"Say Bojaggle."

"Yes Quig."

"There's a big new thingy over there."

"Yeah?"  Bojaggle looked over his shoulder where Quig was pointing. 

"It looks like a big green nut, don't it?" said Quig.

"Hmmm," said Bojaggle.

"You want we should go see?"

"Yeah, okay."

They pulled in their fishing lines, splashed some water on their fur (it was hot), and took up their paddles.  They rowed toward the big new thing on the horizon.

"Say Bojaggle."

"Yes Quig."

"That's way different from the shiny tree thingys."

"So it is, Quig."  It was a round stump-like thing poking up out of the water.

"Those other tree thingys are square."  Quig pointed eastward at the battered, jagged, and still mostly square tree thingys that rose up real high out of the water.  A whole bunch of them close together like a little grove, their limbs shining in the sun.

"So they are, Quig," said Bojaggle. 

They came up along side the new thing and stared up at it.  A curved wall rose several limb-lengths straight up from the water, and the thing had a rounded top, sort of like a tree stump.  That was darned odd.  Odder still, there were three or four big round tree-shaped things tacked on to the side, but they stopped where the rounded top began. 

"What do you reckon it is, Bojaggle?" asked Quig.

Bojaggle reached out with a claw and scratched at the side.  The green came off in his claw.  "Water moss," he said.  "That means this thing came up from the bottom of the water.  Rugjug will go all googly when she hears about this one."

"You think it's like those square tree thingys?"  Quig sounded disappointed.  "I thought this might be a big nut."

Bojaggle shook his head.  "No, must be one of those tree thingys that grow up from under the water.  Mama Rugjug says they're growing, and that's why they keep getting taller.  So this one must be growing, too, else we'd have seen it before.  Mama Rugjug also told me that the Tree Gods used to live in these, back in the early days of the world.  She says the Tree God houses were really big, much bigger than ours."

Quig scratched the fleas on his short tail.  "Don't look like any tree I ever saw."

"Well, no, this one don't, exactly."  Bojaggle pondered this.

"It could be a big nut," said Quig.

Bojaggle chrrrped in disgust and bit him on the ear.  "Don't be all googly.  Don't you ever think of something besides food?  That ain't no nut."

Quig rubbed his ear.  "Well, what is it, then?"

"It's simple.  It's a tree thingy."

Quig snorted and chrrrped.  "You don't know."

Bojaggle crossed his arms.  "Maybe not, but I know it ain't no nut."

"Let's go ask Mama Rugjug, then."

"All right."

Bojaggle and Quig picked up their oars and began the long journey toward shore and their homes in the trees.

"Say Pribble."

"Yes Wobb."

"What...what kind of nut do you think it is?"

Pribble ducked his head as the crew of the RoughLeaf DoubleNut jibed.  He straightened and looked toward the large nut that still lay a few hundred treeheights away.  He said sagely, "Why, it's the Cosmic Nut.  Fruit of the Universal Tree that is the world.  It is written," he added, "in the Words of Quig the Blessed."

"Oh."  Wobb smoothed his fur and was content.

Pribble hummed to himself.  Mama Jibnib hadn't entirely approved of this trip, but Pribble had argued eloquently in the name of exploration and science.  He swaggered confidently across the deck.

As the small craft came alongside the gray and black Cosmic Nut, Wobb swallowed hard.  It sure was big.  Much bigger than the village trees.  Mama Jibnib said that it had been growing for generations.  Wobb had to bend his head all the way back just to look at it. "Chrrrp," he said.

Pribble patted him on the back.  "There, there, Wobb."  He looked around and spotted one of the four trees attached to the nut.  "Let's head over to that tree and start climbing."

When they neared a big gray tree, Pribble said, "Aha!  It's got climbing holes!  This won't be so hard after all."  He turned to the crew and said, "Okay, let's get out the ropes."

The climbing party, half a dozen People in all, threw grapples over the lowest hollow of the tree.  When these were secure, they began to scrabble up. 

Pribble led the way.  When he came over the lip of the hollow entrance, he stepped into a real big hollow and stood up.  He was amazed at what he saw.

Wobb and the other People popped over also.

"Chrrrp!" said Pribble.  "These Cosmic Trees are almost completely hollow!  And look there!"  They looked where he was pointing.  "Stairs!  Quig the Blessed was right!  This must be the original home of the Tree Gods.  The Cosmic Nut!  Oh, the mysteries it must contain!  Mysteries that I shall decipher!"  He chrrrped and waggled his ears.  His crew did likewise.

Finally, as their initial excitement waned, they climbed the stairs.  Up and around the great cylindrical tree to the top.  It was slow, climbing the tree, because the Tree gods were very large, and the stairs were very tall.  (Pribble said this was normal for Tree God houses.)  As they climbed, they looked through occasional hollows in the tree, out over the water that lay farther and farther below.  Awe stirred their hearts and moved their padded feet. 

When they reached the top of the tree, they walked through a hollow limb to a doorway that opened into the nut.  There had been two other limbs and doorways on lower levels, but surely this, the highest door, was the most important.  Tired and with tongues hanging out, they waited while Pribble ceremoniously tried to open the door.  And tried.  Everyone helped him.  Eventually, it moved.  They pushed and pushed, until finally it was open wide enough for a Person to walk through. 

Tired but elated, the crew waited while Pribble smoothed his fur and adjusted his coat.  He cleared his throat.  "We are on the brink of great scientific discovery.  On the other side of this door lies the original dwelling place--perhaps the birth place--of the Tree Gods.  We know this, because the Cosmic Nut is unique.  No other Tree God house is so rounded, so smooth, so nut-like.  In short, so perfect.  The Tree Gods, in allowing us to find the Cosmic Nut, have truly blessed us.  They may have ascended to Higher Trees, but they are benevolent gods, so they have left us their knowledge.  And today I--we--shall discover it!  So...into the Cosmic Nut!" 

With that, he strode through the door.  His crew followed.  Once inside, they all bumped into one another in the dark.  "Ouch.  Wobb!" yelled Pribble.  "Light some glow-nuts, will you?"

After a little scrabbling and a few misplaced elbows, Wobb managed to light a few glow-nuts and pass them among the crew.  He reserved the last for himself.

The crew of the RoughLeaf DoubleNut found themselves in a dark, smooth hallway that sloped downward on either side.  No one said anything.  Pribble drew himself up, held his glow-nut out, and proceeded to march calmly down to the right.  The crew followed. 

The hallway took them down a few paces, then turned sharply left, and down again until they were on another level.  Directly ahead, the hall rose upward again.  To their right were three sets of double doors.  Or at least, three sets of door frames; a couple of doors were missing.  Pribble cleared his throat and marched toward one of the gaps.  He poked his glow-nut through the opening and cautiously stepped into the unknown.  The crew hung back and watched his light bounce ahead.

Pribble stopped and called to them.  "It's all right, men!  Come in, it's light up ahead."

They filed through the door and soon found themselves in another hallway that disappeared to the left and right, curving away into grayness.  Tree God stuff, some shiny, some rusty, was scattered around.  A dull light filtered through openings in the inner wall.  The openings were spaced regularly, a few limb-lengths apart. 

Pribble walked boldly to an opening and stepped through.  The others heard him gasp and quickly followed.

Pribble and his crew looked out over the interior of the Cosmic Nut.  The roof of the Nut was opaque, although some pieces were missing, and sunlight illuminated the interior with a soft glow.  The People stood at the top of a flight of stairs that led down between rows and rows of gray-colored chairs.  The gray chairs stopped at a precipice, and down below that, they saw rows of red chairs, then orange, then yellow, then orange, and red, and more levels below that of gray and orange again, disappearing into the water.  Thousands and thousands of Tree God chairs, curving all the way around the inside of the Cosmic Nut's shell and down under the water.  The People were awe-struck.

Pribble brought his hands together, touching fingertips in an open circle, the Sign of the Nut.  The others followed suit.

Wobb was the first to break away.  He walked down a few stairs and chose a seat on the aisle.  A Tree God letter was attached to the edge of the chair:  15.  He set the glow-nut out of the way and reverently caressed the letter.  He pushed the seat down and hopped up into it.  Cautiously, he laid his paws on the high armrests and looked out over the cavernous hall of chairs.

The others sat down also, and no one said anything, afraid to break the still silence.

Wobb's heart beat faster, pit pat pit pat, and a warm glow suffused his furry frame.  Thousands upon thousands of Tree Gods must have sat in these very chairs at one time, and now they left it here for us!  For the People!  For People to come and sit and know and understand.  Wobb felt very small and insignificant.  He could hardly catch his breath.

He looked up at the pearly gray roof, then at the Tree God letters still hanging around the top.  Pribble had theories about the letters.  Mama Jibnib thought it was nonsense, but Pribble seemed very confident that each letter corresponded to a type of tree.  So, "Y" was the SmoothBark, and "K" was the BitterFruit, and so on.  Wobb was a simple Person and did not understand these things, but he didn't mind.  He took things on faith.

As Wobb sat overlooking the interior of the Cosmic Nut, he felt the Tree Gods, really felt them now, in his heart and mind and soul.  Inspired by this religious feeling, he looked around and gradually noticed that a certain set of letters recurred throughout the Nut, over and over again.  He stared at them.  He felt the power of the Tree Gods surge within him, and he had an epiphany. 

The letters!  Surely, Wobb thought, the Tree Gods gave us the letters to start with?  Yes, they were strange by People standards, but if you thought about it for a bit, each letter could resemble a People letter.  Yes!  That was it!  He realized his gift.  With a surge of humility, he made the Sign of the Nut and thanked the Tree Gods for the vision.

In a fever, Wobb studied the letters, trying to translate them into People letters.  "A-s-t-r-o," said the Tree Gods.  Wobb scratched his ear.  "N-r-d-i-p?"  Not right.  "M-r-d-o-p?"  No, no.  "M-r-b-o-p."  Yes, he could just make it out.  Mrbop.  An unusual word, yes, one that currently had no meaning to the People, but it was the gift of the Tree Gods, it was why he was brought there that day, yes it was, it had to be!

Wobb hopped up, nearly falling over the chair facing him, and shouted, "Mrbop!  Mrbop!  The Tree Gods have spoken!  The Holy Word...!"  Wobb collapsed into the aisle, his hands falling naturally into the Sign of the Nut.

"Say Farbop."

"Yes Toddybop."

"What's this green stuff?"

Farbop tossed the Tree God stuff he was sorting onto a pile and went to see what Toddybop was into.  He looked over his shoulder.  "Dunno, Toddybop.  Looks like green grassy stuff, don't it?"  He leaned over and touched it.  "Rough green grassy stuff."

Toddybop scratched his ear.  "We'd better tell Dagglebop.  He said he wanted to know if we found anything interesting."

They went to fetch Dagglebop, who waddled over to see the green grassy stuff.  Dagglebop bent slightly, peered, and waggled his ears.  "Grass!  Tree God grass!" he exclaimed.  He looked to Farbop, then to Toddybop.  "Quick, go get some help, and let's spread this out in the middle of the Nut.  We'll use it for today's Gathering."

So Farbop and Toddybop got some help, and they hauled the green grassy stuff out to the center of the Nut, under the filtered light, and began to roll it out.  And roll and roll.

"Say Farbop, this thing's kinda big."

"So it is, Toddybop."

When they finished, the green grassy stuff covered almost the entire central Cosmic Nut, with the exception of a few oddly placed, circular holes.  "Rats, I'll bet," said Farbop.

The two of them scooted back and forth on the unusual surface, generating static electricity from the hairs on their feet.  "Ow," said Toddybop when Farbop shocked him viciously.

Dagglebop waddled onto the surface.  "Most interesting," he muttered.  "Boys, look lively.  I told Mama Wumbug about this, and she and Wobbop are coming early to look at it."

Farbop and Toddybop looked at one another.  The big man himself, and his Mama!  They chased each other in circles around the green grassy stuff and finally headed off toward the back.  They returned with brooms and began to sweep the new thing--which, as they discovered, wasn't very easy.

They gave up pretending to work when Wobbop and his Mama came in.  Mama Wumbug was the Big Mama, because she was descended from Wobb the Chosen.  She stood on the edge of the green grassy stuff while Wobbop strode carefully across its shiny surface. 

After several minutes of intense concentration, Wobbop looked up at Mama Wumbug and said, "First trees.  Now grass."  His voice rose instinctively.  "On this day, the Tree Gods have given us grass!  Grass!  MrbopGrass!  A blessing!  A BLESSING!"  He raised his hand high and collapsed on his knees.  He looked down.  He carefully got up again and rubbed his knees, then walked over to Mama Wumbug.  They talked in low tones.

Farbop and Toddybop were impressed.  They had found a blessing!  "Wow," said Toddybop.

Wobbop was pointing at them.  Dagglebop walked over and said, "Boys, Wobbop would like for you to join the Church.  Specifically, he wants you to, ah, present the Sign of the Grass, which the Tree Gods will be imparting to him momentarily."  He smiled.  "This would be an ongoing thing, naturally."

Farbop and Toddybop could hardly believe their ears.  Such an honor!  They nodded and chrrrped their acceptance and thanks.

"Good!  Now, uh, follow me, and we'll get some robes for you."  Dagglebop ambled off, with Farbop and Toddybop right behind him.

Six hours later, the Cosmic Nut was ready for the Gathering.  Turnout was going to be high--lots of People were scurrying for the Nut already, having heard about the MrbopGrass.  Wobbop had a new green robe, hastily sewn for the occasion.  Farbop and Toddybop had to make do with the old red, orange, and yellow striped robes, with Mrbop written on the front in flashy letters.

Mama Migdig sang while People sat down on the MrbopGrass near the Talking Stump.  The Talking Stump was moved from the absolute center of the Nut to the center hole in the MrbopGrass, which was closer to one side of the Tree God chairs.  When everyone was settled, Mama Migdig finished the song and sat down next to Mama Wumbug.

Wobbop walked serenely and regally from the back entry onto the MrbopGrass.  Farbop and Toddybop followed behind, trying to keep pace with He of the Chosen Clan.  The People waited expectantly.

Wobbop reached the Talking Stump, and Farbop stood to his left, while Toddybop stood to his right.  Wobbop hopped onto the Talking Stump and raised his fists.  "People!" he began, then waited for that to sink in.  "My People!  Joyous, rapturous news today!"  Everyone held their breath while Wobbop made a sweeping motion with his arms, "Look!  Grass!  There is grass in the Cosmic Nut!  The Tree Gods have given us...GRASS in the Cosmic Nut!  Yes, they have made grass where grass did not grow, and they GAVE IT TO US!"

Wobbop couldn't contain his excitement.  He jumped down and jogged in a circle around the Talking Stump.  "MrbopGrass!  That's what it is!  A blessing from the Tree Gods!"

The People shouted and sang and cheered at the news while Wobbop spun around and around on the MrbopGrass.  Finally, he sank onto the surface—carefully—and clasped his hands.

"People," he spoke more calmly now, "People, this is more than just a blessing.  It is a SIGN."  People gasped.  "Yes, a SIGN from the Tree Gods."  He returned to the Talking Stump.

"It is obvious!  First, the Tree Gods chased the water away from the Cosmic Nut so that we could find it.  This is written by Quig the Blessed.  My own forefather, Wobb the Chosen, wrote that the water stood where I stand today.  And now the Cosmic Nut is not buried in water; it is here for us to learn about the Universal Tree and come closer to the Tree Gods.

"But that is not all!  Today, today, they have given us MrbopGrass.  Ah, then.  What is grass?  Grass grows on the ground.  It grows on the ground that used to be water, but now isn't.  Ground.  Do you not see?  The Tree Gods mean for us to come down from the trees and live on the ground.  It is our destiny!  It is our religious obligation!"

The People stood and cheered.  Mama Wumbug wiped her eyes.

Wobbop waited for the cheering to subside, then said, "People, today I give to you a new sign, a sign that will not replace the Sign of the Nut, but will go before it:  the Sign of the Grass."  He waved Farbop and Toddybop forward.  They stood on either side of the Talking Stump.  "These two men are now Keepers of the Sign, and they shall, ah, keep the sign at every Gathering.  Farbop and Toddybop," he said looking at each in turn, "I charge you, in your new offices, to make the Sign of the Grass!"

Farbop and Toddybop had practiced all day:  they bent over and brushed their kneecaps with their hands.  The People saw and rose to their feet and did likewise.

Wobbop wept.

"Say Lambop."

"Yes Billibop."

"Is that water on the MrbopGrass?"

Lambop sat up in the orange Tree God chair and looked down.  "Looks like it."

Billibop scratched his ear.  "Do you think Wobblybop's ground wall is gonna work?  Keep the water out?"

Lambop shrugged.  "Dunno.  He says the Tree Gods will make it work, since they told us to come down from the trees.  Seems right."

Billibop sat silently and thought about the little houses surrounding the Cosmic Nut.  Then he said, "I was sort of thinking about building a treehouse."

Lambop turned and looked at him.  "Well, now, that's blasphemous, Billibop.  Wobbop the Anointed said that everybody has to live within a treeheight of the Cosmic Nut, so that's what you'd better do.  If Wobblybop ever heard you talk about treehouses, he'd take away your right to be Keeper of the Sign.  Then what would the Old People think?  What would Keeper Toddybop say to that?  Worse, what if I lost my right to be Keeper of the Sign because I associate with you?"

"Don't go all boppy.  It's just that I've been thinking.  You and I mop up the water in here, and it seems like we've been mopping a lot of it the last few years.  I just thought that maybe since the Tree Gods were, uh, Tree Gods, that we shouldn't have moved to the ground.  Is all."

Lambop considered this.  "So you're saying that maybe the Tree Gods are a little mad or something, and that's why they're pushing water into the Cosmic Nut again."

"Yeah, something like that."

"Well, that is the boppiest idea I ever heard.  It's anti-progress, is what it is.  The Tree Gods want us to progress, Billibop.  We couldn't very well have all the stuff we have if we lived in the trees."

Billibop frowned.  "Like what stuff?"

Lambop looked disgusted.  "You know.  Fancy clothes.  Nuts all year.  Making machines, like the cloth-making machine, the ground-nut-making machine, and the basket-making machine.  Stuff like that."

"Seems to me," said Billibop, "that Quig the Blessed and Wobb the Chosen did all right up in the trees."

"Well, good grief," said Lambop.  "They didn't have no choice, now did they?  Those were primitive times, Billibop."  He shook his head. 

"Lambop!  Billibop!"  said a voice.  They looked down at the Gathering field.  It was Wobblybop.

Lambop glared at Billibop.  "There he is now.  You just hush up about the treehouse."  He waved at Wobblybop.

"Come down here, you two!" said Wobblybop.  "I've got an idea for a dry-making machine, for the MrbopGrass.  Come take a look at my plans!"

Lambop headed down to the Gathering field, and Billibop followed.  Billibop wondered how long a dry-making machine might keep the water off the MrbopGrass.  Then he wondered how the Old People made their treehouses.

"Say Finbobble."

"Yes Nagg."

"You believe all that stuff Mama Tubwug says about People living on the ground?"

Finbobble stretched and pulled in his fishing line to check the bait.  "Sounds kinda far-fetched to me.  I mean, they'd starve.  And then we wouldn't be here."

Nagg scratched his head.  "Yeah, that sounds right.  It would be unnatural, anyway.  The Tree Gods would be pretty unhappy about something like that, I'll bet."

Finbobble cast out his line again.  "Well, Mama Tubwug says that they did get mad about it and made the water flood the Cosmic Nut again.  She says it was all some Talker's fault, and that if the People had listened to a Mama like they ought, it wouldn't have happened."

"You believe in that Cosmic Nut stuff?"

Finbobble shrugged.  "I dunno.  I guess maybe it could've happened.  But I reckon that it's figurative, symbolic of something else.  Like People gettin' too big for their tails.  Thinkin' they know more than the Tree Gods."

Nagg nodded.  "Yeah, I reckon that's right.  I could believe that.  My Mama always told me that some of our family were a little boobly that way, and we had best be mindful of the Tree Gods or get a curse on our house."

"Oh, yeah, that's good advice.  My Mama said the same thing."

Nagg shaded his eyes and looked to the sun.  "We'd best get back home.  Mama Bobnog will be mad if we're late for Gathering again."

Finbobble and Nag pulled in their lines, took up their oars, and rowed toward shore and their homes in the trees.