Tahiti

Nobody seemed to notice, but Jonah had a gift. When he concentrated on certain things, he could make his own heart stop. However, that was only the beginning of what he could do. The consequences of this gift took Jonah to all sorts of places, sometimes not by choice, but it never took him to Tahiti. Jonah was determined to never end up there, even as he sent many, many other people there.

Some people might have liked it. The security guard seemed to enjoy the trip, but Jonah looked around and figured anywhere would be preferable to the frenetic backstage at the science expo. The organizers hadn’t coordinate the schedule properly and too many scientists at once ended up shoved into the wings of the auditorium. Crowded and nervous, they all were waiting to go onstage so that they could share their separate innovations.
 

The scientists tried to be respectful of the woman currently onstage as she enthusiastically presented an energy conservation breakthrough to the journalists and curious financial backers in the audience. However, the scientists couldn’t help their lips from whispering technical specs or their fingers from tinkering with displays and invention mockups. These actions, multiplied by thirty or so perpetrators, caused the waves of clicks and pops to become an ocean of disruption.

Jonah cracked a smile, thinking of all the backstage nervous energy around him. For all of their high I.Q.’s, the geniuses couldn’t just relax and wait their turn. Jonah didn't have a display to tinker with, or notes of any kind to recite. He wasn't a scientist or anything of the sort. He was a trespasser, but he knew he had nothing to be nervous about.

He took a deep breath anyway. It just felt like the right thing to do in the cluster of so much tiny, hushed activity swirling around him.

Through this, Jonah could still hear the woman in front of the audience. He didn't understand a lot of the scientific jargon that she used, but he hoped she was doing a good job and maybe even having fun. He had seen her prepping before she went on, a tall woman with curly hair that the expo's host had introduced to the crowd as Dr. Barbara Fowler from Cornell. She reminded Jonah of the college professors that never accepted excuses for being late or missing a test.

A serious-looking man with silver hair approached Jonah. The man carried a clipboard and wore a dark suit. His black tie was camouflaged on top of a black shirt. Jonah figured that the man was some kind of coordinator or stage manager.

"Excuse me. I don't believe that we've met," the man said, keeping his volume low, but his diction curt. He had an uptight air that made Jonah feel like the man could use a vacation.

"I'm Jonah. Uh, how's it going?" Jonah stuck out his hand to shake, but the silver-haired man didn't seem to notice it.

"Dr. Jonaaah...," he said to himself as he began scanning a list of names on his clipboard.

Jonah rolled his eyes at the man's theatrics. "Sorry, no. I’m not a doctor."

The stage manager briefly glanced up at Jonah as he flipped to the second page of the list, and then he continued the pageantry of searching for the name. Jonah smiled, thinking this might be the time to get nervous, if he were capable of the sensation.

"I don't think you'll find me on that list," he said.

"Why, are you just here with someone? Dropping off a delivery?"

Jonah began to second guess his choice to wear jeans and a t-shirt. Perhaps a suit and tie would have garnered less suspicion. He briefly considered going with the delivery guy story, but realized the issue would come up again anyway. Jonah considered the crowd of scientists milling around. They were all very smart, but all very nervous. Their big brains were on the funding they needed to complete projects, maybe already picturing their faces in future textbooks.

It didn't matter much, Jonah supposed. They wouldn’t see what they wouldn’t see.

"Okay, maestro. You got me," Jonah said, keeping his voice quiet. "I'm not supposed to be here. I read about this science conference and I’ve got an experiment I want to try out."

During this, the silver-haired man's eyes darted to the wall by the backstage entrance door.

"I already did the security guard," Jonah assured him. He reached out to touch the man's hand, the one still gripping the clipboard. "He's in Tahiti now. He went like this..."

Jonah made his heart stop and he grazed the stage manager's hand. The serious man’s face was forced into a smile as his skin tightened. His eyes opened so wide that the muscles around them became visible. Then he simply hollowed out, leaving the science expo completely. There was no flash of light or explosion, not that it would have mattered if there was. By the time Jonah's hand was touching nothing, the stage manager was in Tahiti, where they all went as far as Jonah was concerned.

Jonah caught the clipboard before it hit the ground. He paused as he crouched near the group of scientists, waiting for a gasp, for a response of any kind. But, as always, it never arrived. He sighed and studied the scientists’ faces around him. People around him never saw the moment Jonah sent his travelers on their way. In the past, he’d tried to not question it, but Jonah had started questioning a lot of things recently. And the curiosity had made him social.

Applause erupted from the audience in the auditorium. Jonah turned to the brightness of the stage and saw Dr. Barbara Fowler smiling to the crowd. Her enthusiasm inspired Jonah as he walked onto the stage. He reached out for her hand to congratulate her on a wonderful presentation, to congratulate her with a trip to Tahiti.

Jonah wasn’t a scientist, but he had an experiment to perform. He wanted to find out if a captive audience could see what bystanders never did.