Day 2 4129, so still ahead of the game.

I really need to give names to Sara Father and Grandfather. But hay her mother got named at the end. And exploding corn? Really? Oh well. could be worse. What will my fingers give me next?

“But that shouldn’t be. Why after one year? The tests didn’t show anything in the acid levels, just an increase in the full output from it. Dang we had best swap out the plastic field to, and not try the third year. Can’t afford to have it drop out like the fuel has done, the town needs it to bad. At least it wasn’t the food crops.”

Grandfather nodded. “Now your thinking. About time, you should have known once you saw the fields. It is matches what we saw the fourth year after planting. Right down to the last wilted leaf. Perhaps you youngsters need to look more at your history books. Even before the world went crazy crops had to changed or lost value. These funky new things are no different in that. Still can’t get used to corn that will explode if not harvested in time. Will say they tried, but why not just give us oil when they flipped the world? Gas and plastic corn! Really. Ok I will give that the new paper is better and less troublesome to make, and it is nice to know the water you get out of a steam won’t kill you do to lead or mercury. But this corn, it is strange.”

Her Father frowned a bit. “The tests showed no change in the soil, why would we think it wore out so fast? The tests should have shown the lack, if they had we wouldn’t have been so troubled.”

 Grandfather frowned. “The child there could have told you what was wrong with corn from her study of the history books. That is my issue with it. Those that forget history will make the same mistakes. W3hat is going to stop use the next time we try to blow up the world.”

Father went on as if he hadn’t heard, but his eyes flashed. “They were making fuel from corn before as well, and hemp paper outdates wood paper. It just disappeared for a few years, Dad. It is not that big of a change and there is nothing magical in the plants at this point. We need a way to replace what was lost and the reengineered crops are the best shot we have at getting back to a fully working, connected, society. It will just take time to get the mix right, but there are tractors in the fields now progress is being made. It is slow, but it we are starting to recover what was lost.”

Grandfather said. “No, you are making it better than it was. You kids are not tearing you the world to create yours. My parents and theirs did. I was young, but I remember. You have gone a long ways in a short time. But do not forget what went on before you. Let the corn teacher you the dangers of that. There are things about the world that was that shouldn’t be remade. But if history is let slide they will be.”

Sara wanted to say something, to change the conversation before her father exploded. But talking, even for that reason would earn her trouble. She had not been spoken to and it was a holy night. Still if this went on much longer they would be yelling and she would end up in trouble anyway. Before she could make up her mind which was worse Jacob spoke. “Say did you hear that they are close to getting the picture tubes needed so we can have televisions back in the house? They have one that will run for three hours now without exploding. They are hoping to have a model for sale next month. They will give you one year worth of new tubes, and a discount for the newest model at the end of that year.”

Sara held her breath waiting to see if that would be enough. Grandfather said. “Don’t think I don’t know what your about there boy. But it will be good to be able to see what is going on in other towns and not just hear about it. It will make us feel more connected, more one. Make it easy for the gals to keep up with the fashions in other towns so they don’t feel so odd. Wonder how long it will be tell there are cop shows on the air again. Be nice to sit back and watch a good crime get solved in an hour. Or a medical issues get diagnosed and solved. I do miss the escapes that the shows gave. It is good to forget your troubles and live another’s for a bit. Books work, but it is not the same. Do they have any hope of beating the storms though?”

Abiram said. “No, not until we can find a way to get cables laid. They have to be buried, suffice running is no better than on poles. They are trying to go just an inch deep. Any less and the storms will get them, but they are not sure that even that will be shallow enough for the trolls and dwarfs to leave them be. We don’t know what they considered an invasion and so far no one has found an effective way to communicate with them though they are clearly intelligent, they just don’t want to talk.”

Grandfather shook his head. “Trying to Talk to Trolls and Dwarfs, negation with Dryads and tree folk for wood and fruit. In my youth that sort of thing would have you in counseling and on antipsychotic meds faster than you could blink. I miss the days when they were just stories. Is nice to see trees all over. But still, it is bit unreal. Living myths and all. At least my generation were children at the time. It was far harder for the adults. I think that had to be part of why so many were lost. To learn that not all of the crazy people were crazy, that a few really had been seeing things and hearing voices. It turned them upside down, to say the least. Some never did adjust. Spend all your life knowing that something is not real, never was, only to wake up and find that it is. That dragons do fly and breath fire and there are trees that walk and talk. Well you can imaging how that would mess people up. It is no wonder us old folks go strange now and then. Well it is time I take my old bones to bed. Sara if you would be so kind and bring me a cup in a bit? I am just a bit stiff tonight.” Sara nodded and he got to his feet and left.

Her father watched him leave then said. “Stiff is he? Had no problems keeping you with young Zac. Sara see he made it to bed, he is starting to lose his way. He is getting up there. Back in his day people his age were in homes and not doing anything so hard as he did today. I wonder just what other changes we have yet to discover. It seems that we will live longer in this age. I wonder if we will see the long life spans that were recorded in the old book? Yet another imposable thing becoming reality as he would say. Perhaps we would be netter off to let some things of the old world disappear from memory.”

Sara kept her words inside as she stood and put her embroidery away. She then curtseyed and left the room. Knowing her mother would check she went and fixed the cup of tea, knowing that Grandfather had no intention of drinking it. He just wanted her to read more of the book to him. He said he liked her voice, but in truth he couldn’t see the words anymore without putting on the glasses he hated. Still it was an interesting story, one wrote before about a change that ended the world. At least they still had working motors and generators made electricity without issues. It was just that power lines snapped easy in the storms that made it necessary to keep candles and lanterns on hand. She hated to think about having only them to light the night and have to use horses or bikes to move around locally. Though having an intact railroad would be nice. Hopefully the fact that they had contracted with the goblins for this try at one meant it would last. They didn’t seem to have such a fight to keep the plants from reclaiming what they built. Taking the tea she headed up the stair case and down the hall. As she expected Grandfather was reclining on the bed and the book was waiting by the chair.

He smiled at her. “Just set the tea on the stand, and don’t you worry Eidath will find it empty when she comes to check, now come read to me a bit. I sleep better when you do. I am going to miss these evenings. Don’t know how I will make it when I have to read my self again.”

Sara sat the try down and went to the chair smiling. “I bet you can get Hannah to read to you. I am sure she won’t mind.”

He said. “Not the books I want to hear I can’t. She would be scandalized by that novel and you know it. It would have to be modern church printed texts with her, and I get enough of them. So if it was up to you what would you do with the corn? Write it off like they are?”

Sara said. “I would try and add some flax seeds in. It is a bit late in the year now but I think it would still save a few more ears. Take out any that is clear dead to make room and there would be a chance. I found record of accidently mixed planting and the yield was higher for it, but it was to hard to harvest to be useful long term but it would be worth trying.”

He nodded. “If you had a father that asked you might just be able to cut some of his loses. As it is he wouldn’t listen to anything. You need to put that head of yours to use, and get away from farming. It is not for you. I saw your fingers twitching to get at those numbers. I bet you ran the numbers for yourself before accepting that it was to costly. Go find some way to get into programming, you will enjoy it. As my dad did before hand. You are a lot like I remember him being.”

Sara looked down and picked up the book. This was getting in to dangerous waters. What had she done to make him think she was leavening that way? She hadn’t really planed on it. Sure the thought came now and then but could she truly go? “What makes you think I am going? I am just fifteen, there is time yet before I set up a house. I don’t even go before the alter for a month yet.” She blushed, she had not intend to say that. “I”

He stopped her. “Don’t worry they are to blind to see a thing. But you don’t belong here child. It will eat you alive trying to be what you are not. Think about it now before you make a vow you can’t keep. Now then I believe we were just starting chapter six.” She shook her head and opened the book, soon lost to the words on the page. But she would hear the echo of his words again when she was back in her room.