ones that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, aimed at your little island. And we fixed the result of ten different Manchester United versus Chelsea matches. And if you ever bother to look inside Shakespeare’s tomb you’ll notice it’s empty. We took his remains as a joke, and you were all too stupid to realize it, so we kept them.”
And with that, the man from France was gone.
The Chinese representative scanned some information on the tablet he was holding before saying, “Everything the French gentleman just said is factually accurate.”
The moderator asked the men what life was like now that there were no longer any secrets to keep.
The Russian attendee, not wanting to have all of the wonderment stolen by the man from China, said, “Vot makes you think there are no more programs?” It was obvious he just wanted the respect of the audience, that he wasn’t used to being outplayed in a room. “The spy game is never over. Even now, even this night, ve have been collecting intelligence. Russia never stops. Russia never forgets. You formed a blockade to obstruct our boats,” he said to one of the men. “Ve never forget! A time vill come, before the end, ven retribution is paid. Maybe it vill be a year from now. Maybe it von’t be until you are all old men, ready to die anyway, but ve vill have the last laugh. The spy game is never over.”
The moderator asked if this payback would come in the form of nuclear war, a chemical attack, or something else, but the Russian, disappearing behind the same curtain the French man had disappeared behind, was already signaling for his cab to be called. The audience, both in the auditorium and at home, was left to wonder if evil, scheming men were still out there, still power hungry, still plotting away in secret.
Of course the threat would upset Katherine.
The screen went blank. Jeffrey asked what her plans were for the next day, mainly because if there was silence, she would imagine what the men on TV would have said next, and in a way, letting her think of the possibilities was worse than if she actually watched the show.
“I don’t know. I guess pack another box of stuff to take down to Washington.”
“You know,” he said, “we won’t have much room in the truck when we head south.”
She pulled away from him, and he didn’t say anything else.
Katherine said, “Do you remember what it was like when we were young? Our biggest responsibility was going to class and taking quizzes. Our biggest worry was getting a good grade on the next test.”
One day they had been carefree teenagers without a genuine worry in the world. Each year had added another concern, however. Eventually, they were a married couple with daily responsibilities that they couldn’t have fathomed as young adults. After being married for a while, the endless debates had started about whether or not they were ready to become parents. Then the Blocks appeared and the discussion took a more urgent tone. He never could remember what he said that finally convinced her to agree that they should try to have a child. If only he could have convinced her earlier.
On the sofa, she was already asleep when he spoke again. Instead, he looked out the window at the night sky and the city lights that kept everything slightly aglow. Katherine’s sleeping breaths were steady and constant. A flickering in the distance, vague at first, became more distinct. He knew at once what it was. It had made him gasp the first time he saw it: a house on fire. It was three or four blocks away, entirely engulfed in flames. Wisps of fire reached into the sky. He watched it with enthusiasm as if it were something to be mesmerized by rather than a possible tragedy in the making.
Without being told, he knew the house would be empty, that its inhabitants had just left in order to move south. The fire was there because the house’s occupants intentionally set it ablaze. Nine out of every ten house fires across the country were the
And with that, the man from France was gone.
The Chinese representative scanned some information on the tablet he was holding before saying, “Everything the French gentleman just said is factually accurate.”
The moderator asked the men what life was like now that there were no longer any secrets to keep.
The Russian attendee, not wanting to have all of the wonderment stolen by the man from China, said, “Vot makes you think there are no more programs?” It was obvious he just wanted the respect of the audience, that he wasn’t used to being outplayed in a room. “The spy game is never over. Even now, even this night, ve have been collecting intelligence. Russia never stops. Russia never forgets. You formed a blockade to obstruct our boats,” he said to one of the men. “Ve never forget! A time vill come, before the end, ven retribution is paid. Maybe it vill be a year from now. Maybe it von’t be until you are all old men, ready to die anyway, but ve vill have the last laugh. The spy game is never over.”
The moderator asked if this payback would come in the form of nuclear war, a chemical attack, or something else, but the Russian, disappearing behind the same curtain the French man had disappeared behind, was already signaling for his cab to be called. The audience, both in the auditorium and at home, was left to wonder if evil, scheming men were still out there, still power hungry, still plotting away in secret.
Of course the threat would upset Katherine.
The screen went blank. Jeffrey asked what her plans were for the next day, mainly because if there was silence, she would imagine what the men on TV would have said next, and in a way, letting her think of the possibilities was worse than if she actually watched the show.
“I don’t know. I guess pack another box of stuff to take down to Washington.”
“You know,” he said, “we won’t have much room in the truck when we head south.”
She pulled away from him, and he didn’t say anything else.
Katherine said, “Do you remember what it was like when we were young? Our biggest responsibility was going to class and taking quizzes. Our biggest worry was getting a good grade on the next test.”
One day they had been carefree teenagers without a genuine worry in the world. Each year had added another concern, however. Eventually, they were a married couple with daily responsibilities that they couldn’t have fathomed as young adults. After being married for a while, the endless debates had started about whether or not they were ready to become parents. Then the Blocks appeared and the discussion took a more urgent tone. He never could remember what he said that finally convinced her to agree that they should try to have a child. If only he could have convinced her earlier.
On the sofa, she was already asleep when he spoke again. Instead, he looked out the window at the night sky and the city lights that kept everything slightly aglow. Katherine’s sleeping breaths were steady and constant. A flickering in the distance, vague at first, became more distinct. He knew at once what it was. It had made him gasp the first time he saw it: a house on fire. It was three or four blocks away, entirely engulfed in flames. Wisps of fire reached into the sky. He watched it with enthusiasm as if it were something to be mesmerized by rather than a possible tragedy in the making.
Without being told, he knew the house would be empty, that its inhabitants had just left in order to move south. The fire was there because the house’s occupants intentionally set it ablaze. Nine out of every ten house fires across the country were the
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