"I find myself generating and discarding as 'probably untrue' several potential reasons to distrust that formulation, but none which imply it would behave improperly."

Đani looks conflicted.

"... I want to say we should just go for it, but dad would chastise me for not listening to an expert who's feeling uneasy," she admits. "Can you articulate why you don't like it?"

"I still suspect attempting to impact everyone may fail.  I wonder if the structure 'category A or future A, including B, C, and D' wouldn't be interconnected enough. I worry that the short summary may be generated once for each and every pair of person and resurrection method. Something I am unsure how to name strikes me as worrisome for the language excluding the creation of a person, but that is a restricting clause, if the Wish cannot succeed without violating that clause, the Wish shouldn't happen at all."

She nods seriously, and is silent for a moment.

Lhemur strokes his chin. "The summary may be easiest to fix. '... with a summary of no more than six sixes of six sixes of words detailing the results of the wish as thoroughly and helpfully as possible subject to that constraint made known to me'," he suggests.

Satenag blinks. "'A summary in Reformed North-Eastern Marnesi Trade Language, using only words and grammatical constructs known to me', please," she responds. "I don't want to receive a summary in Orthodox, or Southern Sea Trade Language. Or some kind of super-language from beyond this world where every word packs in entire stories of meaning."

"For Eeferi's other points ..." Đani says after a moment. "Would making the clause against creating a person stronger help? '... such that the entirety of this wish is implemented without creating a person' instead of '... such that the entirety of this wish is implemented without creating a person to judge any of the requirements of the wish'. As you pointed out, that might make the wish fail, but better to try the most comprehensive possible wording, and then maybe relax it if it turns out not to be possible."

"Perhaps a phrasing that specifies exactly one summary for the entirety of the Wish, only in current Reformed North-Eastern Marnesi Trade Language, with any concepts not correctly referable to if using only current Reformed North-Eastern Marnesi Trade Language being referenced by construction from only the available parts?"

"I agree that it probably specifies more closely what is desired, if the entire Wish is barred from creating any person - Oh. Do you want it to also exclude persons separately?"

"Can you create persons without creating a person?" one person asks.

"It doesn't hurt to rule extra things out, if I'm understanding how this all works," someone else replies.

Satenag mentally rearranges the pieces people have suggested.

"So if I said 'I ... word ... as quickly, harmlessly, durably, and costlessly as possible, for it to be the case that everyone who could theoretically be made resurrectable with a wish or by other means and who would want to be able to be resurrected if they understood how this wish would affect them, or who becomes a member of this category at any future point in time, including anyone already dead who could be made resurrectable, including those yet unborn, including people in other worlds, be made as easily and costlessly resurrectable as possible, with a summary of no more than six sixes of six sixes of words detailing the results of the wish as thoroughly and helpfully as possible in Reformed North-Eastern Marnesi Trade language using words I know made known to me without harm to my mind, body, or sense of self, such that the entirety of this wish is implemented without creating a person or persons, and such that the entirety of this wish is implemented only in accordance with my untampered will.', we would expect it to fail, but if it did work, it wouldn't cause any problems?" she clarifies.

Đani bites her lip. "I think so."

"I feel slightly less like it would fail, now, though again I am uncertain as to the accuracy of these feelings, but I do believe that it would not hurt you."

Satenag glances at each of the assembled villagers in turn, to see if they have any last minute interjections.

"Alright — Let's see if this works," she says.

"Eeferi, I wish, as quickly, harmlessly, durably, and costlessly as possible, for it to be the case that everyone who could theoretically be made resurrectable with a wish or by other means and who would want to be able to be resurrected if they understood how this wish would affect them, or who becomes a member of this category at any future point in time, including anyone already dead who could be made resurrectable, including those yet unborn, including people in other worlds, be made as easily and costlessly resurrectable as possible, with a summary of no more than six sixes of six sixes of words detailing the results of the wish as thoroughly and helpfully as possible in Reformed North-Eastern Marnesi Trade language using words I know made known to me without harm to my mind, body, or sense of self, such that the entirety of this wish is implemented without creating a person or persons, and such that the entirety of this wish is implemented only in accordance with my untampered will."

"Well, as we expected, it didn't work."

"This Wish required judgement, but judgement is a thing performed by minds."

Satenag nods. They were expecting that, so it's not even surprising, really.

"So then should we try the version that doesn't require—" she starts to say, before cutting herself off.

Egresta has caught her eye, emerging from her house with a rough blob of cloud held in her hands. Behind them, Anþasta stumbles out, looking very tired.

Egresta's mothers are trying very hard to maintain a sort of cube shape.

It is mostly working. They haven't really figured out how to do texture or lighting, yet, so they end up looking a bit like a cube of beach sand, covered over by drifting tendrils of early morning fog. Only occasionally their attention slips, and they dissolve into formless mist.

"Good morning," Satenag calls. "Are your mothers doing alright?"

Egresta balances the cube on her hip, drops it when it turns momentarily insubstantial, and picks them back up.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I've been trying to talk to them, but it's not really working."

The cube of cloud makes a sort of popping noise.

!

For a moment, Eeferi stills.  Their form solidifies.

The moment passes.

Eeferi - half hurriedly, half cautiously- approaches Egresta (and Bardamma and Lhatis and Osekli..).

They stand silently. Smoke continues to billow.