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13 - Such Blooming Talk · Astounding Sci-Fi Audiobook Library

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Such blooming talk by L. Major Reynolds. This is a
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Recording by Dale Grothman. Henderson's lovely flowers were going to
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: bring him fame until they walked and talked too much.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Such blooming talk by L. Major Reynolds. The ringing of
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the door bell cut into Henderson's concentration, and he made
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: a gesture of irritation with one outflung hand, but he
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: didn't raise his head or shift his eye one iota
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: from the tiny green thing on his laboratory table. Tensely absorbed,
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: he stood watching the small miracle he had made, and
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: emotion approaching exultation gripped him. He slid one hand toward
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: a switch, never moving his eyes from the table. The
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: infinitesible movement of his hand increased the power throb in
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: the machine at his side, so imperceptibly that only he
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: could be aware of it. Suddenly, his breath exploded in
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  Speaker 1: what was almost a squeal of delight. The small plant
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: on the table was, with great effort extending a pair
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: of tiny rootlets and was trying to use them to walk.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: As Henderson watched spellbound, the sudden cessation of the door
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: bell's ring went unnoticed. He stood there, willing with every
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: cell of his body the miracle that would make the
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: small shred of green take its first vital step. Slowly,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: it struggle to an upright position, stood waving. Henderson increased
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: the power with a trembling hand and almost forgot to
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: breathe as he waited for the miracle which followed. Several
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: more rootlets abruptly appeared, and now the plant balanced itself
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: on the bare table. Then, slowly, as a long minute passed,
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: one of the roots made an uncertain step, then another,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: and another, until it was walking unsteadily across the surface
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: of the table. Henderson, his face even his lips white
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: with excitement, now reached for another switch. Before turning it on,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: he adjusted the tiny microphone on the edge of the table.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Then he turned the screw switch. Instantaneously, the laboratory was
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: filled with rustling. Then there came a series of tiny
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: squeaks that sounded strangely like a voice speaking. Henderson sat spellbound, watching, listening.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: The door bell rang again, but this time he didn't
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: even hear it. Nothing could break the spell which held
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: him in his seat before the first talking and walking
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: plant the world had ever known. He picked up an
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  Speaker 1: alternative phased microphone and spoke into it. His voice issued
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  Speaker 1: from a time mighty speaker beside the plant as a
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: small whisper of itself. Man. His voice whispered Man. He
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  Speaker 1: nearly yelled his delight as the small green thing echoed
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  Speaker 1: the word. He shut off the mic, then got busy.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: He sat down and began to plan a vocabulary to
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: educate his plant. When that was done, he would stun
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: the world with a demonstration of his genius. It was
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: some time before he realized there was a ghost of
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: a voice coming from someplace in the room. He looked
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: at the plant on the table, but it was standing quintessent.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Henderson stared around the laboratory frowning. Then a movement at
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: the window caught his eye. His mother's prized geranium was
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: struggling to free itself from the soil in the window box,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: and it was muttering. Henderson blushed as he made out
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: some of the words that the flower was muttering. Plant
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: had been in the room with him during his most
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: dismal scientific failures, and it evidently had a good memory.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: He watched wide eyed as the plant struggled to lift
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  Speaker 1: its roots from the earth. One root finally came loose,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: with an audible pop, accompanied by a squeaky streak of profanity.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Another and another root worked free, and suddenly the geranium
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: was standing on the edge of the box. Its bright
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: red blossom turned from side to side. There were no
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: eyes visible, but Henderson had the chilly feeling that the
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: flower was surveying the room. Then, after a moment, the
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: plant jumped to the sill of the window, from there
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: to the seat of the chair. Then it slid down
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: one of the legs of the chair to the floor.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: It shook its leaves, lifted its blossoms upward at the
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: amazed Henderson frozen in his chair, and a tiny squeaking
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  Speaker 1: voice said cheerily, hi pal. Then it started across the
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: floor toward the door, muttering, somebody's got to answer that
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: damn doorbell. Henderson's legs came unfrozen as it went through
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  Speaker 1: the doorway, and he made a wild dash after the
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  Speaker 1: walking geranium. It was patting down the hall, its roots,
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  Speaker 1: making little padding sounds on the linoleum as he passed it.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: Henderson opened the door, and only then did he begin
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  Speaker 1: to realize the scope his rays must have. He stood
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: jaws agape, looking down at the rose bush which stood
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: outside the door. His mouth opened and the words tried
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: to come out, but the bush spoke first. I have
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: been ringing this bell for hours, it said petulantly. Some
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: nasty boys have been picking my roses. I'm getting sore.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: Henderson faded then, and the last thing he remembered was
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: the voice of the geranium saying, Hi, babe, come on in.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: I've been watching you for a long time. The End
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: of Such Blooming Talk by L. Major Reynolds