Read The Warlock Rock for Free Online Page A
Authors: Christopher Stasheff
slowly, while Geoffrey's brothers and sister (not to mention his parents) stared at him in surprise. "Extrapolate."
"This arc of thine will expand, at the rate of three hundred yards a day."
"Why, then, we may calculate how long it hath taken to come this far east," Gregory said, eyes lighting.
"How shall we do that, Gregory?"
"Divide the distance from the western coastline by three hundred yards!" The answer appeared on the screen in blue characters.
"Two years and three-quarters?" Magnus stared. "How is't we've not heard of this sooner?"
" 'Tis but entertainment," the rock behind him answered. Magnus gave it an irritated glance. Fess said, "It is probably correct, Magnus. No one thought the phenomenon worth reporting; all thought it too trivial."
"How long shall it be ere the whole country is filled with soft rocks?" Geoffrey asked.
"Good question," Rod murmured.
"Extrapolating at the current rate of three hundred yards per day, and assuming no change?"
"Aye, aye!" Geoffrey said impatiently. "How long ere the rival army doth conquer us, Fess?" The robot was silent a moment, then said, "I would prefer you not think of these rocks as an enemy army, Geoffrey…"
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"Any pattern may be enemy action, Fess!"
"Nay!" Gregory looked up, alarmed. "Any pattern may have a meaning, but that meaning need not be hostile!"
"Tend to knowledge, brother, and let me tend to arms. A sentry doth not cause a war. How long, Fess?"
"Four years and a month, Geoffrey"—the robot sighed— "and allow me to congratulate you on correct use of the scientific method."
Geoffrey leaped in the air, shaking his fists with a howl of triumph. Piqued, the music-rock boosted its volume.
"I question, however, the purpose for which you have used it," the robot said. "Still, I must applaud the alacrity with which you have learned the day's lesson."
" Ihave learned… ?" Geoffrey gaped at the robot. "Fess! Thou didst not tell me 'twas school !"
"We were still within school hours, Geoffrey. But it is so no longer; my clock shows 1500 hours. School is out for the day."
The children cheered, turned about, and plowed into the forest, heading west. Rod stared after them, startled. "What do they think they're doing?"
"Children! Come back!" Gwen called.
"Fess did but now say school was out." Cordelia turned back, puzzled. "We are free to do as we wish, are we not?"
"Well, aye," Gwen conceded. "Yet what is't thou dost seek to do?"
"Why, to test our hypothesis," Magnus said.
"We must needs seek the information," Gregory explained. "Fess hath said we have not yet enough."
"Come to think of it, he did," Rod said slowly.
"It was not intended as an imperative, though," Fess protested.
"Is not that what we came to do?" Geoffrey demanded.
"Not quite," Rod said, as much to straighten out his own confusion as theirs. "We're supposed to be finding out who's sending zombies into Runny mede, trying to scare the taxpayers!" Geoffrey cocked his head to one side. "And where shall we seek to learn that?" Rod opened his mouth, and stalled.
"Here, at least, there is a clear path to follow," Gregory pointed out, "and the two phenomena are as Page 27
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likely to be related as not."
"There is a tempting refutation of logic in that…" Fess said.
"Yeah—it comes down to: when you don't know where to look, one direction is as good as another." Rod threw his hands up. "So, okay! Why not go west?"
The young ones cheered, and charged into the woods.
Chapter Four
"Do I suppose it, or doth the music gain in loudness?" Geoffrey frowned at the echoing forest.
"You have used the precise term," Fess told him. "The volume of sound can be measured as a signal, and its 'gain' is its increase. Yes, the gain has decidedly increased."
"Doth this show that folk around about believe in it more?" Cordelia asked. Rod
"This arc of thine will expand, at the rate of three hundred yards a day."
"Why, then, we may calculate how long it hath taken to come this far east," Gregory said, eyes lighting.
"How shall we do that, Gregory?"
"Divide the distance from the western coastline by three hundred yards!" The answer appeared on the screen in blue characters.
"Two years and three-quarters?" Magnus stared. "How is't we've not heard of this sooner?"
" 'Tis but entertainment," the rock behind him answered. Magnus gave it an irritated glance. Fess said, "It is probably correct, Magnus. No one thought the phenomenon worth reporting; all thought it too trivial."
"How long shall it be ere the whole country is filled with soft rocks?" Geoffrey asked.
"Good question," Rod murmured.
"Extrapolating at the current rate of three hundred yards per day, and assuming no change?"
"Aye, aye!" Geoffrey said impatiently. "How long ere the rival army doth conquer us, Fess?" The robot was silent a moment, then said, "I would prefer you not think of these rocks as an enemy army, Geoffrey…"
Page 26
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Any pattern may be enemy action, Fess!"
"Nay!" Gregory looked up, alarmed. "Any pattern may have a meaning, but that meaning need not be hostile!"
"Tend to knowledge, brother, and let me tend to arms. A sentry doth not cause a war. How long, Fess?"
"Four years and a month, Geoffrey"—the robot sighed— "and allow me to congratulate you on correct use of the scientific method."
Geoffrey leaped in the air, shaking his fists with a howl of triumph. Piqued, the music-rock boosted its volume.
"I question, however, the purpose for which you have used it," the robot said. "Still, I must applaud the alacrity with which you have learned the day's lesson."
" Ihave learned… ?" Geoffrey gaped at the robot. "Fess! Thou didst not tell me 'twas school !"
"We were still within school hours, Geoffrey. But it is so no longer; my clock shows 1500 hours. School is out for the day."
The children cheered, turned about, and plowed into the forest, heading west. Rod stared after them, startled. "What do they think they're doing?"
"Children! Come back!" Gwen called.
"Fess did but now say school was out." Cordelia turned back, puzzled. "We are free to do as we wish, are we not?"
"Well, aye," Gwen conceded. "Yet what is't thou dost seek to do?"
"Why, to test our hypothesis," Magnus said.
"We must needs seek the information," Gregory explained. "Fess hath said we have not yet enough."
"Come to think of it, he did," Rod said slowly.
"It was not intended as an imperative, though," Fess protested.
"Is not that what we came to do?" Geoffrey demanded.
"Not quite," Rod said, as much to straighten out his own confusion as theirs. "We're supposed to be finding out who's sending zombies into Runny mede, trying to scare the taxpayers!" Geoffrey cocked his head to one side. "And where shall we seek to learn that?" Rod opened his mouth, and stalled.
"Here, at least, there is a clear path to follow," Gregory pointed out, "and the two phenomena are as Page 27
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
likely to be related as not."
"There is a tempting refutation of logic in that…" Fess said.
"Yeah—it comes down to: when you don't know where to look, one direction is as good as another." Rod threw his hands up. "So, okay! Why not go west?"
The young ones cheered, and charged into the woods.
Chapter Four
"Do I suppose it, or doth the music gain in loudness?" Geoffrey frowned at the echoing forest.
"You have used the precise term," Fess told him. "The volume of sound can be measured as a signal, and its 'gain' is its increase. Yes, the gain has decidedly increased."
"Doth this show that folk around about believe in it more?" Cordelia asked. Rod
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