Sky Run by Alex Shearer

said, as Peggy followed up her comment with a question. ‘What’s going on there?’
    At the edge of the shanty town a building was going up. It was a good-sized villa, it seemed to me, or it would be when it was completed.
    Tania’s eyes glanced across to it; her expression registered mild distaste.
    â€˜Oh, yes –’ Her face (
patrician
and
aristocratic
, I was later to discover, were the words that applied to it) clouded briefly, with perplexity and slight annoyance. But these clouds soon vanished. ‘Yes, it’s a Drool, apparently. Building himself a villa. Casper, he’s called. Top Drool or something. No idea where he gets the money from. Yes. Odd really. They seem to be getting better off, the Drools. Not uppity. We wouldn’t have that. Reynold, my husband – whom you’ll meet – he’d speak to them if they got uppity. But they do seem to be getting better off.’
    And then we were at the villa. The Drools set down the sedan chairs they had carried us in and wiped the streaming perspiration from their faces.
    â€˜Well, do come in and have some refreshments,’ Tania said, leading us into the shade of the villa. ‘You must all be so hot and thirsty from that trek up the hill.’
    So we followed her into the villa, leaving the Drools out in the bright, hot sunlight.
    â€˜Don’t they get a drink?’ Peggy said.
    Tania looked at her, surprised.
    â€˜Who?’
    â€˜They just carried us up the hill.’
    â€˜Oh – the Drools … why, yes … they’ll have some water somewhere. Well, come on in and meet everyone. It’s so rare that we have guests.’
    We passed some more Drools who were sweeping the floors; others were carrying produce. I glanced into the kitchen and saw Drools at work.
    â€˜Reynold …’ He was even taller and more languid than she was. ‘We have visitors. A lady and her two … sort of grandchildren. Their boat’s being repaired.’
    And we were introduced.
    â€˜Very pleased to meet you,’ Reynold said. ‘And welcome to Ignorance.’
    â€˜I’ve got a question,’ Peggy said, ‘to ask you about that.’
    â€˜It’s all perfectly simple really,’ Reynold said. By now we all had long cool drinks in our hands – a Drool had brought them in – and plates of fresh fruit and snacks. ‘Are you at all familiar with the old world poets?’
    â€˜Not as familiar as I would like to have been,’ Peggy answered, keeping an admirably straight face and not letting a single crinkle of sarcasm crack the veneer. ‘And the memory does go a little at my age.’
    â€˜It’s Shakespeare I’m thinking of,’ Reynold went on.
    â€˜Never heard of him,’ Martin said. ‘Was he any good?’
    â€˜You’ll hear plenty about him at City Island,’ Peggy said.
    â€˜He did coin one or two memorable phrases,’ Reynold continued. ‘Ignorance being one of them.’
    â€˜Ignorance?’
    â€˜â€œWhen ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.” Correct, Tania?’
    â€˜Absolutely, darling.’
    â€˜That one we’re familiar with,’ Peggy said.
    â€˜And that was the basis of my father’s entire philosophy,’ Reynold told us.
    â€˜That you’re better off being ignorant?’ Peggy said.
    â€˜Exactly.’ Reynold smiled. ‘Or happier, anyway. If you don’t have a clue how to do the unpleasant and laborious things in life, you won’t be expected to do them, will you, darling?’
    â€˜You will not, dear. More to drink? I’ll ring for a Drool.’
    More cool drinks appeared. A Drool came and went.
    â€˜My father made his money in mining,’ Reynold continued. ‘In the Uranium Islands. Made billions. Then he sold up. And when he died, he left the money to me, and we bought this island, moved in with some like-minded people,