Graves

The buildings stood empty, monoliths etched by lichen and rust, each one a decaying monument to a forsaken past.

Dr. Niemann and his team surveyed the remains from the safety of their hazmat suits. Acquiring the grant money for their investigation of Old New York had taken more than a year. No one wanted to know what had happened. Perhaps out of fear it might happen again.

The surveyors delayed entering as long as possible. But the initial measurements and data tracking were complete and the time had come to learn why ten million people had all died at once.

The Weight Of A Thigh

King Henry was becoming impatient. He always got cranky before his afternoon nap.

"Are we quite finished yet?"

"Almost, your Majesty. We just have one more."

"For Chrissakes! More? We've done the inch, and the foot, and the yard. What else bloody is there?"

"We just need to weigh your royal right thigh."

"My thigh? What's this going to measure?"

"Well, it defines the exact weight less than which you cannot trust a woman."

"Oh, yes. Very true. Carry on."

Thanks to Henry I and his new system of standard measurements, the British kingdom entered a golden age of prosperity.