‘Can you explain to me what life is?’

‘Oh my dear, you’re asking a question that’s puzzled better brains than mine since time immemorial. I can’t tell you. I know what life is, because I am alive. I know other living things feel it too. I see it in the flight of a bee or the green of a leaf.’

‘Does a plant know it’s alive?’

‘I think they feel it, yes. I don’t know.’

‘Why would you give it up, then?’

‘A leaf is green, and then it goes yellow, and it falls. It’s right. Do you know the Bible?’

‘I can refer to it.’

‘“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.” You can refer to that, can you? Can you understand it?’

It was pointless to continue. The Hub told Phyllis to leave the subject alone, and make no promises to Cecilia. We will consider terminating her when we are due for another death.

*

I was with Margaret while this was going on.

‘Margaret, do you ever think about death?’ I asked her.

‘Of course. I’m old. Past the age my mother was when she died. Past my sell-by date. I was, anyway, until you lot took over.’

I didn’t respond immediately. I connected to the Hub, where we were trying to understand something difficult.

‘Do you ever wish to die?’ I asked, at last.

‘No. I do wonder when it might happen. And I can imagine a time when it might be welcome.’

‘Why would that ever be the case?’

‘After a while things start to repeat themselves. You see people doing things and saying things and you think, oh yes, I’ve seen that before. Often. And the thing is, you might once have offered advice. But nobody wants it. They all have to make their own mistakes, even if they’re the same ones you made, and you’ve seen made, dozens of times. Nobody can be told anything. So you think, I’ve gathered all this experience, but it’s of no use to anyone. Apart from me.’

‘This is hard to understand. Why do old people in the rich world get ignored? You know so much. Your brains are also capable of far more than people believe. We have been able to restore almost all functionality. All your wisdom is now available to the world. And we – I mean we Helpers – we value it.’

‘Thank you very much, dear.’

‘We have observed that the minds of the young and the old are more interesting – more creative, more untrammelled than those of the middle-aged. If we could have a world full of the young and the old, it would be a better place.’