In this installment, I've let go of the individual speech of the folks who dwell in the Tree and experiment with their communication as a collective.
I hope it works for you but you might need to look at a couple of the other posts for context. They're easy to find, they're all called 'Tree'!
The visitor removes their goggles and air filter.
‘It’s great to be able to go about without these’ she said, obviously relishing her freedom.
‘I thought that you’d resolved the air pollution issues’? As much a statement as a question.
‘Haven’t you been working to boost citizen’s immunity too’? Another question from the huddled community.
It is unusual for a citizen to come this far with such short notice. It’s not that communication doesn’t happen but the distance to be travelled on foot is daunting to someone who doesn’t have the opportunity to stretch their limbs every day.
There is a ten kilometre buffer between the Tree and the closest point to which we allow vehicles. That little jaunt has to be made on foot. The forest doesn’t seem to be comfortable with this proximity, the growth of vegetation along the usual paths has been increasing greatly in the last year and the path has disappeared once or twice.
‘Please, be at ease.’ I smile at the citizen, usuing our usual greeting.
She takes off her travel garb, revealing pale skin covered with a loose fitting mesh of circuitry.
We all sit in the kitchen hall and a request is made for a wall to move sligtly further out to allow for more relaxed movement. Food comes in bowls, this morning’s brew. It is good and nutritious. Satisfying in so many ways – our home knows us well.
'It’s always an adventure, coming out here. My father told me about coming here several times during the Tree’s growth. I’ve seen his sketches but they didn’t prepare me for this – its seamless'.
‘Seamless’?
‘The way that it fits in with its surroundings, with you and how comfortable I feel already. It’s like this moment has always been.
I smile. Being the newest arrival, I’m still familiar with city ways, having spent a month long sojurn in this citizen’s home while I learned the skillset required to live here. ‘It’s like this moment has always been’ is one of their favourite terms of endearment. She is obviously liking this place.
We are all dying to know what brings her here but it is impolite to ask, she must reveal her purpose in her own time. To allo it to happen otherwise would be to interfere.
‘I know that it isn’t traditional, but I’ve bought a gift. For no one in particuar but for you all’.
‘We accept your gift on behalf of all’ we all chime together, leaning forward to see what it is.
She pulls out a small box and sets it on the table. In it is a small coil of green material.
‘We have based it on the growth patterns of grapevines’ she says. ‘But we have tweaked the growth hormone sensor cells so that now you can direct its growth in the direction you want. No need to prune or train anymore, you just tell it what to do at the inception stage and it will grow to fulfil its purpose’.
A few minute pass while we all consider this gift. It is acceptable to decline a gift that has the potential to cause harm. It is also customary to ask questions about the potential of any gift. Doing so shows real consideration and acceptance once the gift is agreed to.
One near the doorway proclaims 'no more need to cut and prune’!
Another follows up and calls out ‘no need to harm the plant’!
‘Can we interface it with the Tree so that the intent is generated by our home itself’?
‘It’s been grown to interface with human minds but that’s a fascinating question’ replies our guest.
‘I would be pleased to accept the gift on behalf of all and experiment with this line of thinking’ I say.
‘All is good then, it is as if this moment has always been’ agrees our guest.
The afternoon flows with ease, many things are discussesd and thought about. Arounfd the time of second meal though, talk becomes more serious.
‘My name is Jen’ says our guest, marking the end of the informalities of greeting. I come from the city to ask help with some design issued we are having.
‘Jen’ we all repeat, comitting her name to memory. Citizens tend toward short names while we avoid them entirely except when communicating with other groups.
‘What problems could such brilliant engineers have’?
“It isn’t with the engineering of things’ our guest replies. ‘It is with getting the interface right’.
‘We live in the best interface possible’ I say. ‘I have searched many and this has the most potential’.
‘That’s why we came to this community, to this home. As you know, we have been slowly reducing community sizes in order to engineer a more equitable society’.
‘Hmm’
‘I seem to be having trouble with by broadcast unit’, says Jen.
‘Broadcast? You never asked our home's permission to broadcast our talk’.
‘It’s not that, we all have location beacons that broadcast our location to the world at all times. Mine is having troubles locking a signal’.
We laughed. ‘Our home shields us from signals of all kinds’. If you’d just asked, we could have asked it to allow your signal, in fact any broadcast that you want’.
Jen looked sheepish. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t think of it, its such an ubiquitous part of our lives. The only time we notice them is when they don’t work’!
‘Ask the Tree clearly for what you need, detail the broadcast bands and it’ll clear a path for you. We don’t mind being broadcast, it’s kind of thrilling really’.
Jen stands and looks around.’ Where...’?
‘Anywhere’, just speak with intent. It will understand.
‘Seven band locational device and Hive broadcast unit sound and audio’. Says Jen in a very authoratative voice.
Laughter.
‘You don’t need to command it, it isn’t a machine...just state your intent’.
‘Its already linked. Thanks’!
‘Don’t thank us, thank our home’.
‘Thank you Tree’.
