The Loom Of Heaven

And Coyote said to The People, "If there is no death, the earth will become too small. There will be no room for the cornfields." And, the wise ones spoke: "It is just so. It is best that each should live a limited time on this earth, then make room for those to come." To this day, the Dine greet each day's sun, 'Sa'ah naagha ei Bik'eh hozho, "On the trail of old age, I walk in beauty."The quest for long life has been a preoccupation of sorcerers, shamans, alchemists, and scientists since humans first asked the question: Is longer life possible? Who can deny that living longer than three score and ten is not desired? And yet, what would a world populated with billions of superannuated humans be like? Would they face a world exhausted of life-sustaining food, resources, and living space? Would war, greed, and pestilence rule? Managing the unintended consequences of extending the human lifespan will demand a great cost. It could imperil the future of all humanity. Dr. Adam Grant, a molecular biologist, was consumed with the quest for extending the life span. He resisted every restraint and ignored every cautionary tale. Beside him, Crystal Bayeta, his wife, born Navajo and educated in the ways of both her people and Western thought, watched over him, patient and abiding. Together, with their young ward, Alberto, a victim of progeria, they lived quietly beside the great tear of earth known as Tseyi, Canyon de Chelly. Adam relentlessly pursued his research. Crystal Bayeta wove and, at last, became one with her people after so long an absence from her roots. All was harmony and beauty until....