The Afterlife of Alice Watkins 1

by Matilda Scotney

  “Possibly.” Alice supposed just a plain cake might suffice if they had the ingredients.

  Then Principal Katya held up her hand.

  “But you are on holiday and I am taking up too much of your time!”

  And even though Alice had never crammed so much into one day, she meant it when she answered,

  “To be honest, Principal Katya, this is a perfect holiday.”

  The meat patties needed work. Chef missed the point about seasoning and they had the appearance of being cooked with a blowtorch, but they still tasted raw. Alice knew she hadn’t explained it well, so with the promise of further instruction in hamburgers and much to Alice’s relief, they instead dined on cheese and fruit, which meant she could nibble and no-one would be any the wiser.

  Much later, in the washer, Alice found a small cubicle tucked away and inside, a normal, running water shower. Fancier than any shower she had ever seen, Alice had to do a bit of hand-waving to find out where the water came from because there didn’t appear to be a showerhead. In all other ways, it was just a regular shower and she discovered scented wafers to use as soap.

  Sarah had put a nightgown on the pillow, but she was so worn out, she slid into bed without paying it much mind. Tomorrow, she expected she would teach crochet and give Chef instructions on making a pudding and she would walk in the garden again at sunset. A simply perfect and perfectly simple day to look forward to. Patrick was due the day after and she was happy she would see him again so soon.

  “Knock, knock!” Sarah’s cheerful voice startled her awake.

  Alice blinked, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the natural light. The blinds were up, and daylight poured in the windows.

  “Only me.” Sarah came in with a hover-trolley and Alice pushed herself up, bleary-eyed, into a sitting position, before remembering she’d gone to bed naked. She looked down, ready to pull the sheet over her but to her surprise, she was wearing the nightdress she saw folded up on the pillow the previous night.

  “Principal Katya has a council meeting,” Sarah told her, bringing the trolley to the side of the bed and pouring coffee. “When you didn’t come for breakfast, she thought you might be enjoying a nice sleep and suggested I serve you something here in your suite.”

  “I’d like the coffee, thank you, Sarah. My head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton wool. I’m still tired.”

  Sarah grinned. “I’m glad to see you wearing your nightwear, Alice.”

  “I don’t remember putting it on,” Alice plumped her pillows up and sat back. Never in her life had anyone brought her coffee or breakfast in bed before and she was going to enjoy it.

  “Statesman Mellor says you spent most of the night in the library.”

  “The library? What was I doing?” Alice was puzzled, she didn’t remember going to the library. Statesman Mellor must be mistaken.

  “Playing the piano,” Sarah said. “Statesman Mellor was sitting in the great hall. He said you played for almost two hours and you were still playing when he retired to his suite.”

  “Oh no!” Alice’s eyes widened in horror. “Sarah, I got into bed naked. I was so tired!” Having no memory of playing the piano again was one thing but to do it in the nude! Alice pulled the sheet over her head to hide her shame. Sarah chuckled as she sat on the bed and pulled the sheet away. It appeared to be no big deal at all to her.

  “Alice, Statesman Mellor wouldn’t continue listening to you play the piano had you been naked, I can assure you,” she lifted the collar of Alice’s nightdress. “From the look of it, you put this on before you went downstairs. Statesman Mellor didn’t realise you were sleepwalking, if he had, and particularly if you were naked, he would have called for Principal Katya.”

  “Sarah, I can’t remember,” Alice blushed even at the possibility of wandering around the Tabernacle in her nightie.

  “Modesty is ingrained, remember you were even too shy to ask about panties? You might have gone to bed naked, but you took the time to put something on before you left your room.”

  “No wonder I’m half-asleep.”

  Alice rubbed her eyes and sipped the coffee, trying to recall the events of the previous night, but it was useless. Her mind was a complete blank.

  “Statesman Mellor told me he spoke to you and asked your consent to listen,” Sarah said. “You even discussed with him the pieces you played. He thought nothing untoward, even the fact you were in your nightwear. It’s odd you don’t recall being there.”

  Alice sighed. “I don’t know, Sarah. I played the piano on the Significator. At least that’s what I was told. But I don’t remember any of that either, only the experience of finding myself standing by the piano when Principal Ryan found me. The music’s vague,” Alice shrugged, “like a feeling I can’t hold onto.”

  “Maybe part of you is recovering memories. I expect it’s a good thing.” Sarah stood. “Now, have your coffee, have a nibble at what you fancy and go and do something, anything you wish. Principal Katya advises the shuttles are at your disposal provided the pilot stays with you at all times. She doesn’t want you getting lost!”

  “I wouldn’t know where to go.”

  “Well, just tell the pilot to take you on a tour of the principality.”

  “What a good idea. Yes, thank you, I will, though Principal Katya expected to do more crochet today.”

  “She does, and she has sent to the city for more yarn and hooks, but she won’t press you if you want to do other things.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of saying no to her, she’s lovely and as she’s enjoying crochet so much, I would like to do another class.”

  An hour later, as Alice stood outside the Tabernacle waiting for the pilot to collect her for the tour, she recognised the distinctive markings of a principality ship shuttle as it descended nearby. She prepared her most welcoming smile, ready for Patrick just in case he arrived early, but it was Hennessey who climbed down, reaching out to help a slim girl with a ponytail. A sling was tied to the front of her body. Hennessey saw Alice and waved, indicating to the girl by his side, that he knew Alice and should go across to say hello.

  “Dr Langley,” he looked happy. “This is my wife, Sylvia.” Hennessey introduced the lovely, fair-haired girl at his side. She stepped forward and inclined her head in greeting.

  “Dr Langley.”

  Alice noticed Sylvia was introduced only as ‘wife’ with no professional title. She hadn’t come across that before. Alice noticed the sling was moving, the little cherub inside was wide awake, and he was a darling!

  “And who’s this little sweetheart?” Alice peeked inside, then smiled up at the parents.

  “This is Lester. He’s almost four months,” Sylvia said, thrilled to show off her new baby.

  “Lester, really?” Alice glanced at Hennessey, too puffed up with pride to notice the hint of a query in her voice. “That’s a good solid name,” she said, recollecting how Patrick told her Hennessey hated his Christian name.

  “He’s gorgeous. Congratulations!”

  Such a beautiful family. It must have been a wrench for Hennessey to leave his wife and go into space for a year.

  “Thank you, Dr Langley. Will you be coming to the cotillion?” Sylvia asked.

  “Cotillion?”

  “The Spring Ball,” Statesman Hennessey added. “It will be held in another six weeks. Everyone attached to the Tabernacle attends and Dr Langley, as you are now part of everyone, I presume you will be there.” He placed his arm around his wife and grinned at Alice.

  Alice thought him unwelcoming when she first met him and was glad now of these opportunities to change her opinions. He was entitled to be a little short-tempered at the dinner, he probably just wanted to get home to his lovely family and not have unnecessary distractions. His wife was lovely and, Alice speculated, a fair bit younger than him.

  “Then Statesmen Hennessey, if that’s the case, I’ll be there.”

  Alice thought she might be making a huge assumption, no-one
else had mentioned it. A Spring Ball—a Cotillion, sounded formal and she might not be important enough. “I will be spending time in Principality 19, visiting family, but I will come back for the ball if I receive an invitation.”

  Hennessey bowed.

  “We are also returning to our principality. My wife has just had a tour of the Significator and now, the council is waiting. If you’ll excuse us?”

  Alice sighed as she watched them walk away, arms around each other. A happy little family, a place to go, a home to return to. As they disappeared into the great hall, she turned towards the lake. Her home had another name now. Principality 19. Not Australia. Principality 19 is where she would be ‘visiting’ family. The Calamities, where Tasmania used to be. Not so bad maybe, she had always wanted to go to Tasmania. Seeing Statesman Hennessey’s little boy made Alice wonder if Michelle’s new baby had arrived yet.

  The pilot arrived in a similar shuttle to the one which transported them to the city. Alice recognised the Tabernacle markings of two circles, one light green and the other a darker green, in an eclipse against a background of silver. This made the shuttle easily identifiable as a Tabernacle vehicle and altogether different from the bold blue and gold chevrons, set within a red braided circle which distinguished a military shuttle.

  Pilot Marks, mid-twenties and with an easy manner, showed Alice the boundaries of Principality One on the shuttle registry, World Government Territory. The boundaries are not physical, he assured her, people moved with freedom between principalities unless they are consigned to the Calamities, but Alice had no desire to discuss Calamities, so she told Pilot Marks this area was once called America.

  Pilot Marks had been directed, by Principal Katya herself, that his passenger had been seriously ill and sometimes, may say odd things. If she did, he must imagine himself as showing the principality to someone who had never visited Earth and to answer as accurately as possible. If he didn’t know an answer or how to respond, he must say so. This was one of those times.

  “I don’t know this area as America, Dr Langley, but old maps exist where this region is referred to as Washington. That was centuries ago but I’m not sure if this entire continent was called America, there is a place called the Americas but it’s not a principality. All the principalities had names, but not in living memory. History isn’t my strong point, but I can research a more accurate and reliable answer if you wish?”

  Washington, America, the place of government and where the President lived. For Alice to have travelled there, in her small world, would have been like going to the moon. Now, she had got to do both, visit Washington and fly over the moon.

  Pilot Marks explained the continent was divided into 5 principalities. Alice hoped they might travel to them all today but, he informed her, no, it would take too long to visit each one and their clearance was only within this principality.

  As the shuttle lifted into the air, Alice wondered how these vehicles exhibited so little sensation of movement or vibration but she was sure if she enquired, the answer would be technical in the extreme, so she contented herself with using Pilot Marks as a tour guide, asking questions about agriculture, education and the animals she had seen on the small holdings on the way to the city the previous day.

  “All the buildings you see to your right are places of learning, Dr Langley,” he banked the shuttle for her to get a good look. “All children in the world will pass through institutions such as these. Most of the animals are owned privately in assigned housing, other animals you see roaming about belong to the science and agricultural schools.”

  “Did you attend the schools here?”

  “I still do. I’ve almost completed my engineering studies, I graduate in a month and I’m due to begin my assignment on the Significator when it leaves.” Pilot Marks grinned from ear to ear. Alice knew assignment to any principality ship was a huge achievement.

  “I’ve been on the Significator. It’s enormous!”

  “It is. A city in space and a society all its own.”

  Alice agreed. It was that.

  The sweep of the principality took them a little over two hours. Alice would have liked to spent time walking around the farms and seeing the animals, but the pilot only took the shuttle low enough for a glimpse, reminding her people lived in the houses. Alice understood how rude it would be to land in someone’s garden uninvited, but at one property, he dropped low and told her Sarah lived there.

  “My steward?”

  “Yes, and my mother!”

  “Oh, how lovely. Sarah is wonderful!”

  Alice looked down on the homestead. White, red-roofed and sitting prettily in the middle of a lawn surrounded by flowers and animals and trees. A beautiful place for an artist to live, with views of the hills and in the far distance, the gleaming dome of the Tabernacle.

  The university buildings were impressive with many people hurrying around, set on their tasks and oblivious to their humming about overhead. Pilot Marks asked for permission to land the shuttle and Alice took the opportunity to wander and explore. The buildings were similar in style and possibly as old as the Tabernacle, with the same wide terraces and columns but, in contrast to the Tabernacle, these halls had grand, arched windows, with much of the glass stained in reds and greens and reflecting the morning sunshine. To Alice, the colours were so brilliant and glorious, she imagined they were encrusted with real gemstones.

  No-one paid Alice and her pilot any mind. Each student, regardless of whether they were wearing long or short sleeves, sported a coloured cuff on their wrist, showing both the training they were undertaking and level of their education. Alice saw a few with maroon cuffs and guessed they were learning to be educators.

  All the students were in their late teens or early twenties, some of the men and women were much older. These are our Educators and Professors, Pilot Marks told her, drawing her attention again to the different cuff colours. Alice had assumed correctly, maroon for the educators, just like Amelia. Everyone seemed content to be here, unlike Alice’s schooldays, when everyone longed for the bell to ring at the end of the day.

  The buildings had a majesty to rival the Tabernacle and Pilot Marks didn’t hurry her while she marvelled at the architecture and explored the halls. He knew many of the students, all happy to share with Alice their pride in this beautiful university and their excitement in beginning their prospective careers.

  Alice hadn’t paid attention to architecture before, but the buildings she’d seen in the past 24 hours, the Tabernacle, the city and the university were so impressive; graceful and elegant and unbelievably splendid, it was a subject worthy of further study.

  On their return, Pilot Marks left Alice by the lake. It occurred to her that, in all her life, she had never pleased herself and now, it pleased her to walk around the lake and watch the ducks quack and bob up and down, just as they had centuries ago.

  This time, Alice made it to the summer house at the far end and sat on the steps. The Tabernacle, its dome of gleaming gold, shone brightly in the midday sun. The lake lay sparkling clear and blue between the summer house and the Tabernacle. Its beauty and clarity made Alice compare it to the small lake near the house she had lived in when she was married to Ted. Such a dirty lake, shopping trolleys and rubbish littered through it with nothing for the poor ducks to eat. It was so polluted, nothing survived in its depths. She used to take the children down there with scraps of bread to feed the ducks. Those poor ducks, soaking the bread in the dirty water before they swallowed. These ducks, here at the Tabernacle, are very lucky ducks.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Alice!!”

  She heard her name and looked up to see Sarah hurrying around the perimeter of the lake. Alice stood, meaning to walk to meet her but surprised herself by breaking into a jog. Alice had never run or jogged, ever.

  “Sarah! I met your son. He was the pilot who flew me around the principality.”

  “That was Peter. He’s going to the Significator on its next
mission,”

  “He told me. You must be so proud! How exciting! He took me to his university, I loved it, the buildings were so grand, and he was very informative.”

  “We’ll miss him. He’ll be gone for two years but we’ve been fortunate to have him close to home this last year.”

  “Oh, Sarah, sorry, I’m chattering like a monkey. Did you need me for something? Am I late for crochet class?”

  “Of course not, it’s scheduled for after lunch, but we need to go back to the Tabernacle because Principal Katya has someone she wishes you to meet.”

  Alice fell into step beside Sarah.

  “Meet someone? Who?”

  Sarah slowed a little and Alice got the distinct feeling she was trying to prepare her. She stopped walking and Sarah turned to her.

  “Alice, I assume you have heard of the A’khet?”

  A small knot of anxiety formed deep in Alice’s stomach. A’khet were aliens.

  “A’khet has come to visit Principal Katya. They are close friends. There are people who go their entire lives without ever seeing them but as you are a special guest of the Tabernacle, A’khet wishes to meet you.”

  “How many are there?”

  “Only one.”

  “Sarah, I’m not sure I want to meet a being from another world, I’m still getting used to beings from this world.”

  There was no ready answer. Sarah was carrying out Principal Katya’s wishes, to find Alice and escort her to the library. She now had to appeal to Alice to be brave and sensible.

  “Well, you are a being from another time and we accept you!”

  Alice understood and appreciated Sarah’s attempt to lighten her apprehension.

  “Sarah, on Saturn Station, I was sent to a dinner, on my own with the Significators Principal and his officers. I’d never met them, and I was petrified, but I had no choice. I made a fool of myself in front of them.”