（外文电子版资料）Bisson, Terry - The Reef Builders.pdfVIP

file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/Terry%20Bisson%20-%20The%20Reef%20Builders.txt The Reef Builders The great thing about diving is the extra dimension, Burt said. Picture yourself at the center of a circle. Thats your life on solid ground. You can move in all variations of forward or back, of left or right. North, south, east, west. But underwater, the circle becomes a sphere. Infinitely more possibilities. Your brain expands accordingly. Thats only natural. It explains the high degree of cortical encephalisation in dolphins. Freedom drives cortical development. Which in turn drives the creation of more previously unimagined possibilities. Burt was an American, a surfer, gay, and a believer in the supernatural. He was remarkably open about all four aspects. In a subtle way, in a clever way, Cynthia thought, he was in the process of defending each of these. As an added bonus, he was being a pain in Marks thick neck. Mark was an engineer from Perth. The ostensible topic of conversation was ghosts. Burt had once seen a ghost while diving off the coast of South Africa. The ghost was male, naked, and had a cement block chained to one foot. Race unidentifiable. His hair had been long and streamed upward like seaweed. There are scientific explanations for underwater dementia, Mark said. Nothing to do with freedom. The thing is. . . Burt was getting really excited now. A salty line was developing on his upper lip, he slammed the table with the heel of his hand. . . .The thing to remember is that up until the time you begin to dive, you dont even understand how limited your choices have always been. Youve never even thought about it. Your little life. Birds, said Mark. Excuse me? Low degree of cortical encephalisation. Bird brains. Of course, the raw potential must be there. I thought that was understood. You might as well say guppies. Mark and Burt were always on at each other about something. Mark was a flaming hetero, but ther