?" "You have to leave, this is an order, there is no reason." She said decisively, "Let's go, don't keep that earth woman waiting."

Sandy went down to the lobby of the hotel, and the first thing she saw was Margerie Dapp.She was refreshed, and seeing her almost made Sandy feel better.He told her that Polly was in her room radioing, and her expression darkened. "But Ham Boyle wants to take her to meet some space scientists and they're going to talk about the conference," she said.Sandy shrugged. "Well," she went on, "I guess it can be pushed. After all, everyone's worried about Perth these days. Maybe you'd like me to show you around the city?" "I'm tired of showing me this and that," Sandy said gruffly.

She studied him. "I think you got up in the wrong place this morning," she said. "I understand the analogy. You're saying I'm in a bad mood today. Maybe, maybe it's because I'm being affected by what's called 'culture shock'. There's more than one reason.” She put her hand on his arm. "It's possible, Sandy. So what do you want to do? Someone wants to see you, and I think that can be postponed." She thought for a moment. "Would you like to go for a walk?" "Where to go for a walk?" "Go wherever you like. Maybe just a walk around town. I have your hat and sunglasses in the car."

He pouted. "Don't you need to be questioned by those who want to see me?" He made a condition to her.Margeley smiled. "Sandy, honey," she said, "it's just the two of us. I can't promise I won't ask you questions. But it's up to you whether you want to answer or not." "Really?" he asked, surprised at the offer. "Well, I think I can at least give it a try." Only then did he remember to ask, "What is 'Pace'?" They wandered along the streets of Hudson, and at Marge's reminder, Sandy remembered that Perth was a city in Australia.It's feared because a giant 150-tonne piece of space junk is about to break out of its orbit as it passes just above the Australian city of Perth.The timing of its de-orbiting cannot be predicted with great precision, and people in Australia are becoming alarmed.People elsewhere were also disturbed.

They reached a small park overlooking the rising Hudson River and the bay. "I guess, I'm 'upset,' too," Sandy said. Margery comforted him: "You will overcome it. The good thing about this place is that it can make people forget their troubles. Looking at this large stretch of water can relax people's nerves." "Really?" He thought about what she said, and found that she was right, and he did feel more relaxed.He pointed to the silhouette of buildings across the water in the distance, "Is New York City there?" "That's the only part of New York City that's left," she said. "You can see a lot of places are flooded. When the sea level started to rise, people tried to build embankments all over the city, but it only held out for a while, and then the storm rolled up. The waves broke over the dike in one fell swoop. If you like, we can go there and have a look."

"Now?" he asked in surprise. "Anytime," she promised. He remembered that Polly was going to contact Qing Taiqi Luo. "I won't go now." He said, looking at his watch quickly, he was relieved to find that it had only been half an hour.He leaned against the parapet and peered down.On the surface of the water, some small boats drifted up and down silently with the waves, and directly below was a long stretch of sandy beach. People in scantily clad clothes were sitting or lying by the water's edge, and some were flopping about in the water. "What are those people down there doing?" She looked under the railing. "Swimming," she said, "would you like to try?" "Me?" He glanced at her suspiciously, then turned his head and looked down at the people in the water. "I don't know if I can swim," he said bluntly, "I've never swam." "There's nothing easier than this," Margelie reassured him, "I don't think you have a swimsuit, it's very convenient to buy one." "Not now." He said perfunctorily.He looked around at the peaceful beach scene below and the vistas of Old New York. "Perhaps after lunch," he said. "I have something to do back at the hotel. Let's go." "Okay," Margeley said.As they turned to leave, a young woman in glasses, a sun hat, and gym shorts approached them and handed Sandy a notebook and a pen. "Excuse me," she said, "you're the one from the spaceship, aren't you? Can you sign me?" When Sandy returned to the hotel room, it was too late to speak with Qing Taiqi Luo. The radio in Polly's room had gone silent, and the table was a mess, strewn with the leftovers from her lunch.Polly was snoring in a swoon. "Oh shit!" Sandy yelled.He took a closer look at what Polly had left in the dining car, eating weird Earth foods for days, the familiar flavors of which became alluring.He picked some pieces, piled them on a silver tray where the vase had been, and took them to his room. After eating, Sandy stared out the window for a moment, then sat down with a yawn and began to draft a new poem. He had figured out that this poem was going to be a real human poem, without rhyming for now, because he wasn't sure of himself yet.But like an earthling's poem, that is, without twisting the lines into the shape of an object.Polly came into his room yawning, complaining angrily that he had missed his appointment to speak with Ching Tai Chi Law.Sandy smiled. Polly didn't smile. "You're late and not on time," she scolded him with Hackley precision. Sandy asked back without remorse: "Did you ask him why we don't remember whether we have been to Alpha Centauri?" "Why should I ask? You can come back and ask him yourself." "Did you ask?" Polly said triumphantly: "Of course I asked. He gave me an answer. He said, 'This sort of thing should be discussed when the senators decide it is necessary to discuss it, not before.'" Sandy gets a call from Margery and goes downstairs to find "people who want to talk to him" gathered in the hotel ballroom. "Why are there so many people?" He said displeasedly, looking inside.Nearly 100 people sat inside, chatting boisterously among themselves. "In our terms, this is a press conference," Margelie said. "People just want to get to know you, that's all. You're a celebrity." "Am I?" he asked happily. "Of course. Can't you feel it? Why else would people ask you to sign it?" After hearing these words, he was led in obediently by Margery, and stood in front of a lecture table on the platform in front of the room.The lights came on, and the camera flashed at him with blinking red eyes.Margerie Dapp made a few brief introductions, and people started asking questions.What is his impression of Hudson?How was the afternoon at the "beach"?What is the Hyaklian, Hippolyta, going to tell the Earth astronomers?Will there be more Hekleys on the ship landing on Earth?What time?What is the exact number? Sandy could only answer "I don't know" to most of the questions, realizing that Margerie Dapp was sitting quietly behind him, and he was doing the best he could.There were some questions that Sandy had to swallow, like "Where are you going to live?" He turned to look at Margery for help, but she didn't make a sound. "I mean," the reporter pursued, "will you stay in Hudson? More precisely, will you stay on Earth, or will you go back to the spaceship with the Hekri when they leave? "That question is really hard to answer.Before that, Sandy had never considered the possibility that one day the Heckley spacecraft would leave Earth for other planets.Thinking of this, he couldn't help frowning.At this moment, someone asked the most tricky question: "If you stayed on the earth, what would you do?" He didn't expect this question at all. Sandy blinked into the harsh light below, and repeated, bewildered, "What?" "I mean, what kind of work are you going to do?" the woman said. Sandy mused over it. He had never thought about it before.Really, what is he going to do that counts as a "job" on earth? "I'll pilot the Heckley landing ship," he tried to answer. There was a low snickering sound all around. "But we don't have a Hackley landing ship," the reporter pointed out to him.Margeley finally stepped forward to save him. "Mr. Washington has a lot of skills," she told the reporters, "but you'll have to give him time to decide how to use them. I think we've dragged out the meeting long enough by taking advantage of his good temper... Besides, I promise Take him swimming this afternoon!" Sitting in Margerie's car, Sandy explained to her why that question was so difficult to answer. "Margerie, I'm not used to deciding this kind of thing. The Haikeli people never choose to live there or what kind of work they want to do. It's the elders who decide for them." She patted his hand reassuringly. "We do things differently here," she told him.She parked the car in an empty parking space and turned to look at him before opening the door. "You'll stay with us, won't you?" "Oh yes, that's exactly what I was hoping for," said Sandy. "What about the Heckley?" she demanded. "Will they continue to travel?" He scratched his cheek. "I think so." "Your tone is uncertain," she said. He shook his head. "As far as I can remember, no one has ever considered this kind of question. But what else can they do?" Margeley nodded solemnly. "That's a question, isn't it? Let's not talk about it, look, this is the beach." She leaned over and reached for a bag in the back seat of the car. "I bought you a bathing suit at the hotel mall, hope it fits." "Thank you," he said absently, and began to unbutton his shirt. "You can't undress here," she said quickly, "there is a special changing room. I'll wait for you to come out." Sandy once again has a problem to solve, but this time it's easy.He imitated the other men's actions in a subtle way, aware that they were also eyeing him curiously.He didn't think much about it, his mind was filled with all kinds of questions that Margery had asked and kept asking. There are simply too many questions and what is lacking are answers. It had been clear to him for twenty years: that he was coming back to Earth, as a gift from the Hekri to Earthlings, that's all.He never thought about how things would turn out "after this" - to himself or to the Highkleys. Sandy left the row of locker rooms marked "Men's" in a pair of swimming trunks, just big enough for the waist.At a glance, he saw that Marge was waiting for him in the "lady's" dressing room, and the unanswerable questions in his mind disappeared without a trace. He swallowed hard.Margerie in normal clothes already made him passionate, and Margerie in bikini made him breathless.A light, almost sheer loose gown hung over her shoulders, but it concealed no more than a bathing suit. "You are beautiful," he told her. She laughed loudly. "Oh," she said, "Sandy Washington, you're a man of vanity." Then she frowned. "I forgot to buy you a bathrobe so we better not spend too much time in the sun. Come on, let's get our feet wet first." The feeling of being in the water swept all the thoughts out of Sandy's mind. He was aware that people were staring at him, but they all smiled encouragingly and took pictures.He grinned happily at the other swimmers, too.What fun to be completely submerged in a liquid that floats, or nearly floats his weight!It's a feeling of flying.Marge Li took his hand and waded up to his waist. Under her guidance, he tried to lift his foot off the ground, but sank. He stood up quickly, put his feet on the ground, came out of the water, coughed and choked, and laughed. "I'm sorry," he said, "I'm afraid I can't swim at all. I feel that my body is much denser than water." She pursed her lips. "You're strong enough. It's not a big problem, though. I'll get you a buoy or something if you need it. Then I'll stick with you, okay?" "Next time," he said cautiously, "we'll just—what's the word, 'wap' for a while, shall we?" "whatever." He splashed silently in the water for a while. "The water is not very cold," he said. she laughed. "It wasn't always like this. If only you had been here last winter, the whole bay froze over!" Lisander looked around suspiciously. "You mean 'ice'? Frozen water? How?" "Of course it's because of winter," she said, explaining to him what "winter" is. "It used to be that people couldn't see such ice here." She said a little proudly. "But you said the climate is warming, not cooling." Sandy asked her. "How can warming make the air cooler?" "The cold air that got here last winter wasn't uncommonly cold," she explained, "it just hit a different place." She squinted to see the scorching sun overhead. "It's not winter, and I'm afraid we've been in the sun too long. Let's sit under the parasol for a while and dry off." He followed her out onto the small beach, where canvas awnings sheltered swimmers from the sun's ultraviolet rays. "I'll be back in a while." After speaking, Margery walked towards a food stall.When she came back she handed Sandy a paper cup containing a fizzy drink. "Like it?" She watched him take a sip. "It's 'root beer.'" "I like it." He nodded.Like everything else on Earth, it tasted nothing like he'd expected, but he loved the tickle in his nose after drinking it. "Listen, Margery," he said, "I remember something about winter. When I was little, Marsala told me that the Hykleites once went to a planet where it was winter all year round." His words immediately caught her attention. "Really?" She waited for his next words, but he couldn't tell more details. "I don't remember much," he said, "that experience disappointed them for some reason. Highkleys don't like to talk about disappointments—most of them, I guess. It did happen, Marsala said it. It was hundreds of years ago." He paused to think, still shaking his head. "That's all I remember. The next time I speak to Ching Tai Qi Luo, I'll ask him. Would you like me to do this?" "Of course," Margerie said, "I'd love to." They each went back and put on their own clothes.Sandy found the note in his pocket.He had completely forgotten about it, and seeing it brightened his mood a lot.When they got back to her little red car, he took out the note. "Margerie, I have something for you," he said, smiling timidly. She saw his actions. "Oh, God!" she said, "another poem!" "The poem is written in the manner of earth poetry," he said proudly.He didn't hand her the note right away, but read it aloud. "Frail and delicate ones, It's nice not to have a tail. The legs are not thick and bouncing, Rather, it is long, silky, slender and beautiful. I want to go up these legs, dear love, I want to follow them all the way to where you and I mingle. Because you are my other half, Let's be one. " She stared at him for a long time, then took the note and read it carefully again without saying a word. She put down the note and looked directly at him. "You're so straightforward." "I just wanted to get my mind across," he said apologetically. "Oh," she said, "frankly, you may have expressed your thoughts very clearly, but you did it too hastily. Do you see what I mean?" "I don't understand." He admitted sadly. She laughed out loud. "I don't know how to teach you," she said. "Oh, Sandy!" She pondered silently for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Would you like to see the real New York City?" He blinked and waved at the silhouette of buildings on the river in the distance. "Don't I see it now?" "I mean look up close. We could even scuba dive to the bottom and see the real New York streets underwater if we could find a pair of wings or something to keep you from sinking." Sandy considered her words.He didn't see how this had anything to do with their earlier conversation.He'd seen some films about that old Frenchman, Jacques Cousteau, and knew vaguely what "scuba diving" was all about.While watching a movie on the Heckley spaceship, the dive seemed intimidating.But if Margerie was with him, especially if she was in a beautiful bikini, which she certainly would, then... [① Cousteau (1910-?): French naval officer, marine explorer, invented scuba submersible. 】 He looked up and smiled at her. "I'd love to," he said. She looked at him with a look he couldn't understand. "I hope so," she said, and said no more about it.