He shrugged. “I don’t be looking that way. I suppose she drink him up. She plenty thirsty. Drink him up and spit him out—if she want,” he added.

“That’s—so cruel.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Mmm, don’t think about that part. Don’t look ’round. You just put your back to the begging plow. Earth gonna do what she want. Sun gonna beat-cha.”

“You don’t have very much free time, do you? Is that difficult?”

He grinned painfully. “Listen at you—difficult. It’s plenty hard, pass you that. We get along though. One stripe need a picking, next need a planting, next need ploo-wing.” He wiggled his brows and began to pat his leg rhythmically. “So on and so on, stripe after stripe, for day, for month, for year.” He ended with a deep cough, his smile intact. However, I could see his strength was waning.

“Is that one of the songs you sing?” I asked.

He nodded. “Over ’n over. That Earth never say quit.” He shrugged. “But don’t think about that part.”

“Then what do you think about?”

He thought. “Sometime, when the work way out on the farm, I get a mule and tent. Sleep out under the stars. Boy-o!”

I grinned. “And you like that?”

“Mmm, yes. Make you think.”

“What do you think about?”

“Mmm, ’bout the Earth, I suppose—that black boss.”

“And what do you think about the Earth?”

“Oh hell, listen at you. I don’t know. Don’t matter I suppose. Earth—”

“Gonna do what she wants,” I finished.

He grinned widely.

“So, why not just take a hovercraft?”

“Huh?”

“A hovercraft,” I repeated. “If the distance is so far, you have to sleep out overnight, why travel by mule? A hovercraft will get you there in half the time.”

He looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “You take a hovercraft, girl, you got to wash that craft off real good. We got the harvest to tend to. Got the quota and the foreman. Got no time for washing.”

“Wash the hovercraft off—your body?”

“Oh, yes! Potoo say: lard soap three times, then dry.” He gave me a hard look.

“Is that because you’re afraid of technology? You’re afraid it will infect you?” I knew this was the case. The workers were superstitious about technology. I was curious to hear one speak on the fear directly.

“Listen at you! You smart, but not too smart, eh? Don’t you know it was electricity that mostly killed us?”

“In the Last War,” I offered.

“Yes, girl. It’s what started the whole thing. Don’t you know that? You so smart. Man got the computer, got that electricity. And what? What!?”

I started. “I—don’t know.”