Page 62 - Psychoceramics and the Test of Fire

Homeostatopia

“Weisenheimer okay with you?”
“Sure. ‘This fizz means biz.’” Yes, I had received a very thorough
briefing.
He laughed, popped the cap on one and handed it to me. “Hope
it’s cold enough.”
It was, almost. I hadn’t noticed any electric wiring within miles.
Not for me to wonder about his methods of refrigeration: if he
wanted to brag about it, fine with me.
We sat, almost shoulder to shoulder, on a bench built into the wall
and covered with a blanket. I was completely at ease, wondering if a
few swallows of gaseous commercial beer would loosen my tongue
beyond sobriety’s discretion. But our camaraderie demanded
casualness, and I was willing to go with the flow—at least of liquid
refreshment. I was parched.
“You’ve got to be wondering what I’m doing way out here, Hal.”
I wiped my lips. “I know I don’t look like those other guys helping
you.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he replied, belching politely. “You could
probably get with the program in a couple of days—no problem.
You’d be in line to get your own house built within two or three
weeks.”
“Gosh, thanks, but I’m not really the hands-on type. Anyway, I
hope you can fill me in on what’s going on. Maybe I’ll get inspired.”
That with the self-deprecating hand shrug leaving palms up for more
input.
Peña made a sweeping gesture with the hand not bottled up. Take
it all in, he seemed to imply. “What you see here is the prototype of
human habitation in the future. Don’t laugh.” I didn’t. “I know it
looks like a bunch of city boys and girls playing in the mud, but we
have to start somewhere, and it really doesn’t matter where. In fact, if
we can make it out here we’ll have shown the world the way out of
its troubles.”
“Oh,” I echoed into the cylindrical void retreating from my
mouth. “Yeah, we’ve sure got a lot of troubles to get out of.”
“More than you can shake a stick at, Greg. Half the population
doesn’t want to give up living unsustainably, and the other half is
champing at the bit to start consuming just as wastefully. I’m not
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