Tags:
Science-Fiction,
adventure,
Literature & Fiction,
Fantasy,
Magic,
Science Fiction & Fantasy,
SciFi,
Wizards,
Sword & Sorcery,
Paranormal & Urban,
demons,
AIs,
glenn michaels,
engineers,
tv references,
the genie and engineer,
historical figures
whatever you are!’”
Pacing wildly back and forth, he glanced at the box every
time he passed the couch. It was real enough. So was the letter. With every
step he took, he began to calm himself, allowing his engineering training to
take hold.
He only briefly considered taking the box and dumping it
someplace or burying it in a deep, dark hole. If Michaels was to be believed,
that wouldn’t work since the box and its contents would follow him wherever he
went. Assuming, of course, that there was any truth to this genie nonsense!
Besides, his curiosity was now rekindled. Was it possible?
Could there really be a genie in that box? And could he really grant Paul three
wishes? What could he wish for if it were true?
On the other hand, this was far more likely to be some sort
of scam. The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Devil’s Due” came
to mind, in which a woman with advanced technology had used “magical tricks”
pretending to be the devil incarnate. Paul would much rather believe that
possibility than to believe that there was an actual genie ready to grant him
three wishes!
Or worse, this could be an opening bid in some sort of
terrorist plot. The scene in his church vaguely reminded him of the story of
the panic that had occurred during the War of the Worlds radio broadcast
by Orson Welles back in 1938.
Paul put both hands to his head. Enough, already! It
was time to check it out, slowly, cautiously, and using a scientific approach.
He would probably need a few tools. There was a
well-equipped toolbox in the garage with a complete assortment of screwdrivers,
wrenches, pliers, and hammers. Also in the garage was his workbench, stocked
with a scope meter, a digital voltmeter, soldering irons, a portable drill,
magnifying lenses of various sizes, and wire strippers. Oh, and he would need
his digital camera too. It made sense to photograph his progress while
examining the box and its contents.
He didn’t even take the time to get out of his shepherd
costume. The sooner he resolved this problem, the better!
• • • •
A half hour later, Paul had everything set up in the garage,
nearly every tool he owned laid out nearby and ready to assist in his
inspection. The box was in the center of the workbench, under two bright
portable lights as well as a fluorescent light mounted to an overhead rafter.
In his hand, he held a clipboard with blank paper, and in his shirt pocket, he
had two mechanical pencils, ready to take notes as he worked. The camera, a
compact digital model, also sat on the workbench, easily within arm’s reach.
“It’s time to get this show on the road,” he muttered,
making a notation on the clipboard with one of the pencils. He was so flustered
that he couldn’t think of a suitable science-fiction quote for the occasion.
Approaching the box, he took a number of photos, capturing
the scrollwork on each face thereof. When he finished doing that, he took a
deep breath and gingerly snapped open the small clasp on the box, guardedly
prying the lid open and looking inside. The interior of the box was lined with
red velvet, with an odd-looking thing sitting placidly in the middle. More
photos, taken from a half-dozen different angles. This was followed by probing
the interior of the box with the voltmeter and the scope meter to check for
static charges or voltage potentials and waveforms.
But there was nothing in that regard. Electrically, the box
and its contents were neutral.
Delicately, Paul placed his right index finger on the object.
It felt vaguely metallic, smooth and cool to the touch. More notes followed
these observations. Then, warily lifting the object out of the box, he rotated
and studied it closely. Roughly teardrop in shape, maybe six inches in diameter
and almost ten tall, it had a small black metal frame holding several smooth
yellow, blue, and red rectangular panes (glass? plastic?) around its
circumference. The entire object glowed with a soft yellow light. One