remember is some panelists on a 50’s TV show What was it called? What’s My Line? That was it.”
“Right. Bennet Cerf. Dorothy Kilgallen,” said Lou. “I remember her. I heard she was the only person to interview Oswald. Then she was snuffed. He told her he was framed.”
Jim shook his head. “Give me a break, Lou.”
“What the fuck?” said Lou. “Oh, Okay. You get to chase after Bible arks and holy grails but if I smell a rat in the government ...”
“Will you two shut up?” yelled Claire. “We haven’t even hit the turnpike and you’re at each other.”
“Yes, deeeear,” bleated Lou.
“Hopeless,” Claire muttered, staring out at the traffic.
Jim laughed. “Look, Lou,” he said. “I know how you feel about this, but don’t forget that this guy has big bucks. There might be some jobs in it for the studio.”
“Right. Well, I’m sitting here, aren’t I?”
Jim smiled. “Besides, I wanted to tell you what happened at the university.”
“You said it was weird, but you didn’t say why. Some kind of computer simulation with radio waves and the ark, right?”
Jim’s eyebrow rose. “Oh. So you have been listening!”
“No so I had much choice,” said Lou with a grin. “Okay. Since you brought it up, I’ll tell you what I expect would happen if you rebuild the ark.”
“Okay. What?” said Jim.
“Nothing,” said Lou confidently. “Jack shit! Zip!”
“Okay,” Jim said with a shrug. “So what? We put the money in our pockets and go back to the Raftworks. Case closed.”
“Cool,” said Lou with a smile. “So why’re you so spooked about this?”
“A lot of things. My obsession with this subject, the fact that the simulation ran but only the computers know the results. And then there’s the idea that maybe God will strike me down at any moment for messing with the ark.”
“Oh, is that all?” said Lou, lighting up a joint.
“Jeez, Lou,” said Jim, eyeing the passing cars. “Keep that out of sight at least, will you? And open the window.”
Lou opened the window and an icy blast of air blew ashes into Kas’ face. Her howls of rage were almost deafening. Lou ignored her utterly. “So what exactly do you expect to get out of this?” he asked as he fiddled with the radio dial.
“I don’t know,” said Jim after considering the question for a moment. “Maybe only an interesting weekend.”
That seemed to end the conversation for a while. Lou found a suitable FM station and all sat happily listening to it for at least an hour.
As they approached the entrance to the George Washington Bridge Kas dangled two cookies over the seat. Lou and Jim each took one. Lou looked back at Kas. “Look, Kas, I’m really sorry you got ashes in your eye.”
“No, you’re not,” Kas growled. “Eat your cookie, Lou.”
Jim smiled. In spite of their bickering, he enjoyed being with these people. They were both family and friends. An hour more and they would perhaps be taking a step into the real unknown; the first step, perhaps, on a very dangerous road.
In the back of his mind, Jim’s internal dialogue was nagging him. Perhaps he was dragging his friends into the same mysterious pool of uncertainty and danger he’d imposed upon himself. Finally he could contain his fears no longer. “Listen everybody,” he began. “I want to ... well, I don’t really know how to say this. I just feel like I have to warn you.”
“Warn us?” said Claire.
Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. Years ago, back when the Raftworks still had a raft, I had a talk with Gene. Just a short back and forth about the significance of the ark. Anyway, he told me that he was spooked by the idea of building the ark. I remember him saying, ‘What if it works?’ He had this look on his face.”
“What’s your point?” said Claire.
Lou laughed. “Afraid you slap some boards together and put it together and it’ll zap us?”
Kas was keeping her mouth shut. If she had an opinion it was her
“Right. Bennet Cerf. Dorothy Kilgallen,” said Lou. “I remember her. I heard she was the only person to interview Oswald. Then she was snuffed. He told her he was framed.”
Jim shook his head. “Give me a break, Lou.”
“What the fuck?” said Lou. “Oh, Okay. You get to chase after Bible arks and holy grails but if I smell a rat in the government ...”
“Will you two shut up?” yelled Claire. “We haven’t even hit the turnpike and you’re at each other.”
“Yes, deeeear,” bleated Lou.
“Hopeless,” Claire muttered, staring out at the traffic.
Jim laughed. “Look, Lou,” he said. “I know how you feel about this, but don’t forget that this guy has big bucks. There might be some jobs in it for the studio.”
“Right. Well, I’m sitting here, aren’t I?”
Jim smiled. “Besides, I wanted to tell you what happened at the university.”
“You said it was weird, but you didn’t say why. Some kind of computer simulation with radio waves and the ark, right?”
Jim’s eyebrow rose. “Oh. So you have been listening!”
“No so I had much choice,” said Lou with a grin. “Okay. Since you brought it up, I’ll tell you what I expect would happen if you rebuild the ark.”
“Okay. What?” said Jim.
“Nothing,” said Lou confidently. “Jack shit! Zip!”
“Okay,” Jim said with a shrug. “So what? We put the money in our pockets and go back to the Raftworks. Case closed.”
“Cool,” said Lou with a smile. “So why’re you so spooked about this?”
“A lot of things. My obsession with this subject, the fact that the simulation ran but only the computers know the results. And then there’s the idea that maybe God will strike me down at any moment for messing with the ark.”
“Oh, is that all?” said Lou, lighting up a joint.
“Jeez, Lou,” said Jim, eyeing the passing cars. “Keep that out of sight at least, will you? And open the window.”
Lou opened the window and an icy blast of air blew ashes into Kas’ face. Her howls of rage were almost deafening. Lou ignored her utterly. “So what exactly do you expect to get out of this?” he asked as he fiddled with the radio dial.
“I don’t know,” said Jim after considering the question for a moment. “Maybe only an interesting weekend.”
That seemed to end the conversation for a while. Lou found a suitable FM station and all sat happily listening to it for at least an hour.
As they approached the entrance to the George Washington Bridge Kas dangled two cookies over the seat. Lou and Jim each took one. Lou looked back at Kas. “Look, Kas, I’m really sorry you got ashes in your eye.”
“No, you’re not,” Kas growled. “Eat your cookie, Lou.”
Jim smiled. In spite of their bickering, he enjoyed being with these people. They were both family and friends. An hour more and they would perhaps be taking a step into the real unknown; the first step, perhaps, on a very dangerous road.
In the back of his mind, Jim’s internal dialogue was nagging him. Perhaps he was dragging his friends into the same mysterious pool of uncertainty and danger he’d imposed upon himself. Finally he could contain his fears no longer. “Listen everybody,” he began. “I want to ... well, I don’t really know how to say this. I just feel like I have to warn you.”
“Warn us?” said Claire.
Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. Years ago, back when the Raftworks still had a raft, I had a talk with Gene. Just a short back and forth about the significance of the ark. Anyway, he told me that he was spooked by the idea of building the ark. I remember him saying, ‘What if it works?’ He had this look on his face.”
“What’s your point?” said Claire.
Lou laughed. “Afraid you slap some boards together and put it together and it’ll zap us?”
Kas was keeping her mouth shut. If she had an opinion it was her
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