Gift Of A Useless Man
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Gift Of A Useless Man is a short story by Alan Dean Foster. It can be found in the collection Who Needs Enemies?
[edit] Plot
A space traveler and petty criminal crash lands on an unexplored world. He finds himself alive, but almost completely paralyzed. There he is discovered by a race of intelligent but primitive insect creatures. The man devotes his life to helping the insects. He offers them advice on elementary agriculture, and provides them with seeds from a tomato sandwich. Flakes of skin that he sheds are used as a building material, while his bodily wastes are used to fertilize their farms. In return, the insects feed him and look after him. Under his guidance the insects form a new civilization.
[edit] Trivia
The Futurama episode Godfellas was a tribute to this story.
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