wasn′t even six then.″
″Yeah, I can′t remember much of when I was six either.″ Denson nodded.
″I do remember how scared everyone was.″
″Yes,″ Denson said; the flask halted for a moment halfway to his lips, then came down again. ″I was old enough to know .″
When he went on his eyes were locked on nothing, on a vision that gave them a haunted bleakness Ingolf recognized. He′d grown up seeing it in his father, and the other adults.
″People are always saying how lucky Iowa was. It didn′t feel that way then. The whole world had just dropped out from under our feet. If the fucking laws of nature can change on you, what can you count on? Most people were . . . you know how a cow or a pig looks when you hit it on the head with the hammer, just before you cut its throat?″
Ingolf nodded at the familiar image; the only people who didn′t know that were those too exalted to ever slaughter their own food or so poor they didn′t eat meat, both small minorities in this part of the world. Denson snorted at the automatic agreement.
″Yeah, you′re a Changeling, all right. Back then, even here in Iowa most people didn′t know how that looked, ′cause they′d never seen an animal butchered unless they worked in a slaughterhouse. Even farmers hadn′t. Hell, I hadn′t.″
″Whoa,″ Ingolf said, shocked despite himself.
He′d known things were very different back then, but—
″Not around Readstown. My dad butchered deer; he was a hunter even before the Change. I do remember that. And one of my uncles raised pigs and slaughtered them and smoked his own bacon.″
″Wisconsin. The Kickapoo country in Wisconsin at that—the sticks .″
″Yah, we′re all ignorant cheeseheads, I′ve heard that before. You still had it lucky here.″
″Everyone says that, because we′ve got as many people now as before the Change. That′s after a generation of everyone breeding like crazy—hell, the kids are even useful , now, instead of swallowing a fortune in college tuition. Back around the Change enough people here died that life got real cheap, real fast. Only a few saw what had to be done if we weren′t all going to die. Get the city people out to the farms, get the farms rerigged to work with hand tools, get tools made, get the food in the silos and such stored before it went bad, get the livestock out of the confinement pens before they died, organize the Amish as instructors so we could plant a crop that first year . . .″
″Wise people like you , I suppose,″ Ingolf said.
He′d noticed that people who′d been adults before the Change tended to think that they were smarter than their children. When they were actually just more . . .
What was the word? Right, introspective . Always watching themselves watching themselves watching themselves. Sometimes I wonder why they didn′t just disappear up their own assholes.
Denson grinned. ″No. I was sixteen then, scared spitless, but old enough I remember it pretty good. Dad was like some crazy preacher then, spreading the gospel—that drove it into my head good and hard. He was number three or four in the State Police; though he drafted me, soon enough. And Tom Heasleroad, he really knew what had to be done, and saw the opportunities, if you know what I mean. Abel Heuisink saw it too, damn him, and he was in the State government like Tom.″
″I′ve met him. We stayed at his place.″
″He′s no fool, just . . . in his old age he′s turned into what they used to call a flaming liberal.″
″You mean he′s a free spender?″ Ingolf said, puzzled; the Heuisinks had struck him as generous even for rich, well-born landholders, but not wasteful.
″Nah. The word′s changed meaning—changed back, actually; I looked it up once when I noticed. We could close him down, but he′s got supporters. And Anthony likes to have an official opposition . . . keeps all the other groups competing to make sure he doesn′t deal them in. Plus he knows
″Yeah, I can′t remember much of when I was six either.″ Denson nodded.
″I do remember how scared everyone was.″
″Yes,″ Denson said; the flask halted for a moment halfway to his lips, then came down again. ″I was old enough to know .″
When he went on his eyes were locked on nothing, on a vision that gave them a haunted bleakness Ingolf recognized. He′d grown up seeing it in his father, and the other adults.
″People are always saying how lucky Iowa was. It didn′t feel that way then. The whole world had just dropped out from under our feet. If the fucking laws of nature can change on you, what can you count on? Most people were . . . you know how a cow or a pig looks when you hit it on the head with the hammer, just before you cut its throat?″
Ingolf nodded at the familiar image; the only people who didn′t know that were those too exalted to ever slaughter their own food or so poor they didn′t eat meat, both small minorities in this part of the world. Denson snorted at the automatic agreement.
″Yeah, you′re a Changeling, all right. Back then, even here in Iowa most people didn′t know how that looked, ′cause they′d never seen an animal butchered unless they worked in a slaughterhouse. Even farmers hadn′t. Hell, I hadn′t.″
″Whoa,″ Ingolf said, shocked despite himself.
He′d known things were very different back then, but—
″Not around Readstown. My dad butchered deer; he was a hunter even before the Change. I do remember that. And one of my uncles raised pigs and slaughtered them and smoked his own bacon.″
″Wisconsin. The Kickapoo country in Wisconsin at that—the sticks .″
″Yah, we′re all ignorant cheeseheads, I′ve heard that before. You still had it lucky here.″
″Everyone says that, because we′ve got as many people now as before the Change. That′s after a generation of everyone breeding like crazy—hell, the kids are even useful , now, instead of swallowing a fortune in college tuition. Back around the Change enough people here died that life got real cheap, real fast. Only a few saw what had to be done if we weren′t all going to die. Get the city people out to the farms, get the farms rerigged to work with hand tools, get tools made, get the food in the silos and such stored before it went bad, get the livestock out of the confinement pens before they died, organize the Amish as instructors so we could plant a crop that first year . . .″
″Wise people like you , I suppose,″ Ingolf said.
He′d noticed that people who′d been adults before the Change tended to think that they were smarter than their children. When they were actually just more . . .
What was the word? Right, introspective . Always watching themselves watching themselves watching themselves. Sometimes I wonder why they didn′t just disappear up their own assholes.
Denson grinned. ″No. I was sixteen then, scared spitless, but old enough I remember it pretty good. Dad was like some crazy preacher then, spreading the gospel—that drove it into my head good and hard. He was number three or four in the State Police; though he drafted me, soon enough. And Tom Heasleroad, he really knew what had to be done, and saw the opportunities, if you know what I mean. Abel Heuisink saw it too, damn him, and he was in the State government like Tom.″
″I′ve met him. We stayed at his place.″
″He′s no fool, just . . . in his old age he′s turned into what they used to call a flaming liberal.″
″You mean he′s a free spender?″ Ingolf said, puzzled; the Heuisinks had struck him as generous even for rich, well-born landholders, but not wasteful.
″Nah. The word′s changed meaning—changed back, actually; I looked it up once when I noticed. We could close him down, but he′s got supporters. And Anthony likes to have an official opposition . . . keeps all the other groups competing to make sure he doesn′t deal them in. Plus he knows
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