Interesting final comments on beer: "You're both right and wrong. Yes, beer at the time of Cyrus the Great would have been flat, and probably sour. And the brewery you worked in would have forced CO2 into the beer in an industrial process. However wooden casks will hold pressure and have been used for roughly 1,000 years. Carbonation would have been at lower, but still noticeable, levels. And while the CO2 is vented off during fermentation, it's a simple matter to add a small amount of sugar just before bottling/coopering to create the carbonation level desired." Thank you, GregB. The discussion is ended!
A curious question was recently raised. Am I in legal peril for using a television series and the names of the characters in an unauthorized story? I know that using real people, which I have done in several stories, is okay. A Fresh Start and The Grim Reaper, et al, used many famous politicians as characters, but Hustler Magazine v Falwell protects me as they were public figures. The television series involves copyright and trademark law, and I'm no lawyer. Now, I don't plan to take down the story, but I am curious. Any lawyers out there want to comment? Thanks.
In any case, this marks the end of the story. As I mentioned earlier, I can't remember why I let the story sit for ten years, but it was fun to finish. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I'm turning on voting. It will be quite a bit before I finish my next story. We'll just have to wait.