"Caleb, you tell it." Teddy beamed proudly at his second oldest son as they all sat around the interior of the old canvas safari tent.
"I don't know, Dad. The tunnel just collapsed and Jonah was gone. That's all I know." Caleb wasn't much for grandstanding.
"I'll tell it, Dad. I'll tell it." Joshua never needed encouragement to take control in any given situation. "Caleb and I were digging south toward the river as you had told us. Jonah kept playing in the temple-side tunnel even after we told him not to. When the earthquake hit, I fell flat on my back and watched as Jonah was trying to crawl back out of the tunnel when a big pile of dirt fell and covered him up."
"I didn't see it," Caleb didn't want to be left out of the story, "but when I turned Joshua was digging with his hands screaming: Jonah! I took the shovel from the wheelbarrow we use to remove the loose dirt…"
"I'll tell it, Caleb! I'll tell it!" Joshua let his anger flash.
"That's enough, guys. Take a walk. We are all still very shaken up. No pun intended. Dad needs to talk awhile in private. Jonah will be all right. Take a walk." Teddy may have been named after a cute and cuddly bear, he had the grizzly beard to prove it, but when he spoke in that quiet, but forceful way of his, the boys listened.
After the boys left the tent, Teddy looked over at Jonah sleeping peacefully on his father's bed, hands clasped tightly to his chest, feet tucked into the fetal position. His eyes were moving rapidly and Teddy hoped he wasn't reliving his nightmare.
Turning to Ms. Marple, as she had introduced herself while walking quickly beside him with his son in his arms, Teddy said: "As you can see, we've had a trying day. What can I do for you?"
"Actually, it's what I can do for you. You are Theophilus Fairchild, right?" She spoke with confidence and authority, but without losing her femininity—more like a European feminist rather than their jockstrap wearing American counterparts.
"Yes, but I go by Teddy." Teddy wasn't about to show his cards.
"Mr. Fairchild," Ms. Marple, adjusted classic black horn rimmed glasses, "my employer is very interested in your work."
"What work is that?" Teddy wondered what he could have done in that Scandinavian cubicle that would warrant a private helicopter flight out here.
"Ancient Aliens. You are seeking evidence for the existence of Ancient Aliens, aren't you?" Ms. Marple pursed her eyebrows impatiently.
"Well, yes, but… not exactly… It doesn't matter. You are too late." Teddy looked over at Jonah again, hands clenched tightly to his chest, his legs were stretched out now, and Teddy was beginning to rethink the whole adventure thing.
"What do you mean?" Ms. Marple wasn't about to let go.
"My grant was just cancelled. We're packing up and going home." Teddy's voice fell flat. It was the voice of someone who had let go of too many valuable things recently.
"I know." Ms. Marple grinned.
"What do you mean: 'You know'?" Teddy's voice sharpened.
"I cancelled it." Ms. Marple's grin got even wider, but then her eyes did too as Teddy stood up from where he was sitting. "Sit down, Mr. Fairchild, please. I am sorry. I am not being considerate of everything you have faced today. Please sit down. What I am going to tell you is very important... and very good for you."
"I'm not the type who likes to wait for good news." Teddy growled, but he sat again slowly.
"Right." Ms. Marple had been shaken, she wasn't used to losing control of conversations. "My employer wants to fund your explorations. We will provide everything you need, manpower, machines, help with permitting, governments, whatever you need!" The mischievous grin was back.
"Why?" Teddy hadn't let go of his anger and he was himself beginning to feel the effects of all the excitement.
"Why not?" Ms. Marple instinctively went back to cheek, but thought better of it, "Okay. We want the rights to whatever you find—all the rights. We will pay you the fair value, of course. Anything of cultural or historical significance will go to museums, naturally. What we want is the rights to the technology." Her smile was sincere—sincerely excited by the possibilities.
"Technology?" Teddy was stumped. His tired brain almost wanted this to be a hallucination.
"Yes. Little cup shaped devices that levitate one hundred ton megalithic stones, Egyptian electric light bulbs, Nazca overseers parachute silk, even an ancient spaceship—if you should find one!" Ms. Marple was having fun.