“Men were gathered on the square platform over the smoke hold of the House of Absence. They made way for him when he hoisted himself up the ladder. He was wheezing and trembling so that at first, he could see nothing. Then his saw. For awhile he forgot everything in the unbelievable sight.
The valley that wound from north to south along the base of the Tevar Hill to the river-valley east of the forest was full-full as the river in flood-time, swarming, over-running with Gaal1. They were moving southward, a sluggish, contracting; always moving-moving southward, the Southing.
But in all the time past there had never been a Southing like this. As far as the eye could follow up the widening valley northward there were more coming and behind them more, and behind them more.
Besides that, slow torrent of people, the Winter City of Tevar was nothing-a pebble on the edge of the river in flood.”
Planet of Exile, Ursula K. LeGuin, Ace Books, © 1966.
1: "The Gaal were a nomadic native tribe who migrated to the south during the harsh Winter."
Title changed on 6/22/22. Formally titled the Great Gaal Southing.
No comments:
Post a Comment