One rainy street looks much like another
When: Friday night, August 26
Where: Coming into town along Main Street
Who: Carrot Ironfoundersson & OPEN
What: Someone's about to be very, very, very confused
Rating: Depends on who finds him! For Carrot's part, probably no higher than G
( If you could kindly direct me to the Hubwards Gate... )
Where: Coming into town along Main Street
Who: Carrot Ironfoundersson & OPEN
What: Someone's about to be very, very, very confused
Rating: Depends on who finds him! For Carrot's part, probably no higher than G
( If you could kindly direct me to the Hubwards Gate... )
He took a breath and clenched and unclenched his fists, embarrassed at implying that Carrot's view of his world could be anything but true. Now was not to time to shake foundations of his own reality of where he originated.
"A day here is twenty-four hours as well," he said with a nod. "Though our week is only seven days. Our months vary from 30 to 31 days each though February is 28 days except every fourth year when it gains a day. There are 12 months, though a very long time ago there used to be a 13th. A full year is three hundred and sixty-five days, three hundred and sixty-six every fourth year when February gains that day. Hm. Your sun must make a slower or wider orbit about your...Discworld than our world makes around our sun even though both of our worlds tend to rotate at the same speed, that is if an hour is even analogous to both of us."
He still looked sheepish at his comment before.
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The numbers Abe was offering clanged awkwardly in his head. The trouble was, not one of those numbers was a multiple of eight. How could one have an ordered world if it wasn't begun on a common base? Where did one get all these numbers? They seemed so arbitrary.
All right, it was based on some religion that sounded like a more widely-accepted version of Omnianism, but where had they got it?
It was an interesting question, and one which Carrot might have to research if he were here long.
"Your year is only a bit shorter than our half-year," he mused, "so I suppose that means... our sun's orbit around our world is just a bit longer than your world's orbit around your sun. But the rotation of our world - did you say your world makes a full rotation in an hour? That seems awfully fast. Wouldn't people fly off?"
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Abe nodded at everything Carrot said except the last.
"I'm afraid you misunderstood. It takes 24 of our hours to rotate completely. A day. But even if we were to rotate at that speed I doubt that we'd fall off. A concept known as gravity provides explanation to why when we jump we fall back down to earth. I don't believe the momentum would be as such to come into contrary with that. Though I'd have to check the exact math on it. Ah! Thank you, Pamela," Abe asked before he could clarify his curiosity about how long an hour was to the captain. 60 minutes? How long was a minute then? 60 seconds? Was their second the same? It was a growing list of questions.
The waitress put down Carrot's milk as well.
"Decide on anything?" she asked, her red cheeks meeting her eyes in a smile.
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His discomfort was fading pretty quickly. Not because the situation had changed any - he was still apparently in an unfamiliar city on a completely alien world. But there didn't seem to be very much he could do about that just now. He could worry about getting home later.
New things, modern things, new ideas had always excited him. And there was quite literally a whole world of new ideas being laid out in front of him.
"I know about gravity, it's the force that pulls everything downward. Only wouldn't the people around where the world curves start to slip? And what about the folk on the other side, do they walk about upside down? Feet on the ceiling, that sort of thing?" A round world. He wished he'd asked the wizards more about their experiment when he'd had the chance. Disc physics did not apply well to a sphere.
For instance, their whole world turned once every twenty-four hours. While a greater time than one hour, that still seemed very fast for something the size of a world to be spinning.
Carrot's honest face was lined with intense concentration, his lips moving silently as he tried to recollect what he'd read about the calendars and the way they worked. He was no scholar; he just collected interesting facts as they presented themselves, and they tended to sit around in the back of his head, awaiting their opportunity to be shared again when a conversation got 'round to them. He was afraid he might have got these a bit twisted up.
"The sun," he tried again, checking each statement for accuracy before he let it out of his mouth, "circles the Disc once every day. The Disc's rotation takes a half-year. Sorry, Mr. Sapien, I think I may have been the one to misspeak this time. It's all getting a bit confusing."
Before he could go on, the serving woman came back, and Carrot realized with a start that he hadn't even looked at the menu. "Oh - yes, of course, sorry." He picked it up and studied the words. A few familiar ones jumped out at him, but Carrot was a slow reader at the best of times, and he didn't want to keep the woman waiting. "Uh... I'll have the same, please, ma'am." He pointed at Abe with a sheepish smile. Egg and toast seemed safe. "Thank you very much."
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"Gravity is a bit more complex than that. Our gravitational charge comes from the center of the spherical planet. In fact, all of the planets around us have differing gravitational charges which would draw us further away from the surface or push us down with more force. As for those on the 'other side'; there is no difference in their perspective of their world than ours because the same gravity that holds us holds them and all of the objects. Our world is vast enough that curvature is not even noticed when one is standing on its surface which was why those cultures who first asked questions about the Earth assumed it was flat," Abe informed.
Abraham studied the man's face with admiration. He waited patiently and rode the ebb and flow of the emotions that fluttered to him with curiosity. Abe nodded when he finally did speak.
"It is quite alright, captain. With such differences it is logical to even remember correctly what is true about our own respective dimensions. And it is a lot to take in as you've just arrived," Abe consoled.
Abraham felt it rude of him to eat before Carrot had ordered but he was very hungry. Getting caught up in books and forgetting the time often married itself with forgetting to eat. He'd peeled off the shell and swallowed the egg whole, his preference for eating eggs when hungry, before he looked up at the captain's choice with a start.
"Uh-Pam!" Abe called, putting a hand on her wrist. "I believe the captain would prefer his eggs a bit hotter? Perhaps scrambled or over easy? I think you will prefer it this way, my friend, especially on a day like today."
"And not a day old?" Pam asked with a smirk.
"I thought they tasted sharper than last time! My appreciation, Pamela," Abe said, delighted.
"I gotta take care of my fish guys. Don't ever say I don't listen, huh? So what about it, cap'? Scrambled good?" Pamela asked.
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He pondered the shape and nature of worlds. Gravity here pulled things on the surface toward the center of the sphere; that was why no one slipped or fell off. And he could get what Abraham was saying about the curve not being perceptible. On the other hand, he still couldn't really grasp how people on the upside-down side couldn't tell they were upside down.
...Was he on the upside-down side? He tried this idea out in his head, attempting to 'be aware' of being oriented not exactly upright to see if he would be able to sense it, but nothing changed. Maybe if he tried this experiment outside, when it was light out, there would be signs.
Which made him wonder if he was really going to still be here when it was light out. Well. If he was home by then, he could just ask the wizards about it. Once they'd eaten he would have to turn his attention to getting home. He didn't want to be impolite.
The discussion over his eggs earned both Abe and the waitress a surprised look. When you lived in Ankh-Morpork, and especially when you were a bachelor in Ankh-Morpork living on a policeman's salary, you didn't generally say how you wanted your eggs done. You ordered eggs, and the cook threw a couple of eggs of dubious origin into a pan coated with the burnt remains of all the eggs and other things that had been cooked in it over the preceding weeks or months or years, and applied fire to it in whatever way and for however long suited their fancy, and whatever they scraped out onto a plate, you ate. That was just the nature of most of the city's eateries.
"Yes - er, yes. That sounds splendid. Thank you, ma'am." He hadn't had time to find the prices on the menu, but he reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out a shilling and a few sixpences and thrupenny bits. It was a bit more than what he'd expect to pay for a meal in Ankh-Morpork, but he'd prefer to overpay.
Looking at the coins, it occurred to him that there was a better than even chance that there would be more differences here. "Currency?" he asked in sudden concern, looking from Pam to Abraham. "That is, have you got the dollar here as well?"
Of course, he reminded himself, they also had the 'year' here. That didn't mean the value was the same. Placing the coins on the table, he picked up the menu and traced his finger over to the column with the prices. There was no mistaking the shock that flickered over his face.
"I suspect," he said after a moment, holding the menu a little further away as if afraid of it, "that your dollar and ours are not quite the same either."
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It would be impossible, Abe thought, to truly explain his known origins. He didn't know how far Carrot's world's science had progressed. Telling the man that he'd been found in a small cylindrical tank and then having to explain the significance of Abraham Lincoln's date of death being inscribed near the tank as a relation to his name seemed not only too complex but too detailed of an explanation.
Abe was about to savor his second egg when the question arouse, "Hm? Yes."
And then a moment after that he nodded. "I was aware of that possibility, captain. Don't worry, though. I've got you covered. When I invited you to eat I did not expect you to pay."
He bit into his second hard boiled egg with a contented sound. Though not centuries old, the day of letting it out certainly added that hint of familiarity to the flavor.
"Tell me captain, are there any non humans in your dimension that are sentient?" Abe asked, curious.
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He was troubled by the situation with the money. Carrot never took advantage of people's generosity. Every bar and tavern in the city felt free to offer him his meals gratis whenever he came in, secure in the knowledge that he'd insist on paying. Sometimes someone in the Watch would stand the group a round of drinks, but Carrot scrupulously made sure he also paid for his share of rounds, even though he rarely drank alcohol. He all but wrote it down. Dwarfs paid their debts - and did their damnedest never to let themselves get into debt in the first place.
"I can't allow that, Mr Sapien," he said solemnly. "It's kind of you, but it just wouldn't be right."
On the other hand, he thought, looking at the coins again, what was he to do? He didn't actually carry dollars with him; few but the wealthy did. At about ten dollars, one meal here would cost nearly a week's pay.
He was still staring at the numbers on the menu when the question surprised him. "Nonhumans? Of course, sir. Lots." It seemed a peculiar question; given the evidence of Abraham himself, Carrot had naturally concluded that this Roundworld was also generously populated with sentient nonhumans. What a strange world it would be that had only humans in it! Though this world was strange enough already. "Ankh-Morpork is the second largest dwarf city on the Disc," he said, "though I was raised in the mines up at Copperhead, and only came to the city when the time came for me to be a human. There are trolls, of course, and gnomes, gnolls - well, they're sort of sentient, gnolls. The gargoyles - they're a sort of troll subspecies, though they're not very like your average troll. The undead races: vampires, zombies, bogeymen, werewolves..."
Neither his voice nor his face changed on the last one, but there was a warmth behind it that the others didn't have. He cleared his throat and went on. "And there's an orangutan, sir. Just one, the Librarian. And an intelligent talking dog I know called Gaspode. You get a few peculiarities like that, so close to the University. Why do you ask?"
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"Captain," Abe said softly, sensing the sensitivity to Abraham's offer. "Perhaps we can work something out? I will pay for this meal and at some point you might pay me back? It doesn't have to be monetarily, of course. Perhaps you will be able to help me in some way? Offer a service or a product? A trade or barter? If you do decide to stay in town there is a stipend given and at that point you would have more than enough to pay me back. Regardless I would be more than happy to make up the difference of money of this meal." He gestured toward the change Carrot had in front of him.
Abraham listened to the plethora of creatures Carrot described. It was like the Troll Market, he thought. He cocked his head at the unusual emotion that flitted toward him at 'werewolves' but said nothing.
"An orangutan?" Certainly not a sentient creature on Earth. At least as far as scientists were able to tell. "In the dimension I come from most inhuman creatures are in hiding. I am sure you will find this to be unique, though, from person to person in town depending on our origins. But in my world the prominent and assumed only sentient creature on Earth are humans. Though in the past it was much different. Most all of the creatures you have mentioned also exist on Earth but are not prominent nor known to be anything more than mythology," Abe said a little sadly. "In fact, most are very dangerous. In my dimension my job was to help find the most dangerous magical beings and help stop them from their continued massacre. I would love to compare the creatures from our worlds, captain."
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On the other hand, paying him back would necessitate staying here for some length of time. When he found a way to get back, he wouldn't feel right about leaving if he were still in debt. Then again, if he had got here and was able to get home again, maybe he could return at some point to pay his debt.
He would have to make it work. He didn't have a choice. He nodded, trying to mask his reluctance with gratitude. "Well. Thank you, sir. I will repay you as soon as I'm able." Almost, he could hear Nobby and Colon laughing at him. The two of them mooched off others whenever the opportunity presented itself, and Carrot didn't hold it against them; it was just their way. But he just couldn't be comfortable behaving like that himself.
Much easier to talk about the Discworld, and the ways in which it differed from the world in which he now found himself. If this was the wizards' work, he admired their attention to detail. "Only the one orangutan," he reiterated. "I'm told he used to be a wizard, only some sort of magical accident transformed him into an orangutan, and he's never wanted to be changed back. Good man, though. He was on that flight to Cori Celesti, too. Of course he stowed away," he added matter-of-factly, "and nearly caused us to run out of air. But once we solved that, he was quite a good comrade."
He listened to Abe's description, the puzzled line reappearing between his brows. "But why should so many of them be dangerous? That is to say, of course some vampires and werewolves do cause trouble. I've run into a few of those." Literally run into, as in physically tackled, in one particular case. "But every race has a few bad apples, don't they? Most of the nonhumans are every bit as civilized and law-abiding as most of the humans - well. Generally law-abiding." He thought about it some more. "The really important laws anyway."
Not that Carrot thought any laws were unimportant. But he'd come to understand that certain crimes, like Tax Evasion for instance, or Loitering, got broken fairly regularly as a matter of course, and weren't worth getting bothered about. Whereas he had a much lower tolerance level for, say, unprovoked bloody murder. Or showing disrespect toward the elderly.
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