I've been trying to focus on other work and other topics but my mind keeps coming back to today's tragic news…the fire at the home of my friends, Len Wein and Chris Valada. I've been in that house and seen a wonderful, lived-in shrine to their respective passions. The place was delightfully full of fun stuff which, I'm told, is now all gone.
You feel helpless in moments like this, wishing you had some brilliant idea that would magically undo all the damage. There isn't, of course…but we're all sending "If there's anything I can do" messages, knowing full well there's not much any of us can do. The insurance company can and will do plenty but all the rest of us can do is to just be there for our friends.
I feel a special note of…I don't know if you'd call it guilt or what. About six weeks ago, I had a tiny fire at my home, also caused by a faulty heater. All that happened was that a wall was charred and an outlet melted but it made me realize it was about time I had some rewiring done here. That's why my power was out today…and because of the work here, I didn't hear what had happened until many hours after it had happened. Nobody phoned to tell me. They all sent e-mails, unaware that my Internet connection was out while my electricity was off. Meanwhile, several of Len's friends ran over there to help and I feel bad that I wasn't among them. I doubt I could have done much there but it might have made me feel better. (And I also feel a little guilty for thinking that way…)
Harlan Ellison was over there wielding a shovel and he described the loss to me a little while ago on the phone. It sounds pretty total. To those who ask, "What can we do?" the answer seems to be "not much right now," though Len and Chris must know they have a lot of friends they can turn to. At some point down the line though, when they're settled into new digs or a rebuilding of the old digs, I'd like to see if we can restore some of Len's book collection — particularly copies of things he worked on.
I haven't spoken to him about this or anything because, goodness knows, he's got plenty to think about without me demanding his attention. But I'm guessing he will welcome this — and it certainly makes me feel better to think there might be at least something we can do.