Deep Waters

the drive house, closed the panel, and pulled a lever. "We'll give Otis a test ride."
    Otis cackled with glee as the bright, gem-studded horses began to glide in a circle. He gripped the saddle of a gleaming Pegasus with his powerful claws and shook out his brilliant feathers.
    "Old Otis really gets a kick out of this." Yappy shook his head. "Charity used to bring him down here after Hayden died. We all thought that bird was a goner. Real sad sight. No spirit at all. But Charity pulled him out of it."
    "She thinks that Otis isn't properly appreciative, but I'm sure he's grateful."
    Yappy snorted. "Yeah. Right."
    Elias watched the boy from the shadows behind the counter. The kid looked to be about nine years old. He wore the universal boy uniform: a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt.
    It had been a long, lazy Sunday. Elias glanced at the cuckoo clock. It was five-twenty-five. Almost closing time. The kid had been in the shop for nearly half an hour, and thus far he had made a trip up and down every single aisle, methodically examining the entire inventory.
    "Was there something special you wanted?" Elias finally asked.
    The boy jumped in surprise. He turned quickly to gaze into the dark area at the rear of the shop. Elias realized the kid hadn't noticed him until that moment.
    The boy shook his head quickly and took a step back. "Uh, no. I was just kinda lookin' around."
    "Okay." Elias held out his arm to Crazy Otis, who stepped aboard.
    The boy flinched at the movement and took another step back toward the front door.
    Way to go Winters, Elias thought. Scare off the customers.
    He picked up the glass of water he had poured earlier for himself and walked slowly around the edge of the counter. The boy watched uneasily. He looked as if he was about to turn and flee. Then he saw Otis. His eyes widened. "Is he real?"
    "Yes." Elias reached up to scratch Otis's head. The parrot stretched languidly.
    "Wow." The boy stopped edging backward. "Does he talk?"
    "When he feels like it." Elias moved closer. "Did you see the invisible-ink pens over there?"
    The kid looked both fascinated and uncertain. "No."
    "They really work." Elias came to a halt beside the stack of pens. "Watch." He selected one and jotted a few words on a pad of demonstration paper. "See? Nothing shows."
    The kid frowned dubiously. "How do you make the writing visible?"
    "You dip the paper into a glass of water that has a few drops of this stuff in it." Elias held up a small vial that contained the harmless chemical mixture.
    He unscrewed the top of the tiny bottle and sprinkled a couple of drops of the contents into the glass he held. Then he put the small page of paper into the water.
    The boy shifted and drew closer. "Let me see."
    Elias pulled the paper out of the water with a flourish and held it out. The words Buy this pen were clearly visible.
    "Cool." The boy looked up eagerly. "Can I try it?"
    "Sure." Elias handed over the pen and the small vial.
    "This is great, man." The youngster scribbled busily on the pad of paper. "I can't wait to show it to Alex."
    "Alex?"
    "Yeah, he's my best friend. Me and him are going down to the beach Monday night to see if the spaceships come. My Dad's going to take us."
    "I'll be there, too."
    "Yeah?" The boy squinted thoughtfully. "Think the aliens will show?"
    "No."
    The kid sighed. "That's what my Dad says. But it would sure be neat if they did land, wouldn't it?"
    "It would be interesting."
    "It'd be so cool." The kid's enthusiasm lit his eyes. "If they did come, I'd go into outer space with 'em."
    "Why?"
    "Huh?" The boy scowled at the question. "On account of they'd have such great stuff. Just think about what their computers would be like. Way ahead of ours. They'd know the answers to everything."
    "No, they wouldn't."
    The kid looked taken aback. "Why not?"
    "Because technology, no matter how advanced, can never supply all the answers. Some things you have to learn on your own. Even the most powerful computers wouldn't change that."
    "You sure?"
    "Yes." Elias looked at the pen. "That'll be two-ninety-eight plus tax. No charge for the philosophical sound bite."
    "What's a philosophical sound bite?"
    "A personal opinion." Elias led the way back to the cash register. "That's why I'm not charging you for it."
    "Oh." The boy dug into his pocket for the money. "Are you open Sundays?"
    "During the summer."
    "Great. I'm going to bring Alex here tomorrow."
    "If you do, I'll give you a free replacement bottle of