"Facts"

The room containing the 1700's Man is interesting. Various "artifacts" are behind a glass wall explaining what they are. These items range from an Atari, to a pack of cigarettes, to a pair of X - Ray specs. In the center of the room is Mr. Bones. He is propped up in a battle position with my yellow shield firmly attached to his right hand. We hear many oo's and ahh's from the children. Our tour guide points to Mr. Bones. "This, some of you may know as The 1700's man. He was around before the American Revolution." A child raises his hand. "Did he fight in the war?" The tour guide looks befuddled. "I don't think so." She calls on another child. "Did he like to play video games?" "No."She responds, firmly. "Then why are there video games here?" The child continues. "We don't know. We don't know how they got there." She says. The children groan. Obviously this was not an acceptable answer. "Are you sure he's from the early 1700's?" I ask. The tour guide stares at me. "Should you be here?" "Yeah, we're not part of the tour, we just walked in." I tell her. The tour guide does not buy a word I am saying, but she continues. "Yes, he is from the 1700's. We know that as a fact. Anymore questions?" I glance at Mr. Bones holding the shield. "Why is he holding a shield?" I ask. "Did you watch any of the reports on him?" I shake my head no. The tour guide sighs. "When he was found, he was clutching that shield." "That doesn't make sense. We were there. He wasn't holding a shield then." Olivia says. The tour guide shrugs. "These are the facts they tell me. Now, I have to get back to work." The tour guide directs the children in to the next room. We watch them leave, then stare up at Mr. Bones. He lowers his head slightly. "I thought you'd never be back."