In the middle of the floor, a machine the size of a motorcycle made popcorn continuously. Because there was no cover, where the popcorn issued from this machine, popcorn spewed into the air. Men and women caught it with their hands or picked it up from the floor, which, like a tablecloth at a Septemberclaver family picnic, was covered in shiny green polyester fabric.

"Beer?" a woman asked, without waiting for an answer, handing her a clear plastic cup filled with an amber liquid that smelled like freshly baked bread. On the large screen, moving in irregular fashion, men and women in tight fitting uniforms were following the movement of a translucent white ball, that moved as if it was controlled by a computer.