down the road that night past this house where all sorts of strange happenings had been reported in the past. Footsteps in the dark, blinking lights—that sort of thing. They claimed they had stopped the car near the side of the house. Apparently they were in an amorous mood and, well, you can imagine."
Tyber blinked twice at Zanita, who fidgeted in her seat.
"Since the inside of the mini was getting a bit, ah, steamy, they rolled down the windows. That's when they heard the footsteps. They quickly sat up but could see no one—even though the steps seemed to be all around the automobile. Of course, the house had a history of such things, which added to their terror and suggestibility. They quickly rolled up the windows and immediately left the place."
"Ghostus interruptus?" A-not-so-innocent dimple appeared in Tyber's cheek.
Everyone chuckled at that one—even Calendula.
"When Mark and I went back to investigate, we did not discover the spirit we had hoped for. You see, if they had only driven back and investigated a little further, they would have realized that a group of the neighbor's pigs had gotten loose. The footsteps they heard were nothing more than some hogs rooting around behind the hedge."
Tyber's masculine lips parted in feigned astonishment. "Zanita, they must be from the English branch of the Hogs."
She threw him a dirty look. Tyber never overlooked an opportunity to tease her about the Hogs.
"The hogs?" Mark asked her, puzzled.
"Never mind," she gritted out, making a mental note to make Tyber pay for that one later.
"And just how do you conduct these so-called scientific investigations?" Hubble sneered. "What clinical criteria do you use?"
"Mark and I have brought with us most of the standard equipment used in these investigations: lights, mics, digital voice-activated audio recorders, high eight cameras, TV cameras, magnometers, thermal graph cameras, and other similar tools of the trade."
Calundula turned to address Todd and Zanita. "The problem with relying on equipment is that we have found that at locations with real activity, equipment often mysteriously fails at key times. Many parapsychologists have reported this perplexing phenomenon."
"What kind of failures are we talking about?" Tyber asked.
"New or recharged batteries suddenly go dead, or the equipment inexplicably stops working. We have no explanation except to note that it is a very common occurrence on these expeditions."
"And a very convenient one, at that," Hubble jeered.
Tyber had to agree with the psi-cog on that one. Like Hubble, he had a hard time accepting mysterious equipment failure. He would want an answer, preferably one rooted in the scientific method.
"Do you have any possible theories as to why these failures occur so often?" he inquired seriously.
Calendula studied him. "None that you would be inclined to accept, Doctor. We just know what we have experienced."
"Would you say that these failures most often happen at peak occurrence?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
"That is too coincidental for my taste," Tyber stated. Hubble nodded in curt agreement with him.
"We also agree, Dr. Evans. The Society for Fantastical Research believes that these two factors are linked in a very definite way."
"You're saying that the more energy is manifested during an occurrence, the greater the chance that—whatever it is—knocks out the equipment." It seemed reasonable to Zanita.
"That's what we think happens, yes."
"Nonsense! It's all nonsense. If the equipment always fails at the optimum time, it is so that there will be no tangible evidence! The Society for Cognitive Reasoning has posted a ten-thousand-dollar prize for the first person who can prove a genuine ghost exists! Do I need to tell you that not one subject—living or dead—has come forward to collect this money? Not one." Hubble gestured with his hand in the air. "You'd think with all this hullabaloo over seeing spirits in every relatives attic, we would have at
Tyber blinked twice at Zanita, who fidgeted in her seat.
"Since the inside of the mini was getting a bit, ah, steamy, they rolled down the windows. That's when they heard the footsteps. They quickly sat up but could see no one—even though the steps seemed to be all around the automobile. Of course, the house had a history of such things, which added to their terror and suggestibility. They quickly rolled up the windows and immediately left the place."
"Ghostus interruptus?" A-not-so-innocent dimple appeared in Tyber's cheek.
Everyone chuckled at that one—even Calendula.
"When Mark and I went back to investigate, we did not discover the spirit we had hoped for. You see, if they had only driven back and investigated a little further, they would have realized that a group of the neighbor's pigs had gotten loose. The footsteps they heard were nothing more than some hogs rooting around behind the hedge."
Tyber's masculine lips parted in feigned astonishment. "Zanita, they must be from the English branch of the Hogs."
She threw him a dirty look. Tyber never overlooked an opportunity to tease her about the Hogs.
"The hogs?" Mark asked her, puzzled.
"Never mind," she gritted out, making a mental note to make Tyber pay for that one later.
"And just how do you conduct these so-called scientific investigations?" Hubble sneered. "What clinical criteria do you use?"
"Mark and I have brought with us most of the standard equipment used in these investigations: lights, mics, digital voice-activated audio recorders, high eight cameras, TV cameras, magnometers, thermal graph cameras, and other similar tools of the trade."
Calundula turned to address Todd and Zanita. "The problem with relying on equipment is that we have found that at locations with real activity, equipment often mysteriously fails at key times. Many parapsychologists have reported this perplexing phenomenon."
"What kind of failures are we talking about?" Tyber asked.
"New or recharged batteries suddenly go dead, or the equipment inexplicably stops working. We have no explanation except to note that it is a very common occurrence on these expeditions."
"And a very convenient one, at that," Hubble jeered.
Tyber had to agree with the psi-cog on that one. Like Hubble, he had a hard time accepting mysterious equipment failure. He would want an answer, preferably one rooted in the scientific method.
"Do you have any possible theories as to why these failures occur so often?" he inquired seriously.
Calendula studied him. "None that you would be inclined to accept, Doctor. We just know what we have experienced."
"Would you say that these failures most often happen at peak occurrence?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
"That is too coincidental for my taste," Tyber stated. Hubble nodded in curt agreement with him.
"We also agree, Dr. Evans. The Society for Fantastical Research believes that these two factors are linked in a very definite way."
"You're saying that the more energy is manifested during an occurrence, the greater the chance that—whatever it is—knocks out the equipment." It seemed reasonable to Zanita.
"That's what we think happens, yes."
"Nonsense! It's all nonsense. If the equipment always fails at the optimum time, it is so that there will be no tangible evidence! The Society for Cognitive Reasoning has posted a ten-thousand-dollar prize for the first person who can prove a genuine ghost exists! Do I need to tell you that not one subject—living or dead—has come forward to collect this money? Not one." Hubble gestured with his hand in the air. "You'd think with all this hullabaloo over seeing spirits in every relatives attic, we would have at
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