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VIDEO EVIDENCE

Recorded by Joy Novak

AUGUST 14, 2003, 12:43 AM

Twilight consists of three stages: civil, navigational, and astronomical. At the northern latitude of Bitter Rock, the summer solstice sees only a narrow band of civil twilight and a few scant hours of navigational twilight. The deeper darkness of astronomical twilight, much less true night, does not return until later in the summer—true night does not return until, in fact, this very night. Now that deepest stage of twilight has fallen. Night has not yet quite arrived, but already this is a truer darkness than is ever experienced in the city, with only flashlights and a flickering campfire below, and the wheel of stars above.

The camera rests on a small tripod, all of the LARC researchers and their young tagalong in frame. Sophia curls against her mother’s side, watching the other adults with wide eyes.

NOVAK: —for us to be out here, but not her? Sophie’s been camping all her life. It’ll be fine.

KAPOOR: Maybe we should take this as a sign that we should all go back.

HARDCASTLE: We don’t all need to go back.

BAKER: I’m not going back, no way.

HARDCASTLE: Joy, you take her, and—

CARREAU: And what? Then we are here and we have no boat. The girl is quiet as a mouse. The number of times she’s been in the room and I didn’t notice until she nearly gave me a heart attack...

He laughs.

BAKER: We can’t keep a kid around while we all get drunk.

CARREAU: So some of us will not drink. I don’t drink anyway, after all.

BAKER: I thought all Frenchmen drank.

CARREAU: And yet, here I am.

NOVAK: I won’t drink either. And I’ll make sure she doesn’t bother you.

It doesn’t seem to bother Sophia that she’s being discussed. She scooches closer to the camera and wets her lips, then whispers.

SOPHIA: The singing’s going to start soon. Shhh. Listen.

The adults do not seem to hear.

CARREAU: And now, we wait.

HARDCASTLE: We might be able to spot a few meteors even before true dark.

CARREAU: I’m in no rush. Honestly, I am out here more for the human company than for a few fleeting lights in the sky.

BAKER: I was having fun before this turned G-rated.

She cuts a look at Sophia, who doesn’t seem to notice the scrutiny.

HARDCASTLE: I’m sure we can manage at least PG.

He winks at Carolyn, but she’s sunk solidly into her sullen mood and only grunts.

KAPOOR: I don’t think we should be here.

HARDCASTLE: Come on, Dr. Kapoor. Live a little. Break some rules.

KAPOOR: That’s not it.