Читать книгу The Keeper. Part 1. An Invitation - Craig Speakes - Страница 3

Speak This Word

When Arthur awoke the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that the cat wasn’t anywhere to be found. Guessing it probably meant that he was still ‘riddling’ with the big ginger next door, and having caught wind that Aunty M was readying a long list of things for him to do, he’d fled upstairs to the attic to try and delay the inevitable.

Hiding in a part of the room that couldn’t be seen from the stairs, he placed the box on the floor in front of him and sat staring at it.

‘You know, I bet you turn out to be a whole lot of nothing,’ he said, finally picking it up. The longer he gazed at it, the more foolish he started to feel for wantingto believe that it could be anything more than just some ordinary little box. Feeling annoyed with himself, he was about to throw it in a drawer but stopped.

<<No, wait! What about everything that has already happened?… It can’t all be coincidental, can it? That weird white light; my hands; suddenly being able to talk to the cat; the hole in the tracks; the fish; the box; the reports of the men looking for it.>>

‘They’ve all got to be connected somehow. But how?’ he asked out loud.

‘You do know, right, that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness?’ meowed the cat, strolling into the room at that moment.

‘Ha ha, where’ve you been?’

‘Busy solving the greatest riddle that never actually was.’

‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’

‘You’ll see when I tell you the answer. Fluffy and I have solved it. Well, it was more me than Fluffy. I’m sure even he would agree.’

<<‘So?’>>

‘Well, it was really just staring us right in the whiskers the whole time.’

‘Great, but I’ve been staring at it all morning, and I didn’t feel it staring at my whiskers.’

‘That’s because you’ve been looking without really looking.’

Arthur rolled his eyes. ‘Brilliant! OK, and…?’

‘Hmm?’ asked the cat, distracted by a small beetle scurrying across the floor.

‘C’mon, what’s the answer?’

‘Oh, that. Just say “open” three times.’

‘What—that’s it?!’

‘I told you it was simple.’

‘Just a bit!’ <<Could it really be so simple?>> he wondered, shaking his head. ‘Well, I guess we should try it, at least.’

‘Yep, right—off you go then!’ said the cat, forgetting about the insect all of a sudden, and beating a hasty retreat towards the stairs.

Watching him from the corner of his eye, Arthur cupped the box in his hands and held them out in front of him.

‘So, I’m just going to say “open” three times, then.’

‘Yep. Three times ought to do it.’

‘OK, here we go. <<Open!>>’

The cat had reached the top.

‘<<Open!>>’ he said again.

Arthur could feel his hands beginning to shake with excitement and his heart racing.

‘<<Open!… >>Cat! Why are you—’

Suddenly, the little box shot into the air, freezing halfway between the floor and the ceiling. Snapping open, a bright white light like he’d seen the night of the storm spilled out of it, filling the room instantly. Coloured spheres began to materialise everywhere. And between them, countless shining points. Arthur, mesmerised by what was happening, ducked as a small green-and-blue sphere appeared just above his head.

‘Cat…’

‘I’m here… I see them!’ he meowed dreamily.

‘What are they?’

‘I have no idea. But they’re <<soooo>> pretty.’

A moment later, the room was plunged into darkness. The coloured spheres, the points of light, continuing to shine, now appeared to be grouped into clusters.

‘Cat! I think I’ve got it! I know what this is! They’re planets, suns, and stars. I saw something like this when I was at the planetarium. It’s got to be a map—a star map! And look over there, there’s some kind of writing near one of the groups. See?’

‘Yes, yes, I see. What’s it say?’ he whispered, coming closer and trying to catch one of the spheres with a paw.

‘I don’t know, but they look like symbols of some sort. I reckon it must mean that there’s something special about those planets.’

‘You mean like a warning not to ever go there.’

‘That’d be weird, don’t you think?’

‘Not really.’

‘But, if it is a map, then where did it come from? And how did it get to Earth?’

‘And who put it at the bottom of a lake?’

‘Or on that weird train that blew up?’

‘If it really was on that train!’

‘What? Of course it was on the train. Don’t you think it’s a bit of a coincidence that it fell into the lake exactly on the night of the bright light, which was also when it looks like it blew up?’

‘Maybe. Or perhaps it actually fell out of a passing aircraft blinded by that exact light.’

‘An aircraft?’ laughed Arthur. ‘And I suppose that whoever it was who happened to be flying it also happened to be holding the box out of the window at that exact moment?’

‘Why not? Or maybe it also blew up. And before you say it’s not possible, don’t forget that I talked to a fish yesterday.’

‘Sure, but it definitely came from the train.’

‘Or a plane which blew up.’

‘Train!’

‘Plane!’

And whilst they were arguing, the slow spinning planets and otherworldly symbols began to fade. Snapping shut, the box fell with a thud to the floor, making them both jump.

Prodding it to make sure it wasn’t hot, Arthur picked up the box just in time to catch a faint pattern of light visible around its edges.

‘I wonder what we should do with it. It looks like it might really be important. What do you reckon?’

‘I vote that we give it to your mum. We can say that it’s magic and that its hers if she agrees to start feeding me better.’

‘To my mum—are you mad? We’d be in trouble for having found it in the first place.’

‘Rats!’

‘Listen, we need to find out who that train belongs to and give it to them, maybe.’

‘Yeah, well, good luck with that. You do remember the size of that hole, right? I’m not liking our chances of still finding anyone who was onboard.’

‘Oh c’mon, we don’t know that. And anyway, someone came looking for it afterwards. Remember what the fish said? That has to mean that somebody knows something.’

‘I guess.’

‘So, let’s get out of here and come up with a plan. I can’t be made to be doing chores before we’ve sorted this out.’

Creeping down the narrow, ladder-like stairs, Arthur stopped at the bottom and peered round the door frame. He was in luck. His mother and aunt were talking in the kitchen, which meant he’d be able to leave unseen. Opening the front door and just about to make a run for it, he suddenly turned and dashed back up into the attic.

‘Hey, where are you going?’ meowed the cat, scampering after him. ‘I thought we were going out?’

‘No way… It can’t be!’ exclaimed Arthur, running over to the window. ‘Cat! There—look!’ he cried, as three helicopters flew into view just over the tops of the trees. ‘You don’t think they know, do you?’

‘What <<are>> you on about?’ the cat meowed, jumping onto the window sill and standing on his hind legs to get a better view.

‘I’m on about them! It can’t be a coincidence, can it? They’re coming right for us. They must know that we opened it – But how!?.’

‘

Yikes!

’

cried the cat, jumping down and making a run for the stairs.

‘

Every cat for himself then—that

’

s what I say!

’

‘Nice one, coward!’ Arthur shouted after him.

Arthur continued to watch in horror as two of the helicopters set down in the field next to the neighbour’s house, while the third took up a position right over their cottage, causing the whole roof to rattle and vibrate heavily.

‘Not good!’ he mumbled, creeping over to the top of the stairs. He could hear his mother and Aunty M frantically shouting something about seeing soldiers with guns coming into the garden. A few seconds later, the helicopter above them moved off, and a male voice boomed out, followed by the sound of footsteps going into the kitchen.

‘Arthur! Where are you?’ shouted his mother.

<<Definitely not good!>>

With that gut-sinking feeling that he was about to be in a whole heap of trouble, Arthur took a deep breath and descended the stairs, pausing at the bottom to gaze at the soldiers standing sentry on either side of the front door.

‘Are you okay? Where’ve you been? We were all worried sick!’ exclaimed his mother, rushing up to him as he entered the room.

‘Mum, I’m fine,’ he replied, noticing a tall man in an officer’s uniform, standing by the kitchen table.

The officer looked at him and smiled. ‘So you must be Arthur,’ he said, stepping forwards and extending a hand for him to shake. ‘Come and have a seat, will you? I’m sure this will all just take a minute.’

Arthur glanced at his mother who nodded for him to do as he’d been told.

‘My name is General Hammond,’ he said, pulling back a chair, and removing his peaked cap to reveal a buzz cut of greying hair. ‘I am head of the Space Projects Division at the T8 Joint Command Facility. Do you have any idea why I have come here today?’

Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

‘It’s OK. You do not need to be afraid. You are not in any trouble. In fact, quite the opposite. I believe that you are in a position to help me recover something very valuable, which was lost in a recent, and rather unfortunate accident.’

His mother was whispering animatedly with Aunty M.

‘A short while ago, a powerful energy spike was detected coming from the vicinity of this house. Do you have any idea what I might be referring to?’

Arthur nodded.

‘And am I also correct in thinking that you were able to open the object?’

Arthur nodded again.

The expression on the general’s face, which had up until that point been calm, suddenly became deadly serious. ‘Then the sooner you return the object to me and give me your assurance never to mention a word about <<it >>or what you have seen to anyone, the safer it is going to be for you and your family… Do you understand what I am telling you, Arthur?’

‘Yes,’ replied Arthur, feeling a shiver run down his spine. ‘I understand.’

‘Fine. And do you have the artefact in your possession?’

‘Please give the officer what he came here for!’ cried his mother before he’d even had a chance to say anything. ‘It clearly doesn’t belong to you! We’re so sorry, General, he’s always been a bit of a handful, ever since he was just a toddler. I think he gets it from his father, you know.’

‘Yes, it’s here,’ frowned Arthur, removing the box from his pocket and placing it on the kitchen table.

Picking it up, the general gave each side a cursory glance before tucking it into his shoulder bag. ‘Thank you. Now, I realise that you doubtless have a lot of questions, especially about what it was that you saw. But I mean it very sincerely when I say that the less you know, the better.’

The general turned to his mother and Aunty M, hovering by the door.

‘And the same, I’m afraid, also applies to the both of you ladies. The fewer people who know about this, the better. I trust I also have your assurances on this matter?’

‘Fine then,’ he said, as they both nodded vigorously. ‘Now, if you will please forgive the manner of this intrusion, I really must get going.’

Rising, the general shook Arthur’s hand, put on his cap and left, leaving the three of them watching through the kitchen window as he and the soldiers headed back up the garden path.

No sooner had the garden gate clattered shut behind them than Arthur suddenly found himself in the world of trouble which he knew was coming.

‘When are you ever going to learn not to go poking your nose into things that don’t concern you!? And look what’s happened this time—even the army had to get involved! I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you, I really don’t. Why can’t you be normal like your friends?’

And no amount of trying to explain that all he’d done was find it was going to get her to change her mind on the matter. The worst part about all of it, though, was that very shortly after the general had taken the box, Arthur discovered that he was no longer able to understand the cat. At first he’d thought that Cat was playing a joke on him, but after dousing him with water, and not hearing anything except hisses and unhappy meows, he understood for sure. In many ways it felt like losing a best friend, whilst not <<actually >>losing him.

Gradually, after unsuccessfully trying different ways to communicate, they fell back into doing what they’d always done. The cat continued to follow him around, and Arthur still talked to him as though he understood. But it wasn’t the same. And as for the box, well, the general’s insistence that he promise to not discuss it with anyone had only made him even more curious about what it really was.