”“I’m not certain that’s a plus.” Everyone laughed.I left around nine, having checked my tires, my fuel and my coolant. The drive to the fen...ce was fairly straightforward, and the next hour was a succession of dry grooves in the reddish land. There were shrubs along the edges. But when the Bore Track intersected the Strzelecki Trail, the amount of traffic increased, what appeared to be a large convoy of trucks, throwing up a plume of dust. I made my turn and fairly soon I saw the Innamincka. "So, that's why Mom is so happy, singing and whistling to herself in her room. She's kind of pushy, isn't she? Not laid back like me!" Even she couldn't say that without giggling. "Julie, I'm so glad you are here! I like you already. I hope Mom hasn't embarrassed you too much. I hope you'll come back often. I can already see what my Dad thinks about you!" Amy reached over and gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek. Julie laughed at her."You can give him a better kiss that that, sweetheart! I know. No change.“Television as an art? Give me a break. It has successfully sunk to the lowest common denominator of society. I watched a ‘reality show’ one night last week. I don’t know what planet those folks were living on if they considered it to be anything at all like reality. It was horrible.“There’s no such thing as family any more. Before the technilogical revolution, most marriages lasted a lifetime. Now, half of the marriages in this country end in divorce. Half of the adults in this. A few even greeted us as we passed, to which we would smile and return the favor. A few minutes later, we found ourselves in Eritor’s office again.“The pyre you requested has been prepared,” he announced. “I will have three runners assigned to the pyre in rotating shifts. They will be tasked with ensuring the fire burns consistently until the remains are ashes.”I nodded, “Fantastic. Thank you, Eritor. One of us will also be with the pyre at all times to ensure that the skulls stay there. We do.