Excerpt From "Arthur Australopithecus" a novel novel by David Shenk

The New York City skyline was effusive. Distinct in its profile. Absorbing every man, woman, and child into its fabric, fulfilling the wonderment of ingenuous visitors that stepped briskly along its storied streets, walked with open mouths and starry eyes on its expansive boulevards, amalgamating them instantly into its never-ending story like ingénues at a casting call meant to further the plot in ways it never could have imagined. Dusk was approaching. Evanescent natural light was beginning its daily metamorphosis to man-made illumination, the magical time when neon caresses the concrete jungle with its gaseous bravado of lit colored glass. Even to the most callous of heart, this time of the day is full of admiration and awe for those who do not call this place their home. Two such neophytes to the big town on the Hudson were Arthur and Octavia Moore of Balthaser, Minnesota. They took to the airways late last night and landed at Kennedy around noon today. Took in a convention, showered, shaved, both took a shit, got dressed, dropped a bundle of cash at dinner at Morton's Steak House, and were now partaking in the camaraderie of their host's Day One evening get-together. And thus, this story begins…