Once again, a silence descended on the room as that Strauss creature
finished speaking. I looked at my wife, she was obviously mortified
by what she'd heard, then my son, who was looking very concerned in
the direction of his wife. Finally I looked at Fiona, who was just
stood there, her head shaking from side to side.
“No, no, no,” she was muttering, “This is all wrong.”
“What would you have us do about this so-called epidemic?” Water
asked, breaking the silence with a splash.
“My master proposes a cull,” Strauss replied.
“A what?” Mary demanded, just beating me with my own questions.
“What does that mean?”
“My master fears there is no alternative,” Strauss told her, “The
only option is a radical reduction in the size of their population.”
“You cant just go killing innocent people,” she said.
“No?” Strauss asked, “Is that any less then they themselves
would do?”
