In this panorama of one of the great plains of Sundara (a.k.a. Pi Mensae 4) a world humans settle in the remote future, a pair of grid-linked clones, Shana and Anahs, are recording their explorations for a VR travelogue while their faithful Omniport hovers in the background. Along with the immersive 3D environment, the recording will feature a full range of sensory experience including the warm earthy scent of the air, laden with harmless bonetree pollen, the cushioning feel of the soft yielding muscle-mountain cell colonies beneath one’s feet, and the sound of Sundara’s jet stream, far closer to the surface than that of Earth’s, like distant continuous thunder filtering it’s way down through strata of air.

I called this piece, “On the Hill We Viewed the Silence of the Valley.”  Let’s see if we can spot the over forties among us who know the inspiration for the piece without Googling.