Pseudothaumatics |
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I walked behind Wege as he spoke of Pseudothaumatics. He strode with a curiously tentative gait which nonetheless was deceptively quick. It was only the booming certainty of his voice that kept me from falling behind. He spoke decisively of the need for a new Pseudothematics and constructed his argument like a salad, piling crunchy hypotheses upon a tender base, then drenching them with hyperbole. I admit his arguments did not hold my attention for long, my mind more attuned to the beauties of nature than to the assertions of slender men. As we walked in the afternoon sun, small spots of sweat appeared on the back of his shirt. These grew, some joining together to form larger bodies. The seismic activity increased and whole continents arose from the ocean beneath his neck, while the rhythmic movements of his shoulder blades simulated the waves of the sea. Near the base of his spine I spotted Haggistan, our destination, and noted the position of the Solion pass near the sixth vertebrae. We were within a few hours. By that time though, this geologic age would have ended and all the lands in front of me would be lost to the encroaching sea. |