Chapter 15: Solutions

On their way back the pair discussed what to say to the visitor, “All the animals you want, but people will be difficult, seems to be the line to take, though he didn’t commit to that,” was Huw’s proposal, “so once again we have to rely on our own judgement. Which also raises the question of how long they will stay with us, and hence how long the politicians can debate the topic and waffle.”

This was not a problem for the visitor as he was prepared to stay as long as it took, within the limits of his internal decay, which he explained as rust and the like. Huw, on the other hand, wanted rid of their visitor as soon as possible, since he fully intended to retire then.

“Could we... ?” Bronwen started tentatively, then contradicted herself, “No, I suppose not, sir.”

“What?” asked Huw, “Go ahead and suggest anything you want. You and I are the only experts in this field in the world just now.”

“Well, all right, sir. Could we offer to go with them?”

“That is a thought. I’ll ask the powers that be and they will say, of course, that we can’t, but their reasons might be interesting, or even just possibly convincing,” Huw said.

Sure enough the request was turned down, and the reason given was that they would not be able to survive in the future on psychological grounds; it was felt that lifelong in almost solitary confinement would be too great a problem.

“I must admit that spending the rest of my life with you would be as acceptable as with anyone else I know, but with only you really isn’t on,” said Huw, smiling as he added, “You might even stop calling me ‘sir’ for example, and that would be a tragedy for my mental health.”

“Seriously, Huw, I agree with you, solitary confinement would be better than a single companion who would inevitably infuriate me, as you do by having a nasty habit of always being right, as you are now.”

“Never mind,” he said, “That comes with age.”

So it was mutually decided not to push for the opportunity to go to the future.

A different and unexpected offer came from the Rare Breeds people, who were keen to establish breeds such as the Clydesdale horse or the Tamworth pig or the northern dairy shorthorn, and some neither of them had heard of, such as Chillingham wild cattle, Vaynol cattle, Boreray sheep, and Bagot goats in the far future, since it was feared that it would prove uneconomical to continue to breed them in the twenty-first century. There was no opposition to this suggestion even from the leading animal charities who were at the forefront of vegetarianism, but preferred the publicity of contributing, and hence being associated with the newsworthiness of ‘Angels Falling’ to their allegedly cherished principles.