Page 26 of The Presidents Shadow

THE BOILING RIVER in Cambridge is huge news across the globe. Every country with a coastline or a river tries to organize some sort of protection against the possibility of more horror. But there are not enough sandbags or cement walls on the planet to protect against the Earth’s waters.

And what about the other forces of nature, exploding mountains and billions of acres of land ready to split open? People everywhere are talking endlessly about the natural phenomena that might destroy humankind at any moment. It’s as if the fabric of our planet has decided to move against us.

Thankfully, Hawkeye and Tapper made it out of Cambridge safely, but I don’t know if anywhere on earth can truly be considered safe now.

Margo, Jessica, and Maddy keep pumping me for information and speculation. Unfortunately, the three people I live with are way, way too smart to fool. Expressions like “Don’t worry” or “Just stay calm” or “We’ll figure it out” will not work with them.

And, yes, Maddy is one of those people, but because she’s an emotional multitasker (God bless the training Dache has given her) she is able to fixate on the other challenge in her life.