Part 32 (1/2)

”I'm also thinking about writing a treatise on religion.”

”Really? That would be interesting.”

”I hope not to offend either of you gentlemen, but unbridled faith creates enormous problems. And generates stupidities that leave me breathless.” He shook his head. ”It's on my mind because we had two incidents here during the past few weeks.”

”Really? And what might they have been?”

”Two demons allegedly showed up at a wedding.”

”You're not serious, Tom.”

By now, even Kirkbride was loosening up. ”There were a dozen people,” he said, ”who swore they simply popped in out of nowhere, then vanished again. Before everyone's eyes. Frightful-looking creatures, they said.”

”A week or so before that,” Paine added, ”the son of one of our local farmers claimed to have seen something similar. A devil who floated down out of the sky.”

Shel laughed. ”It just amazes me what people will believe.”

Paine finished his third m.u.f.fin and expressed his compliments to Mrs. Kirkbride. Then to Shel and Dave: ”We get indoctrinated when we're young. Some of our people are as bad as those New England idiots. They hear about witches and devils, and they start seeing them.”

”What did they look like?” asked Dave.

”The ones at the wedding had horns,” said Kirkbride. ”Eyes on fire, claws, the usual. I don't recall hearing anything about tails. Did these creatures have tails, Melissa? Do you know?”

”Not that I heard, but I wouldn't be surprised.”

”The world,” said Dave, ”needs a book about common sense.”

”I've already done that.”

”I mean, common sense about other things. Not just politics.”

Melissa took offense at that. ”Tom's book was not simply about politics,” she said.

”You know,” said Paine, ”the world really does need such a book. Something that will make a stand for reason rather than the ravings of lunatics.” He cleared his throat. ”It would would need a provocative t.i.tle, though.” need a provocative t.i.tle, though.”

Shel thought about it. Smiled. ”How about The Age of Reason The Age of Reason?”

CHAPTER 23.

My stern chase after time is, to borrow a simile from Tom Paine, like the race of a man with a wooden leg after a horse.

-JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

THEY left Joseph Kirkbride's home and walked away from the town into the woods. To a place where they couldn't be seen. ”Somebody sees us come out of there,” said Dave, ”and vanish, it would create some problems for them.” left Joseph Kirkbride's home and walked away from the town into the woods. To a place where they couldn't be seen. ”Somebody sees us come out of there,” said Dave, ”and vanish, it would create some problems for them.”

”You mean where Paine gets picked up for witchcraft and never completes The American Crisis The American Crisis? He hasn't finished it yet, has he?”

”I don't think so. He's published the first four parts. I don't know what else has actually been written.”

”So the rest of it goes by the board, and the Revolution fails. We go back to a country run by the U.K. That's the way these things usually work on television.”

”That's the way.”

”I don't think,” said Shel, ”we'd need to worry about a witchcraft trial. This is south Jersey, not New England.”

”You saw those people at the wedding. I wouldn't be too sure.”

They seemed safely lost among the trees. ”Ready to go?” asked Shel.

Dave's converter was clipped to his belt. He lifted the lid. ”All set.”

”See you at home.”

Dave pressed the b.u.t.ton and watched the trees and sky begin to fade, watched the familiar walls of Shel's den take shape. The leaves and twigs underfoot were replaced by soft carpet.

He looked for Shel.

And waited.

Come on, Adrian.

HE set the converter to return to the point of origin, and went back to the forest. Shel was standing there, holding the unit in his hand, and impatiently stabbing at it with his index finger. ”It doesn't want to work,” he said. ”I had a problem with it earlier, too.” set the converter to return to the point of origin, and went back to the forest. Shel was standing there, holding the unit in his hand, and impatiently stabbing at it with his index finger. ”It doesn't want to work,” he said. ”I had a problem with it earlier, too.”

”What's wrong?”

”How the h.e.l.l would I know?” He sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree and removed the power pack. ”It got dropped a couple of times while we were dealing with those farmers. Something's probably loose. But let me try a test.” He handed the power pack to Dave. ”See if you can make yours work with that.”

Dave exchanged the power packs, hit the b.u.t.ton, and went back to the town house. Moments later he'd returned to the forest. ”It's okay,” he said.

Shel scratched one ear and looked at his own unit. ”Okay. So now it's official. It's broken.”

”I've got room for a hitchhiker.”

”I don't think it's a good idea.”

”What do you suggest?”

”I don't know.”

”You're sure there isn't another converter at home somewhere?”

”None that I know of.”