The tape wound to a stop.
'That's it? There?' Tom said.
'What do you mean?' I asked.
'But it didn't end there! Not when I was alive!'
'Tom, I know that this thing has been quite a shock to you. You need to unwind, to relax for a while. Then things will be clearer for you. Look, let's have a few more drinks, then take a steambath and maybe invite in a few of the wenches. After that a good rubdown and some more girls and I know you'll feel better.'
'You think I'm crazy, don't you? I'm not! Something Conrad has done, or something about him has shattered the temporal continuity of all creation! Can't you understand that I built the first time machine and I don't understand what is happening!'
'Tom, I don't understand what's happening either, but I do know that a drink and a wench never hurt anybody. Come on.' I took him by the hand and led him out of the room.
