- Prey
- Sphere
- Black Rose
- The Great Train Robbery
- Blue Dahlia
- Carnal Innocence
- Dance Upon the Air
- High Noon
- Lawless
- Sacred Sins
- Tribute
- Face the Fire
- Holding the Dream
- A Man for Amanda
- All the Possibilities
- Next
- Prey
- Sphere
- Black Rose
- The Great Train Robbery
- Blue Dahlia
- Carnal Innocence
- Dance Upon the Air
- High Noon
- Lawless
- Sacred Sins
- Tribute
- Face the Fire
- Holding the Dream
- A Man for Amanda
Tanner on IcePage 3“That’s good.” Wait a minute… “Wait a minute,” I said. “Ford’s not still the president, is he?” “No, I’m afraid he’s not.” “Who came after Ford?” “Carter.” Carter? Who was that? Aside from the fact that he was now president of the United States - “And Reagan followed Carter, and-” “Reagan? You don’t mean Ronald Reagan.” “Yes, that’s right.” “The actor? He’s the president?” “He was.” “Was? Who’s president now?” “ Clinton.” “ Clinton? DeWitt Clinton was governor of New York State back in the nineteenth century. He dug the Erie Canal. Well, not personally, but you know what I mean.” They were exchanging glances again, and I began to wonder if this place was in fact a mental hospital. If so, maybe it was where I belonged. “And there was a George Clinton,” I said. “I think he was a vice-president, but I can’t remember who he served under. Has this Clinton got a first name?” “Bill.” “Bill Clinton,” I said. “Never heard of him.” “He was governor of Arkansas,” the woman said, “before he was elected president.” “And he succeeded Reagan?” “First there was Bush,” the man said. “Bush?” “George Bush.” The name was familiar, though I couldn’t think why. “Bush followed Reagan,” I said, “and Clinton followed Bush.” “Yes.” “And Clinton ’s in there now.” “That’s correct.” Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. What did that add up to, twenty years? And any or all of them could have had more than a single four-year term, and- I looked at the backs of my hands. They looked just as I remembered them. No liver spots, no signs of age since I had looked at them last. I looked down at the rest of me and saw that I was wearing a hospital gown. I had somehow failed to notice this until now, but it didn’t come as a great shock. I was, by the looks of things, in a hospital. What else should I be wearing? I said, “I want a mirror.” “Mr. Tanner, if you’ll just-” “No, dammit, I won’t just. Bring me a mirror.” They looked at each other again, damn them. “The hell with it,” I said, and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The doctor moved to support me if I fell, but I waved him aside. There was a bathroom, and I walked to it, and there was a mirror over the sink, and, not without trepidation, I looked into it. And there was my own face staring back at me, looking none the worse for wear. No older, and certainly no wiser. “No dizziness,” the doctor was saying, “even in an upright position. No problem with motor skills.” “We noticed his muscle tone was excellent.” “True,” he said. “Still and all, it’s quite miraculous. Theory is one thing, but when you see it right before your eyes-” I turned on him. “All right,” I said savagely, “who’s the president?” “Mr. Tanner, I believe I told you-” “I know what you told me, and I know what the mirror’s telling me, and the two don’t go together.” “No,” he said. “I don’t suppose they do.” “Who’s the president?” “William Jefferson Clinton.” “And what’s the date?” “March fourteenth.” “Well, that’s good. I haven’t missed St. Patrick’s Day. What year?” “Mr. Tanner-” “What year?” “ 1997,” he said. “ 1997.” “Yes.” “March 14, 1997.” “Yes. It’s a Friday.” “I drank a glass of brandy on Tuesday and woke up on a Friday. That would be remarkable enough, but this particular Friday happens to be twenty-five years later. Well, twenty-four and a half, anyway. It’s like Rip Van Winkle, isn’t it?” “Sort of,” he said. She looked puzzled, and I wondered if she knew who Rip Van Winkle was. She was young enough to have trouble remembering who Nixon and Agnew were, so how could you expect her to cope with Washington Irving? “Except it’s not,” I said. “He slept for twenty years, and he woke up with a long white beard. I don’t even need a shave. Or have you people been shaving me?” “No, we haven’t.” “So presidents have come and gone, and my beard hasn’t grown at all. That’s hard to believe. As far as I can tell, I’m not a day older than I was when I drank that brandy. I gather there must have been a drug in it, but was there also an eyedropper’s worth of water from the fountain of youth?” “Not exactly.” “Not exactly,” I echoed. “Is this all some mind-control experiment? It’s not really 1997, is it?” “I’m afraid it is.” “I was born in 1933,” I said, “so if it’s really 1997, I ought to be sixty-four years old. Do I look sixty-four years old?” “No,” he said without hesitation. “You look about thirty-nine.” “I am about thirty-nine. And it’s 1972, isn’t it?” “No, it’s 1997.” “It’s 1997 and I’m thirty-nine.” “According to the calendar, you’re sixty-four. But yes, I’m going to agree with your last statement. It is indeed 1997, and you are indeed thirty-nine years old.” |
- The Loners
- The Saints
- Switched
- Fangtastic!
- Re-Vamped!
- Vampalicious!
- Tome of the Undergates
- Black Halo
- The Skybound Sea
- If You Stay
- If You Leave
- Until We Burn
- Before We Fall
- Every Last Kiss
- Fated
- Suspiciously Obedient
- Random Acts of Crazy
- Random Acts of Trust
- Her First Billionaire
- Her Second Billionaire
- Her Two Billionaires
- Her Two Billionaires and a Baby
- His Majesty's Dragon
- Throne of Jade
- Black Powder War
- Victory of Eagles
- Tongues of Serpents
- Empire of Ivory
- Crucible of Gold
- Delirium