About
“But first, sir, I have something I must show you; perhaps it will convince you that we may be able to strike some sort of deal. Come this way, sir; I think you’ll be surprised at what you’re about to see.”
They advanced into the farm; Dice gaped in dumbstruck awe as a field of glowing wheat crops filled his sight; their reddish golden seed heads lacked the slightest hint of green, indicating they were ripe and ready for harvest.
Dice was dumbfounded, as further abundant plantations hit his eyes. The golden yellow sweet corn jogged his hunger, his mouth watering at the sight of ripened ears around soft, creamy kernels lingering boldly beyond the husks. For a moment the field disappeared, to be replaced by a flashback of his childhood days when his mother served him sweet corn during meals.
The mature soybean plants swollen with ripe, edible beans were next to come, sparkling like precious emeralds in the radioactive sun. Dice watched in fascination as Equal bent down on one knee and held a pod between his coarse, earthy fingers. The pod appeared hard yet broke without pressure; clearly the danger of the presence of fall-out had prevented the farmer from taking a bite.
“Here’s proof that farming can still be possible in a radioactive environment,” pronounced Equal, tossing the pod back into the field. “However, the farm has grown these plants out in the open because they happen to be more resistant than others to ultra-violet radiation. When we began planting them after the first nuclear winter, the ultra-violet light stunted their growth--- but still, they managed to produce enough food. It’s exactly three years and seventy-seven days since the start of World War Three; I’ve kept a record of the time. The farm has done a few harvests since then – ever since we reckoned radiation had sunk to relatively safe levels--- but due to lack of fuel we’ve done everything by hand, which has taken up much of our time. The pre-war seeds we ordered and stored to plant crops are getting old and are losing their ability to germinate - so we need to speed up the process. A combine harvester would save time and labour; it would enable the fields to be used for the next crop within a very short period of time. This would mean that the quality of the harvested crop would be maintained because it wouldn’t be damaged by natural and biological activity - which would spell more food for others, and everyone would be fed more quickly. Tell me, Dice,” asked the farmer in earnest, “does the Arena have access to petrol?”
They advanced into the farm; Dice gaped in dumbstruck awe as a field of glowing wheat crops filled his sight; their reddish golden seed heads lacked the slightest hint of green, indicating they were ripe and ready for harvest.
Dice was dumbfounded, as further abundant plantations hit his eyes. The golden yellow sweet corn jogged his hunger, his mouth watering at the sight of ripened ears around soft, creamy kernels lingering boldly beyond the husks. For a moment the field disappeared, to be replaced by a flashback of his childhood days when his mother served him sweet corn during meals.
The mature soybean plants swollen with ripe, edible beans were next to come, sparkling like precious emeralds in the radioactive sun. Dice watched in fascination as Equal bent down on one knee and held a pod between his coarse, earthy fingers. The pod appeared hard yet broke without pressure; clearly the danger of the presence of fall-out had prevented the farmer from taking a bite.
“Here’s proof that farming can still be possible in a radioactive environment,” pronounced Equal, tossing the pod back into the field. “However, the farm has grown these plants out in the open because they happen to be more resistant than others to ultra-violet radiation. When we began planting them after the first nuclear winter, the ultra-violet light stunted their growth--- but still, they managed to produce enough food. It’s exactly three years and seventy-seven days since the start of World War Three; I’ve kept a record of the time. The farm has done a few harvests since then – ever since we reckoned radiation had sunk to relatively safe levels--- but due to lack of fuel we’ve done everything by hand, which has taken up much of our time. The pre-war seeds we ordered and stored to plant crops are getting old and are losing their ability to germinate - so we need to speed up the process. A combine harvester would save time and labour; it would enable the fields to be used for the next crop within a very short period of time. This would mean that the quality of the harvested crop would be maintained because it wouldn’t be damaged by natural and biological activity - which would spell more food for others, and everyone would be fed more quickly. Tell me, Dice,” asked the farmer in earnest, “does the Arena have access to petrol?”
