Meronym said Old Georgie werenât real for her, nay, but he could still be real for me.
Then who, asked I, tripped the Fall if it werenât Old Georgie?
Eerie birds I dinât knowed yibbered news in the dark for a beat or two. The Prescient answered, Old Uns tripped their own Fall.
Oh, her words was a rope oâ smoke. But Old Unsâd got the Smart!
I memâry she answered, Yay, Old Unsâ Smart mastered sicks, miles, seeds anâ made miracles ordinary, but it dinât master one thing, nay a hunger in the hearts oâ humans, yay, a hunger for more.
More what? I asked. Old Unsâd got evârythinâ.
Oh, more gear, more food, faster speeds, longer lifes, easier lifes, more power, yay. Now the Hole World is big, if it werenât big ânuff for that hunger what made Old Uns rip out the skies anâ boil uptake seas anâ poison soil with crazed atoms anâ donkey âbout with rotted seeds so new plagues was bored anâ babies was freak-birthed. finally, bitterly, then quick sharp, states busted into barbâric tribes anâ the Civâlize Days ended, âcept for a few foldsânâpockets hereânâthere, where its last embers glimmer.
I asked why Meronymâd never spoke this yarninâ in the Valleys.Â
Valleysmenâd not want to hear, she answered, that human hunger birthed the Civâlize, but human hunger killed it too. I know it from other tribes offland what I stayed with. Times are you say a personâs bâliefs ainât true, they think youâre sayinâ their lifes ainât true anâ their truth ainât true.
Yay, she was probâly right.
p. 272-3, Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell











