Chapter 13: Conclusion

Gregg & Maxine had disappeared. They were no longer in the museum. But, thought Gregg to himself, where were they?

Where do things go to when they disappear? If something has gone, where has it gone to?

Gregg was beginning to wish that he had paid more attention during Philosophy 101.

He wanted to get back but if you don't know where you are how can you know where back is? Certainly he didn't want to be back in the museum.

"Where are we?" Maxine whispered.

"I don't know. We disappeared."

"But you must know where we are. I mean you're the magician, you're the Swami. When you made that tie disappear you got it back. Where was that?"

Gregg's eyes were slowly becoming accustomed to the dark. Where ever they were, they were twisted over at a strange angle; as if they were laying on a dark slope. "I don't know," he muttered back. "I palmed the tie, so I'd have the original to give back. It was another one that disappeared, I've never found out where things go."

"Terrific," whispered Maxine.

As the two of them lay together on the strangely sloping floor curious beams of blue light began to play across the space. "Oh, great," thought Gregg, "I really need another trip right now."

Maxine giggled. Gregg looked at her with a scowl. "What's so funny?" he said.

"You know where we are?" she said. "This isn't some metaphysical plane. We're in the roof space — those lights are the search lights shining up under the edge of the tiles. We must have 'disappeared' by passing through the ceiling somehow."

Gregg realised she was right. He crept over to where one of the beams had been shining through and, sure enough, he could see down onto the courtyard of the museum where a group of police were busily packing up to pull out. "Excellent!" he said. "Now all we have to do is get down off the roof, once they've gone."

"That can't be difficult for a magician of your powers, Swami," Maxine said. "But we've probably got an hour or two to kill until everyone's gone." She slid her hand along Gregg's thigh. "Why don't we try out another of the positions from those carvings? Just to keep ourselves amused," she said.

"Sounds like a magical idea to me," Gregg replied with an enthusiastic grin that Maxine couldn't see. "Just be careful we don't fall, through, I'm not sure I could conjure up a soft landing quickly enough if I'm as distracted as I expect to be."