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of all, you would do well to continue to handpick your crew. You already understand that no one is a part of your venture by accident. You might want to double-check the medical records of several of your crew in regard to heart trouble and blood pressures. Other than those minor conditions, I believe you will find it adventurous but no more strenuous than what you would find in regular location conditions.”
    I wondered which crew members would have trouble.
    “What about weather?” I asked.
    “First of all, you can regulate the weather by your own consciousness. But of course you already know that.”
    Several people self-consciously cleared their throats.
    “I would say, though,” Tom continued breezily, “that the best filming dates would fall between January eleventh and as late as February twenty-fourth.”
    I saw Stan do a swift calculation on his pocket calendar. He smiled to himself.
    “Well, Tom,” I inquired, “what about the need for security relating to that leftist guerrilla group called The Shining Path?”
    Tom paused for a moment.
    “As I scan the area you will be working in, I don’tsee that harassing you would be to their advantage. It would be best to keep your publicity at a minimum. But document the making of the film for future publicities.”
    “Why? Because things might happen beyond what we anticipate?”
    “Oh,” he said, “there will be a few surprises. I won’t unravel them right now. Look for unusual phenomena in a spiritual vein while you’re working.”
    Stan sat up straight and scratched his head. I laughed.
    “Are you talking about UFOs, Tom?” asked Stan.
    Tom cocked his head. “That would be pleasing, wouldn’t it?”
    “Yes, it would,” Stan answered, smiling and twitching his nose as he thought of the attendant publicity.
    “I wouldn’t put it outside the realm of chance—let me put it that way,” Tom went on.
    Bob Butler chuckled to himself, as though this spiritual film-making might prove to be more intriguing than he had originally thought.
    I took a deep breath, thinking of how we’d have to rewrite the script should Tom’s suggestion materialize.
    “Tom,” I said, “you have a whole room full of witnesses here. Are you really serious with what you’re saying?”
    “Most definitely,” he answered.
    “Why?”
    “Because it would be a marvelous demonstration of the collective karma vibration that each of you have individually with this type of phenomenon. There could be cooperation with these entities who may desire to stimulate it. Also, the earth is due for another wave of information; another UFO flap, as you call it. Such sightings would be in the collective receptivity.”
    Everyone looked at one another. No one knew what to make of such an outrageous semi-prediction. Stan and Bob shrugged. Colin and I smiled. Mort blinked enigmatically. Sachi’s face was full of wonder, and the rest ofthe people in the room shifted their positions, indicating that this was without a doubt one of the most unlikely birthday parties they had ever attended.
    “You must remember,” Tom continued, “that the collective consciousness of the crew will be the deciding factor. Each individual is capable of experiencing an event such as UFOs. The collective is only as receptive as the sum of its parts. If the human soul is troubled or deprived, it affects the whole, not only for simple things like sighting UFOs, but for world-shaking events in your lives. If you study the dynamics of human history, this is indeed the story of the human race, isn’t it?”
    We all nodded solemnly, as though we understood what that meant. Bob Butler took a long sip of water. I could see he wanted to ground the conversation into practicalities.
    “Tom,” Bob said, “how many takes can we do with you? I mean, should we use multiple cameras during the scenes with you and Kevin’s other entities? Can you say your lines twenty or twenty-five times like most actors?”
    Tom hesitated. I