So I waited, and waited. And then like millions of others —I heard about Zima's final work of art, and made my way to the fake Venice on Murjek. I wasn't expecting an interview, or any new insights. I just had to be there. 

We stepped through sliding glass doors out onto the balcony. Two simple white chairs sat either side of a white table. The table was set with drinks and a bowl of fruit. Beyond the unfenced balcony, arid land sloped steeply away, offering an uninterrupted view of the sea. The water was calm and inviting, with the lowering sun reflected like a silver coin. 

Zima indicated that I should take one of the seats. His hand dithered over two bottles of wine. 

"Red or white, Carrie?" 

I opened my mouth as if to answer him, but nothing came. Normally, in that instant between the question and the response, the AM would have silently directed my choice to one of the two options. Not having the AM's prompt felt like a mental stall in my thoughts. 

"Red, I think," Zima said. "Unless you have strong objections." 

"It's not that I can't decide these things for myself," I said. 

Zima poured me a glass of red, then held it up to the sky to inspect its clarity. "Of course not," he said. 

"It's just that this is a little strange for me." 

"It shouldn't be strange," he said. "This is the way you've lived your life for hundreds of years."

"The natural way, you mean?" 

所以我一直在等待，当然还有几百万个同行也一直在等待。所以一听说齐玛的最后一件作品将在穆尔耶克星球的威尼斯揭幕，我就马不停蹄地赶了过来。我并不期待能够采访到他，或者对他的作品有什么新的见解。我只是觉得自己必须要到场亲眼见证。  

我们走上楼梯，穿过滑动玻璃门，来到了阳台上。阳台上有一张白色的桌子，两边各放了一张朴素的椅子。桌上还放了几瓶酒和一盘水果。在这个没有栏杆的阳台上极目远眺，除了我所在的这块险峻的不毛之地，只能看到一望无边的大海，与天相接。海面上风平浪静，在夕阳余晖的照耀下，整个海面就像是一枚银币。

齐玛示意我坐下，他手里拿着两瓶葡萄酒，还在那儿晃悠。

“红葡萄酒还是白葡萄酒，凯莉？”  

我张开嘴想要回答，可是什么都说不出来。通常情况下，在别人提问后、我回答前的一瞬间，备忘录助手会默默地帮我做出选择。没有备忘录助手的提示，我感觉自己的思维停顿了。

“我猜是红酒，”齐玛。“除非你强烈反对。”  

“并不是我不能自己决定这些事情。”我说。

齐玛给我倒了一杯红酒，然后举起杯子对着天空，看看红酒的品质。“当然不是。”他说。

“我只是觉得有点奇怪。”我补充道。

“但是不应该有这样奇怪的感觉。”他说，“几百年前，我们的生活方式不就是这样的吗？”　

“你的意思是那种自然的方式。”