On the telly, the commentator said the rain would clear shortly.
“Someone should tell him to look out the window,” Marcin said.
Behind the commentator, water was pouring off the pavilion roof.
“Probably got better information than you,” Adam said.
“He’s standing right in it but can’t see the forest for the trees.”
Isobel shifted the chips away from a wet patch on the table.
“There’s a story from Ghana about that.”
“Wet pitches?”
“Knowing everything but not seeing the big picture. Bloke called Anansi, gets all the wisdom in the world into a pot, then decides he’s going to hide it up a tree.”
“Fair enough,” said Marcin. “Someone’d nick it for sure”
“He ties it in front of him, but it keeps getting in the way. Can’t get his arms round the trunk. His little boy’s down below watching. Says, why don’t you put it on your back?”
Anna smiled. “Little smartarse”
“Exactly. All the wisdom in the world, and his kid’s telling him how to climb a tree. He gets the shits, smashes the pot, wisdom goes everywhere. Everyone gets some.”
The barman goes to put down another bowl of chips. Marcin makes room.
“Anyway,” Anna said, “we’ve put it all back in.”
“What?”
“The wisdom. Books, pictures, everyone’s arguments. Put it in a box. Now we pay to ask it things.”
“It’s bloody useful,” Adam said.
“Course it is. So’s a library.”
“Library didn’t help me fix the washing machine.”
“What was wrong with it?”
“Blocked filter.”
Marcin nodded. “Worth knowing everything, then.”
Adam’s phone lit up. He glanced at it.
“Oh, piss off.”
“What?”
“Food app. Reckons I’ve had enough to eat.”
“Hah. Give us those then mate.”
Marcin pulled the bowl towards him.
Adam took a handful before he could move it any further.
Isobel reached past Marcin for a chip.
“And when it gets things wrong?”
“They improve it., new one, bigger one?”
“Then they need a bigger shed,” Anna said. “More Power. Water to cool the bloody things. Lovely place for it, out by a river. Flat land. Good connection.”
“Farmland,” said Isobel.
“Yeah. Handy, that. Everything already there.”
Adam put his phone down.
“Farmer gets paid for the land, though.”
“One does. Pays off the bank. Fair play to him. Then the place expands, dry year comes, bloke next door can’t get enough water, new shed’s got the capacity booked.”
“So what’s he meant to do?”
“Wait. Next version’s going to sort out water.”
Marcin stopped with a chip halfway to his mouth.
“Does that one need water?”
“Quite a bit.”
“Right.”
On the telly, they went back to the studio. Three men sat beside a picture of the ground in sunshine.
“Town must be making something out of it,” Adam said. “Jobs. Investment.”
“Yeah,” Anna said. “And some people’ll do well. That’s why it’s hard. Your brother’s driving trucks for them. You’ve got a kid who might get an apprenticeship. The farm’s had two bad years and someone’s offering proper money for it.”
“You’d sell,” Isobel said.
“Might have to.”
Marcin pushed the bowl back into the middle.
“So another farm goes.”
“And the company puts out a picture of what it’ll all look like when it’s finished. Green fields. Clean river. Food practically free.”
“Where are the fields?”
“In the picture.”
Adam rubbed his eyes.
“I was listening to something about central banks. Forecasting. How they need to explain it better.”
“Could explain the weather to that bloke,” said Marcin.
“The point was, people hear a forecast like it’s a promise.”
“Sometimes it’s being sold as one,” Anna said. “Look at this lot. Every expansion’s meant to bring plenty closer. Meanwhile, they’ve bought another paddock.”
“Building it counts as growth,” Adam said.
“Yeah. So does buying all the machines. Money’s moving, everyone’s busy. But the bloke who used to grow food’s waiting for a connection.”
“And if it doesn’t work?” Isobel asked.
“Needs more investment.”
Marcin looked towards the bar.
“Need more chips.”
“You’ve had enough,” Adam said.
“Get fucked.”
Isobel laughed and lifted her glass.
“They do talk about it like charity, though. Feeding everyone. Saving everyone all that work.”
“I’d like less work,” Adam said.
“So would I,” said Anna. “But if you want my water and my power and the ground I grow things in, I need a bit more than a picture.”
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Marcin said.
“No,” said Isobel. “Someone’s got to grow it.”
The barman passed on his way to the kitchen. Marcin held up the bowl.
“Another one when you get a chance, mate.”
Adam watched him go.
“What happened to the farmers?”
“They complained,” Anna said.
“To the company?”
“Yeah, to the company, to the pollies, to the media, said they couldn’t see any value in keeping on going like this.”
“What’d the everyone do?”
“Funnily enough they all asked the box.”
