Easy Does It

"Easy Does It" by E. G. Von Wald is a science fiction tale exploring the conflict between technology and nature through the eyes of Hal Webber. Burdened by the pressures of a society that demands emotional control through mandatory conditioning, Hal's world is upended when a plane crash throws him into the wilderness with Lois Bruchner, an Outlander untouched by civilization's constraints. As they struggle to survive together, Hal begins to question the value of his conditioning and the suppression of his emotions, leading to a transformation that pits the raw, instinctive freedom he finds in the wild against the sterile conformity of his former life. In the end, Hal returns to his old world, forever changed by his time with Lois but facing the difficult choice of conforming or embracing his newfound awareness.