BooksBarbecue
Back The Long Sunset
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Prologue
  5. 1.
  6. 2.
  7. 3.
  8. 4.
  9. 5.
  10. 6.
  11. 7.
  12. 8.
  13. 9.
  14. 10.
  15. 11.
  16. 12.
  17. 13.
  18. 14.
  19. 15.
  20. 16.
  21. 17.
  22. 18.
  23. 19.
  24. 20.
  25. 21.
  26. 22.
  27. 23.
  28. 24.
  29. 25.
  30. 26.
  31. 27.
  32. 28.
  33. 29.
  34. 30.
  35. 31.
  36. 32.
  37. 33.
  38. 34.
  39. 35.
  40. 36.
  41. 37.
  42. 38.
  43. 39.
  44. 40.
  45. 41.
  46. 42.
  47. 43.
  48. 44.
  49. Epilogue
  50. About the Author
  51. Copyright

A chill crept into the cottage. They found a thermostat in the living room. Maybe. They weren’t certain at first, but when Ken turned the knob, it got cooler, so he reversed it and the temperature rose. Nobody was saying much. They were tired, and everyone was probably scared that they would never see home again. Consequently, the conversation was confined to comments intended simply to keep the dreary silence from swallowing them. “You think Arin’s a religious leader?”

“I wonder what kind of government they have here.”

“I feel fine. As far as I can tell, the food’s working.”

Hutch was wondering how long a day was on this world. “Don’t know,” said Beth. “We’ll see how long it takes for the sun to rise.”

“We’re lucky,” Ken said, “they have some technology.”

Nobody was going to argue with that. “I’m surprised these people have any decent level of technology at all,” said Hutch. “This world is nothing but a handful of islands.”

“I know. Hard to believe.” Ken looked impressed. “I wish we could understand the language. I’d like to be able to hear what they’re saying about us.”

Beth nodded. “Me too. I wonder if their sense of humor is the same as ours.”

“Who knows?” said Hutch. “Would all intelligent species laugh at the same things?”

“You know,” Beth said, “I think they would. What else could laughter be except a reaction to the unexpected? I guess if it’s also ironic. You know animals laugh, right?”

“But do they laugh at the same things we do?”

“To a degree. Tickle a monkey and watch his response. It’s the same sort of thing that gets a rise out of us. And it has all kinds of health benefits. I’d bet it will be the same everywhere.”

“I was struck,” said Derek, “by the way they responded to us. It suggests we all share the same sense of empathy.”

Ken grunted. “There are a lot of us who missed the boat on that one.”

Hutch was about to disagree, to mention the number of people who show up on news reports every day risking their lives for strangers, like the two Boy Scouts who’d charged into a house in the path of a Kansas tornado to rescue a disabled man. It had happened a few days before the Eiferman left Earth. And there was the group of women in Akoria who’d given their lives taking food and water to religious hostages in defiance of lethal lunatics. But she saw lights through the window and let it go. Arin’s car had just pulled away.

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