Last November, I was returning home from a trip to Los Angeles. It’s funny how we can’t wait to be tethered to the rest of the world after spending six hours on a plane, but as soon as the wheels hit the tarmac and the bell goes off in the cabin, out come the cell phones. I had just turned mine on when it started ringing like crazy.

“Bill,â€? It was my lawyer, Charley. “They’ve settled.â€?

I was just coming off of a weekend at the Screenwriting Expo, where I had been a guest speaker, so the last thing I was thinking about was a book I’d worked on when polyester was still the fabric of the future. But before I could ask what he was talking about, Charley said, “We’ll meet you at baggage claim.â€?

That didn’t bode well. I gathered my things, headed off the jetway and into JFK . As I rode the escalator down to baggage claim, I spotted Charley at the bottom. And just a little behind him, Kermit Shog’s kid, are you ready? Mandrake Shog.

My stomach sank.