The Brave Historian

It was the end of 1999 and the world was anxiously anticipating a new century while John Hammond was reluctantly celebrating a childhood goal - to live one hundred years.

Few people realized that John was the last living member of the legendary Hammond Family. His brother, David Hammond, was a dark and volatile writer whose savage and unrelenting novels nourished a cult following long after his death. His sister, Mary Hammond, was considered one of the foremost artists of her time, still regarded for her scolding twists on reality. George Hammond, their father, was the noted composer, a whirlwind of music, a man whose death had viciously thrust a hammer into John's soul. A gathering of magnificent eccentrics, they had stormed the gates of insanity, each motored by a brain that simply would not slow down.

John had the family gift, creating unique and powerful stories while pondering every word, every meaning. He also was cursed with the intense need for fame; he just never pushed, only waited to somehow be discovered. It never happened.

Lately, however, John Hammond has been oddly energized, fading into dreams that are particularly vivid, strangely real. Also, in these dreams, he is suddenly young again, strong again, and the past so very real again.

When Shelly Kingston is hired to put together a short birthday documentary about John's life, the young filmmaker is intrigued by the old man's stories and his unpublished, unfinished writings. John Hammond is intrigued by her.

Another distant dream . . .