Elephant Song

TWO

Waco Whacko, the snake charmer, turned away from Bullhook Willy's body as Mange Ranger, the show's vet, ran up and began pushing his way through to the fallen bullhand. Waco headed back to the shuttle and climbed one of the ladders to one of the open emergency ports. The other bullhands were urging, coaxing, and cursing their pachyderms out of the main hatch. As he entered the port and headed for his quarters, he could feel the rumble of the main carrousel turning, bringing another tube of bulls in line with the hatch.

Entering his quarters, he sat upon a locker, the smoke still heavy in the air. He picked up a gray cardboard box and placed it upon his lap. He opened the box and looked at the five fist-sized blue eggs within it. A spot of moisture appeared upon one of the eggs, and Waco wiped the shell of the egg dry with a fingertip. Another droplet appeared and Waco lifted his hand and touched his cheek. Tears. The sickness. Again the sickness.

A voice came from the compartment door. "Everybody out!"

Waco's head turned and he saw Fireball Hanah Sanagi's face looking through the hatch.

"Waco, you have to get out. The only way we can control the fire is to smother it. We're sealing up the shuttle."

Waco nodded and Fireball's face disappeared. The snake charmer closed the box, but remained sitting upon the locker.

The sickness. God, the sickness.

Fifteen years before, Buns Bunyoro had brought it on. And now, Bullhook Willy. Waco remembered the Arcadia wintering grounds in a distant place called Florida. In another time, another place, another dimension.

Waco had been reading when someone knocked upon the door to his van. Waco opened the door to see the boss animal man, Pony Red Miira, standing on the lot.

"Waco, you know we went to pick up those two new bulls this morning. It was a mess. The freighter crew exed one bull and cut up the other one."

The snake charmer stared at the boss animal man, his face and heart frozen.

Pony Red looked down. "Buns got it. I'll be by later to gather up his things." The big man thrust his hands into his trouser pockets, turned, and walked toward the elephant barn.

"Sorry."

Waco closed the van's door and returned to his reading.

Later that evening there was another knock upon the door. Waco looked at his book, realizing that he had been looking at the same page for over two hours. He put the book aside and opened the door. The new bullhand that Buns had taken under his wing, Bullhook Willy, climbed the steps and stood in the open doorway. "Buns got exed. Thought you'd want to know." Willy looked up at Waco.

"I heard." Waco nodded toward Bullhook's bandaged hand. "How's the mitt?"

"Okay. We had to winch that one bull out of the freighter. Caught my hand between the cable and deck. Bone Breaker fixed it up'n gave me something for the pain."

Waco cocked his head toward the interior of his van. "Come in if you want."

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am."

Waco dropped into an easy chair and clasped his hands together. "Don't be sorry on my account, Bullhook."

Willy sat down in a chair facing the snake charmer. "He was your friend, wasn't he?"

"That's what he called himself." The snake charmer's deep black eyes studied Willy. "I have no friends—no human friends."

Willy looked down and shook his head. "Why'd you live with him then? And for ten years?"

"He paid rent." The snake charmer reached out a hand and stroked a passing python. "His conversation was enjoyable." He sat back. "Do I sound a little cold to you?"

Willy slowly nodded. "That's the word: cold."

Waco closed his eyes and leaned his head against the chair's headrest. "I never let myself become friends with a human. The human is the only animal that ever disappoints me." He opened his eyes and looked at Willy. "I haven't had much contact with nonhuman intelligent aliens, but I imagine that they, too, will disappoint me. Buns went and committed suicide today, or the next thing to it. By doing so, I suppose you think he is some sort of hero. I don't. Although I do not include myself among them, there are those who have an affection for Buns. Buns cheated them. Buns is a cheat. He is a human and a cheat. I expected nothing more from him; I expect nothing more from any human."

Bullhook Willy sat quietly for a moment, and then he swung his bullhook from his left hand, stood and turned toward the door. "I better be getting back to the barn. I start trying to break in that bull tonight."

The snake charmer stood and walked Bullhook Willy to the door. As Willy reached the bottom step, Waco spoke. "What is the bull's name?"

"Ming."

"How old are you, Bullhook?"

"Eighteen."

"Do you think you can handle her?"

Willy shrugged, then ran the fingers of his good hand through his hair. "I don't know. That's not good, is it? Poison Jim used to say that you have to know you can do it. If you don't the bull can tell."

Waco nodded. "Animals can read humans a whole lot better than humans can read animals. Does Ming have you scared?"

Willy licked his lips, shrugged, then nodded. "Now she does. Out there on the airfield I didn't even think about it. There wasn't time to think. But... since then I've had some time."

"Good. You keep thinking, Bullhook. It works the same with any animal. You think, watch, and study. You study Ming until you can read her—understand her. When you understand her, you'll know what she wants, what she needs, and what you have to do. Once you understand her, you won't be scared. Don't make your move until then."

Willy rubbed his chin, then dropped his hand to his side. "Waco, did you know Poison Jim? You two talk a lot alike."

Waco shook his head. "Just to talk to years ago when he was with O'Hara's. But all animal men know the same things. The ones who don't either wind up dead or killing their animals."

Willy nodded and turned toward the barn. "Thanks, Waco."

"Bullhook?"

Willy turned and looked back at the snake charmer. "Yeah?"

"If you want you can move out of the barn and stay here."

Willy's eyebrows went up. "What for?"

"Ten credits a week."

Willy shrugged. "Why not? I'll go get my kit."

"Not tonight." The snake charmer half-turned back into his van. "Tomorrow. Move in tomorrow. Tonight... tonight I have some thinking to do." Waco went inside, closing the door behind him.

And then there came the sickness. Waco had cried and swore to the universe that he would never again love.

And now Bullhook Willy was broken and gasping upon the surface of a planet that didn't even appear in any of the star charts. And the sickness was again upon the snake charmer.

In the box upon his lap were the eggs of five of the twenty Ssendissian snake telepaths that Waco had brought to the show. The eggs were all that remained of the Ssendissians. And the eggs were conscious, feeling their own special sickness for their dead parents.

Waco stood and left the compartment. When he again stood upon the planet's soil, he looked at the huge lake that began far down the slope from the wrecked shuttle. Beyond the lake was a forest, or swamp. But no humans; nothing to love.

He began walking toward the shore.