Thursday, February 12, 2009

There will, one day, be lemon-soaked paper napkins

There will, one day, be lemon-soaked paper napkins. The statistical probablity is that other civilizations will arise, and the lack of lemon-soaked paper napkins will be resolved. Until that time, there will be a delay, during which nothing will happen, no progress will be made, no advance in civilization will take place, everyone will be kept in a form of suspended animation. Coffee and biscuits will be served every five years, but until there are lemon-soaked paper napkins you may go nowhere, and do nothing, for they are what matter, to you and your children.

2 comments:

Vincent said...

This sounds suspiciously like Douglas Adams, from one of the Hitch-Hiker's Guide series. Is it?

If you are the original author then it seems to be a product of the Infinite Improbability Drive, which dictates that two authors will be equally attracted to pen a very similar text on the same topic.

The Hickory Wind said...

Vincent

I've only just noticed this comment, so I don't know if you'll see the reply. It is indeed from Hitch-hiker's. Zarniwoop hides out on a forgotten ship which can't take off because someone has been unable to tick an unimportant box on a form. Meanwhile civilization has collapsed around it and the passengers are not allowed to leave. It's one ofn Douglas Adams' little riffs on the idea of bureaucrats who hold back progress or any result for petty administrative reasons.

I'm far from the only one to have picked up on his idea, though. A search for lemon-soaked paper napkins is quite entertaining.