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veteran reporter, chuckled. "You're familiar with the Christian religion?"

"Yes, a sad and excellent example." Tom Smith had not realized until now how introspective his new friend was. He realized also that his civilization harbored many misconceptions about these people. Misconceptions that could prove to be dangerous should the two societies begin to interrelate. Perhaps our cultures are not so much different after all, he thought to himself, and perhaps we do not know everything. Tom smiled at Danny and reached across the desk to take hold of his hand, "I think that it would be wise to leave things as they are. You won't see me again. I believe I should go. Good-bye, Danny."

Danny felt a warm squeeze before feeling nothing. Tom was gone.

5.

Danny spent all of the next week at the office downtown. He was in no mood to be alone just now. In his time he sat on many a story for one reason or another, but never one like this and none of them permanently.

Only after he was gone sometime did Danny realize the only tangible evidence he had of Tom Smith's existence was the tape, and he realized no one but he would ever recognize it for what it was. To anyone else it would be just another videotape. Only in retrospect did he realize just what an act of friendship the tape represented.

Tom Smith knew well what the two tapings would mean to Danny. Danny would not view the tape very often as it was always an emotional experience for him to do so, for more reasons than one. The original tape he kept in a safe deposit box. He kept a duplicate in his study for viewing. He was tempted from time to time to record his experiences with Tom Smith and place them in the safe deposit box with the tape, but he never did so. He did not want to break the trust with Tom.

It would be easy for him to think this was all a dream. It certainly seemed like one, particularly as the weeks and months passed by. Tom said good-bye as quickly and unexpectedly as he had said hello. Normally not a sentimental man, Danny wished their last conversation could have lasted longer. He knew, though, that drawn out good-byes were neither his style nor Tom's. Still, he had spent so little time with the remarkable Tom Smith over the course of two short visits.

But how extraordinary those visits were.

Learn more about this author, Tom Fowler.
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