Pool Party[/i]
The Avalanche begins when the first snowflake falls on a mountainside
June 2024
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
The Avalanche begins when the first snowflake falls on a mountainside
June 2024
Quote:________________________________
She began by herself, with just a pickaxe. She swung it in great, shining arc's, the sharp battlesteel blade biting deep into rock. Sparks flew with rockchips. Progress was slow. Within the hour she was down to a tank-top and shorts. Sweat-sheened muscles shone in the bright floodlights.
Someone - a young man in an incongruous tuxedo - asked her what she was doing?
"We're building a swimming pool," she said.
"Who?"
"We are. Would you like to help?"
He looked around the cavern and, seeing only her, assumed that whoever she was working with was busy doing other things. But swimming pool seemed like a good idea...
He took up a pickaxe and joined the work.
And thus, the first snowflake fell.
------
It gathered the momentum in the mine.
One man asked another.
"Can we borrow that digger?"
"Why?" asked the foreman.
"We're building a pool."
"Really. Man I could use somewhere to relax."
This repeated. And thus more joined the collective project, bringing tools and equipment with them. Within days, dozens were at work, designing, digging and driving.
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There were those who thought it should be built deeper, for diving. There were those who wanted a jacuzzi. There were those who thought it should be tiled in white, blue and in the logo of the Sailor's Armed Militia. There was one who wanted the entire pool to be panelled in a deep black glass starfield.
And so they argued. Then debated. Then decided to vote on it.
And the result was something the majority decided they didn't want. So they changed the method of voting to better reflect what they actually wanted, the options they would accept if they couldn't have their first choice.
And from this grew the blueprints.
It was dug deep enough for diving - with a small shallow area for children or for lounging around. A diving board was mandatory.
Other things happened not because they were agreed, but because they were convenient. Others began with no-one certain who was behind them. Someone began painting the walls a sky-blue, with clouds added by airbrush and a fresh-air recirculation system built into the ceiling.
The manager for the Royal Mining Group was surprised to find her production was falling short of quota for the month.
Lun watched her prototype take shape. She didn't lead.
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The pool was finished. It was filled with fresh, crystal water, cleaned and filtered and recirculated by humming pumps. The builders had become known as the Pool Party and they were ready to enjoy the fruits of the labour.
They stood in their swimwear, bare feet on white tile. Another group appearred at the entrance, dressed and ready.
"Hey, can we join in?" asked one of the newcomers.
"You didn't help did you?" one of the workers said with a sneer. They moved to bar the door, guarding their work with pride.
"We have electrical power." said Lun, holding them back with her arm. "We have fresh water. Just because they did not dig, does not mean they did not contribute."
And so, enlightened, they all enjoyed the fruits of their labours.
And Lun herself was satisfied. It was a test. An idea. It was the first snowflake that presaged the avalanche. It was proof on the smallest of scales that her idea could work.
Ultimately, all revolutions would be doomed by their leaders. Idealism gave way to pragmatism to keep the new system afloat and the new leaders in power. All revolutions degenerated into maintaining the revolutionaries' power. All systems imposed would eventually morph and shift until supporting the system itself became the primary goal and the ideals it was founded upon became nothing more than hot air.
Lun decided to do otherwise. She would create a revolution without leaders. knew she had time to do it. She would encourage some to travel the path with her - as comrades and fellow travellers rather than followers. They would encourage others. And so on. Until they all marched together.
It would take decades. Maybe a century. And when she was done, it would not be called a revolution - it would simply be normality. Because nobody had noticed the changes along the way.
For now though, she would enjoy the pool with everyone else.
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?