The Hole and the Beginning of Time

Herb’s regulars occasionally kidded him about not having a television in the Hole. He said Bill and Beth’s didn’t have one—they had an AM radio on day and night, talk shows and country music. Jane’s didn’t have one, either—she had the juke and the pinball. That was good enough for Herb. The subject came up again, though, when Fuzzy and Flash got into an argument about cosmology, and Fuzzy wanted Flash to see the pictures on CNN. “Geez,” Fuzzy growled, “today they’re showing the Beginning of Time live on tv and you don’t even have a tv. Now we’re going to have to go home tonight to see it on the replays.” Herb shrugged, but Fuzzy wouldn’t let it go. “I wanted to be able to tell my grandkids that I was playing Cosmic Baseball in the Hole when I saw the Beginning of Time.” “Tell ‘em anyway,” said Herb. “You’ll only be stretching it a few hours. This Beginning of Time Thing is give or take a half billion years anyway. Have another Mickey’s.”