FANTASTIC PLANET v2.0 Read Free Page B

it,
you're mad. Here, give it to me.'
    He grabbed
the headset and hoisted it on his shoulders.
    'Where are
we going?'
    'Don't you worry! '
    A faraway
voice shouted: 'Terr! Come and have a treat!'
    But Terr
could not hear. His ears were ringing. He tottered forward and fell unconscious, shattered by the effort: his life as a luxury pet
had not prepared him for this.
    His
companion stopped, looked around and saw a shaded spot beneath a cement landing
where he hid the headset. Stooping, he then picked up the senseless boy and
veered cautiously across the small built up area.
    He slipped
into a ditch surrounded by tall grass and, walking in the undergrowth for a
good half an hour, reached some wasteland where numerous disused spheres
    were rusting away.
    He put Terr
on the ground and slapped him roughly. At the third slap, the young boy gasped
and came to his senses. He opened his mouth and breathed noisily. 'Feeling
better, are we?' enquired the bearded Om.
    'Yes...
Happiness onto you...' 'My name is Brave .'
    'Happiness
onto you, Brave... I... but who are you?'
    'I'm an Om!'
    'I mean to
say... you can talk!' 'And so can you, little one.' 'I thought I was an
exception. I thought I was the only Om who could talk.'
    Brave ran
his fingers through his beard. 'You're not the only one, but it's quite rare.
Usually an Om who talks can't bear servitude.
    'Some of the
words you're using... I can't understand them. What does servitude mean?' asked
Terr, surprised.
    'I'll
explain. Do your owners know you can talk?' 'No... Well they were starting to
suspect it. I just learnt like that, by listening to them. And I could also
hear Tiwa's infos."
    'Who's
Tiwa?'
    'My young mistress. I could talk but they carried
on speaking to me like... like I was a dog. Have you ever seen dogs? They're
funny, aren't they, and even smaller than Oms! So cute !... What was I saying ?... Oh yes, I didn't dare to speak
other than to say: treat - me happy -hungry... And then today they overheard me
speaking normally. They were pulling faces and didn't look at all happy. I got
a little scared !... '
    'And then?'
    'Then I said
to myself that I wouldn't show them anymore that I could talk, otherwise they
could whip me, like they did when I stole a sweet from the kitchen.'
    'And so you
left?'
    'Not
straightaway. I must explain to you there is something wonderful, something I
love above all else: The info headset. It shows pictures and says things. And
once you know these things, you feel... how can I say... stronger. Yes, that's right, stronger!'
    'So you
stole it!'
    'What?'
    'The headset!'
    'Oh! Yes, I
thought they didn't want me to carry on listening when Tiwa was doing her
instruction, which would have been terrible to me... yes, I stole them.'
    He suddenly
sat up straight, his face all red.
    'Where is
it? Did you lose it?'
    'I hid it',
said Brave, 'we'll find it again.'
    Terr looked
disconcerted.
    'Are you
sure?'
    'Yes, and only to make you happy. Because to me headsets are horrible Traag things, and I don't see
their use. But don't worry, I'll go and get it for you!"
    Brave once
again ran his fingers through his beard.
    'So, you
left just like that, without knowing where you were going, how you were going
to live, what you'd be eating and drinking?'
    Terr became
sheepish.
    'I didn't
think about all that!'
    'Well then,
let me tell you, you were lucky to come across me.'
    'What do you
mean?'
    Brave aped
him, faking a small voice:
    'What do you
mean, what do you mean? Hey, you luxury Om, you've got everything to learn,
things your headset isn't telling you!'
    'I don't
understand you sometimes', said Terr scratching his ear.
    'I know, I
know. Anyhow, come. Without me you're doomed. And you'll obey me, I'm the gang
leader.'
    'Gang?'
    'Yes, the
Big Tree gang.'
    'Oh!'
    'Oh what?'
    'What
bothers me is that... I'm afraid Tiwa might be unhappy that she's lost me.'
    Brave
clapped his hands impatiently.
    'You're
talking nonsense, little one. Once you've spent time with us your