FANTASTIC PLANET v2.0 Read Online Free Page B

He whispered:
    'So, reading
means guessing what's inside the boxes thanks to these small signs? I could
never understand what "to read" meant... Well, if that's so, do as
you like. It'll stop us spending hours opening the boxes which are no use to
us.'
    'All right!' As he was leaving, Brave
hesitated:
    'Tell me,
little one... is it thanks to instruction headset that you learnt to
read?"
    'Of course.'
    Brave left, scratching his head.

6
    Within a few
days Terr was totally familiar with the gymnastics his new arboreal life
demanded.
    He had
somewhat grown and his muscles were more defined beneath his tanned skin. Brave
took him to run more often in the neighbouring gardens, teaching him to hide,
to crawl without being seen by the Traags, to steal fruit and vegetables bigger
than himself.
    One day he
gave him a collar intended to conceal his illegal status and he took him to the
town.
    'Don't
forget', he said, 'you must never let the Traags know you can talk. Amongst
other things this will allow you to act stupid whenquestioned about your
masters or why you're here or there. As for the rest, I taught you enough
tricks for you to manage on your own.'
    They were
walking one behind the other in a grassy ditch.
    'What is it
we're going to do exactly?' asked Terr.
    Brave
chuckled at the idea of what laid ahead.
    'I took you
because you can read', he said. 'We're going to steal. You'll read what's in
the boxes, that way I won't waste my energy stealing something useless. Can you
swim?'
    'Yes, why?'
    'You'll see.
Now shut up. We'll continue in
    silence .'
    They entered
a conduit which vanished into the depths of a concrete wall. Terr was walking
comfortably, but in front of him Brave's large silhouette was bent double.
    They
branched off several times in the thickening shade. Fearful of getting lost in
this labyrinth, Terr stayed glued to his guide. After a while the latter
stopped and whispered in his ear:
    'Now it's
going to go up. You'll climb easily with your back and knees. Let me go ahead
so you won't slow me down.'
    Sweating and
puffing, they climbed slowly up a vertical tube. Soon, faint but increasing
daylight glowed above them. It came through a small grate closing the duct.
    His knees
and back propped up against the sides, Brave slowly lifted the grate and peered
outside. Reassured by his observation, he came out of the pipe and held his
hand out to Terr to help him out.
    They were in
a massive room where metal scaffolding propped up machines which were purring
quietly, under no surveillance whatsoever. Everywhere giant wheels, cams and
bearings were dancing an intricate ballet.
    Terr caught
sight of rows of cylindrical tins jerking along on parallel running lines.
These lines disappeared into a dark tunnel towards which Brave pointed his
finger.
    'We've got
to go through there', he said taking along his young companion.
    They climbed
up metal lattice work and got on top of a tin each. Shaken every time the line
pulsated, Terr held on as if on the roof of a rolling carriage, as Brave was
getting ahead by jumping from tin to tin. Pride made Terr get up and he
followed as fast as he could, guided through the shade by vague silvery glints
of light from the lids under his feet.
    They reached
a second room where more machines were grabbing the tins one by one, rolling
them along and printing on them assorted Traag letters before releasing them
into a second tunnel.
    Aping his
guide, Terr jumped on the ground before the machines caught him and ran to the
other tunnel.
    The third
room was much bigger than the others. The noise was more bearable. Guided by
the line moving one notch at a time, the tins were piling up along the walls in
multicoloured colonnades.
    'Here we
are', said Brave . 'You can read. Tell me which tins to
take.'
    Terr read
the inscriptions but they did not tell him much. He got nearer a pile of boxes
and read:
    ENERGIZER MX
    Young mammal
liver extract
    Associated
to micro-elements 1 and 2
    In form