Page 22 - Demo

Natch!8mommas. From the soggy, well-trodden tundra, a second waveof pixel dust washed upward, transforming the scene yet again.Now Jean was face to face with mountain gorillas in the lushrainforest. She was slightly startled by the intensity of thesilverback%u2019s gaze. Every fiber of his being seemed to ripple withbulging muscles shrouded beneath a dense, rain-sparkled coat.As she stared, Jean was puzzling over what had put such a scowlacross his fearsome brow, when an infant gorilla suddenlytoddled up to him and began tickling his nose with a twig she hadpicked off the forest floor. And as she offered him the twig, shepursed her lips as if to kiss his furry cheek. In that moment, theintensity of his stare seemed to soften and open. It was all Jeancould do to shuffle into the open doors of the elevator with theother shuffling workers, her eyes still riveted to the scene as thedoors slid shut.Gene had been similarly captivated by the scenes outside theEast elevators%u2014thousands of gangly flamingos synchronouslystrutting to win mates in a toxic soda lake; millions of giant fruitbats roosting in a limestone cave above an incomprehensiblemound of cockroach-infested guano; billions of tiny mushroomspores drifting silently down onto a mossy forest floor; herds oftall, slender, brown and white guanaco grazing on thebunchgrasses of an arid, windswept highland at the base of animpressive fa%u00e7ade of jagged, snow-dusted mountains. Gene hadjust shuffled backward to try to get a better view when Lucky,hurrying with a precarious stack of muffins, stumbled into him.Gene apologized as he stooped to help. He offered to carry someand Lucky readily accepted. His soggy lucky hat hung limply froma tan overcoat pocket above one trouser leg still rolled to theshin.%u201cWhere are you heading?%u201d Lucky asked Gene as they enteredthe elevator.