Page 31 of See the Stars

Two things inspire me to awe – the starry heavens above and the moral universe within.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

‘ I wasn’t expecting to see you two this morning,’ said Sheila, coming into the kitchen and opening the fridge. ‘What happened?’

‘Didn’t you hear all the excitement last night?’ asked Hugo.

‘I took a sleeping pill.’ Sheila pulled the butter dish out and placed it on the counter.

‘That little boy thought he’d found a meteor and Alice dragged us home at four in the morning.’

‘Five,’ corrected Alice. ‘I’m really sorry about that,’ she added.

‘Running around in the middle of the night?’ said Sheila. ‘That can’t be good for your heart.’

‘I wasn’t running around,’ said Alice. ‘Hugo drove. And my heart isn’t the problem. The TIA was a brain incident. And while we’re talking inaccuracies, it was a comet, not a meteor,’ she added, turning to Hugo.

‘It wasn’t either,’ said Hugo. ‘It was a fleck of space dust, apparently. Otherwise known as nothing.’

Alice felt overwhelmed. She’d hardly slept, she’d dragged poor Hugo out of the lovely hotel bed that he’d booked for them both, and now she was exhausted, disappointed and felt like she might cry. ‘It was a nebula,’ she said. ‘It’s a very easy mistake to make.’

‘I think you’re both tired,’ said Sheila. ‘How about I make you some coffee, Hugo?’ She looked at Alice. ‘Herbal tea for you, I’m afraid,’ she added.

‘Coffee sounds great,’ said Hugo. Sheila started running the water. The pipes in the house grumbled in objection. ‘Thanks, Sheila.’

‘I am sorry,’ said Alice. Hugo did look tired. ‘It was sweet of you to take me for the spa day. And I loved it. I particularly loved that you drove me home in the middle of the night,’ she added. ‘You’re so good to me. Thank you for being so lovely.’

Hugo’s face softened. ‘That’s OK,’ he said. ‘So, are you ready to get the train back later?’

Alice nodded. ‘Yes,’ she said. She took a deep breath. ‘I suppose so.’

‘Are you sure?’ asked her mum. ‘Maybe you should ask for some extra time off, if you’re still not feeling yourself.’

‘No,’ said Alice. ‘I don’t think I can. It was lovely to come home,’ she added, gently touching her mother’s arm. Sheila smiled at her. ‘And I’ll visit more often. But I need to get back to normal life.’

‘So what will you two do on your last day?’ asked Sheila. ‘It’s still early.’

‘We could go back to the spa if you like?’ suggested Alice.

‘It’s not worth it,’ said Hugo. ‘We’d need to check out as soon as we arrived.’ He took a sip of coffee. ‘Actually, there is something I’d like to do. A little thank you to Sheila for taking such good care of you.’

‘You’re so thoughtful,’ said Sheila. ‘But there’s no need.’

‘Flowers?’ suggested Alice.

‘Something much more useful than that,’ said Hugo. ‘Something that will push our knowledge of science to the limit.’

*

‘More towels!’ shouted Alice, feeling vaguely like a midwife. ‘The water’s still coming.’

‘There aren’t any more,’ replied her mother. ‘Listen, I really think we should call the plumber before we need to get the snorkels out.’

‘I’ve almost got it,’ said Hugo, kneeling next to Alice. He was wrestling with the pipe under the kitchen sink. More water spurted out dramatically, as if it had been awaiting its chance to contradict him and escape.

‘The kitchen floor needed a clean anyway,’ said Sheila, who Alice had to admit was taking all this in very good humour. ‘But if it spreads to the living room and my carpets get damp, they’ll smell of wet dog for ever. Or wet cat,’ she added. ‘No offence, Basalt.’

Basalt looked at her and sneezed.

‘It won’t spread,’ said Alice. ‘I’ve set up a dam system to control the water flow. It’s like the Suez Canal.’

Hugo chuckled. ‘Not sure the Egyptians would appreciate the comparison,’ he said.

Another spurt of water shot out, hitting him right in the face.

‘Maybe it’s for the best that you’re going back to London later,’ said Sheila, laughing. ‘Neither of you has a career as a plumber round here.’

‘There!’ said Hugo, finally twisting the washer back into position and removing his head from the cupboard. ‘I’ve secured the loose pipes.’

Basalt meowed. Alice looked at him. He was sitting on the other side of a rolled-up towel, watching the water, fascinated.

He reached a tentative paw out, touched the water ever so lightly and then shook his paw vigorously, before leaning forward and lapping it up with his tongue.

‘He’s cleaning up for us,’ she said with a smile.

‘I’ll get the mop,’ said Sheila. ‘In case he needs some help.’

Alice looked back under the kitchen sink, checking for damage. They’d deal with the floor easily enough, but she didn’t want the water to rot the wood in the cupboard. Grabbing the one remaining dry dishcloth, she started to wipe behind the pipes.

She felt loose, damp plyboard, then her fingers came across something else wedged beside it.

It was flat and leathery. Intrigued, she twisted her hand around, trying to grab onto whatever it was.

She tugged, but it stayed firmly in place.

Reaching her other hand around, she pulled until it popped loose, sending her flying back with a splash into the pool they’d created.

‘Going for a swim, are you?’ asked her mum with a laugh, as she started mopping. ‘What’s that you’ve got?’

‘Not sure.’ Alice stood up, trying not to slip on the wet lino. She carefully stepped onto a dry patch of floor and inspected what was in her hand.

The cover was a little mouldy, but she’d recognise it anywhere.

‘It’s a logbook,’ she declared. She opened it, barely able to believe it could be true. ‘The one that was missing.’

Alice sat at the table, poring over the book, while her mum and Hugo mopped the floor.

Her grandfather’s writing was erratic and his spelling, once perfect, was by this point atrocious, a victim of the Alzheimer’s.

But still, he’d included all the key information.

Date, time, magnification. Magnitude, position, even a sketch.

It was still him, still meticulous.

‘Aren’t you going to help?’ asked Hugo.

‘Shush,’ replied Alice. ‘I’m trying to find the right page.’

‘Easy with that mop,’ Sheila said, taking it from Hugo. ‘I need some floor left at the end of this.’ She scratched her head. ‘I’ve got no idea how that book ended up there.’

Alice didn’t look up; she was still scanning the pages. ‘Here it is,’ she said, excitement flooding from her voice like water from a pipe. ‘This is where he thought he’d seen it, the last time.’ She grinned. ‘It’s the final data point. The one we needed.’

‘Mind out,’ said Sheila, mopping around Alice’s feet then squeezing the water into a bucket.

‘You told me your grandpa had Alzheimer’s,’ said Hugo, his voice gentle. ‘Surely his notes don’t mean much.’

‘He probably thought that hole behind the sink was a postbox,’ agreed her mum.

‘He saw something. And it’s all here. I just need to do some calculations. And call Berti,’ Alice added. ‘He can help.’

‘Our train is in an hour,’ said Hugo.

‘Your train. I need to stay here.’

‘What?’

She couldn’t leave now. Not when she was so close to fulfilling her grandfather’s dreams. If she could find the comet, she felt like she could make it up to him.

‘I’m staying. Now I’ve got the logbook, I have a much better chance of finding Grandpa’s comet.’

‘But your job?’ said Hugo.

‘Another week or two won’t make much difference,’ said Alice.

She could hardly believe she was saying the words.

Not long ago, she’d never have dreamed of taking an unexpected day off, let alone weeks.

It was freeing, and she felt a comfortable looseness in her chest at the decision.

‘I’ll talk to Angus. He’ll be fine with it.

’ Angus is not fine with it , Alice heard in her head. But she was.

‘What about me?’ said Hugo. ‘I miss you.’

‘I miss you too,’ said Alice. She leaned in and gave him a gentle and rather chaste kiss on the lips, aware that her mother was watching. ‘But I need to do this. I need to find the comet for my grandfather.’ She took a deep breath. ‘And for me.’