After Olwen finished telling Alondra the whole truth about what had happened on Isis during the early days of the planet, Alondra was quite shocked.
"As if they were perfect! Why would they be disgusted by you? They should be disgusted by themselves is what they should be disgusted about. Leaving Earth…"Alondra shook her head.
"Mark told me Earth was very crowded."
"Oh, it is. That doesn't mean it's right to just turn your back on the problems instead of facing them! Then again, humans were never a species to learn to set things right."
"What do you mean?"
"People never learn from their mistakes. I mean, you can't go and eat someone else's cake just because you finished yours! Before you know it, Isis will soon become a replica of Earth. And once they finish with all the planets in the galaxy, what will they do then? Move on to another galaxy? Everywhere people go, they destroy."
Olwen was quiet, remembering how she had first felt when she had observed the new settlers changing the face of the plain.
"They have not used any technology."said the robot.
"No, it's all destroyed, it seems. However, how could they make up such terrible things about you! We should go back to that valley this minute and set things right!"
"How?"
"Why, by telling everyone the truth. Not that it would be difficult. That London is nothing more than a weakling. He's a tyrant. I know that for every tyrant, someone rises up and stands up to them. I have always wanted to do something of that sort! You must come with me and tell everyone the truth."
"No. I don't think I could bear the disgust."
"But you are not disgusting."
Olwen smiled.
"Only the youngest, Jody, didn't think so."
"I don't think it's the fact that they think you are disgusting. It's…well, like I said, it's a question of ethics. It's not right to mess with nature. The robot should never have changed you, no matter how justified he might have been. The fact remains that he messed with nature, and that's just not right. I mean…well…"
"Guardian did what he had to for my own good."
"I don't think we could know that, Olwen. I mean, you would never have known the mountains, but you would never have missed them, because you would never have known them. You would just have accepted it as…a fact of life. You were never lonely because you had never known friendship, you had never known people. The same would have applied to the mountains."
"Perhaps you are right."said the robot.
"Guardian was quite right in what he did."
"He was wrong! If he hadn't have changed you, none of this would have happened. That stupid London would not have made up a stupid story about some old woman. What did you ever do to him? Did you ever hurt him? If he fell from the cliff, well, you didn't ask him to climb to the top."
"Perhaps it was that he thought I had lied to him."
"You never did."said Alondra coldly. "You told him you had never seen your own face. True, it was a surprise, but what was there to be surprised about? Anything was possible, was it not?"
"Perhaps you are right."
"You should go back to that valley."
"I don't think I can."
"I don't think it's a question of whether you can or not, but that you have to. I don't think you have a choice."
Olwen sighed.
"We must set things right."said Alondra firmly.
"You must not act out of anger."said the robot.
"It is not out of anger, but out of reason."
"What would happen to Mark London, if the people find out the truth."
"What should happen. He will simply not be president any longer, no one would believe him."
"They would think he is right when they see me."said Olwen.
"Then maybe we should resort to that as a last resort. Mr.London is wrong. Wrong! And it is in our hands to set things right. We must make a difference."
"The superstitions did not take a day to build. They took years. It will take years to get rid of them."said the robot.
"Then I suggest we get started. I should, of course, be able to prove to those people that what they were taught is no more than stupidity. First, of course, would be that ridiculous thing that the mountains are taboo. I could simply take them over the mountains, and when they see that beyond them is not World's End, they will be convinced."
"Won't it be hard to convince them to climb the mountains to begin with?"asked the robot.
"Perhaps you should come with me. If they see you, and they see that you are the Guardian or whatever, they will certainly do it. Like I said, they think you are God, which is of course, sacrilegious. One should never take the Lord's name in vain, and such."
"What would happen to Mark London?"
"Nothing, he would simply not be president anymore. He would be discredited."
"They would be disgusted at the way I am."said Olwen.
"In that case, I would like you to come back to Earth with me."said Alondra.
"Earth?"
"Why, yes. It is our home. It is terrible that you have never been to Earth."
"But Isis is my home."
"No. Humans aren't native to Isis. Humans belong on Earth."
"But Earth is overcrowded."
Alondra sighed.
"It's not right, what they're doing."she said. "They ruined Earth, our home, and now they will ruin Isis. You claim that Isis is your home, don't you? You claim to love this planet. Would you like to see it destroyed? To see it as full of disaster as Earth?"
Olwen's mind went back to the day when she had observed from the mesa as she had observed the settlers change the face of the plain. She remembered how she had hated it as they had changed it. It would never be the same again. Ever.
"I know what you mean. But they wouldn't really, would they?"
"Like I said, you don't know people, Olwen. Everywhere people go, they destroy. The only reason the other planets in the solar system are still alive, is because people can't live on them. If they could, they would already be like Earth. Isis is probably next in line."
"But then, where would they go?"
"I don't know. Why don't you ask them? That's why I've always been ashamed to be a human. I envy other animals. They may not reason, as people say, but at least they can love. People can't."
Olwen thought about Alondra's words. No, she did not want beautiful Isis to be destroyed and meet the same end as Earth. Never. If it was in her hand stop it from happening…
"Very well. Guardian, we must go to Cascade Valley."she said to the robot.