EIGHTEEN
BATH, SOMERSET, 2023 AD
“You have no idea, do you?” Jake taunted his wife, referring to the contents of a package delivered by courier service.
“It looks like a reproduction of an ancient statue—Mayan, maybe?”
Jake pondered this reply and stared hard at the three-dimensional metal object in the centre of the carpet. There was something of a Mayan pyramid form to it. Certainly, it fulfilled its purpose because the more he looked at it, the more he felt drawn to meditation.
Alice cut across his thoughts. “Well? Am I right?”
“Yes and no.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, Jake Conley?”
“Sorry. It is a reproduction of an ancient form, but not Mayan. This is from southern India.”
“Ah, I should have associated it with Operation Black Panther. My brain must be dulled by staying in
