“How strange to find myself in such a place and time! I feel that I lived in Christ’s era and in the twentieth century and in the twenty-fifth all at once, as if I’m a set of different selves, but with one slightly out of focus. I wonder how many other people have felt this way?’

A pause. Through the double vision that Seven saw in Window’s eyes, he saw Monarch smile, just as Window’s seemingly miniature face did at the same time. “Maybe Monarch is a future self to other portions of my entire selfhood. Maybe Christ and Window made my existence possible.”

“And vice versa,” Seven whispered, wondering if both or only one Monarch would hear him.

“Of course,” said “Monarch” in the restaurant, mouthing the words of the twenty-fifth-century Monarch who now mused to himself, “Perhaps I even had a hand in initiating the Codicils that I uncovered in my own time.”

“The Codicils,” Seven said urgently. “Quickly, tell me about them.”

“They’re the basis of our civilization. Without them, the world would never have survived,” mused Monarch in front of the museum, as “Monarch” in the restaurant spoke the words.

A feeling of panic almost washed over Seven as he saw the implications of Monarch’s answer. He asked quickly, “When? When did they originate?”

The answer came: “In the time of ‘The George.’”

With those words, the alterations of perception vanished. John Window said, “I forgot what I was doing.”

George Brainbridge just shook his head and muttered, “What the hell just happened?” He was staring at Window’s mouth, which now appeared quite normal.

“I don’t know,” said Josephine, blinking at the menu which also looked quite ordinary now. And Gregory Diggs shook his head wonderingly as the tip of his shoe lost its magic.

Window thought he was Christ again. He said morosely, “This could be a modern version of the Last Supper, don’t you know? I know you’re my dentist, Dr. Brainbridge. But are you certain you’re not Judas too?”

“Now cut that out,” George muttered, but softly, not wanting to make a scene, “I’m sure. Take my word for it, will you?”

“Verily,” Christ said.

“Super,” George replied, with a sigh.

“Do you remember saying you were Monarch?” Seven asked. He tried not to look worried, but he had an idea that there were more time bleed-throughs than he knew what to do with, and he wanted to question Window or Christ or Monarch while he still could.

“I think Window must be a catalyst of some kind,” Josephine said to George. “I’ve got to tell you what just happened to me.”

“Ditto,” George said. “I mean, you won’t believe—“

“Window, did you do something to my shoe just now?” Gregory Diggs asked.