65

“Another hour. Why?” Leo looked at her in the rearview mirror.

“It’s so desolate. How do you make a living here?”

Leo laughed. “We eat what doesn’t eat us.” At Andrea’s wary silence, she added, “We farm and hunt the swamp. We mine the minerals here. Many of our technologies are deliberately kept low-tech and sustainable, however. We use wood, natural fiber, stone, metal and leather instead of synthetics or chemicals, and we still make our soaps with fat and lye. Many of our lights and heat sources are oil or wood.”

Fat and lye? Wood stove cooking? Andrea was dismayed. Even the Haunt had something like electricity. “Tell me y