Epilogue
"Professor Reynolds?" said the spunky young Korean-American™ female reporter. "I'm Connie Chunk for -"
"I know who you are," said Professor Ronald Reynolds with a touch of impatience. "You interviewed me six months ago, and you're on television every day."
"Er, yes," she said, looking just a bit put out. "Well then, you must know why I'm here. Our viewers are dying to know how your island colonizing project turned out. Was it successful?"
"Oh yes, very much so, yes," said Dr. Reynolds, unable to suppress a smile, "if the fact that none of the colonists have come back is any indication."
"Er, yes," said Connie. "But what have they been doing there? What sort of government have they set up, and is it meeting their needs?"
"You know," said Dr. Reynolds, scratching his ear, "I haven't the foggiest. I suppose I should have thought to keep in touch with them somehow. You know, I'm not as old as I look, but I already forget things. Next time."
"I see... so this 'next time', will this be when you repeat the experiment with more conservative subjects?"
"Perhaps," he said, staring at the clouds. "But I don't anticipate that happening for a while, because funding's been cut even further and I don't think I'll be getting another research grant anytime soon. No, I think for now I shall just turn my attention to studying the life cycle of yellow sac spiders. I can do that for free with the population in my basement."
"Dr. Reynolds," said Connie, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, "there have been some suggestions that your study was - well - biased."
Dr. Reynolds' eyes widened in surprise. "Biased?" He scratched his ear again and chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Yes, well, perhaps you could enlighten me about 'biases', Connie. Tell me, Connie, why didn't your news station ever report on - "
"Thank you for your time, Dr. Reynolds," she said quickly, turning away from him and toward the cameraman. "For MSNBS, I'm Connie Chunk."
The End?
"I know who you are," said Professor Ronald Reynolds with a touch of impatience. "You interviewed me six months ago, and you're on television every day."
"Er, yes," she said, looking just a bit put out. "Well then, you must know why I'm here. Our viewers are dying to know how your island colonizing project turned out. Was it successful?"
"Oh yes, very much so, yes," said Dr. Reynolds, unable to suppress a smile, "if the fact that none of the colonists have come back is any indication."
"Er, yes," said Connie. "But what have they been doing there? What sort of government have they set up, and is it meeting their needs?"
"You know," said Dr. Reynolds, scratching his ear, "I haven't the foggiest. I suppose I should have thought to keep in touch with them somehow. You know, I'm not as old as I look, but I already forget things. Next time."
"I see... so this 'next time', will this be when you repeat the experiment with more conservative subjects?"
"Perhaps," he said, staring at the clouds. "But I don't anticipate that happening for a while, because funding's been cut even further and I don't think I'll be getting another research grant anytime soon. No, I think for now I shall just turn my attention to studying the life cycle of yellow sac spiders. I can do that for free with the population in my basement."
"Dr. Reynolds," said Connie, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, "there have been some suggestions that your study was - well - biased."
Dr. Reynolds' eyes widened in surprise. "Biased?" He scratched his ear again and chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Yes, well, perhaps you could enlighten me about 'biases', Connie. Tell me, Connie, why didn't your news station ever report on - "
"Thank you for your time, Dr. Reynolds," she said quickly, turning away from him and toward the cameraman. "For MSNBS, I'm Connie Chunk."
The End?
