“All right, class,” the teacher said as Siobhan took her seat, “we’ve gotten rid of the bad driftwood and that nasty man who kept repeating he wanted to be inside … well, I can’t say it. And we’ve called up this lovely woman, here, and asked her to take his place.”
Siobhan had just joined the circle of people sitting on little wooden chairs – and looked around her. They looked very odd, indeed. One woman had a silver ring in her nose, another man had fluorescent yellow hair, and a third person (Siobhan couldn’t tell, male or female, but it had to be one of them) wore a t-shirt with a pattern that could only be described as the sun exploding all over the place.
She looked out the window – goodness, she’d never seen any place like this, these steep hills, but at least the houses looked right to her. Then an automobile drove by. She assumed it was an automobile, but she’d never seen such a low, sleek vehicle with rounded lines, dark windows, and lines of silver chrome. Another one, and then a third drove by. Insaniity, she thought. Had she been transported to the future from 1933?
“Madame, you look confused,” the teacher said, “so I’ll bring you up to speed. You’ve been chosen for our survey and transported here from the past. Today is June 16, 2011 and you’re sitting in a salon in Noe Valley, which is San Francisco, California. My name is Dr. Susan Helfgott.”
She clutched her pearls. “Good Lord! I want to go back home to Philadelphia!”
“Please indulge me, ma’am. You’re here to answer just one question. Please list me the top ten best feelings in the world for you. We’ll discuss the answers and then send you all back home.”
Siobhan thought real hard. Se pursed his lips and put his pen to paper. Lovely pen, but she wanted to make out her list and be gone back to Philadelphia 1933. Patrick and Collin needed her.
1. Giving birth to Patrick and, yes, Agnes.
2. Attending mass.
3. Taking in Collin’s homilies.
4. Listening to Agnes play the piano in the parlor.
“I can’t continue,” she blurted out. “This is too painful. Please send me back to Philadelphia and my son.”
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