jdavid.footprintsofthunder-第6章

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ere　thinking。　It　didn't　matter　what　the　old　lady　said；　or　the　other　man。　They　all　thought　he　was　crazy。　But　I'm　not　crazy；　he　told　himself　over　and　over　again。　I'm　not　crazy！　He　wished　the　others　from　Dr。　Piltcher's　group　were　here　so　they　could　back　him　up；　testify　to　what　they　all　sincerely　believed。　They　had　figured　it　out；　but　more　importantly　they　had　proved　it。
　
　Their　first　real　success　came　just　after　the　Fourth　of　July。　Kenny　and　Phat　had　worked　every　night　in　June　on　the　program；　trying　to　refine　the　geographical　and　temporal　predictions；　but　felt　trapped　in　a　vicious　cycle。　If　they　could　successfully　predict　even　a　single　fall；　they　could　refine　their　model；　but　until　they　predicted　a　fall；　the　imperfect　model　couldn't　define　the　location　of　an　event。　So　night　after　night　the　other　students　and　volunteers　sat　at　picnic　tables　in　the　campgrounds；　and　by　propane　light　bed　through　newspapers　searching　for　the　impossible。　Dr。　Piltcher　and　Dr。　Coombs　sat　at　another　table；　poring　over　the　Zorastrus　manuscript　and　other　ancient　texts；　trying　to　find　historical　data　to　help　shape　the　model。　Phat　and　Kenny　sat　in　Dr。　Piltcher's　RV；　writing　and　rewriting　the　program。　Around　eleven　the　group　would　drift　off　to　bed。　Mrs。　Wayne　usually　retired　just　before　eleven；　when　her　spirit　guide　Shontel　made　herself　available。　Sometimes　Ernie　Powell　sat　with　Mrs。　Wayne　and　listened　to　her　messages　from　〃Shontel；〃　but　most　nights　he　spent　a　few　minutes　in　the　minivan　picking　up　the　baseball　scores　before　retiring　to　his　tent。　On　some　nights　Petra　Zalewski　and　Colter　Swenson　took　a　sleeping　bag　and　went　for　a　walk。　Petra　was　a　student　at　Oregon　Institute　of　Technology；　but　Colter　was　enrolled　at　Southern　Oregon　State　College；　which　he'd　chosen　from　a　list　of　best　〃party　schools〃　he　found　in　Playboy。　They　had　been　strangers　before　joining　the　group。　Dr。　Piltcher　and　Dr。　Coombs　often　debated　late　into　the　evening；　long　after　Kenny　and　Phat　exhausted　their　creative　reservoirs。
　The　pattern　continued；　day　after　day；　week　after　week。　Every　few　days　Dr。　Piltcher　and　Dr。　Coombs　came　to　Kenny　and　Phat　and　asked　for　a　location　and　a　date。　Kenny　and　Phat　ran　the　program　and　made　the　prediction。　Then　the　group　would　be　on　the　move　again。　They　had　started　in　South　Dakota　and　were　working　roughly　west　while　zigzagging　north　and　south。　Kenny　knew　if　the　predictions　brought　them　to　the　Pacific　Coast　without　success　it　would　be　over。
　The　break　came　one　night　in　a　Montana　campground　near　Glacier　National　Park。　They　spent　the　early　part　of　the　evening　shooting　off　fireworks　to　celebrate　the　Fourth　of　July；　and　then　settled　down　to　b　through　local　newspapers　for　any　strange　events　that　would　fit　the　model。　It　was　nearly　eleven　that　night　when　Petra　found　a　story　in　a　local　weekly　paper　about　a　boy　swept　off　a　three…wheeled　motorbike　by　a　flash　flood。　The　boy　suffered　a　broken　arm。　Two　peculiarities　made　the　story　stand　out。　First；　although　flash　floods　were　mon；　there　had　been　no　rain　to　account　for　the　flood；　at　least　none　anyone　reported。　The　article　quoted　a　weatherman　describing　it　as　a　freak　local　shower。　The　second　peculiarity　was　that　the　nearly　drowned　boy　said　the　water　tasted　salty。　After　hearing　the　story；　Dr。　Piltcher　finger…bed　his　thin　white　hair　ten　strokes　before　responding。　Ten　strokes　meant　he　was　convinced。
　〃That's　one；〃　he　said；　turning　to　look　at　Dr。　Coombs。　〃It's　ing；　Doctor。〃
　Dr。　Coombs　nodded　solemnly。
　〃Mr。　Randall；　Mr。　Nyang；〃　Dr。　Piltcher　continued。　〃Add　this　to　your　model。〃
　Kenny　and　Phat　had　taken　the　data　and　tried　to　fit　it　to　the　model。　Failing　that；　they　worked　late　into　the　night　adjusting　the　model　to　the　data。　The　next　morning　Dr。　Piltcher　and　Dr。　Coombs　arrived　with　the　expected　request　for　the　location　and　the　time。
　〃Thirteen　days；　plus　or　minus　forty…eight　hours；〃　Phat　said。
　〃And　the　location？〃　Dr。　Piltcher　asked。
　〃I've　always　wanted　to　see　Yellowstone　National　Park；〃　Kenny　answered。
　They　stayed　three　more　days　in　the　campground；　making　side　trips　to　libraries；　retirement　homes；　and　newspaper　offices　in　local　towns；　looking　for　more　reports　of　unusual　events。　Petra　and　Mrs。　Wayne　were　assigned　to　find　and　talk　to　the　boy　or　his　family　about　the　incident。　They　found　the　boy　and　visited　the　site；　but　found　no　evidence　that　would　help　confirm　the　incident。　No　pockets　of　water；　no　fish；　no　aquatic　vegetation。　Dr。　Piltcher　remained　certain　though。　〃This；〃　he　said　after　finger…bing　his　hair　six　times；　〃was　an　event。〃
　They　camped　outside　of　Yellowstone　for　a　few　days；　making　side　trips　to　libraries；　newspaper　offices；　and　museums；　and　then　moved　in　early　one　morning　to　make　sure　they　could　get　enough　campsites　together。　Yellowstone　was　the　worst　possible　location　to　experience　an　event。　It　was　forested　and　mountainous；　and　while　there　were　numerous　meadows　and　fire…thinned　sections　of　forest；　visual　identification　of　an　event　would　be　near　impossible。　Dr。　Piltcher　was　particularly　frustrated；　because　he　felt　so　close　to　success　and　saw　it　slipping　away。　As　the　first　possible　date　approached；　Dr。　Piltcher　and　Dr。　Coombs　worried　over　how　to　distribute　observers。　Finally　they　decided　on　high　viewpoints；　open　meadows；　and　the　flat　open　spaces　that　housed　the　tourist　facilities。
　The　first　day　of　the　event　window　Kenny　was　assigned　to　a　spot　near　Old　Faithful　to　watch　the　open　areas　around　the　lodge。　Petra　was　assigned　a　trail　head　leading　to　a　high　meadow　where　she　camped　and　watched。　Mrs。　Wayne　drew　a　viewpoint　overlooking　the　Grand　Canyon　of　the　Yellowstone。　Phat　Nyang　was　dropped　at　road's　end　on　Mount　Washburn；　with　a　backpack　full　of　camping　gear　and　enough　food　for　a　few　days。
　He　was　the　most　experienced　backpacker　in　the　group　and　the　best　equipped　to　climb　the　trail　toward　the　peak　of　Mount　Washburn。　Colter　Swenson　went　to　Roosevelt　Lodge　to　watch　the　open　meadows　there。　Ernie　Powell　stayed　at　Lake　Village　by　Lake　Yellowstone；　although　Dr。　Piltcher　admitted　if　it　happened　somewhere　over　the　huge　lake；　it　would　be　hard　to　spot。　Dr。　Coombs　and　Dr。　Piltcher　were　kept　in　reserve　to　begin　a　rotation　in　the　watch　they　might　have　to　keep　up　for　eight　days。
　Everyone　rotated　from　site　to　site；　taking　turns　off　watch　to　sleep　and　eat。　Dr。　Piltcher　even　admonished　them　not　to　go　to　the　bathroom　unless　they　were　relieved　from　watch。　〃But　don't　just　watch；〃　he　told　them　over　and　over；　his　hands　relentlessly　bing　his　hair。　〃Listen。　Listen　to　what　the　tourists　are　saying　around　you。　This　park　is　full　of　tourists；　all　of　them　with　their　eyes　wide　open；　and　their　camcorders　running。　We　might　not　see　it；　but　somebody　must。〃　It　was　painful　to　see　Dr。　Piltcher。　He　finger…bed　his　hair　incessantly　and　was　always　flushed　and　sweaty。　He　was　short；　overweight；　and　two　years　past　retirement　age；　and　Kenny　sometimes　worried　that　he　might　have　a　heart　attack。
　
　Kenny　had　gone　to　Dr。　Piltcher　the　previous　November；　after　his　experience　with　the　　fall。　Dr。　Piltcher　was　the　only　one　who　had　listened　to　him。　Kenny　had　tried　to　interest　his　friends　and　family　in　what　had　happened；　but　to　no　avail。　His　father　had　just　laughed　at　him。　His　sister　was　skeptical。　Still；　Kenny's　obsession　with　the　corn　fall　grew。
　Kenny　spent　most　evenings　and　weekends　in　bookstores　looking　for　books　on　the　kind　of　events　he　had　experienced。　He　found　those　books；　and　more。　He　found　old　newspaper　records　of　things　falling　from　the　sky；　and　of　people　disappearing。　He　found　records　of　people　and　things　bursting　into　flames。　He　found　mystery　after　mystery；　but　he　found　no　theory　to　link　these　events；　let　alone　to　explain　them。　Then　he　found　the　story　in　the　newspaper　about　the　mother　and　daughter　in　a　park　buried　in　flowers　that　poured　from　the　sky。　That's　when　he　got　his　idea。
　He　began　working　on　his　puter；　logging　the　events；　looking　for　patterns；　looking　through　the　eyes　of　his　theory　for　a　way　to　explain　away　the　mystery。　Kenny　wanted　corn；　ice；　water；　and　fish　falling　from　the　sky　to　bee　natural　and　predictable。　But　he　had　little　success　until　he　met　Dr。　Piltcher。　On　a　flyer　tacked　to　a　bulletin　board　in　the　Student　Union　building；　he　read　that　Dr。　Piltcher　would　be　giving　a　talk　the　next　night　on　〃Cataclysm　and　Its　Role　in　Cultural　Development。〃
　Kenny　had　heard　of　Dr。　Piltcher。　Among　the　students；　the　professor　had　a　kind　of　disreputation　as　a　brilliant　man　who　collected　degrees　like　others　collected　coins。　He　wandered　from　university　to　university　teaching　different　subjects　and　earning　new　degrees。　He　started　at　Yale　as　a　geologist；　then　taught　at　the　University　of　Michigan　as　a　zoologist；　and　then　briefly　at　BYU　and　Oregon　State　University　as　a　lecturer　in　paleontology。　Somewhere　along　the　way　he　picked　up　degrees　in　puter　information　science　and　management。　His　interest　in　systems　approaches　to　civilizations　and　organizations；　and　the　climate　of　southern　Oregon；　lead　him　to　OIT。　Kenny　overheard　one　faculty　member　describing　Dr。　Piltcher's　academic　career　as　working　down　the　ladder　of　success。
　His　last　eight　years　had　been　spent　teaching　in　the　systems　science　program　at　OIT。　Until　his　retirement　he　had　been　a　lackluster　teacher　in　his　field　but　dynamic　when　chasing　rabbits　through　his　lectures。　All　a　student　had　to　do　was　make　a　reference　to　some　obscure　subject　and　Dr。　Piltcher　would　be　off　on　the　new　topic；　only　to　discover　twenty　or　thirty　minutes　later　he　had　been　sidetracked。　His　passion　for　the　obscure　shone　through　as　he　held　bored　management　students　spellbound　when　he　rhapsodized　about　the　books　of　the　Sibyl；　or　the　annals　of　the　kings　of　Tezcuco　as　recorded　by　the　Native　American　scholar　Ixtlilxochitl。　Where　Dr。　Piltcher　was　dry　as　dust　when　talking　about　Theory　Y　management　and　the　Hawthorne　effect；　he　would　speak　with　passion　about　the　Buddhist　sacred　book　Visuddhi…Magga。
　The　flyer's　reference　to　〃cataclysm〃　brought　Kenny　to　the　lecture　hall　the　next　night。　Thirty　people　sat　scattered　in　a　room　built　to　hold　one　hundred。　Most　were　munity　residents　who　lived　on　the　fringe；　drifting　from　one　New　Age　philosophy　or　religion　to　another。　Some　of　the　others　were　elderly；　drawn　to　anything　that　was　free　and　maybe　interesting。　There　were　a　few　students　there　besides　Kenny。　Although　Kenny　didn't　know　Petra's　name　then；　he　picked　her　pretty　face；　long　brown　hair；　and　slender　shape　out　of　the　stragglers　who　entered　as　the　lecture　began。　Mrs。　Wayne　was　there　too；　the　opposite　of　Petra；　plump　and　busty；　with　rounded　features　and　bottle　blond　hair。
　Dr。　Piltcher　was　introduced　by　Dr。　Coombs；　whom　Kenny　didn't　know。　Dr。　Coombs　wasn't　on　the　faculty　at　OIT。　A　tall　man；　well　muscled　and　tan；　Kenny　would　later　discover　that　Dr。　Coombs　was　a　local　chiropractor　who　had　taught　anthropology　for　years　at　the　University　of　Oregon　but　then　opted　out　of　the　publish…or…perish　environment　of　academia。
　Dr。　Coombs　listed　Dr。　Piltcher's　numerous　degrees　and　papers；　and　then　introduced　the　night's　topic　by　describing　Dr。　Piltcher's　research　into　ancient　history　and　geology。　The　introduction　ended　to　light　applause。　Kenny　noticed　Mrs。　Wayne　applauded　loudest　of　all。　At　the　podium；　Dr。　Piltcher　placed　a　sheaf　of　yellow　paper　on　it；　pulled　a　pair　of　glasses　out　of　his　pocket；　perched　them　on　his　nose；　and　began。
　The　lecture　described　how　fossil　re