exact time that he wished to send the mouse to, and threw the power switch. Whirr, the machineâs parts began to mesh and pick up speed. The noise began to be a whine, and then a small bell sounded.
âThere. Now we shall see, Margaretâ. He opened the door in anticipation and curiosity. Margaret leaned in a little closer so as to see inside the machine. Reggie peered into the machine. A wry smile rippled across his face as he turned to Margaret. âYouâll notice my dear there is nothing inside the machine, nothing at all, whereas only a few moments ago there was a live mouseâ.
âIt really does work. Can you ever forgive me for doubting you for even a minute, Sir?â
âCertainly, Margaret. Iâll admit the machine did sound a little fantastic, but I was quite sure that it would work. After all, nature is very consistent, and when the proper steps are taken, success is guaranteed. I really think this is wonderful. Iâm going to try it againâ.
âOh, please do, Sir. It really amazes me to see such a wonder in operationâ.
Reggie placed another mouse in the machine, closed the door, and turned the dials. âNow, power on, and â¦â The machine didnât start. âWhat in hell, donât tell me something has gone wrong already. He reset the power switch at zero and opened the machine. The furry little white mouse inside scampered around the bottom of the machine. Reggie snared it and placed it back inside the cage. âHand me the flashlight, will you, Margaret?â
âYes, Sir. What do you think could be wrong with it, Sir?â
âI donât exactly know, probably a loose wire inside or somethingâ. Reggie was peering inside the machine, probing from spot to spot with the light beam of the flashlight. âAha, here we are, just as I suspected, a loose wire. Hand me the small screwdriver please, Margaretâ.
She handed him the tool; he began to tighten the wire, one hand turning the screwdriver, the other holding the light.
âOh damn, I canât get at it this wayâ. He placed the light down on the inside of the machine, focusing it on the spot where the loose wire hung and with both hands began to tighten the wiring. âOne more turn and ⦠there we are. I think that should take care of itâ. He straightened up, closed the lid, set the dials and threw the power switch. The small engine purred and spun into life. âThere we go, now letâs get that mouse and see if the machine still worksâ.
Margaret was hurriedly fetching the mouse from itâs cage when Reggie looked to her in a befuddled way and said: âMargaret, did you see what I did with my flashlight?â
The bright, orange light of the evening sun as it sat low on the horizon filtered in streams through the gaps in the immense cloud of dust that was raised by the passage of thousands of pairs of sandaled feet sauntering home from the Circus of Nero at the conclusion of the dayâs games. As the crowds wended their way toward the outskirts of Rome, a slight figure was fighting through the crowd back toward the city. It was a woman, dressed in the unpretentious garb of a plebian, crying with all her might, âDomitius, Domitius, where are you?â She was calling to her son who at the moment was where she was not. Frantically, she ran and walked and ran again when the breath allowed her to, constantly calling âDomitiusâ. About a half-mile further back on the Via Appia, an attractive small boy of thirteen sat on a small grey-veined rock at the side of the road, absorbedly scrutinizing an object he had picked up.
His black hair hung n points over his bronzed face, his dark eyes darting over the shiny object in his hand. It was an interesting, yea, even more, most marvelous thing that he had found. Surely there was not another tube like this in all of Rome, for he, being a vendor of wine skins, having traveled the
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