the island’s highest mountain was
called Mt. Medwick it was high enough
to have snow in the winter and had a
good steep downhill slope in summer
the main attractions were the waterfall
and the view the view was really a
multiple of views as you went up
and around the mountain there was no one
place from which you could see the
whole island but you could get a kind of
collage overview of the whole thing
from one viewpoint to the next the
waterfall was spectacularly high so that
the water as it went over the brink and
down its long free fall fell into chunks
and irregular mass of grey of green of
was caught and channelled in its chute at
the distant bottom in a narrow sluice
with amazing speed one day they all
rented a car it was time to get out of the
city to get a little perspective they
brought food and wine and drove up
the mountain for the day starting at
dawn he and Charleen stayed up all
night to do it because they knew they’d
never get up at dawn so did Veronica
and Victor Tony and Drecker were the
only ones used to getting up in the
morning Drecker was driver Tony was
the only other person awake as they
drove through the countryside toward
Mt. Medwick he was able to afford the
car because he had taken the job writing
reports he had gone to see Bennett the
exile Bennett looked like a seal very
slick and streamlined and spoke with a
very weird accent from having been
on the island so long a speech neither
island nor native but something new and
unearthly like a computer taught to
speak by a panel of international
cyberneticists let me explain said
Bennett you know nothing about
maternity good but what is
maternity maternity is making something
out of nothing now you as a
scientist engaged in research are
involved in essentially the same kind of
activity is it not and furthermore what
is a report a report is a bureaucrat’s way
of making nothing of something now we
have a situation here of demographic
growth heading toward disastrous over-
population with at the same time high
infant mortality aggravated because the
land can no longer support the growing
population which moves into the city at
a rapid rate where there are no
facilities jobs or housing but on the other
hand attempts at population control
lead to charges of oppression and
genocide therefore nothing can be done
it is how do you say it a blind alley no
way out when there is nothing to be
done what you do is write a report and
that is why you are writing a report on
make something of nothing in order to
make nothing of something though
undoubtedly at a higher level of
information and that is indeed our task as
savants to struggle relentlessly to elevate
the level of information it changes
nothing but it is an end in itself
in the end it is our substitute for god if you
know of any other end please let me
know Drecker was trying to explain to
Tony his idea of units you see he said
everything has to be measured it doesn’t
matter how it’s measured as long as it’s
measured measure is the mark of man if
you see what I mean said Drecker I’m
with you so far said Tony okay said
Drecker so my idea of units is a way of
applying measure to things we haven’t
even thought of measuring before like
love affairs like history like feelings like
all our little every day experiences for
example mathematicians have recently
found a way to measure irregular catastrophic
events do you see what I mean
said Drecker I don’t see a goddam thing
said Tony the windmills the sheep the
deserted farmhouses and barns fled
by like migrating birds as the car sped
down the straight empty two lane
highway there was absolutely nothing
in the left hand lane the road was
smooth as a blackboard they could have
been standing still and the scenery
moving on millions of tiny wheels what
difference thought Drecker with two
jets flying 600 mph in the same direction
you have the impression neither
is moving standing still is a form of
movement Drecker told Tony tell that
to the boys on the assembly line said
Tony but Drecker had his mind on
vague blocks of matter emerging
diverging converging they were starting
to go up the mountain the road ascending
descending coiling back on itself
the three in the back seat began to wake
up oh shit where are we said Charleen I
never know where you’re at said Tony
that’s right cowboy said Charleen go
back to sleep Carl said next to her she
snuggled up to him she’s at her best
when she’s waking up he thought or
going to sleep Victor between Tony and
Drecker in the front seat woke up with
jerk said invisible insane went back to
sleep Carl lit a cigarette and threw the
rest of the pack out the window he was
trying to stop smoking as they climbed
the mountain he started to think about
the upcoming decline the upcoming
decline was at the bottom of the new
conditions along with the revolution of
rising expectations when rising expectations
hit the upcoming decline hell