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shock as the vessel continued to rise higher and higher. Long strands of seaweed and not a few dead fish fell to either side, and it was thirty feet high, and then forty, and it kept going. Gwen shook her head in disbelief.
    The entire thing was made of wood…dark, gleaming wood, covered with what appeared to be pitch to reinforce the exterior. It was a gargantuan ship, fifty feet high, eighty feet wide, and almost two football fields in length. It almost seemed to leap out of the water before settling back down, and great gouts of water came blasting down the deck of the yacht. Arthur staggered but continued to clutch Gwen closely to him. Gwen, for her part, coughed up water, then reached down into her cleavage and pulled out a small, flapping striped fish that she quickly tossed overboard.
    It took a while for the ship to settle down, then a small figure could be seen moving at the prow of the ship. Then a second figure joined it. Even with the full moon gleaming above, they couldn’t make out at first who it was. But that didn’t stop Arthur and Gwen from being able to take an educated guess, considering the circumstances.
    “Ziusura!” Arthur shouted. “Is that you?” And then, anticipating what Gwen might say before she said it, he warned her in a low voice, “Don’t call him the other name. He hates the other name.”
    “Of course it’s me!” shouted the aged Sumerian. “Who the hell else would it be in a giant ark? Did we interrupt something?”
    It was at that point that Gwen realized Arthur was still holding her slung over his shoulder. “Put me down, please,” she said in a low voice, then louder she called, “Nothing at all, Noah! We were just, you know, floating here and wondering if someone might show up and nearly capsize us because things were too quiet!”
    “Gwen, please, don’t antagonize him,” the second dark figure spoke up.
    As Arthur eased Gwen to her feet, he called, “Percival?”
    “Yes, sire!”
    “What are you doing on a giant submersible ark?”
    “Yeah, and now that I think about it,” Gwen shouted, taking a step forward, “how the hell did you submerge it?”
    “Would you like to see for yourself?” Ziusura asked, sounding like the picture of innocence. “We could go under again, then surface directly beneath you…”
    “You wouldn’t dare, Noah,” growled Gwen.
    “Arthur…” Ziusura said warningly.
    “Gwen, please…”
    “How did you submerge it?” Gwen repeated, apparently oblivious to any potential danger. “It’s made of wood!”
    “So?” replied Ziusura.
    “Wood!”
    “Yes, we’ve established that.”
    “Wood floats!”
    “Obviously.”
    “It doesn’t sink!”
    “Right again.”
    “So how do you go cruising around underwater?”
    There was a long silence, then Ziusura said, “I don’t understand the question.”
    Gwen threw up her arms in exasperation and turned to Arthur. “I give up. You talk to Captain Nemo.”
    “More gladly than you can possibly believe.” He stepped around in front of her, and shouted, “Percival…Ziusura…it is, of course, wonderful to see you. It’s been ages. Would I be vaguely close to correct in hoping that this is merely a social call? A chance to catch up on old times?”
    “Actually, Highness, not even close,” said Percival reluctantly. “World matters have taken an unexpected shift, and we’ve come to warn you.”
    “Are we entering an ice age? Or a season of massive monsoons? Is the ocean draining, perhaps? I don’t see how any other change in world events could possibly be of any relevance to us…”
    “Trust me, Highness,” Percival said grimly, “when you’ve heard what I have to tell you…you’re going to find yourself wishing the ocean was draining.”
    Arthur sighed heavily, and said to Gwen, “Just so you know…you were correct. About everything. I was bored and desirous of something to do. Are you happy that you were right?”
    “Actually,” Gwen replied, sounding no