The Long Earth

tree of the possible, on a planet where dramatic but quasi-random extinction events periodically obliterate much of the family of life, leaving room for evolutionary innovation. On each Earth, however, the outcomes will differ, by a little or a lot … You are close to the campfire now. Head for the water.’
    With a crunch of trampled undergrowth a new set of animals moved through the forest clump, heading for the estuary and the fresh water. Through the trees Joshua glimpsed low-slung bodies, horns, tremendous coloured crests. There were several of these animals, the adults taller than Joshua at the shoulder, the calves weaving through the moving pillars of the adults’ legs. Immense beasts, but dwarfed by the big marsupial he’d glimpsed earlier. They were making for the water, so Joshua followed as best he could.
    He came to the edge of the forest by a braid of fresh water. Across the estuary’s marshy plain huge flocks of birds, or bird-like creatures, strutted, squabbled and fed. The marsh flowers were a mass of colour under a deep blue sky. Joshua thought he saw the ridged backs of more crocodilians sliding through the deeper water. By the water’s edge, those big crested beasts crowded to drink.
    And at the edge of a beach of white sand, upright, bipedal lizards were catching some rays, basking. Smaller specimens chased back and forth across the sand and occasionally dived into the surf, such as it was. They were remarkably human in their playfulness, like Californian teenagers. Then one of the bigger bipeds noticed Joshua and prodded its nearest neighbour. There was an exchange of hissing, after which the miniature dinosaur of the second part returned to snoozing, while the first one sat up and watched Joshua with bright-eyed interest.
    ‘Fun, aren’t they?’ A woman’s voice.
    Joshua whirled around, his heart hammering.
    The woman was short, sturdy, her blonde hair tied back in an efficient bun. She wore a useful-looking sleeveless jacket that was all pockets. She looked a little older than Joshua: early thirties, maybe. Her face was square, regular, strong rather than pretty, tanned deep by the weather. She eyed him, appraising.
    ‘They’re quite harmless unless attacked,’ she said. ‘Smart, too; they have a division of labour and they make things that you might call tools. Digging sticks, at least, for the clams. On top of that, they make crude but serviceable boats, and fairly sophisticated fish traps. That means observation, deduction, cogitation and teamwork, and the concept of mortgaging today for a better tomorrow …’
    Joshua was staring.
    She laughed. ‘Don’t you think it’s time you closed your mouth?’ She held out her hand.
    Joshua looked at it as if it were a weapon of war.
    ‘
I know you
. You’re Joshua Valienté, aren’t you? I knew I would run into you some day. Small worlds, don’t you think?’
    Joshua was frozen. ‘Who are
you
?’
    ‘Call me … Sally.’
    In Joshua’s ear the voice of Lobsang insisted, ‘Invite her to the ship! Tempt her! We have superb cuisine, somewhat wasted on you, I must say. Offer her sex! Whatever you do, get her on this damn ship!’
    Joshua whispered, ‘Lobsang? You really don’t know anything about human relationships.’
    He sounded offended. ‘I have read every treatise on human sexuality ever written. And I had a body once. How do you think that baby Tibetans are made? Look, it doesn’t matter.
We must bring this young lady aboard
. Think about it! What is a nice girl like her doing in the High Meggers?’
    Lobsang had a point. Whoever she was – how had she got here, more than a million steps out? Was she a natural stepper, someone who didn’t get the nausea, like Joshua? Fine. But there were only so many times you could step in a day.
He
could manage a thousand steps a day unaided. Surely everybody needed to sleep and eat? You could step-hunt an unwary deer once you had the hang of it, but field dressing and cookery couldn’t be hurried, and that slowed you down … It would take years to step out this far.
    She was watching him suspiciously. ‘What are you thinking? Who were you talking to?’
    ‘Umm, the captain of my ship.’ Not exactly a lie, and since the Sisters had always been rather down on lying, Joshua was relieved.
    ‘Really? You mean that ridiculous floating gasbag, I suppose. And how big is the crew of that monster? Incidentally, Robur the Conqueror, I hope you have no designs on this world. I rather