Project Pope

'But what has this got to do with afterlife?

'Did I say it had something to do with afterlife? Te

At times, Te

Then, turning back toward Vatican, he'd finally find one of the few roads, little more than a broader trail, to lead him home. He'd trudge along it happily, his feet raising little puffs of dust, the warmth of the sun upon his back, the peace of the mountain on his mind. And a few days later, he would go out again, perhaps in a different direction this time, to prowl up and down the land while the mountains watched.

One afternoon, heading back toward Vatican along one of the narrow roads, he heard something approaching from behind. Looking back, he saw a beat-up surface vehicle, with a man sitting at its wheel. Te

The man had an honest, open face, with searching blue eyes.

'I would appreciate a lift, said Te

'I take it, said the man as Te

'That's right. And you?

'I'm Decker. Thomas Decker, at your service, sir.

'I've been roaming around out here off and on for several weeks, said Te

'And the only one you are likely to see, said Decker. 'All the rest of them stick close to home and fireside. They have no curiosity or appreciation for what lies all about them. They look at the mountains every day of their lives and all they see are mountains. You see more than mountains, don't you, Doctor?

'A great deal more, said Te

'How about seeing even more? I'm in a mood, if you wish, to conduct a guided tour.

'You have a customer, said Te

'Well, then, the battery's up, said Decker, 'and we have hours of operation. First, let us see the farms.

'The farms?

'Yes, of course, the farms. You eat bread, do you not? And meat and milk and eggs?

'Certainly I do.

'Where, then, did you think it all came from, other than from farms?

'I suppose I never thought about it.

'These robots think of everything, said Decker. 'They must feed their humans, so some of them are farmers. Electricity is needed, so they built a dam and set up a power facility. Some solar power as well, but they've not pushed the solar power. However, they have the capability and can expand it any time it's needed. They also have a sawmill, but it runs only part-time, for now there's no great demand for lumber. Some centuries ago, when the building was going on, there was a great need of it. He chuckled. 'You can't beat the robots for efficiency. They use a primitive steam engine to operate the sawmill, using slabs and sawdust produced by the mill to drive the engine.

'They're a self-sufficient community, said Te

'They have to be. Out here they are on their own. There's no such thing as imports, except for small items they may need from time to time. The small items Wayfarer hauls in for them. The freight costs a pretty pe

They now were driving along a somewhat better road than the one from which Decker had picked up Te

'Soon they'll be harvesting, said Decker. 'Even Vatican people will drop all their sanctified duties and go out into the fields to bring in the crops. Cardinals with their red and purple robes tucked up to guard them against being stained by dust. Brown-clad monks bobbing along, being useful for the only time in the year. They use cradles to cut and gather the grain, swarming about the field like so many ants. They've rigged up a threshing machine that works rather well, and it runs for weeks to get all the threshing done. Another steam engine to operate the thresher. For it they haul in and stack cords of wood well ahead of time.

Interspersed among the grain fields were pastures, lush with grass, roamed by cattle, horses, sheep and goats. Hog pens held thousands of grunting porkers. Hordes of chickens roamed a fenced-in hilly section.

Decker jerked his thumb toward the horizon. 'Fields of maize, he said, 'to fatten up the hogs. And that small field ahead of us is buckwheat. I told you; they think of everything. Back in the hills, they have an apiary with hundreds of stands of bees. Somewhere around here — yes, we're coming up on it now. See it? Cane, Sorghum cane. Sorghum for the buckwheat cakes you'll be eating later on.

'It takes me back to my home planet, Te

They came on orchards — apples, pears, apricots, peaches and other kinds of fruit.

'A cherry orchard, said Decker, jerking his thumb again. 'Cherries ripen early. All the crop's been picked.

You're right, said Te

Decker grunted. 'They've had a long time to think of it. Almost a thousand years — perhaps a little longer, I don't know. Wouldn't have needed any of this if they hadn't needed humans. But they needed humans. Your robot is a silly sort of chap; he has to have his humans. I don't know when the first humans were brought in. My impression is a century, or less, after the robots got their start.

The sun was close to setting when they turned back.

'I'm glad you showed it to me, said Te

'How you getting along at Vatican? asked Decker.

'Well enough. I've scarcely gotten settled in. What I see I like.

'What do you know about this Heaven flap?

'I hear something occasionally. I'm not sure I know what it's all about. There is a woman who thinks that she found Heaven.

'Did she?

'I honestly don't know. I'm inclined to doubt it.

Decker wagged his head. 'There are always flaps of one kind or another. If not Heaven, then it's something else.

Out of the corner of his eye, Te

'Get something in your eye? asked Decker.

'It's nothing, said Te