going to be quite a drive." "Ridiculous," said Chadwick, placing his cigar in the
tray and folding his arms. "You're helping me whether you like it or not." Red
laid his cigar aside also. "A very long drive. Flowers?"
"Yes."
"Then put us to sleep. I don't feel like talking with him the whole time."
"The feeling is mutual," said Chadwick.
A soft hissing sound began.
"I ought to just gas you both permanently and become a Flying Dutchperson, like that car I heard about 'a while back, flitting down the centuries with a pair of skeletons inside."
"Very funny," said Red, breathing deeply.
Chadwick yawned.
"The whole thing..." he began.
Two
Randy had changed six flat tires. He had also seen the radiator, the generator and a fan belt replaced. Had a tuneup too, while the brakes were being relined. Leaves had blithely charged it all to Red, with whose account it would sooner or later rendezvous. And who knew how much fuel? He had lost track.
And they continued on ...
"Where?" Randy repeated. "When?"
"I'll know it when I see it," Leila replied.
"At this rate, you'll run us back to the Ice Age."
"Not that far, I think."
"He will show up there, though? You're sure?"
"I'm afraid so. Hurry."
"And you want to save him from a death which you say he now desires?..."
"We've been through all this."
"... because he believes it will work some transformation?"
"That's why he ditched me," Leaves said. "I caught
on to his death-wish before he was ready to admit it." "Then obviously neither of you believe him." "I believe my own visions," Leila said. "If he dies
there, he dies. Period."
Randy rubbed the stubble on his chin and shook
his head. "I don't know that I would attempt to stop him from
doing whatever he wishes to do most, whether it seems futile or not. All I really wanted to do was meet him. I'm not even certain what I'd say..."
"You've already met him."
"You'd better explain."
"That old couple with car trouble. That was us— Reyd and myself—a long time ago, before we grew younger. You were the one. I didn't remember it until
then-" "What the hell was that?"
"What?"
"Something big—like an airplane—went over." "I didn't see anything." "It was back a ways. I caught it in the rearview
mirror."
Leila shook her head.
"No way. Passing through time as we are, anything like that would only be visible for such a tiny fraction of a second that you wouldn't even be subliminally aware of it. Leaves, did you detect anything?"
"No."
"So there-"
He pointed.
"Up there! It's back!"
Leila leaned forward, breaking her cigar on the windshield.
"Damn!" she said. "It looks like— It's gone again."
"A dragon," Randy said. "Like in storybooks."
Leila settled back in her seat.
"Hurry," she said.
"This is as fast as we can go."
The peculiar shadow did not reappear. After about fifteen minutes, they passed a turnoff and Leila raised her hand.