The Einstein Object: Reality Has a Loophole by Kevin Hincker

Author:Kevin Hincker [Hincker, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skylake Media
Published: 2023-02-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Eleven

Sundays were typically puttering days for Preston’s dad, and sweeping days for his mom. Often enough the puttering and the sweeping got tangled up with each other, and then there were semi-friendly standoffs over who could occupy the laundry room walkway, and whether that broken lightbulb had appeared on the floor before or after it had been swept. His mom almost always emerged in the stronger position from these negotiations, though whenever his father accidentally shorted a fuse and threw the whole house into shadow he proudly took the lead, wondering aloud how they would ever be able to get along without him if he was not there to throw the breakers — that he had shorted — back on.

The Sunday after the Stage Two event, the Nowak household had the additional complication of hosting an impromptu meeting of the Einstein Programming Club in Preston’s room. Jacey, Matias, and Regan had come over in the afternoon after they had all received an email from Ms. Fredrick. It had read, “Returns are speedy because the field is so much smaller — and the Einstein Programming Team has advanced to Stage Three! This is the final stage of the competition, and a very great honor. Congratulations to you all. We will make our plans for next Saturday when we gather on Thursday afternoon. Yours, Sally Fredrick.”

The four of them were in Preston’s room. Just now they were wincing as a crash was heard somewhere deep in the house, then they frowned at the sound of Preston’s father skipping quickly out the back door, then they cowered as they heard Preston’s mother cry, “What in the world?”

It was hard to concentrate, but they had important decisions to make.

“You know what a hundred thousand dollars buys in Arkansas? A palace,” Jacey said.

“Do not forget the iPad Pro, which would also be ours,” Regan said. “You could sell that and buy a pony.”

“If you invested that money,” said Matias, “you could double it in five years.”

“I don’t have five years,” Jacey snarled. “Let’s all just go live in Arkansas. We could each have our own floor. We could start a web development company.”

“Groan,” groaned Regan. “I know, let us tie ourselves to train tracks and allow ourselves to be decapitated. The pain would be over faster.”

“What if the train derailed before it reached you?” Matias asked.

“Fine Regan, what would you do?” asked Jacey.

“Purchase a submarine, the most versatile of nautical conveyances, filled with catalogs from Restoration Hardware, and sail beneath the seven seas spreading restrained yet forward-thinking design to disadvantaged coastal dwellers everywhere.”

Jacey closed her eyes and shook her head.

“God, Regan, you kind of take the air out of the room, you know? I mean sometimes you’re so… ” Jacey could not find the words.

“Visionary?” Regan suggested.

Preston was listening and laughing, but most of his attention was taken up with the contents of his father’s shoe box. He had taken the photos out and arranged them on the bed in what he thought must be chronological order.

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