Eye of the Beholder

Chapter 2.7 Lizard Tracks

Newt linked up with Houston in QAR and asked to connect with Bullfrog. Pretty soon he popped into view.

"Hi Bullfrog. I'm Newt. Remember me?"

"Sure I do. I recall thinking we must be related."

"Maybe so. I was dreaming about you the other day."

"How so?"

"Sedna and I — did you meet Sedna? — we were dreaming together and dreamed ourselves to Mars. We got the link from an old Mars rock called Black Beauty. It took us to Arsia, and we found your tube — and you."

"For real you did that? I mean, everyone knows I go to Mars. You pullin' my leg?"

"You were standing there shining light on the wall of the tube. You said, 'This looks like rhyolite,' or something like that."

Bullfrog stared at Newt for a few long seconds. Finally he said, "Dutch told you, didn't he?"

"Dutch?"

"Elmo, Dutch, whatever you know him by. He was there with us. He could have told you."

Now Newt's wheels were spinning. "Don't think I've met him. Doesn't matter. Thing is, we were there in the Q dream, not QAR, so we couldn't talk to you. We wanted to ask you some questions. Still do. You and your friends, if you like."

Another long look. "You ain't thinkin' of jumpin' our claim, are you? 'Cause if you are, you're outa luck. We ain't got one."

"No, nothing like that. We're looking at putting a farm in one of the tubes, you know, close off a section and plant a food crop, make some good air."

"Say, that's not a bad idea!" Bullfrog's eyes started shining and his smile spread about halfway around his head. "You mentioned your girl's name is Sedna. That the same Sedna who started the World Dream?"

"The very one."

"Wow, okay. The farm tube idea sounds like something she'd come up with. Me and the guys would love to meet her. I'll set it up. Oh, and you can come too." Bullfrog gave him another big grin.

"Thanks, Bullfrog. I'll tell her. Just let me know when your gang is ready."

"Sure thing. And by the way, most of my friends call me Frogo."

"Frogo? Like Frodo with a g?"

" I don't know. Dutch came up with it. Used to be people called me Froggie. I like Frogo better. "

It was not long before Bullfrog was back. It was after dinner in Houston, and they planned on after dinner on Coon Island when most of the people in both places would be free. Newt mentioned having found out about the ghost town of Rhyolite in Nevada north of Vegas, the town of Beatty, and the old Bullfrog mine that started the boom there. "I'm guessing that's where you got your name," he said.

That was all it took. Bullfrog went on for some time about his history, how his great-great granddad Old Man Monty Beatty had a ranch there before the mine opened, and eventually the town was named after him. He told Newt he got his own nickname from exploring the old Bullfrog mine as a boy, but privately Newt thought the name had stuck because his new friend really was built a lot like a frog, with no neck to speak of, a short wide body and big splayed feet. And that big wide smile. Frogo eventually told him how the nearby Nevada Test Site had given him his first real tech-oriented job and led him to Houston.

By then it was time for dinner on Coon Island, so Newt excused himself from the QAR hookup. He announced the plan for the QAR meeting while everyone was in the dining room.

After dinner, Sedna, Cheryl and Ray got settled while Newt was making the QAR connection with Bullfrog. A few other Coon Islanders wandered in.

Soon Bullfrog was with them, along with some of his fellow Mars droners. The one he introduced as Dutch was a lanky Texan. A shorter guy wandered in and Frogo called him Stovie, which he explained was short for Stovepipe, and said they called him that because he was usually full of hot air. Stovie laughed, so Newt and the others knew he didn't mind the joke.

Newt already knew that Bullfrog was a talker. It turned out that Dutch could almost keep up with him, and Stovie was always willing to share his thoughts. So with the agenda set for the droners to tell the folks on Coon Island about mining on Mars, mostly all the islanders had to do was listen. Soon it seemed like Frogo and Dutch were competing to see who could tell the tallest tale, but they both did it with a straight face. Eventually the talk went from fun to interesting.

"There's the rhyolite, and lots of other sign there should be gold in these tubes, but when we find a spot where there should be a seam, it isn't there."

"It's like someone got there before us, and leached it all out."

"Or melted it out with a blowtorch."

"Or it all melted and ran out way back when the lava was flowing."

"I think the Martians got it out."

"Come on Stovie, you know there ain't any Martians."

"Coulda been. Tell them about the inscription."

For some reason Sedna perked up. "What inscription?"

"Well, there was this side passage we were checking out where there was this pile of rubble, and on top of the pile was a stone that had scratches on one side."

"Looked like hen scratching."

"Or lizard tracks."

"Hey, bird or lizard tracks, either way it's proof there used to be evolved life on Mars."

"I think it's writing. You can't get more evolved than that."

"Writing? Come on. It's just bird tracks."

"Lizard tracks."

"Whatever."

"But why were they all going the same way?"

"Probably knew the lava was coming. They were all headed out of the tube."

"Writing. Not just any writing. Cuneiform."

"What the hell is that."

"It's the oldest writing found on Earth."

"And I suppose those Martians brought it here with them?"

"Could be."

"Do you have a picture of this writing?" Sedna asked.

"Sure," said Stovie.

The others looked at him in surprise. "You took a picture of it?"

"Yes I did."

"But we agreed not to do that. It was our secret."

"It's not like I showed it to anyone. And you told Sedna."

Of course this was true. The cat was already getting out of the bag.

Stovie dug in his wallet and pulled out a tattered piece of paper. After exchanging a look with the other two, he held it up.

The people gathered on Coon Island stared at it for a bit. It was not a great picture.

Cheryl said, "It looks like a shredded wheat biscuit."

Which it did. But Sedna asked. "Can you tell me where this stone is now?"

The three drone miners exchanged looks.

Frogo said, "Sure."

And he did.