Atlantis

1
THEATRE ROW
New York City
June 1939
Dusk had nearly set by the time Indy’s taxi squealed to a stop at the
curb of the Imperial Theater on West 45th Street. The last rays of
sunlight traced the skyscrapers in threads of silver fire against the
cool indigo sky as he stepped out of the cab and handed the driver
his fare, plus a generous tip for whisking him downtown from the
train station in record time. Turning from the street, he raised his
eyes to the glowing marquee that soared across the front of the
building. Indy shook his head in disbelief. Long ago, Sophia
Hapgood had once promised him that her name would be in lights
someday, but he never truly believed it. Yet there it was for all to
behold: Madame Sophia. In smaller letters beneath the title billing
was the addendum: Oracle of ancient wisdom!
Then he noticed that the block was devoid of people clamoring
at the box office to get inside. Unless he was mistaken it was
Friday night in the heart of Manhattan’s theater district, but the
electric tiara proclaiming Sophia’s greatness illuminated an utterly
empty sidewalk. Indy felt a pang of regret, and hoped that Sophia
wasn’t too crushed by the abysmal turnout. He strolled up to the
glass ticket booth, where a young dark-haired girl was busy
counting the day’s receipts. Her long red fingernails were a blur as
she tallied the ticket sales against her cash box. She was clearly in
a hurry to leave for the day.
He tapped on the window politely. “Excuse me. Can I get one
for Madame Sophia’s show?”