Jake mussed Dylan’s hair. “I wish Liam was alive to see this.”
“He is alive,” Dylan replied.
An old Irish saying came to Jake, one of Liam’s favorites: “The smallest of things outlives the human being.”
There were tears in Maggie’s eyes. “Come on,” she said to her son. “Count it down.”
Dylan nodded. “Ready? Three, two, one…”
Together they all took a big breath, drawing in the memory of Liam Connor. They held on as long as they could, then exhaled Liam back into the world, ready for another go.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My editors, Susan Kamil and Dana Isaacson, were brilliant-I cannot thank them enough for their patience, wisdom, and skill. Jane Gelfman made everything possible; she has been a steadfast advocate and all-around miracle worker. Also thanks to the rest of the team at Random House and Gelfman Schneider, especially Noah Eaker and Cathy Gleason, as well as Katie McGowan at Curtis Brown.
Kathie Hodge, professor of mycology at Cornell and curator of the Cornell Plant Pathology Herbarium, provided inspiration and endlessly fascinating facts about fungi. Paul Griswold gave an enlightening tour of the now-shuttered Seneca Army Depot, and Cornell Chief of Police Curtis Ostrander answered my questions about what would happen if a world-famous faculty member jumped off a campus bridge. Nina Shishkoff, Ph.D., of the USDA at Fort Detrick provided many helpful insights and facts. Captain Larry Olsen, U.S. Navy, assisted with matters nautical. Ed Stacker was a wonderful early editor.
My parents, Joe and Mary Lu McEuen, and parents-in-law, Robert and Judy Wiser, have been great readers and cheerleaders, as have been the rest of the McEuen/Arnevik/Wiser clan. My grandparents Buddy and Mary Jane Lorince, both sadly now deceased, were inspirations. Thanks to Cornell University for the freedom to pursue this quixotic quest, and to all my graduate students, post-docs, and colleagues who read early drafts. Many others have read, commented, encouraged, and criticized over the years, including Jessica Shurberg, Jayne Miller, Barb Parish, Debbie Lev, Rob Costello, Elan Prystowsky, Lesley Yorke, Josh Waterfall, Kim Harrington, and the wonderful crowd at Backspace. Thanks to all.
Finally, this book is dedicated to my wife, Susan Wiser-devoted psychologist, enthusiastic editor, and dog rescuer extraordinaire (visit www.cayugadogrescue.org). Occasionally critical, always supportive, forever mine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PAUL MCEUEN is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Physics at Cornell University. He has received numerous awards for his research, including the Agilent Technologies Europhysics Prize, a Packard Fellowship, and a Presidential Young Investigator Award. He lives with his wife and five dogs in Ithaca, New York.
