by carl ashmore
‘My dad gave it to me,’ Becky replied, her voice barely audible. ‘Just before he died.’
Uncle Percy closed his eyes. ‘Edgar, may we go somewhere private?’
A few minutes later they were huddled on the floor of a musty cave, far away from the crowded lagoon. Becky refused to look at anyone, her eyes locked on the far wall as she waited for someone to speak.
‘Becky, please, pass me the pendant,’ Uncle Percy said.
Her fingers tightened around it. ‘No.’
‘Please, Becky.’
‘Give it to him,’ Joe snapped.
Becky’s eyes dampened. She knew she had no choice. Slowly, she coiled it over her head and passed it over.
‘When this is over, I swear I will fix this.’ Uncle Percy took the pendant and pulled a penknife from his pocket. As he sliced the stone from its cluster, Becky squeezed her eyes shut. He cupped the Theseus Disc in his right hand and inserted it into the disc’s central groove.
Becky heard Joe gasp. Forcing her eyes open, she saw thin feathery shards of misty green light pulsating into the disc. It seemed alive. And then the light was everywhere, shooting out like lightning, illuminating the far reaches of the cave.
‘Whoa!’ Joe yelled as bolts of lightning coiled round Uncle Percy’s outstretched hand like blazing tentacles.
‘The key is complete,’ Edgar breathed.
Uncle Percy removed the Suman Stone and the cave fell into darkness.
‘That was excellent!’ Joe said. ‘Do it again.’
‘No, Joe,’ Uncle Percy said solemnly, holding the Suman Stone between his fingers. ‘I’m afraid, Becky, I’m going to have to keep this.’
‘You can’t,’ Becky growled. ‘It’s mine.’
‘I know,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘And I’ll keep it safe. I swear I will.’
Becky looked to Will, but his face offered sympathy not support. She folded her arms and turned away.
Moments passed. All the while, Joe couldn’t take his eyes off the Suman Stone. ‘Where would dad get something like that?’
Uncle Percy paused. ‘I have absolutely no idea.’
As the words lingered in the air, Becky felt anger welling inside. Was it really possible Uncle Percy had no idea about where it came from? Had he truly never heard of the Suman Stone?
Uncle Percy looked at Edgar. ‘We need your help. We need you to tell us how to find the island of Kera. Unless I’m very much mistaken, we’re running out of time.’
Edgar swallowed hard. ‘I will take you.’
‘You will?’
‘I give you my word.’ Edgar forced a smile. ‘My family’s home is on a neighboring island. Perhaps it is time I paid my brothers a visit.’
‘Thank you, Edgar,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘We’ll need a boat. I shall return to the Palace and talk to the King.’
‘No!’ Edgar said at once. ‘If you return he will believe I am dead, the community will be doomed. We will take my boat. We will leave at first light. With the wind on our side the journey should take three days.’ He sighed heavily. ‘But you will arrive at Kera. And may the Gods protect you from what you find there.’
*
That night Becky lay under a blanket, staring at the inky lagoon. She felt tired - exhausted even - but her mind ached with questions. Her thoughts, however, were disturbed by a groggy voice.
‘Becky,’ Joe said. ‘Are you awake?’
‘No.’
‘It’s weird, innit?’
‘What is?’
‘You having the Suman Stone.’
‘I guess.’
‘How do you think dad got it?’
‘How should I know?’
‘Do you think he knew what it was when he gave it to you?’
‘How should I know?’
‘Well, I suppose we’ll never know.’ Joe yawned.
‘I suppose not.’
But Becky did know, at least she thought she did. And tomorrow she would confront Uncle Percy about it. She knew her suspicions were unbelievable, but surely there could be no other explanation? But just how much did he know? Certainly, if what she now believed were true, then he was a manipulative liar. And if that was the case, she never wanted to see him again.
*
‘Oi, get up,’ Joe said, pushing his sister. ‘We’re going!’
Becky’s eyes sprang open to see Joe standing above her. ‘You touch me again and I’ll tear your head off.’
‘Lordy. Look who’s been bitten by Mr Grumples?’ Edgar said.
‘Sorry, I didn’t sleep well,’ Becky replied. Then she heard another voice and her stomach churned.
‘Good morning, Becky,’ Uncle Percy shouted over.
‘Morning,’ Becky mumbled, refusing to look him in the eye. Casting her blanket aside, she watched four figures emerge from a nearby cave. The Argonauts gathered in line before Uncle Percy, sad but resigned smiles on their faces.
Jason stepped forward. ‘So you will not stay?’
Uncle Percy placed his hand on the small man’s shoulder. ‘I’m afraid we can’t, Jason. We have a Fleece to find. But I think you will all be very happy here.’
‘Thank you,’ Jason said.
‘We would accompany you, but would be of no aid,’ Theseus said guiltily. ‘We are not warriors.’
‘But you are great men,’ Uncle Percy said kindly. ‘And history will remember you as such. I promise you that.’
Phineus leant over and whispered in Uncle Percy’s ear. ‘And I am sad I never witnessed the Devon-shire Bunny horses.’
Uncle Percy turned pink. ‘Next time,’ he whispered back.
The next few minutes were filled with hugs and warm exchanges of good luck. After their goodbyes, Uncle Percy, Will, Becky and Joe collected their possessions and turned to Edgar who stared sadly at his sleeping friends.
‘Let us depart…’ Edgar said, and holding a torch in one hand, a sack in the other and two water urns dangling from his horns, he lumbered toward the tunnel.
*
For ten minutes, they followed the bobbing flame of Edgar’s torch along a narrow, sandy path flanked by a saltwater river and the damp tunnel wall. The sound of the ocean grew louder all the time.
‘Nearly there,’ the Minotaur said, his spirits improving with each step. Then, as the path curved, Becky glimpsed a most welcome sight. Daylight.
Gathering pace, the group emerged into a cove. Water lashed against rock giving the impression the sea was much rougher than it was.
Edgar came to a halt, pointing below. ‘There...’
Becky looked down and saw a boat, painted gold and maroon, bobbing on the water like a fishing float. Two giant wooden oars were raised on its helm like matchsticks. In no time at all, the ship was loaded with provisions. Edgar had lifted the stone anchor, settled his mighty frame into a large wooden seat in the center of the deck and seized the oars.
‘Can we help, Edgar?’ Uncle Percy said. ‘Will and I could take an oar and -’
Edgar chuckled. ‘Thank you for the offer, Perce, but I’m rather looking forward to the exercise. It’s difficult enough to attract the ladies when you have a bull’s head - the last thing I want is a sagging tummy.’
With a splash, Edgar launched the oars into water and the ship creaked to life. Before long, Edgar was powering them out of the cove, toward the open sea. Within the hour, Bertha had been loaded onto the boat.
Edgar stared in wonder at the strange looking vehicle. Unfortunately, when he climbed inside his horns became stuck in the upholstery and it took twenty minutes to set him free.
By the time they set off to sea again everyone was in good spirits. Everyone, that was, except Becky. The novelty of the boat trip had worn off and all she could think about were the events of the previous day - that, and a series of increasingly bizarre theories about Uncle Percy. Isolating herself as best she could from the others, she watched as Edgar broke into song.
Becky smiled. It was such an extraordinary sight to see this man-monst
er singing what sounded like a gentle lullaby. Indeed, Edgar’s singing made her eyes heavy and within minutes she fell asleep. When she awoke, she saw a sail had been raised, inflated by a keen sea breeze. Edgar stood at the rear of the ship, Joe hanging from his horns, as he completed dozens of squats. Then she heard a voice she no longer trusted.
‘Sleep well?’ Uncle Percy said.
‘Yes, thank you,’ she replied curtly.
‘Perhaps, Becky, it’s time you and I had a little chat.’
‘I’ll get Joe,’ Becky said. ‘What I’ve got to say concerns him, too.’
‘That’s as maybe,’ Uncle Percy said simply. ‘But why don’t we talk first, just the two of us. Perhaps, then, you can decide if he’s ready to know what I’ve got to say.’
Becky thought for a moment then nodded silently.
A few seconds later, they were standing at the prow, staring out at the empty horizon.
‘Now, I know that you are angry with me,’ Uncle Percy said, ‘that perhaps I’ve kept things from you. And, to some extent that’s true. But I believe you’ll understand why. Now, why don’t you ask me what I know you’re longing to ask?’
‘You’ve used us, haven’t you?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’ve used us,’ Becky repeated. ‘Joe and me. You knew I had this Suman Stone. You knew that when you invited me and Joe to stay for the summer?’ Her voice cracked. ‘You acted like you cared about us, like you wanted to get to know us, but it was all a lie. You just wanted the stone…’
Uncle Percy paused to digest her words. ‘Is that what you think? That’s why you’re angry with me?’ He let out a relieved laugh.
‘Don’t you dare laugh at me!’
‘I’m sorry,’ Uncle Percy said sincerely. ‘Becky, now you must believe me. I swear I had no idea you possessed the Suman Stone. No idea at all.’
She searched his eyes, looking for the truth. Her voice softened. ‘Then why did you invite us this summer, of all summers? You’ve had plenty of time to see me, yet you never have. Me, who just happens to own the one item that you need to get that stupid Fleece.’
Uncle Percy sighed. ‘I never wanted you to become involved in any of this. I certainly had no idea about the Suman Stone. Don’t forget, it was you who discovered I was a traveller. I didn’t tell you. I was never going to tell you. Well, not yet anyway.’
‘What do you mean, not yet?’
‘Because -’ Uncle Percy fell silent ‘- Because I won’t be around forever. And no matter how much I can manipulate time, time is also manipulating me. Now, you and Joe are the only family I have. And furthermore, you are such extraordinary people and both possess the qualities that are needed -’ He hesitated.
‘Needed for what?’ Becky pressed.
‘To run Bowen Hall,’ Uncle Percy said honestly.
A look of shock crossed Becky’s face.
Uncle Percy continued. ‘You see, I want you and Joe to inherit all I have: Bowen Hall, the other properties, the inventions, the patents. I want you to have everything. That is why I invited you this summer - to get to know you again, and for you to know my world.’
‘But you’re not…’ Becky couldn’t finish the sentence.
‘Dying?’ Uncle Percy cut her off. ‘We’re all dying, Becky. That’s the one thing in life that is certain. But that’s not the point. The point is I want to make contingencies for the future. And I want to give Bowen Hall to the two people I know would cherish it as I do.’ He threw her a warm smile. ‘That’s if you both want it, of course?’
Becky felt moved to silence.
‘You see,’ Uncle Percy said, ‘the running of Bowen Hall may be a responsibility you’re not willing to bear. To run Bowen Hall, you must recognise what it stands for, and preserve it as best you can. Now that is asking a lot of anyone. However, all I wanted to do this summer was to introduce you to it. Then we could have taken it from there…’
A tear trickled down Becky’s face. So this was why he had invited them to stay for the summer. His legacy.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I just - I just never understood.’
‘How could you?’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘But it is I who should apologise. And I do. However, the story doesn’t end there, and I think you know it.’ His expression grew serious again. ‘I have lied to you. Well, at least, I haven’t told you the whole truth. And I think this is also what you’re wanting to talk to me about isn’t it?’
‘There is something else, yes...’ Becky replied nervously.
‘Then, please, ask. I’ll be as truthful as I can.’
‘It’s about my dad.’
‘I know.’
Becky felt her body tremble. ‘He was a time traveller too, wasn’t he?’
Uncle Percy paused. ‘One of the finest...’
- Chapter 26 -
Bird’s Eye View
To Becky’s surprise, the confirmation her father had been a traveller didn’t shock her at all. It had been the only answer from the moment Edgar had recognised the Suman Stone. ‘Did you know he had the stone?’
‘No,’ Uncle Percy replied honestly. ‘Don’t forget, he and I hadn’t talked for some time.’
‘D’you think he knew what it was when he gave it to me?’
‘Absolutely not,’ Uncle Percy said assuredly. ‘I’m sure he thought it was just a very unusual necklace. That’s all.’
‘So how did he get it?’ Becky said.
‘I’m afraid I have no answer to that.’
Becky gulped. Then something else occurred to her; something that sent a chill through her bones. ‘Did mum know he was a traveller?’
‘No. I don’t think so,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘I’m certain she didn’t. You see, when your father first met your mother he was the happiest I’d ever seen him, so content in his own time that his journeys became less frequent. He just wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. The more their relationship grew, the less incentive he had to travel. In fact, although your father was a very brave man, I believe for the first time in his life he was scared.’
‘Why?’
‘I think he found something in your mother he couldn’t find in a lifetime of time exploration. He fell in love. He was scared of losing that. He wasn’t prepared to risk the dangers of travelling anymore. It was several years after they were married before he started travelling again.’
‘And why was that?’ Becky asked.
A look of uncertainty crossed Uncle Percy’s face. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Was it to do with the Fleece?’
‘I really can’t say.’
Becky nodded. ‘Was it you who first told him about time travel?’
‘Actually, no,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘Bernard Preston did. That’s why you may have heard his name before. Bernard was your father’s tutor at University, you see, and your father his most gifted student. Your father, like Bernard, was also a keen archaeologist. So, inevitably, when Bernard introduced him to travelling, he took to it like a duck to water. Personally, I wasn’t sure he was ready for it.’
‘Why not?’
Uncle Percy smiled fondly. ‘I just felt he possessed certain qualities that, shall we say, are not conducive to safe time travel.’
‘Like what?’
‘Your father was somewhat hotheaded. I suppose I just wanted to keep him out of harm’s way, for a few more years at least.’
Becky nodded. Then another question suggested itself. ‘How does someone else know I’ve got the pendant?’
Uncle Percy took a heavy breath and drummed his chin. ‘That is the most intriguing question of all, isn’t it? My honest answer is that I don’t know. I suppose if this traveller found out what the pendant was and realised your father had it, then it’s possible he could have travelled to the moment when he gave it to you. But that is just speculation.’
A wave of alarm swept through Becky. ‘But that - that would mean I might have seen him.’
‘It’s possible. B
ut there could be a thousand other ways for him to find out.’
Becky took a moment to process the information. ‘Just one more question.’
‘Go ahead.’
‘What kind of time machine did dad have?’
Before Uncle Percy could answer, there was a breathless voice from behind. ‘What are you two gassing about?’ Joe’s face shone with sweat. ‘Becks, come and hang off Edgar’s horns while he exercises. It’s great fun.’
Becky grinned. Joe always seemed to pick the most inappropriate times to interrupt. ‘I’m coming,’ she said, walking over to Edgar. As she did, she glanced back at Uncle Percy. A spark had returned to his face as his lips silently mouthed three words. ‘An ice-cream van.’
Becky’s heart did a flip. Her dad’s time machine had been an ice-cream van. She could remember it. It was her first memory: she’d been sitting on the front lawn, pulling the legs off her least favourite doll when he drove a ramshackle pink ice cream van up the drive. To her mum’s embarrassment, he spent months renovating it. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared … the same ice-cream van that to this day, remained Becky’s favourite vehicle in the whole world.
*
Becky and Joe played with Edgar for the next twenty minutes, dangling from his horns as he whizzed round like a bizarre spinning top. All the while, Uncle Percy remained at the prow, preoccupied with the sky. He had a pair of what he called Amnoculars and trained them above.
Becky looked up but could see nothing but a tiny, moving speck, which she assumed was a gull. She watched curiously as Uncle Percy lowered the Amnoculars and whispered in Will’s ear.
‘What’s going on?’ Becky asked, walking over.
‘I’m not sure,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘But do you see that bird?’
She looked up at the sky and squinted. ‘Just about.’
‘It’s been following us for quite some time …’
‘So?’
‘So I think I’ve seen it before,’ Uncle Percy added.
‘What do you mean?’ Becky asked, confused.
‘I think it was at Bowen Hall on the night Bernard was murdered.’ He nodded at Will.
Baffled, Becky reeled with horror as Will loaded an arrow into his bow and pointed it into the air. ‘What are you doing?’ she yelled at him.
