Nov 2020 - "Cat & Mouse" by Ralph Williams

[Jim]

Cat and Mouse by Ralph Williams is the November 2020 short story. Thanks to Peter for coming up with it. It's better than the other one I'd picked. Invasive pest control in ecosystems is a hot topic today. In the past decade, I've lost about 20% of the trees in my small woods to an invasive pest. The Emerald Ash Borer has killed every mature ash tree, so this is a subject near & dear to me. Williams answer to a similar problem is well done, too.

This story is available for free in multiple formats on Gutenberg.org here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24392

Librivox has 2 versions in their SF Short Story collections. They can be downloaded or listened to online here:
https://librivox.org/short-science-fi...
https://librivox.org/short-science-fi...

[Jim]

I just finished rereading this & it was really good. I really liked (view spoiler)[the parallel between Old Tom & Ed. (hide spoiler)]

[Jim]

"skookum" is an interesting word that I haven't heard in decades, not since I lived out west in Washington state. It means exceptional which makes sense in context.

[Oleksandr]

finished it. a nice short piece, but I hoped for more

[Ryan]

I agree with Oleksandr. I enjoyed the story, but it left me with lots of questions, such as:

Who is the Warden? He can shapeshift/make illusions? We got a tantalizing glimpse; the premise would make for a good novel, I think.

Who is Ed? Has he been a hermit, living off the woods and occasional odd jobs for the government, for his whole life?

What was the point of describing the anatomy of the Harn, with the two mouths and whatnot, without speculating on how it works? Just to emphasize the strangeness of this new world?

[Jim]

All good questions. I think the lack of answers makes the story more intriguing.

[Oleksandr]

Ryan wrote: "What was the point of describing the anatomy of the Harn, with the two mouths and whatnot, without speculating on how it works? "

1. to show their alienness compared with Earth lifeforms (and Warden?)
2. to show their specialization - each organ for a specific need

[Jim]

The idea of creating a mobile, detached section of body as needed is pretty cool. What other stories or books have done that? Were there any earlier ones?

[Oleksandr]

Jim wrote: "The idea of creating a mobile, detached section of body as needed is pretty cool. What other stories or books have done that? Were there any earlier ones?"

I see it less as a detached section and more as a specialized ant/bee of anthill/beehive, and ant-like colonies were earlier

[Ed]

Yeah, I also saw it as a colony, hive-mind type thing.

I agree with Jim that the lack of answers makes the story more interesting. Questions could have been answered in a sequel, but I don't need answers.

[Ed]

Well, I guess he couldn't write a sequel. He died the same year this story was published, 1959.

I'd never heard of this guy. Here is a list of his published stories, many available on Gutenberg.
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?1...

[Scott]

A good story to read, it held my attention all the way through. I guess the portal to another time/ dimension is a common device in SF stories.

Much is left unexplained though, what was the real appearance of The Warden? Why could The Warden not handle the situation? Was Old Tom just a spectator?

Much is left to your imagination, but perhaps that is best ...

[Jim]

The Warden did handle the situation. He got himself an old Ed to take care of the situation just they way old Tom did for Ed.

[Oleksandr]

Jim wrote: "The Warden did handle the situation. He got himself an old Ed to take care of the situation just they way old Tom did for Ed."

I second this interpretation