the second is a high score for openness.”
“Natural stimuli?” asked Sir Jeffrey.
“Yes, most of them prefer to follow the day-night cycle closely and feel agitated if they don’t. They like to feel the cold in the winter and heat in the summer. There’s a preference for natural food, and sights and sounds that you would find in nature, certain colours and combinations of colours, etc.”
“And the tendency to be open minded?”
“Yes, they score highly in a personality variable called ‘need for cognition’. This is the tendency to enjoy effortful thought, thinking and analyses, which can promote openness to new ideas, etc.”
“Are they religious?”
“No, none of them identified themselves as religious, which has also been observed in the other groups of Pointers held around the country.”
“Interesting, so how are you interpreting these findings?”
“Well, as you know the Rapture was experienced predominantly in rural or poorly industrialised regions around the world, so it may be the case people more closely connected with nature, or their local environment, were more susceptible to its effects. In contrast, the Pointers were more predominant in the industrial world and this may be because there’s the time and space to nurture the kind of thinking the Pointers score highly for.”
“So the Pointers are more connected to nature, and open to new experiences and sensations?” asked Sir Jeffrey.
“It would appear so, yes,” replied Dr Koreshi.
“Excellent, this actually feels like we are moving forward. But we are still no nearer to answering what the Rapture is?” Sir Jeffrey looked expectantly around the table.
The Tall Man responded. “If the Rapture originated in Devon, and this Pointer, Jack Clarke, is from Devon and hiding something from us, then we should bring him back into custody for questioning. He may know something important about the source of the Rapture.”
Sir Jeffrey nodded. “Agreed – we must be able to identify his location in Devon using utility companies, etc.”
“Yes, we’ve already contacted the appropriate companies to request access, sir.”
“Excellent, when do you expect to have this information?”
“Sometime this evening, sir.”
“OK, well our mysterious friend, Mr Clarke, is not our only concern at the moment, so I suggest you gather a team to travel to Devon tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sir Jeffrey flicked through a folder containing information about Jack before holding up a picture of him. “I think I might have a chat with this Mr Clarke myself when he returns to enjoy our hospitality.”
*****
11:09pm
Jack entered his Devon home and walked, in the dark, to the living room. He dropped heavily onto the sofa, leant his head back and closed his eyes. He felt exhausted and just sat quietly.
After a while, Jack opened his eyes again and looked around. He had left the lights off to hide his presence, so the house felt cold, dark and empty. Ambient light from outside allowed him to see around the house, so he stood up and walked upstairs. He was about to enter his bedroom but then noticed the door to Dylan’s room was ajar. He thought about his children and felt overcome by a terrible sense of loss that he couldn’t see and hold them. These thoughts made Jack walk over to Dylan’s room and go inside.
In the dim light, Jack looked around the room. The toys had been left over the floor and he leant down to pick them up. As he put them in their box, he stopped to look at Dylan’s favourite toy, a T-rex dinosaur. He knew Dylan would be sad at not taking it with him, so he placed it on the table next to the bed so it would be easier to find.
Jack walked out of Dylan’s room and entered his own bedroom. He sat on the bed in the dark until the sound of an animal outside caught his attention. He walked over to the window. He could just about see the outline of the fields in the distance. The fields the light from the Rapture had
“Natural stimuli?” asked Sir Jeffrey.
“Yes, most of them prefer to follow the day-night cycle closely and feel agitated if they don’t. They like to feel the cold in the winter and heat in the summer. There’s a preference for natural food, and sights and sounds that you would find in nature, certain colours and combinations of colours, etc.”
“And the tendency to be open minded?”
“Yes, they score highly in a personality variable called ‘need for cognition’. This is the tendency to enjoy effortful thought, thinking and analyses, which can promote openness to new ideas, etc.”
“Are they religious?”
“No, none of them identified themselves as religious, which has also been observed in the other groups of Pointers held around the country.”
“Interesting, so how are you interpreting these findings?”
“Well, as you know the Rapture was experienced predominantly in rural or poorly industrialised regions around the world, so it may be the case people more closely connected with nature, or their local environment, were more susceptible to its effects. In contrast, the Pointers were more predominant in the industrial world and this may be because there’s the time and space to nurture the kind of thinking the Pointers score highly for.”
“So the Pointers are more connected to nature, and open to new experiences and sensations?” asked Sir Jeffrey.
“It would appear so, yes,” replied Dr Koreshi.
“Excellent, this actually feels like we are moving forward. But we are still no nearer to answering what the Rapture is?” Sir Jeffrey looked expectantly around the table.
The Tall Man responded. “If the Rapture originated in Devon, and this Pointer, Jack Clarke, is from Devon and hiding something from us, then we should bring him back into custody for questioning. He may know something important about the source of the Rapture.”
Sir Jeffrey nodded. “Agreed – we must be able to identify his location in Devon using utility companies, etc.”
“Yes, we’ve already contacted the appropriate companies to request access, sir.”
“Excellent, when do you expect to have this information?”
“Sometime this evening, sir.”
“OK, well our mysterious friend, Mr Clarke, is not our only concern at the moment, so I suggest you gather a team to travel to Devon tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sir Jeffrey flicked through a folder containing information about Jack before holding up a picture of him. “I think I might have a chat with this Mr Clarke myself when he returns to enjoy our hospitality.”
*****
11:09pm
Jack entered his Devon home and walked, in the dark, to the living room. He dropped heavily onto the sofa, leant his head back and closed his eyes. He felt exhausted and just sat quietly.
After a while, Jack opened his eyes again and looked around. He had left the lights off to hide his presence, so the house felt cold, dark and empty. Ambient light from outside allowed him to see around the house, so he stood up and walked upstairs. He was about to enter his bedroom but then noticed the door to Dylan’s room was ajar. He thought about his children and felt overcome by a terrible sense of loss that he couldn’t see and hold them. These thoughts made Jack walk over to Dylan’s room and go inside.
In the dim light, Jack looked around the room. The toys had been left over the floor and he leant down to pick them up. As he put them in their box, he stopped to look at Dylan’s favourite toy, a T-rex dinosaur. He knew Dylan would be sad at not taking it with him, so he placed it on the table next to the bed so it would be easier to find.
Jack walked out of Dylan’s room and entered his own bedroom. He sat on the bed in the dark until the sound of an animal outside caught his attention. He walked over to the window. He could just about see the outline of the fields in the distance. The fields the light from the Rapture had
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