Perijee and Me

by Ross Montgomery

  Frank coughed.

  ‘Any idea when he’s going to stop growing, sprat?’

  Perijee was emptying a bucket of haddock into his mouth like it was a tube of Smarties.

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘But he can’t get that much bigger, can he?’

  *

  ‘This is a camera,’ I said.

  Perijee smelled it.

  ‘It’s called a Polaroid,’ I said. ‘It’s an old man camera. That’s why Frank has one. He said we should be “documenting your growth” rather than “larking about all day like a pair of morons”.’

  I found a big rock to balance the camera on and turned round. I jumped. Perijee was standing right behind me. He was almost as big as me now.

  ‘Breakfast again please,’ he said.

  ‘No!’ I said. ‘This is important. Plus – what have I told you about following people? We don’t want you to scare Dad like you scared Frank.’

  I pressed the timer button.

  ‘Quick!’ I said. ‘Smile at the camera. And do the peace sign with your fingers.’

  We both did the peace sign. The camera snapped and spat out a picture. It was all black at first, but after a few seconds shapes and colours started appearing like they were coming up from dark water.

  ‘There,’ I said, holding up the photo. ‘That’s you and me, in the middle.’

  It was a bit blurry and rubbish, but there we were, our arms around each other and the sun behind us. Perijee looked at it in amazement.

  ‘Caitlin and Perijee,’ he said. ‘Friends. Family.’

  I smiled. ‘Yes! Well remembered, Perijee.’

  He ran his fingers over the photo. His whole body started changing. He was green and then pink and then red and then blue all over, his skin speckling and dancing through colours.

  ‘I didn’t know you could do that,’ I said.

  Perijee just looked at the photo.

  ‘Family,’ he said quietly.

  *

  ‘This is the sea,’ I said.

  I stood up to my knees in the water. Perijee was walking back and forth along the beach, wearing my old swimsuit and arm bands. They were already too small for him.

  ‘Come on!’ I said. ‘It’s just ground, with water on top – see?’ I stomped up and down. ‘That’s all the ocean is. Hills and valleys covered in water. Middle Island’s like the top of a big underwater mountain.’

  Perijee stepped nervously into the sea.

  ‘Cold and wet,’ he said.

  ‘Stop whining,’ I said.

  The deeper Perijee got, the more he seemed to like it. Soon he was doggy-paddling around me and chirruping like a happy cat.

  ‘Hey!’ I said. ‘You’re actually really good at this. Who knows – maybe there’s water on Sirius, too.’

  Perijee turned his hands into flippers and started swimming out ahead of me. I grabbed him before he went too far.

  ‘Careful!’ I said. ‘It gets deep, you know. Really deep. That’s what Mum’s job is – I mean, was. Exploring deep water. She used to work above the Mariana Trench.’

  Perijee looked at me. ‘Marry inner chench?’

  ‘Mariana Trench,’ I said. ‘It’s the deepest part of the sea. It goes down for seven whole miles. You could fit the whole of Mount Everest in there. There’s not even any sunlight after the first half-mile down – just pitch black.’

  Perijee held my hand.

  ‘And it’s filled with fish, too,’ I said. ‘Fish with enormous eyes and see-through skin. Fish that look like spaceships.’

  Perijee stepped a little closer to me.

  ‘It’s the most unexplored part of the whole world,’ I said. ‘There could be anything hiding down there – maybe even sea monsters! Who knows? But it just keeps going down, deeper and deeper …’

  Perijee started trying to climb on top of me.

  ‘Hey!’ I said. ‘Get off! Come on, you’re too big for that now!’

  ‘Monsters,’ said Perijee, growing extra legs and wrapping them round me.

  *

  After Frank left each night, Perijee and I would wander the beach until it was dark enough to see the stars. That’s one nice thing about Middle Island. Back in the city, you’d be lucky to look up and see any stars at all. But out here the sky is so dark and so big, it’s like looking into a whole other world.

  We sat down on the shingle and I leaned against Perijee. He was bigger than me now.

  ‘Sirius?’ he said, pointing at a plane.

  I moved his hand. ‘Er … over there, actually.’

  Perijee gazed at the star. He started glowing, ever so faintly, lighting up the tiny bugs in the shingle.

  ‘Home,’ he said.

  I smiled. ‘Frank told me sailors in olden days used the stars as a map. Sirius always leads the way to the south. You could even use it to find your way home, if you knew which star it was.’

  I lay on my back. I thought how good it would be to have a map in the sky, one that showed you how to get to wherever you wanted.

  ‘Maybe that’s what the symbols on your body are,’ I said. ‘They’re not letters or numbers – they’re a map. Telling you where you come from and how to get back again.’

  There was silence for a moment. The waves came in, and out.

  ‘Perijee,’ I said. ‘Do you think much about where you came from?’

  Perijee didn’t say anything.

  ‘Perijee?’

  I sat up. He wasn’t beside me any more. He was in the sea. His arms were stretched out ahead of him and he was getting deeper with every step, his head sinking down and down …

  ‘Perijee, no!’ I cried.

  A big wave appeared out of nowhere and knocked him backwards. The shock of it terrified him and he started splashing about, spluttering for breath. I didn’t even have time to take off my clothes. I charged straight into the sea and got to him just in time, dragging him back to shore and throwing him onto the shingle.

  ‘What were you thinking?’ I shouted.

  Perijee lay on his front, coughing up water.

  ‘H-home,’ he spluttered.

  I didn’t understand at first – but then I turned to the sea. The whole night sky was reflected on the water ahead of us, like a giant mirror. And right in the middle was Sirius.

  ‘… You thought you could swim there?’ I said. ‘To space?’

  I laughed, but it wasn’t real laughter. I didn’t feel happy.

  ‘You … you were just going to leave?’

  I clenched my fists. I was almost shaking – I thought I was going to walk off, or worse. But I didn’t. I sat down on the shingle and said nothing.

  It was silent for a while, except for the wind over the island. I felt a wet body huddle up against mine. Perijee peered into my face.

  ‘Caitlin,’ he said. ‘I am sorr—’

  He stopped, because I was crying. He didn’t understand what it was – he’d never seen tears before. He took off my hat and started trying to rub my face dry. I held his hand there, his fingers glowing and fading through the wool.

  ‘You can’t go, Perijee,’ I said quietly. ‘You’re my friend. We’re supposed to look after each other – no matter what.’

  I held him and looked into his eyes. I had to make him understand.

  ‘You’re the reason Dad’s going to come back,’ I said. ‘When he discovers you, he’ll be the most famous scientist in the world. He won’t have to do the tours any more. Him and Mum won’t argue all the time … it’ll be just like it was before. We’ll be able to do things together – go sailing, or go to the theatre …’

  ‘Family,’ said Perijee.

  ‘Exactly, Perijee! A family!’ I said. ‘And you can be part of it! You’ve got everything you need here – food, a bed … I mean, what more do you want?’

  Perijee looked up at the stars.

  ‘Home,’ he said.

  I frowned. ‘But this is your home, Perijee! Here with me …’

  I turned to him, huddled on the stones – and
stopped. He looked so strange, and so lost – and so alone. Suddenly it was like I was seeing him for the first time. He would always be lost – no matter where he went on Earth.

  ‘Oh, Perijee,’ I whispered. ‘I … I’m sorry, I never …’

  I was so ashamed. I had never once thought about what he wanted. I had never even asked.

  … What kind of friend did that?

  I held his head in my hands.

  ‘I’ll get you home, Perijee. I promise. When Dad gets back … we’ll find a way.’

  Perijee glowed.

  ‘Promise?’ he said.

  I held him tight. ‘Promise.’

  The two of us sat huddled under a map of stars, while the moon grew closer and closer.

  Dad’s car was in the driveway.

  I stood staring at it in shock. It shouldn’t have been there. Dad wasn’t supposed to be back for weeks. But there it was.

  I looked at the house. The front door was open. The kitchen light was on. He was inside, waiting for me.

  My dad.

  I’d only just put Perijee to bed. I ran to the hut to get him and dragged him back across the island, cramming him into the woodshed.

  ‘This is it!’ I hissed, my heart thumping. ‘Everything we’ve been working for – you ready?’

  Perijee shook his head.

  ‘Sure you are!’ I said. ‘The plan, remember?’

  I gave him the egg timer and turned the dial till it clicked.

  ‘Ten minutes,’ I said, pointing at the numbers. ‘When it rings, you come into the kitchen. I’ll be there with Mum and Dad. Remember – don’t move too fast or you might scare them. I’ll introduce you. You walk up to Dad, shake his hand and say, “I loved your book.”’

  ‘I-I loved your book,’ said Perijee, his voice shaking.

  He turned purple. I squeezed his hand.

  ‘Hey – don’t be frightened,’ I said. ‘This is how we’re going to get you home. Dad’s been talking about aliens ever since I can remember. You’re what he’s been waiting for his whole life.’

  Perijee’s skin rippled.

  ‘Trust me,’ I said with a smile. ‘He’s going to love you.’

  *

  The door to the kitchen was shut. I waited for a moment in the corridor. My heart was beating like crazy. I always get like that when Dad comes back.

  I could hear him and Mum talking inside. They were whispering.

  They must want to surprise me, I thought.

  I knocked. The whispering stopped right away.

  ‘Come in,’ said a voice. The same one I heard down the phone once a month, square and sensible like a briefcase.

  I opened the door and stepped inside. Mum was sat at the kitchen table. On the other side of the table was Dad.

  It was strange, seeing him right in front of me instead of on one of his books. My chest went all tight and I didn’t know what to say.

  Then I remembered the plan. I clapped my hands to my face.

  ‘Why … Dad!’ I gasped. ‘I thought you weren’t back till September!’

  Dad glanced at Mum.

  ‘Er … no,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t meant to be.’

  He didn’t say anything else. It was weird. It wasn’t like the surprises you see in films – it was like him and Mum had just had another argument. I cleared my throat.

  ‘Well,’ I said. ‘You’ve come at the perfect time! I have something very exciting to show you. But before I do, I should warn you both that …’

  ‘Caitlin,’ said Mum.

  Her face was dead serious. She pulled out a chair.

  ‘Sit down, darling,’ she said. ‘We need to talk.’

  I was annoyed at first. Why was she trying to spoil my big moment? Why was she always …

  And then I looked down at the table and saw the brown envelope with the school logo on the front.

  My report!

  I’d been so busy with Perijee that I’d completely forgotten about it. Now Mum knew the truth … and she must have called Dad back. I had to clear this up, quick.

  ‘Mum – Dad,’ I said. ‘I’m really sorry. I should have told you both the truth ages ago. But if you just let me show you something, you’ll see that …’

  ‘Told us what?’ said Mum, confused. ‘What are you talking about, Caitlin?’

  I pointed at the envelope. ‘My … my school report.’

  Mum pushed the envelope to one side. It hadn’t even been opened. Dad scraped out the chair even further.

  ‘Just sit down,’ he said.

  I sat down. The room around me filled with heavy silence. The type you get when something is really wrong.

  ‘What’s going on?’ I said.

  Mum took my hand.

  ‘Caitlin,’ she said. ‘I’m worried about you.’

  She was trying to hide things with her voice. Like broken glass at the bottom of a lake.

  ‘I worry you’re not happy,’ she said. ‘You talk about your friends at school, but I never see them. You keep bringing animals home. And the stories you make up … I worry that moving up here was a mistake for you. I worry that you’re lonely.’

  I blinked. She was right. I had been lonely … but not any more. Not now I had Perijee.

  ‘I …’ I began.

  ‘Your mother and I aren’t happy, either,’ said Dad, cutting me off. ‘We thought we could start a new life up here – make it work somehow. We thought the move would change things. But we were wrong.’

  It was like he was talking about something else. He wasn’t even looking at me.

  ‘We can’t fix something that broke a long time ago,’ he said bitterly.

  The whole room was changing around me. It was like a big black curtain was dropping from the ceiling and no one was stopping it. Suddenly I was really frightened and I didn’t know why. Mum squeezed my hand.

  ‘Do you understand what we’re saying, Caitlin?’

  I shook my head. ‘N-no, I …’

  ‘For crying out loud, Emily, just say it,’ said Dad. ‘There’s no point trying to be clever with her.’

  Mum glared at him. She turned to me and took a deep breath.

  ‘Caitlin,’ she said, ‘your father’s not going to come back from the book tour.’

  I felt like my legs had been kicked out from under me.

  ‘He’s moving back to the city,’ said Mum. ‘You and I are going to stay here.’

  My head spun. ‘But – but why …’

  ‘We’re getting a divorce.’

  RRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG.

  The sound made all three of us jump. Dad stood up.

  ‘What the hell was that?’ he said.

  It was coming from behind the kitchen door. My heart dropped.

  ‘Oh n—’

  The door burst open and Perijee charged inside, the ringing egg timer clutched in his hand. The second I saw him I realised what he actually looked like – that he was too big for the house, much too big, so big that he smashed his head against the pans hanging from the ceiling and sent a stack of plates crashing to the floor. He roared in pain and the sound filled the room like an explosion.

  Everything happened at once. Mum and Dad leapt up and threw themselves against the wall. Perijee saw Dad and stumbled towards him.

  ‘I … I …’ he croaked.

  It looked wrong, all wrong. He looked like a monster. Suddenly Dad was reaching for the poker and swinging it at him …

  ‘Dad, no!’ I cried.

  I was too late. The poker struck Perijee across the face like a thundercrack, and he reeled back and slipped on the plates and hit the ground, head first.

  Everything stopped as quickly as it started. The pans were still ringing on their hooks.

  ‘Oh my god,’ said Mum.

  For some reason I couldn’t move. I was glued to the spot, just staring at the body on the floor. Perijee wasn’t moving either. I should have run to him, tried to help him … but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything.

  ‘It’
s dead,’ said Dad.

  And that was too much.

  ‘He’s not an it,’ I choked. ‘He’s not an … IT!’

  I threw myself at Perijee, but Mum grabbed me and held me back.

  ‘Caitlin, what are you …’

  ‘He was just trying to say hello!’ I cried. ‘I told him you’d help him, that you’d get him back home, and now look at what you’ve done, look at him, he’s—’

  I turned round and the words stopped.

  Perijee was standing up in front of us.

  There was a dent in his head where the poker had hit him. One of his eyes had been knocked down his face and was hanging off his chin like a raindrop. He looked at us sheepishly.

  Then, slowly – like a lava lamp – his face shifted back into place.

  Dad dropped the poker.

  Perijee kept changing. The dent in his head knocked out with a pop. His eye sucked back up like nothing had happened. He turned to Dad and coughed.

  ‘I loved your book,’ he said.

  I broke away from Mum and threw my arms round him so tight I thought I really would kill him this time.

  ‘Oh, Perijee!’ I cried. ‘I’m so so sorry, I never thought …’

  ‘GET AWAY FROM HER.’

  Mum was right behind us, her eyes fixed on Perijee, her whole body curled up like a cat. I tried to block her.

  ‘No, Mum – he’s not dangerous! He—’

  ‘Paul,’ said Mum, holding out her hand. ‘Give me the poker.’

  Dad didn’t answer. Mum glanced sideways.

  ‘Paul,’ she said. ‘The …’

  She trailed off. Dad was staring at Perijee. I’d never seen the look on his face before. He’d taken off his glasses.

  ‘He talked,’ said Dad. ‘In English. He spoke to me.’

  Mum looked at him nervously. ‘… Paul? Paul, what are you doing?’

  Dad took a step towards us. Perijee cried out and hid behind me, shaking with fear. Dad looked at me with pleading eyes.

  ‘Please,’ he begged. ‘Tell him I’m not going to hurt him.’

  Mum gasped. ‘Paul …!’

  It was the first time Dad had ever asked me for anything. My whole body flooded with a thousand different feelings, like Perijee changing colours.

  ‘It’s OK,’ I said, crouching down to Perijee. ‘Dad wants to help.’ I held out my hand. ‘You trust me – don’t you?’