Oct 2020
"Professor Scarpnell you are wanted on the phone" says an automated voice coming out of the message system. He slips the disk into the back of his neck and listens carefully to the instructions he is about to input
Twenty four hours later all over the world there are people diving into water searching for something that will change the world for good.
In a circular library sits an old librarian who has never left the City since the day she was born. "Off to pack my little bag" she says as she re-aligns a bobby pin gone askew. At home she eats her modest egg then goes to the bedroom to search for her overnight bag.
In another corner of the world Jim a retired fireman is peeled to the television watching the news. It appears that the virus has mutated and spread across the land faster than the speed of light. For the umpteenth time he wishes the department hadn't served him his papers and retired him like an old dog. At the age of fifty he is still fit as a fiddle. The phone rings at cutting edge and a green horizontal line appears. Jack hears 'four' imprinted words....
" IT'S IN THE WATER " .
He packs his shrapnel bullets in the lined compartment of his bunker gear then offers up a diluted prayer to the Gods of Technology for their systematic and safe state of weaponry.
Its a cool evening in Venice and the October wind has twined itself around the gondolas like an old friend. Autumn is a time for customary dishes and as the staff works diligently in the kitchen, Chef Marco Battalione catches up on paper work. He opens an email from an unknown source asking for a reservation for seven on October 18, 7pm . Included is an e-transfer of $5,000 euros.
"I will need a private room where we can talk in absolute privacy without the threat of being overheard. The menu I leave entirely to your discretion. I will arrive shortly after diner to introduce myself to the guests at hand. Please do not try to contact me at this email address. It is now obsolete for reasons of confidentiality and for the safety of all persons involved. "
Marco is stumped by the audacity of this person. When he realizes that because of the restrictions on restaurants caused by COVID, he has
lost most of his income. He knows that he can ill afford to refuse such a generous offer. Setting aside a stack of bills, he begins to plan a menu fit for a King and Queen. With a red felt pen he circles the date on the calendar, then pours himself a drink. He raises a glass to the neon lights echoing over labyrinth streets and canals, and says "Salute"
to be continued...
Twenty four hours later all over the world there are people diving into water searching for something that will change the world for good.
In a circular library sits an old librarian who has never left the City since the day she was born. "Off to pack my little bag" she says as she re-aligns a bobby pin gone askew. At home she eats her modest egg then goes to the bedroom to search for her overnight bag.
In another corner of the world Jim a retired fireman is peeled to the television watching the news. It appears that the virus has mutated and spread across the land faster than the speed of light. For the umpteenth time he wishes the department hadn't served him his papers and retired him like an old dog. At the age of fifty he is still fit as a fiddle. The phone rings at cutting edge and a green horizontal line appears. Jack hears 'four' imprinted words....
" IT'S IN THE WATER " .
He packs his shrapnel bullets in the lined compartment of his bunker gear then offers up a diluted prayer to the Gods of Technology for their systematic and safe state of weaponry.
Its a cool evening in Venice and the October wind has twined itself around the gondolas like an old friend. Autumn is a time for customary dishes and as the staff works diligently in the kitchen, Chef Marco Battalione catches up on paper work. He opens an email from an unknown source asking for a reservation for seven on October 18, 7pm . Included is an e-transfer of $5,000 euros.
"I will need a private room where we can talk in absolute privacy without the threat of being overheard. The menu I leave entirely to your discretion. I will arrive shortly after diner to introduce myself to the guests at hand. Please do not try to contact me at this email address. It is now obsolete for reasons of confidentiality and for the safety of all persons involved. "
Marco is stumped by the audacity of this person. When he realizes that because of the restrictions on restaurants caused by COVID, he has
lost most of his income. He knows that he can ill afford to refuse such a generous offer. Setting aside a stack of bills, he begins to plan a menu fit for a King and Queen. With a red felt pen he circles the date on the calendar, then pours himself a drink. He raises a glass to the neon lights echoing over labyrinth streets and canals, and says "Salute"
to be continued...
