anyone elaborate on the significance of this?”
No one answered.
“ Mr. Garrett, how about you?”
Mr. Gatt gestured toward the boy in the wheelchair. The boy went pale as he looked around at the class. He shrank back in his seat, but answered in a soft voice barely above a whisper.
“ I’m sorry Mr. Gatt. I don’t have the slightest clue.”
Mr. Gatt looked disappointed, as that was the boy’s response every single time he was called on to speak.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the students. Monson, however, thought he knew the answer. He raised his hand.
“ Yes, Mr. Grey.”
“ Wasn’t the city-state of Carthage destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C.?”
“ Please continue.”
“ The historical records were all destroyed by the Romans, making it difficult to study the history of the Carthaginians. This is a problem. Carthage was one of the largest and longest-lived empires in the Mediterranean, and yet we know very little about it.”
“ Excellent, Mr. Grey. Very well done.”
He looked around at the rest of the class.
“ This discovery is one of the major finds of the last century, marking not only the end of a very long silence concerning the Carthaginians, but it may also show some indication that they may not have been as lost as originally thought.”
Silence. Mr. Gatt continued.
“ Mr. Grey, will you answer another question?”
Monson hesitated. "OK, shoot.”
“ If I asked you to date this painting, what would your educated guess be?”
Monson glanced at Taris. She shook her head. Apparently, she did not know any better than he did. Monson narrowed his eyes and with all his might, gazed at the painting. Something about it just seemed…off. He thought he knew what it was.
“ It looks a great deal like the one that you showed us the first day of class. I would guess that it’s from the same time period.”
Mr. Gatt smiled at this.
“ Do you have any basis for your assumption?”
Monson shook his head. “Nope. Just a hunch.”
Mr. Gatt laughed this time. “Well Mr. Grey, your hunch is precisely accurate.”
Monson paused at this.
“ Wait. Mr. Gatt?”
“ Yes, Mr. Grey?”
“ How could these be from the same time period? If the picture of Merlin was seventeenth-century and this painting found in a Carthaginian stronghold, how on Earth could they have been done around the same time?”
Most of the students looked confused at his words. Whispers broke out as he started to speak again.
“ The timeline is screwed up; if that tunnel was sealed in the B.C. era, how could a painting from A.D. appear in it?”
“ That’s a very good question,” replied Mr. Gatt. He stopped talking and simply smiled.
Monson stared at him. Mr. Gatt was not looking at him, but rather was fiddling with the MacBook and Monson could tell it was starting to frustrate him. His eyes were narrowing as he played with the keyboard and his taps on it were becoming progressively louder with each stroke.
“ I do apologize for this.” He looked at the class, his expression rueful. “I have many talents; however, computers have never been one of them.”
The class was silent as they continued to watch. Suddenly, Mr. Gatt stepped back from the MacBook and stared at it. He looked as if he was trying to decide something.
“ Derek, will you please go and flip that second light switch for me?” Mr. Gatt waved toward Derek and then the wall where the light panel was.
Derek stood up and walked over to the switch. His glance shifted back towards Monson and Taris and he gave Monson a sour look before turning off the lights.
“ Thank you, Derek. That should do it. Please turn the lights back on.”
Derek flipped the switch again, turning on the lights, but as soon as he did, a flash came from the front of the room, as if one of the lights burned out. At once, they heard the chime of the MacBook, and light shot out from the projector.
Why did flicking the lights off and on turn the
No one answered.
“ Mr. Garrett, how about you?”
Mr. Gatt gestured toward the boy in the wheelchair. The boy went pale as he looked around at the class. He shrank back in his seat, but answered in a soft voice barely above a whisper.
“ I’m sorry Mr. Gatt. I don’t have the slightest clue.”
Mr. Gatt looked disappointed, as that was the boy’s response every single time he was called on to speak.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the students. Monson, however, thought he knew the answer. He raised his hand.
“ Yes, Mr. Grey.”
“ Wasn’t the city-state of Carthage destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C.?”
“ Please continue.”
“ The historical records were all destroyed by the Romans, making it difficult to study the history of the Carthaginians. This is a problem. Carthage was one of the largest and longest-lived empires in the Mediterranean, and yet we know very little about it.”
“ Excellent, Mr. Grey. Very well done.”
He looked around at the rest of the class.
“ This discovery is one of the major finds of the last century, marking not only the end of a very long silence concerning the Carthaginians, but it may also show some indication that they may not have been as lost as originally thought.”
Silence. Mr. Gatt continued.
“ Mr. Grey, will you answer another question?”
Monson hesitated. "OK, shoot.”
“ If I asked you to date this painting, what would your educated guess be?”
Monson glanced at Taris. She shook her head. Apparently, she did not know any better than he did. Monson narrowed his eyes and with all his might, gazed at the painting. Something about it just seemed…off. He thought he knew what it was.
“ It looks a great deal like the one that you showed us the first day of class. I would guess that it’s from the same time period.”
Mr. Gatt smiled at this.
“ Do you have any basis for your assumption?”
Monson shook his head. “Nope. Just a hunch.”
Mr. Gatt laughed this time. “Well Mr. Grey, your hunch is precisely accurate.”
Monson paused at this.
“ Wait. Mr. Gatt?”
“ Yes, Mr. Grey?”
“ How could these be from the same time period? If the picture of Merlin was seventeenth-century and this painting found in a Carthaginian stronghold, how on Earth could they have been done around the same time?”
Most of the students looked confused at his words. Whispers broke out as he started to speak again.
“ The timeline is screwed up; if that tunnel was sealed in the B.C. era, how could a painting from A.D. appear in it?”
“ That’s a very good question,” replied Mr. Gatt. He stopped talking and simply smiled.
Monson stared at him. Mr. Gatt was not looking at him, but rather was fiddling with the MacBook and Monson could tell it was starting to frustrate him. His eyes were narrowing as he played with the keyboard and his taps on it were becoming progressively louder with each stroke.
“ I do apologize for this.” He looked at the class, his expression rueful. “I have many talents; however, computers have never been one of them.”
The class was silent as they continued to watch. Suddenly, Mr. Gatt stepped back from the MacBook and stared at it. He looked as if he was trying to decide something.
“ Derek, will you please go and flip that second light switch for me?” Mr. Gatt waved toward Derek and then the wall where the light panel was.
Derek stood up and walked over to the switch. His glance shifted back towards Monson and Taris and he gave Monson a sour look before turning off the lights.
“ Thank you, Derek. That should do it. Please turn the lights back on.”
Derek flipped the switch again, turning on the lights, but as soon as he did, a flash came from the front of the room, as if one of the lights burned out. At once, they heard the chime of the MacBook, and light shot out from the projector.
Why did flicking the lights off and on turn the
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