ponders her question. “If there is another motel, I am unaware of it.”
“I guess that’s an honest answer.” She reaches into her bag, takes out a twenty, and hands it to him. He takes the bill and clutches it tight in his hand, as a child would, and looks hard at her again. “Have you ever been here before?” he asks.
“Here? In Wink?”
“Yes. In Wink.”
“No. This is my first time.”
“Hm. Allow me to show you to your room, then.” He picks up the key, the twenty-dollar bill still clutched in his hand, and walks out the office door.
As she follows, Mona glances behind the desk. She sees no gun, no weapon, nothing suspicious. But she does not feel entirely satisfied. It is as if there’s a tiny wound in her mouth she can’t quit playing with. Something is wrong with this.
On the way out, she looks at the Chinese checkers board. There is something different about it now. She cannot say why—after all, it is dark, and she didn’t get a good look at the board—but she is sure the checkers have been rearranged, as if someone has just made acomplicated play. But perhaps the old man just jostled the table when he stood up.
He leads her down the row of motel-room doors. Night has fallen very quickly. The sky was bright blue, then streaked with pink, but now it is a soft and dusky purple cut short by the dark mesa surging into the heavens. The air has chilled considerably with the onset of evening, and Mona wishes she’d brought some winter wear.
“What is your name?” the old man asks.
“Mona.”
“I am Parson, Mona. It is very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
“It’s good that you are staying the night here.” He gestures into the dark trees that crawl up the slopes. “The area around Wink can be a little treacherous, especially at night. I would not advise going out at night, especially outside of downtown. People get lost very easily.”
“I can imagine,” says Mona, remembering the steep hills and sudden precipices. “Can I ask you something?”
He stops to consider it, as if this is a very serious proposition. “I suppose so,” he says finally.
“I tried to find this place on a lot of maps before I came, but—”
“Really?” he says. “Why?”
“Well… I don’t really want to get into it too much now, since nothing’s settled yet… but I inherited a house here, supposedly.”
Parson stares off into the distance. “Did you,” he says softly. “Which house would that be, if I might ask?”
“It’s on Larchmont, or so they tell me.”
“I see. You know, I believe I know the residence in question. It is abandoned. But it is in fairly good shape. And you say you inherited it?”
“That’s what all these papers say.”
“How curious…” says Parson. “I cannot remember the last time someone new moved here. You will be quite the oddity, if so.”
“That’s kind of what I wanted to ask about. You might not have anyone moving here because no one knows this town’s here. It’s not onany map. Is there some reason for that? Something to do with the lab on the mountain?”
“Lab?” asks Parson, puzzled.
“Yeah. Coburn National Lab. And, uh, Observatory.”
“Oh,” he says, and smiles. “Goodness. If you’re looking for a job there, I’m afraid you’re about thirty years late.”
“What do you mean?”
“Coburn was shut down years ago. End of the seventies, if I recall. I’m not sure why, exactly. I think they just never produced what they said they would. Lost funding. Wink was originally built around it, you know.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
“Did you?” he says. “Well. When it was shut down, it just left us all here. Where were we going to go? I suppose they took us off most maps to keep the place undisturbed. No spies sniffing around the lab, or some such. But now that we are forgotten, they never remembered to put us back on. To be honest, I like the peace and quiet. Even if it is bad for business.”
“Can I ask you
“I guess that’s an honest answer.” She reaches into her bag, takes out a twenty, and hands it to him. He takes the bill and clutches it tight in his hand, as a child would, and looks hard at her again. “Have you ever been here before?” he asks.
“Here? In Wink?”
“Yes. In Wink.”
“No. This is my first time.”
“Hm. Allow me to show you to your room, then.” He picks up the key, the twenty-dollar bill still clutched in his hand, and walks out the office door.
As she follows, Mona glances behind the desk. She sees no gun, no weapon, nothing suspicious. But she does not feel entirely satisfied. It is as if there’s a tiny wound in her mouth she can’t quit playing with. Something is wrong with this.
On the way out, she looks at the Chinese checkers board. There is something different about it now. She cannot say why—after all, it is dark, and she didn’t get a good look at the board—but she is sure the checkers have been rearranged, as if someone has just made acomplicated play. But perhaps the old man just jostled the table when he stood up.
He leads her down the row of motel-room doors. Night has fallen very quickly. The sky was bright blue, then streaked with pink, but now it is a soft and dusky purple cut short by the dark mesa surging into the heavens. The air has chilled considerably with the onset of evening, and Mona wishes she’d brought some winter wear.
“What is your name?” the old man asks.
“Mona.”
“I am Parson, Mona. It is very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
“It’s good that you are staying the night here.” He gestures into the dark trees that crawl up the slopes. “The area around Wink can be a little treacherous, especially at night. I would not advise going out at night, especially outside of downtown. People get lost very easily.”
“I can imagine,” says Mona, remembering the steep hills and sudden precipices. “Can I ask you something?”
He stops to consider it, as if this is a very serious proposition. “I suppose so,” he says finally.
“I tried to find this place on a lot of maps before I came, but—”
“Really?” he says. “Why?”
“Well… I don’t really want to get into it too much now, since nothing’s settled yet… but I inherited a house here, supposedly.”
Parson stares off into the distance. “Did you,” he says softly. “Which house would that be, if I might ask?”
“It’s on Larchmont, or so they tell me.”
“I see. You know, I believe I know the residence in question. It is abandoned. But it is in fairly good shape. And you say you inherited it?”
“That’s what all these papers say.”
“How curious…” says Parson. “I cannot remember the last time someone new moved here. You will be quite the oddity, if so.”
“That’s kind of what I wanted to ask about. You might not have anyone moving here because no one knows this town’s here. It’s not onany map. Is there some reason for that? Something to do with the lab on the mountain?”
“Lab?” asks Parson, puzzled.
“Yeah. Coburn National Lab. And, uh, Observatory.”
“Oh,” he says, and smiles. “Goodness. If you’re looking for a job there, I’m afraid you’re about thirty years late.”
“What do you mean?”
“Coburn was shut down years ago. End of the seventies, if I recall. I’m not sure why, exactly. I think they just never produced what they said they would. Lost funding. Wink was originally built around it, you know.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
“Did you?” he says. “Well. When it was shut down, it just left us all here. Where were we going to go? I suppose they took us off most maps to keep the place undisturbed. No spies sniffing around the lab, or some such. But now that we are forgotten, they never remembered to put us back on. To be honest, I like the peace and quiet. Even if it is bad for business.”
“Can I ask you
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