"MM-MU"
by Phil Temples
<"I've
been thinking more about nnn-mmgg"> said
Ng-ggn-uu to Krnn-muu-nn and the others.
Actually, Ng-ggn-uu
didn't say it—he <thought it>. As with
all Mm-nn-muu, Ng-ggn-uu possessed the ability of
telepathic communication. Verbal cues resembling
grunts and groans were added merely for emphasis.
When he stood on his two rear appendages, Ng-ggn-uu
rose to nearly three and one-half meters in
height. He had a massive body, especially given
the considerable gravity of this world. Ng-ggn-uu
weighed nearly 700 kilograms. He oftentimes
supported himself on all four sturdy appendages.
His body featured an additional tail appendage.
Ng-ggn-uu was regarded as a talented philosopher.
The females also considered him quite handsome.
Ng-ggn-uu,
Kran-muu-nn and the other Mm-nn-muu of their
tribe fed under a blazing yellow sun on a world
known as Kil-nuu-nuu. They fed only on plants,
for they considered it barbaric to eat the flesh
of other animals. To their collective knowledge,
no Mm-nn-muu had ever killed a creature for its
flesh, even in the most desperate situations.
The Mm-nn-muu
believed themselves to be descended from
magnificent beings who came to Kil-nuu-nuu from a
planet circling a far-away star. The star could
only be observed at night when their sun was
eclipsed. The Mm-nn- muu had never used tools;
thus, they had never designed scientific
experiments. But they knew intuitively that their
Kil-nuu-nuu was round, and that it rotated on its
axis producing a cycle of day and night. They had
also reasoned the concept of gravity. Quite
simply, the Mm-nn-muu knew much about their
physical universe by conducting intellectual
intercourse amongst themselves. Life was good,
and their daily routine presented them with much
tme in which to eat and to discuss the physical--and
the metaphysical.
<"The
nnn-mmgg must surely exist after we pass on, but
in other forms,"> thought Ng-ggn-uu. Nnn-mmgg
was the Mm-nn-muu's concept of the soul.
"Muu-nnnn,"
Ng-ggn-uu grunted, to help emphasize his point.
Ng-ggn-uu
continued, <"We know that our very
communication is comprised of energies that,
although we cannot measure, must exist as surely
as our Kil-nuu-nuu moves around our Gn-nnn-mm.">
To this
statement, several others of the tribe <thought>
their approval, and spoke it, too, with long,
high-pitched groans.
<"Other
great thinkers have postulated that all energies
and matters are conserved. Nothing is ever really
destroyed. Rather, it is reduced into smaller
components. Indeed, I would argue that energies
and matters may even be interchangeable.">
"MMMMmmmmmm-nn!
..." and, "...NNnnggmm-mmm..."
There was much agreement to this concept,
introduced to the tribe several moons earlier, by
Ng-ggn-uu.
<"If
one were to extrapolate, it would not be hard to
envision a system where our individual nnn-mmggs
re-combine to become a Kil-nnu-nuuian nnn-mmgg.">
Other theories
were put forth by Mg-hnn and Ghn-nuu. Mg-hnn
favored the concept of re-birth of the individual
nnn-mmgg, a sort of re-incarnation. Many felt
that Mg-hnn's concept warranted further
discussion.
Just as the
discussion was beginning to get interesting, a
machine used by one of the tool-making creatures,
the Gg-rr-nuu, appeared on the horizon. The Gg-rr-nuu
were flesh eaters; they were also highly
unpredictable, and could be dangerous on occasion.
Mostly, though, the Mm-nn-muu regarded them as
pests to be tolerated.
Ng-ggn-uu
hated these periodic interruptions.
<"Car!">
thought Krnn-muu-nn to the other herd members.
With that, 16
Gurnsey cows dropped to all fours and began to
utter in unison, "Mmm-mooooooo..."
until farmer Bard had driven out of sight.
[Author's note--my profound apologies to Gary
Larsen...]
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