Making a new museum.

When they got back to Provo, they gathered all their Christmas
presents and put them under the tree. The kids were all jumping with
joy because the next day was Christmas eve,
They made fudge and popcorn balls filled with the nuts they had
collected from the island. Todd had lots of pictures he took while on
the island, and the kids talked about what they wanted to do when they
got to go back again next year.
Vernon told his Sister not to worry about Christmas dinner because he
had it all covered, so she could just relax and enjoy the time to
visit.

Tom said he really enjoyed the time at the island, and his leg felt
better so he didn't need the cane. He wondered if the rock on the
island was therapeutic, and he brought some samples back . He wanted
to share some with Linc's old professor and he wanted to keep one
small piece on his person and see if it helped his own disposition.
Linc and his Dad got to talking about the time masters again.. Linc
told his Dad that he wondered about the missing man and his arch. He
wondered if the time master made the arch before or after they lost
the power to time travel. Did he make the arch to go off world to
other planets? Did he make it to teleport himself or objects to
another galaxy? Was it possible he transported himself to another
world, and couldn't get back? but if he did, where is his arch? Is
it possible that he went somewhere, and did something that made the
time masters lose the power? A lot more questions than answers. Tom
readily agreed with him. He said it was beyond his learning of
physics.
They all talked about this for a while, then Vernon asked if Link and
Tom wanted to go with him to the museum, and check out what they had
done with the building. Linc said fine with him and Linc said it
would be better to take his truck than the motor home, so then went
on down town.
There were a few workers doing some last minute clean up chores.
Vernon told them he was just showing his family around before the
exhibits were brought. They asked when that would be, and Vernon
told them, he hoped with in the next week some time. He asked them to
call a few others in to help move some glass cases to rooms he wanted
to put special things in that should be kept locked up until the
exhibits were in their proper places. He knew, until the museum
opened, there were going to be a lot of people in the building to set
up displays and he wanted some of the real valuable items to be safe.
They went up to the second floor to look around. There were five
large rooms up there for displays. Tom looked up at the ceiling when
they were in the hall and noticed the skylights. He mentioned them to
Vernon who called someone about them. Said he wanted a grill put over
them so no one could drop down through them. He said he also wanted
alarms installed on them as well. Then he patted Tom on the back, and
said, "good thinking, I didn't think about them.
Back down on the main floor, they looked into the six big rooms down there.
One room had a lot of old glass wall cases still in it, and Vernon
said it was perfect for the Textile exhibits from all the different
places. He decided this room would be used for items that may still
be in some crate or barrel, that might not belong in any certain room.
They might even place some of the items that he couldn't name in it as
well. He would think about that later.
Linc asked if there would anyone in the building the next night after
dark, and on Christmas day, and Vernon said no. Linc said, " that
would be a good time to transfer the exhibits then. I see all the
security lights are lit, so if they are on at night, that should
provide plenty of light for the transfer". Vernon said< Just last
week I had the workers to replace every light bold in the building.".
Linc said, " if it can be done without a lot of light, than lets go
for it". Vernon agreed and said they could start on it right after
supper.
Vernon told Linc they had a daytime security team and night watchman
lined up for after the exhibits were transferred. Looked like they
were all set to go.

The next night after supper, Linc and Vernon went down to the museum,
and went inside. They could see very well without any extra lights,
and went upstairs. Vernon had a plan of which rooms to transfer and
in what order. In the first room, Linc touched the broach and said
retreat. Since it was dark there too, they had to use light to see
what they were doing. Inside the cave they went into the room they
wanted to transfer first. Linc looked all around the room and seen
what he wanted to transfer back to Provo, said back, and there they
were, with everything and in the room they wanted to be in. Good job
he thought. Vernon looked around the room, and declared it perfectly
done. They went ahead and transferred the rest of the rooms, Vernon
wanted on this floor. Then they went down stairs and did the same
thing with the exception of some items Vernon put in an empty room.
Things taken from the future, that they couldn't identify. When they
had all but the last two rooms, Vernon asked Linc if he could do it by
himself, and then he could begin to gather up the small valuable
items to lock up. Linc told him he would do it and got the rest of
the exhibits to Provo. After Vernon locked up the artifacts, they
headed for home. It was after three in the morning, and they went to
Vernon's motor home and to bed.
Later they went over to the house and found the family in the living
room passing out presents. They got some coffee, and joined them.
Soon there was wrapping paper and ribbons all over the place. Linc
could see the kids were tickled to get the things he got them. His
Dad took off his old ratty robe and slippers and put the new ones Linc
had got, on and paraded around a bit in them. Linc knew he got the
right thing in the three new mumu's he gad got for her. She teared up
and told him this was just in time because one of her old caftans had
finally gave up the ghost. Too thread bare to be fixed. She said she
looked for a new one but couldn't find any. Maybe hey quit making
them. She never even saw a mumu anywhere. She had to hug him a couple
more times. Vernon always said not to get presents for him, because
there wasn't any thing he needed, but he was like a little kids when
he opened his presents. When he got to the one Linc gave him he
opened it and inside the empty box was a note., that said, nothing
for the guy who has everything. Everyone laughed when he read it,
then he tossed a pillow at Linc as everyone laughed at him again.
Linc said, "that'll teach ya".
LInc and the kids cleaned up the living room while his Mom made more
coffee and heated up some cinnamon tolls for breakfast. Later they sat
around and talked about the museum, and how Vernon would have to
contact the other officers and tell them the artifacts were delivered
and needed to be cataloged and the security people hired to protect
it all now that it was in place.. The exhibits need to be straightened
out and labeled.
Around eleven o-clock Vernon got a phone call from a catering outfit.
The Christmas dinner of prime rib roast and all the fixings was ready
to be delivered.
The next morning Vernon said he had to leave and get back to work.
After lots of hugs all around, he left. Linc told his folks, that he
would be leaving too the following morning after breakfast.

To be continued.
.

The folks see the cave.
While the kids took the wagon down to the other end of the island,
Linc took the folks to the cave.
Linc's Dad was fascinated with how the cave was made. He could see
that this was not an original cave to start with. Maybe an old lava
tube, but it had been refinished in some way, that had made the
walls, ceiling and floor as smooth as glass and a light grey color
instead of the black lava the mountain was made of. He was surprised
at how much light came through the glassed in front. Linc showed them
the grotto where the coffins of the first Hanks lay. They were
surprised at the different spelling of their name. Linc said he may
go ahead and seal up the grotto, now that they all had seen it. They
went through the kitchen- living room area. The large pantry, the
smaller bedroom. Both of his folks commented on the terrible
painting that hung over the couch.. His Mom thought it was gross. She
did like the beautiful kerosene lamp that hung over the kitchen table.
Then he took them to the master bedroom, and his Mom said how much
she liked the bedroom suite, but was surprised to see a stand with a
bowl and pitcher just like the ones they used in the old days.
"Didn't they have a bathroom here?" Linc told them how the bathroom
was in a smaller cave next to this one. His Mom commented again on
how beautiful the kerosene lamps were. He showed them the roll top
desk where he found the packet and the dueling pistols, that he
showed them the day before, and the trinket box that Lucas had found
the ring in, and then he pulled back the big chiffenrobe, to show them
the real secrets of the cave.
All the rooms were open because Vernon had been in them yesterday.
Linc and Vernon both had bright portable lights, so they could really
see into the rooms and see the main exhibits. Linc said he didn't
know what was in the crates and barrels yet, but they would open them
when they get then to Provo. Vernon was like a little kid, showing off
his favorite items. He had a lot of knowledge about some of the items
that had his Mom stumped. At the end of the hall, Tom went into the
room with the strange machines. In a bit, they saw lights come on in
that room and they saw that Tom had climbed up into the biggest
machine. He fiddled around at the dashboard and a few other lights
flickered. Then he turned off the lights and came out of the room.
He said. "I believe that these machines are lasers. The marks on
some of the knobs point to that. I don't know how they work, but they
seem to melt the lava in the cave and reform it somehow into walls
that separate each room and make the cave stable so it don't cave in
. The big machine did the cutting and then the smaller ones did the
forming. I don't know what they did with any leftover rock, unless
there is other parts to this cave where it could be someway". Wow,
Linc never even thought about that.
After they had looked at all the rooms, they went into the kitchen-
living room area. Lucas sat in the recliner and Angel climbed up into
his lap. Tom stepped his foot up and down, and said, " You know, I
think my leg has stopped hunting. I wonder if the minerals in the
lava in this mountain give off some unseen emission of healthful,
physical therapeutic emanations , that can eliminate pain"?
Being a doctor, his Mom said that it was a good possibility.

She went over to the side board and was looking at the silver service
that was placed there. She looked at the hallmarks on the bottom of
the coffee pot, but couldn't tell much from them. Vernon said, " I
don't think any of the furnishings, dishes and silverware in the cave
that was used by the family, was over a hundred years old. Quite
collectable by all means, but not like the museum pieces in the rooms.
They were probably just family heirlooms they used all the time while
they were living here in the cave. But you never know with these
folks, they may not be anything but old stuff, nowhere near as nice
as the furnishings and things they used at home in France".

They sat and talked about , the cave, the exhibits and the
furnishings, for a while before going back to the house.

Back up at the house, they had lunch and finished the clean-up when
the kids came back from the other end of the island. They had a wagon
load of stuff they found and had gathered. Coconuts, mangos,
avocados, kiwis, pomegranates and even a couple of melons as well as
pecans and walnuts. The folks were so surprised at the different kinds
of fruit there was. Tom said, " where are the bananas, oranges and
lemons? Just kidding, looks like there is plenty of other fruit to
feed an army".
Linc said, " if there is anything left when we get through this stay,
you can always take it home. In fact, The kids need to take another
trip for fruit just before we go back to Provo. Saves on the food
bill, with this kind of fruit being spendy back in Provo".
Linc and his Mom took the fruit into the kitchen Linc washed the
fruit while his mother got the biggest bowl she could find, Linc
peeled the fruit while his Mom diced it up for a big fruit salad.
Linc already had bananas. They figured with the baked spuds and the
steaks Linc had in a marinade, it would make a veritable feast for
supper.
Later after supper, the kids watched movies and the rest of them sat
drinking coffee on the patio. Tom asked Linc to tell them more about
the time masters and what they wanted him to do. Linc explained how
the time masters had somehow lost the power to travel back in time.
Without that power, they could not go through a portal, to get or to
take anything. They said they had sent other people to find the loss,
but as yet no one had, and some never returned. He had been through a
lot of portals but had yet to find anything that really pointed to the
reason for the loss. He said he did wonder if it had anything to do
with the missing time master, because the Chinese were really
interested in the missing man and the portal he had made. The Chinese
thought the time master had used the arch for teleportation, because
he had went to the moon and back and they wanted the secret. Then he
disappeared. They knew he had talked about his experiments to
Kenneth Hanks. He and his wife were both scientists, so they
kidnapped the family, and took them to an old abandoned lumber camp in
Colorado. They didn't keep a watch on the boy, Lewis because thee
knew he wouldn't go very far away. He liked to collect rocks, and
have his father identify them for him. They kidnapped them because
they wanted to have them duplicate she time masters experiment, they
witnessed before he disappeared".
Looking back, Linc began to think from what they had them doing, and
what they thought happened when Lewis brought the rock in to his Dad.
It wasn't what they thought had happened. The rock was anti-
magnetic, and flung across the room when it came into the attraction
of strong magnets the Hanks were using in their experiment to make
things teleport. The Chinese thought the Hanks made the rock
teleport. They had no idea the rock was anti-magnetic. They thought
the Hanks had really discovered the way to teleport a rock, but were
very unhappy when they couldn't duplicate it.
Tom asked Linc if this was one of the specimens that his old professor
at the college science department had asked him about, but he had to
tell him he didn't know about the specimens Linc had sent him to be
identified. Linc then told him about the clay at the Tru Blu mine, the
anti-magnetic rocks, and the unusually bright red rusty water from
Gramps mine. It was strange, when he mailed the samples, the
Professor said they were stuck so tight together that he had to pry
them apart. The anti-magnetic rock lost that ability but clung to the
clay like it was a magnet in itself. He needed more samples. That's
when he had to go to Denver to find the old mine that Lewis had found
and he had gotten the couple of rocks from, that he sent the
Professor.
Linc told his Dad about the trip to Denver and what had happened,
after he found the old mine and got a load of samples and took them to
the retreat, before going to find Lewis and his Mom., and everything
that had happened after that. He told him about going to Axel with
the memory chips and then taking Axle and Fannie to the retreat. He
told about the help they had given him too. He told how he had got
more samples of the clay, and a larger sample of the rusty water, and
packaged them separately and sent them to the Professor, who talked
with other mineralogists and scientists about the samples, and shared
them with others to check out. He told His Dad the rocks from Colorado
were radioactive, and were completely an unknown mineral and told Linc
to name it so he told the professor to call it Lewisite after the guy
who found it. Well some of the other professors did some experiments
with the samples and wrote in papers about them and the news got back
to the Chinese. That's when they came back into the picture, about
the harassment they pulled on the miners and Linc.. Everything that
had happened that led up to the cave in they heard about on the way to
Provo.
Tom said, " I wonder about that anti-magnetic rock being radioactive.
Could it be possible that maybe it could be used in some sort of
energy producing way? Something that would benefit mankind instead of
being used to manufacture bombs or something to kill people off with.
If you don't mind, I think I will have another talk with your old
professor and see what he thinks about it if he hasn't already thought
about it himself"
Linc said, "you know, I never would have thought about it, so go ahead
and see what you can find out. If it is feasible, that would be a big
boon the Lewis and his Mom".

Linc and the family had a very restful and happy four days. They kids
got another load of fruit and nuts, and they all went back to Provo.

To be continued.

Back Home in Provo



As Linc pulled into the yard at home he could see the heat waves rising
om the hood of his Mom's car, so figures she must have just got home
from work. He didn't see his Dad's truck so he was gone somewhere.
He and Lucas got out, and Linc let Angel do her thing. His Mom came
out on the porch just as they walked up to it. She wondered why they
took so long to come in until she saw Angel. She hugged Linc and
Lucas and said, " come on in. Your father took the kids to the mall
to do their Christmas shopping and they should be back soon. Vernon
called, and said to turn on the oven because he was bringing lunch
with him. I made coffee so help yourself, while I get out of this
uniform and into something more comfortable". Lucas went on into the
living room and Linc put the coffee into a thermal pot and started a
new pot. Then he took a tray with caps, creamer, sugar and the coffee
pot into the living room. He poured coffee for Lucas and himself and
sat down to drink it, when his mom came into the room. Linc could see
that she had on an old faded caftan and knew right then what he got
her for Christmas was perfect. She got a cup of coffee and sat next to
Linc, and Angel had to go to her. She reached out and petted her
without thinking about it. She said, " I'm so glad to see you. So
glad you could come home for Christmas. How long are you going to
stay ?" Before Linc could answer, His Dad and the kids came rushing
in. He stood up and greeted them all with hugs. He also noted his Dad
was walking with a limp and used a cane. The kids all noticed Angel,
and she was at the happiest dog, all wiggles and kisses. His Dad
petted her and asked what kind of dog she was. Linc said, her mother
was Sheppard and Collie, and her father a German Sheppard ". Amy
piped up with, "look, she's got an angel on her face. Is that why you
call her Angel?" Linc nodded and said, "That is what the girl who
gave her to me named her. I'll tell you that story some time later.".
A few minutes later Vernon arrived, in a new small motor home. He had
plenty of help bringing in a large number of packages, and told which
ones to put in a warm oven.
After all the greetings and hugs and all, Linc asked him about the new
motor home, and he told him he was getting too old to camp on the
ground any more. Safer for the kids too, and it gives he and Linc a
place to sleep while he was here, instead of on the floor.
The kids wanted to bring their presents in and wrap them, but Mom
vetoed that and said after lunch, which was now quite late.

Later, after lunch and clean-up, the kids got their stiff into their
rooms to wrap them. Linc took this time to sit in the living room
with his folks and tell them all about the time masters and the
retreat.
As he told them, he could see that his Mom had a worried look on her
face, and his Dad looked very skeptical. That's when Lucas and Vernon
stepped in to say how great the retreat was and how it was fun to go
there. Both of his folks were very surprised to find all the rest of
the family had been there except them and the girls.
Linc told them he wanted to take them there for four or five days over
the Christmas holidays. His mom said she couldn't leave for that
long, but Linc had to explain to her about the time. A day at the
retreat was the same as one hour in Provo. They could go for five
days to the retreat and only be gone from Provo five hours. Linc told
them the retreat was a private island, and no other people could go
there unless he took them. They could do what they want, wear what
they want, and there was no one other than family to answer to. He
told them to pack a bag with whatever they would have to have for five
days playing in the sun, and swimming on a tropical island. Shoes or
boots for walking in the sand. Everything else was already on the
island. They could leave for the island the first thing in the
morning. They will have a great time and be back here in Provo in
time for Christmas in a couple of days.

Early the next morning, they gathered on the lawn with their bags.
Linc showed them the broach, touched it and said "Retreat".
As they stood there on the beach, gazing in awe, Linc said, " Welcome
to Hanks Island." Angel took off like a flash, running around like
mad. She was a happy dog to be here.
Linc told them about the cave down the beach, that he would show them
tomorrow, and said for now they would go up to the house.
Linc showed them where to put their bags, so they could all change out
of their cold weather clothes and get into comfortable warm weather
outfits. Linc made coffee in both coffee makers and poured it into
thermal pots. The kids all went down to the beach and went wading
since the tide was out. Angel stayed up in her bed on the patio, while
the rest of them sat out on the patio, drank coffee and talked about
Linc's adventures.
Linc told them about the different members of the Hanks family he had
ran into and had helped. They were fascinated with all of it.
It wasn't long before the kids came running back to the house claiming
the were starving.

Linc and his mom went in the house and got the stuff Linc had got from
the deli in town yesterday and brought out to the retreat before
going to Provo. Linc opened a couple of cans of frozen lemonade and
put them into a couple of pitchers. The grabbed chips and dips, and
took it all out to the patio, where they all had lunch.
After lunch, Vernon said he was going to take his bag down to the cave
and do some figuring on what order to take the exhibits back to Provo.
Todd went with him and the girls colored in their books out on the
patio. Lucas and Tom said they were going to take a nap in the
sunshine, so Linc and his Mom took a walk down the beach where the
little cave was. Angel went with them.
As they walked along, his Mom said she couldn't get over how peaceful
and quiet it was here on the island.. Linc told here all about the
island. How long it was, how different each end was, how it was the
top of a extinct volcano.. He told here about the falls and pool at
the other end, and about the coconut palms and different fruit and nut
trees on that end.
R told her he was going to get an ATV, and wished he had it now so his
Dad with his lame leg could go see it. He promised that by next year
when he came to get them for another trip to the retreat, he would
have it. He told her to figure out a time to take a weeks vacation
when school was out so he could plan on getting them out to the
island. Fall was a good time, as the fruit will be getting ripe, and
before school starts.
Later on, Linc told the kids if they gathered some of the pecans and
cracked them, he would let them make some fudge to put them in.
The rest of them sat on the patio, and Linc brought out the enameled,
metal box and the four little plastic gem boxes he found at the hobby
shop, with the diamonds . Vernon looked the box over very carefully
and said he believed from the markings on the bottom of the box. It
was made in Mongolia. He wanted to know where he got it it and Linc
told about how Angel had found it in the little cave. Then he showed
them what had been in the little box. They were all dumbfounded.
Vernon looked at them and shook his head. He said, ' I can hardly
believe it, but I'm sure they are real, and I'll lay you odd's they
came from Russia. They look to be extremely old from the cut, and
even with the poor cutting job, they must be worth a kings ransom".
Linc said, "the island retreat and everything on it is mine, so these
must be mine to. I've researched every way I can to find something out
about them but have come up empty handed. I found a journal Estelle
had in the night stand in the cave, but it was written in French and I
couldn't read it so I sent it to Fannie to read, and see if anywhere
in it there might be a reference to where they came from. Maybe even
a clue".
Vernon said, " Even though all the stuff on this island may belong to
Linc, he has generously donated all the exhibits in the cave that once
were in a museum in France, to the new museum in Provo. I'm extremely
proud of him for that. It is such an un-selfish act. In fact
everyone should be proud of him for doing it". Linc said, "From the
moment I saw the artifacts, I knew they belonged to the people. I
never dreamed of keeping them. That's why I took Uncle Vernon out
here to see them and ask what we could do with them., I'll take you
all to the cave in the morning to see it all"
Later that day, the kids were off down the beach exploring, the men
all were playing pool, and Linc's Mom said she was going to jump into
your fantastic looking jacuzzi bath tub and soak before going to bed.

To be continued.