“Not to make things any gloomier, but what happens if you die?” Margaret asked.

Evan went pale, but Aldric smiled and said, “The lab explodes and the moon falls into chaos.” Aldric walked around the room to the locked liquor cabinet, reached into his pocket, and pulled an old-fashioned key for the mechanical lock. “So, it is in everybody’s best interest to keep me alive.” He pushed the key into the lock and turned it. The satisfying click of the lock opening made him smile. “There is something to be said for the beauty of simple things,” he whispered.