Miro Kopčalić comes to Motovun ever less often, usually to take something or other from his house here. He seems to be happy in Tar, especially since he bought a sailing boat, which he keeps in a cove not far from his house there. It was thus a joy to see him in the center of the world today. I took him for lunch at the hotel, and we spent a few hours talking. The subject of bacteria came up soon enough. He is still obsessed with them. But this time around he offered a new theory of the relationship between them and us. Bacteria are with us since birth, but they are always waiting for us to die. This is their moment. Their sure prize. “You get all puffed up in a day or two,” he says with conviction. But he has figured out how to keep abreast of the rascals. “As soon as you become idle,” he claims, “they think you are dead already, and they start their attack.” The trick is to keep going, and his new toy offers him a lot to do. “You can’t get idle on the boat,” he chuckles. Indeed, he seems to be in perfect shape. His bacteria will have to wait a while longer. Miro is well ahead of their petty ploy. For now.