Plot summary
The story begins when a drunken human insults a mech in a bar. The resulting fight nearly kills the human, who is saved only by the mech's kindness. As the mech starts to leave he is invited to sit and talk with an old man and his granddaughter. They have a discussion about what it would really take to build a machine that would last forever.See also
* Long Now Foundation - The foundation has several ongoing projects, including a 10,000-year clock.References
External links
* 1999 short stories Short stories by Michael Swanwick Works originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction {{1990s-sf-story-stub