SUNGLASSES AND ROCKETS Part 1 : New Moon

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Although the date had gotten off to a promising start, the end had been disastrous. A tragedy.

When I got home and sped up the stairs to my room, I was aware that my head was spinning, as if I had been shaken from head to toe. I went into my room and turned on the light, ready to flop onto my bed, when I saw the hefty pile of books on my desk.

I still hadn't prepared my presentation about modern physics. When it rains, it pours.

I threw myself on my bed, wounded. Heartbroken, exhausted, and inconsolable. And now, I not only had to mend my broken heart—which I did not have a clue how to do—I also had to write a paper about a topic I hardly knew anything about, as well as doctor the documents that I had found in Dr. Masterton's secret basement. The world was crashing down around my ears. It was overwhelming! And I didn't feel motivated enough to do anything. I breathed by virtue of pure inertia; I was heartsick.

But in spite of it all, I knew I had to start fixing up the doctor's documents as soon as possible. If Darwin and I made a good job of it, and replaced the documents before Moses Masterton got back from the conference, perhaps there wouldn't be any problems. He would hardly notice the difference, if he even looked at them again. And of course, later we would tell the doctor that after the accidental explosion we had left, terrified. We wouldn't even mention the basement. What basement?

As for the I.K.Y., I would just return it. I would take care of pointing out the possible imperfections that came up during the saddest part of my date. I knew that the glasses were worth 80,000 dollars.

It was not a good idea to make myself known as the primary cause of the malfunctioning of such a sophisticated item.

I realize that we were going to tell Dr. Masterton a couple of white lies; but we had no other choice. The discovery of that secret room gave us a lot to think about...

Even with all the trauma I was going through, it comforted me to know that at least my mind was working well enough. I planned cunningly.

I lay down for a few minutes, then finally decided to start my patch-up job, or rather, my forgery. I got up, fighting laziness. I walked towards the desk as if in slow-motion and threw myself down on a chair. I took the papers from my shirt and spread them out.

"Let's see," I muttered, as I turned on the small light in the corner, "perhaps they're just company reports. I think I jumped to conclusions..."

I took the first sheet and started to read it.

As I read further, I felt prickles go up my spine. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I shifted in the seat and started again from the beginning, saying each word aloud slowly.

My whole body was on edge.

There was no doubt about it. I had read correctly. I swallowed and took a deep breath. I was finding out about things that I shouldn't know about. I decided to stop reading. However, the idea of stopping had been a fleeting thought, and I had already started with the second sheet.

I kept reading, one page after another, my eyes wide open. I felt like I was risking my life reading those documents, but I couldn't help it.

As I finished reading, I felt perturbed. I got up right away, and went carefully towards the window. I took a peek outside; it didn't look like there were any cars on the street that I didn't recognize. Everything appeared to be normal. At any rate, I thought it was best to close the curtain; it was the minimal security measure I could take.

Oh my God! What had I gotten myself into!

Who, in reality, is the friendly Dr. Masterton? I asked myself, overcome with worry. Is Moses Masterton his real name?