Page 822 - Enders_Game_Full_Book

didn't call for an answering embrace. Planter was clinging to him as he would cling to a tree. Seeking the comfort of a trunk. A safe place to hold onto until the danger passed. There would be less, not more comfort if Ender responded like a human and hugged him back. This was a time when Ender had to answer like a tree. So he held still and waited. Waited and held still. Until at last the trembling stopped.
When Planter pulled away from him, both their bodies were covered with sweat. I guess there's a limit to how treelike I can be, thought Ender. Or do brothertrees and fathertrees give off moisture to the brothers who cling to them?
"This is very surprising," whispered Planter.
The words were so absurdly mild, compared to the scene that had just played out before them, that Ender couldn't help laughing aloud.
"Yes," said Ender. "I imagine it is."
"It's not funny to them," Ela said.
"He knows that," said Valentine.
"He mustn't laugh, then," she said. "You can't laugh when Planter's in so much pain." And then she burst into tears.
Valentine put a hand on her shoulder. "He laughs, you cry," she said. "Planter runs around and climbs trees. What strange animals we all are."
"Everything comes from the descolada," said Planter. "The third life, the mothertree, the fathertrees. Maybe even our minds. Maybe we were only tree rats when the descolada came and made false ramen out of us."
"Real ramen," said Valentine.
"We don't know it's true," said Ela. "It's a hypothesis."
"It's very very very very very true," said Planter. "Truer than truth." "How do you know?"
"Everything fits. Planetary regulation-- I know about this, I studied gaialogy and the whole time I thought, how can this teacher tell us these things when every pequenino can look around and see that they're false? But if we know that the descolada is changing us, making us act to regulate the planetary systems--"
"What can the descolada possibly make you do that could regulate the planet?" said Ela.