Roller Rink

"Dear."

"Yes, darling?"

"Do you think it was worth all this?"

We looked out over the river, a few turkey buzzards circling overhead. We kissed.

"Yes." I held my wife's hand, standing with her under a windswept pine tree, finally able to celebrate our honeymoon. I took a deep breath. "Darling, this is the moment we have lived for."

She stood up on her toes and I bent down. We kissed again. "So what do you want to do with this land? You know the coming disaster will..."

"We don't know the disaster's coming."

"But everything else in the scenarios have come true one way or another. Why not the..."

"Don't say it. Maybe if we don't talk about it, it won't come true, just like if you tell someone what they're going to say, they don't say it."

"Reverse logic. Hmm...maybe. I don't know."

"Let's take a walk."

We walked along the edge of the ridge, veering off the gravel path to see dropoffs and balance rocks on their own, like broken chimneys left by giants of a previous epoch.

"What shall we call this place?"

"I've been thinking about that. What was that rustic cabin in summer camp called?"

"Honey, we were 12. That was 35 years ago. I can't remember anymore."

"Eagle's Nest? Buzzard's Roost?"

"Sounds familiar."

"Either one of those appeal to you?"

"I guess Lover's Leap is inappropriate."

"Unless you know something I don't know. You got life insurance on me?"

"Death insurance? Only whatever your company has. No, I meant it as a kind of native American reference."

"That's right. We aren't the first who were here."

"How about Black Elk Spoke?"

"Ooh, good one. In that case, how about Black Elk Echoes?"

"Much better. You know how I like alliteration. It even has an echo sound to it."

"It's decided then."

"Good. You hungry?"

"Let's walk a little more. I want to find a site to build your treehouse. If whatever happens, happens, I want a place that's easy to get to but not too far away, maybe where we can drill down and include a subterranean shelter should the d...whatever, happen."

"My treehouse? Wow, I hadn't thought about that in a long time. Oh, hey, I contacted Jake. He contacted your team. Seems like the One is ahead of schedule and getting faster everyday."

My wife let go of my hand and turned toward the river. I stepped behind her, put my arms around her waist and pulled her to my chest, her head resting against one of my shoulders. She purred. "Mikishium, I love you."

"I love you, too, Lyrethia."

"Do we really know who paid us?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes and no. We wrote the code ourselves. We know what it will do. What I don't know is what they plan to do with the DNA restructuring algorithms and the glow-in-the-dark parrot."

"Don't parrots just repeat what you say?"

"Yes."

"Then I think they're going to make DNA replicators that glow in the dark."

"You mean the next generation of you, a variant?"

"Yes, but instead of being sterile, they'll be able to reproduce themselves."

"But why glow? I mean, isn't that a kind of fashion that'll pass like house decorating and cakemaking?"

"I'm not sure. Jake said he was going to get your guys to try to run a few more scenarios."

"Honey, what if they look like you but they squawk or something?" She laughed. "I mean, wouldn't that be awful?"

"Very funny. You did say your company's death insurance pays double your salary, didn't you?"

She pulled out of my arms and turned around. "You silly. You know I'm kidding."

I pouted with a slight smirk on my face. "Of course. But I got you to face me, didn't I?"

She jumped into my arms, causing me to lose my balance. We landed on the matt of grass growing on the cliff slope. We had a few hours to unwind and enjoy the afternoon before our guests arrived. For once, time was on our side. We completely forgot about the buzzards painting spiraling shadows around us.