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

The overhead light and two of the lamps were on. But they faded and the room grew dark. Then a panorama of lights blinked on outside a virtual window that was longer and wider than the two windows that looked out into the unending dark. The blackness had been replaced by a night sky. Among the lights she could see trees and bushes and a stream. It was a park. People were walking, some relaxed on benches, some standing on a small bridge looking down at the water. A couple of kids were running with balloons trailing.

“Beautiful,” she said. They rearranged their chairs so they were sitting in a straight line. “Where are we?”

“We’re in the second-floor gallery of the Grady Hotel.”

“That’s Central Park,” said Derek.

“That’s correct.” Wally wore a wide grin. “Over on your left is the American Museum of Natural History. And if you’d like to go to a show, we can’t actually walk to the theater, but we can put ourselves into a box seat and watch the performance. We have some of the stuff that’s now running on Broadway. Anything anybody would like to see?”

“Maybe later,” said Derek. “What else is there?”

“Barry, would you run whatever’s next on the program?”

The AI beeped. “Wally, I need Captain Hutchins to give the directive.”

“I’m sorry. I keep forgetting that when we’re actually in flight, I can’t control anything. Hutch?”

“Do it, Barry,” she said.

The virtual windows disappeared and they were seated behind a handrail under a roof. The park vanished, the star-swept night shifted to midafternoon, and a loud roar filled the room as the park morphed into a massive waterfall.

“Welcome to Niagara,” said Barry. “We’re on the Canadian side, on the front porch of the Brookwell Hotel.”

“Brilliant,” said Beth.

“If you prefer it at night, Beth,” said Barry, “I can take care of it. And I can also put a full moon in the sky if you wish.”

“The times, they are a-changing,” said Hutch. “I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“How come you didn’t mention this until now? We’ve been sitting in here watching TV shows for three days.”

“It took me a while to set it up. And anyhow, I think it has a better effect now after all that other stuff.”

“What else do you have?” asked Ken.

The waterfall faded, blinked out, and was replaced by a towering snow-capped mountain. It was pure rock and snow. “The Matterhorn,” Barry said. Near the top they saw a campfire.