original athlete Thad wrinkled his nose and spat. He looked at the Professor, who as usual was rubbing the tip of his nose with its grotesque fissures and pores. The Professor was tapping out a medley of show tunes from the 1950s when Thad walked in. As soon as he saw the young athlete, he rose to his feet in gentle mockery. His distress was evident through the fog. Thad strode up to him, one hand on his shoulder, the other down her dress. They were dancing together in a cloud of vapor floating over a vast ocean. The water was quite warm and emitted steam. They floated away to Paradise...Thad was crying. Thad awoke amid seashells and debris. He was naked of course. That was all right: he was the Original Athlete and had been taking a nap. He had no taste for companionship and existed in splendid isolation on the Farther Shore. Of course he was quite handsome. He stretched his body wide to the sun and rolled on the shore laughing. Springing to his feet, he ran to the nearest mountain and looked down. The water was half a mile below him. He dove in: as he struck the water, he turned to vapor and rose in a cloud of flesh-colored steam.
	location: New York City date: 1990 average rating: [not rated] your rating (0-10):