by Ken Webster
‘Then –’ began Frank, and I knew it was coming ‘– how does he make the words? He doesn’t type them.’
How many times this question had been put and how many times an explanation had evaded us.
‘We thought he typed them for a long time,’ (I was rehearsing an old discussion) ‘but it never squared with the quiet in the kitchen. It is always so quiet.’
Frank, remembering his own visit, agreed.
‘And no matter how often the message is interrupted by someone coming into the kitchen Lukas never mentions it. Nor is he seen. If he were “here” it would mean that an interruption would be quite an inconvenience but if “there” in 1546, an interruption to the process between “here” and “there” caused by our presence need not be noticed by him as he would not necessarily know about it. Could he be in both places? What does “place” mean? It’s so messy trying to say what might be happening.’
‘Would it be easier to assume some sort of mechanism controlled or influenced by a third party?’ asked Frank.
‘That’s why SPR say it has to be a hoax.’
‘What about our numerical friends?’ chipped in Frank before I could become depressed about the psychobillies.
He meant 2109. Frank called them ‘our numerical friends’. Some friends! Even worse to think that they might be behind all the messages.
‘Lukas saw an image of a screen, his “leems”. This image, the box of lights, brought him our questions, our conversations. He answered them through the “leems”, creating letters and then words. He’s confused by it too. That’s it really … Oh, and Lukas says the “leems” appear brighter or duller depending upon who is close by. Lukas’s friend from Stockport wrote once that psychobilly Dave – he called him the “rag with furre on chin” – made the “leems” fade. This friend also wrote to the effect that the “leems” cannot be moved because it “misappears” and, most curious of all, that it cannot be seen by everyone!’
‘But could 2109 be inventing it?’
‘Sir.’ A small, round face peered at me. ‘Have you got a tape? Miss wants one.’
I reached for a tape in the box. ‘Last one, Jane, tell her from me. OK?’
I was suddenly irritated. I think it was just knowing that there were too many questions. I closed the discussion by repeating my best guess. ‘Sorry, Frank, I don’t know about 2109 and to get back to your original question I suppose he “thinks” up the words or the letters.’
It was embarrassing to say it once, never mind repeat it. As I spoke, the fuller version flitted across my mind: ‘Lukas Wainman (1546) thinks up words which appear on my BBC computer across 400 years.’
Frank was very gentle, very forgiving and didn’t come back to this conversation, despite his obvious curiosity.
‘Look,’ I said quickly, ‘have you got a new job yet? It’s pretty late on now.’ He shook his head slowly.
Frank eventually moved off towards the long-jump pit and I was alone with the sagging and sighing tent. I fetched other scraps of paper out of the wallet, flimsy print-outs. With the smell of hot dogs and onions and the sounds of the track and transistors bringing out the worst in me I was glad of a chance to look again at the latest messages from Lukas. For the past week Lukas had been worrying over a number of things. He had traced Katherine to a tavern where she was hanging around with some ‘grosse beggars’ and others of ‘outlandische faschions’. He did not know how he could persuade her to come back. More ominously, a man called Grosvenor had been visiting him. I read from the print-out:
PREYE WY DOST THY GROVENOR* PLAUGE MYNESELVE FOR OWR LAUNDE
My reply:
FOWLSHURST DID SAYE THAT SINCE YOU WERE IN THE PITT YOW WOULD HAVE NO USE FOR THE LAND AND THAT GROVENOR WOULD PAY A GOOD SUM FOR IT.
I later proposed that Lukas show Grosvenor the door. I dared not tell him that the land on which my cottage stood was sold out of the Grosvenor estate in 1919 and had therefore fallen into it at sometime.
The round face appeared again at the tent. ‘The tapes, sir, we’ve finished it all now.’
Despite Lukas’s problems he was becoming bolder. On 7 July Debbie asked about Grosvenor and included the line:
WE DO NAT LYK TO SEE SUCH TROUBLES FOR OUR FREEND
To which he replied that afternoon:
MYNE FREEND METHYNKS YOW WILL SEE MYNSELVE SOONE.
He seemed to have misinterpreted Debbie somehow.
Debbie was very quiet when I got home from school. She complained of tiredness and said she had slept a little and ‘dreamt’ of Lukas again, once more in the kitchen. I read over the short exchange of the morning.
I was not curious about the dream or the message, although Debbie wanted to talk about it. It was insensitive of me but I couldn’t fix the house with words and dreams. I was impatient and dismissed the communication from my mind. I went about some work upstairs, tidying or moving tools and pieces of wood. It wasn’t until 9.00 P.M. that I felt I should leave the cottage for an hour and maybe give Lukas an opportunity to write, since there had been nothing further. Deb didn’t want me to go. Could she come? It was boring being alone, she said. Lukas would write anyway, she said … and so on, through a dozen entreaties. Unmoved I repeated the reason for her being there: it improved the chances of contact. I didn’t want to risk missing out on a message. Deb was unhappy.
‘You didn’t even read the last one. It’s not a game. I get scared sometimes.’
‘And I suppose I don’t? Do we just forget about it?’ I was tired, angry even, at having to remind myself of the old, old questions. Debbie stayed in. I went out. And sure enough, Lukas wrote to us again:
MYNE FREEND
METHYNKS YOWR MAYDE BE SOMWOT A GIGJESTIR BUT SHE MUSTE HAN REKONYNG FOR THYS SAD THYNG ALS TIS CERTS THAT SHE DOST SEE MYNESELVE APERE AN YET SHE DOO CLAW MYNESELVEN WYTH UNQUITTED LIP I SEYE TO YOW MAYDE SPEKE FOR I WILL NAT CAUSE YOWRSELVE HARME ME AM NAT A MAN O MALICH NOR WOLD I GALLOWE YOW MYNE SWETE BUT IF YOW DIDST AFFRONT ME WYTH YOWR WORDES THEN YOW BIDDS MYNE FANCIE AN ALLOWE MYNESELVE TO HOLDE YOWR HANDE SO AS TO SEE IF I CAN HATH TOOCHE WYTH A CREETURE O YOWR TYME FOR THYS WOL PROPERGATE ENTRCOMUNYOUN GRETELYE BE OWTODOWTE THAT I WALDE DO NOUGHT THAT YOW SHOULDENAT WYSH THYS BE WY ME DOTH APROUCHE WYTH MOSTE CAUCIOUN AGAYNE LET MYNE FELAWES EXPOWNE THYS GOODLEY THYNG THAT BE OWRN HONOUR
LOVE LUKAS
My friend
I think your maid is something of jester but she must understand this important thing: it is certain that she saw me appear and yet she insults me by not opening her mouth. I tell you, maid, speak to me, I won’t harm you, I am not malicious or dangerous. If you speak with me and perhaps take to me I will be allowed to take your hand so that I can see if I can touch a person of your time. This would help us communicate better yet I will do nothing that you would not wish. This is why I must go very cautiously and ask you, my fellow, for advice.
Love Lukas*
‘See!’ Debbie scowled.
‘What? See what? Lukas must be mistaken, dreaming …’
‘Just listen for once!’
So I listened to my beautiful girlfriend tell of her ‘dream’ of talking with Lukas and even so I did not understand.
8 July
Quite out of the blue there appeared on the concrete of the kitchen floor two chalk outlines, shields. They were about ten inches deep and seven inches across. They meant nothing to us. It wasn’t a big shock to see them, all that kind of reaction had been drained out of us long ago. Curiosity remained. Deb wrote asking Lukas about them as he had made no mention of them himself in his last message an hour or two before the chalk marks were seen for the first time.
She asked about them again on the 10th. If they were from Lukas they were a further pointer to suggest his ‘presence’ in our time. Debbie remained concerned: ‘I don’t feel safe if he can come here like that.’
Peter couldn’t place the designs on the shields* but began enquiries. Since Lukas had returned there had been a correspondence between Peter and
Lukas on the subject of language and religion and lately a diversion into high-speed travel. Peter described his ability to use a ‘cart tygre’ to reach Oxford in three hours and also had a go at describing aircraft: ‘carts … like bridds and thise can flie around the whole world.’
Lukas was appalled at these ideas.
MYNE BROTHIR PETER
YOW TALK O THYNGS FOR WHICHE ME NILL HATH REKONYNG TBE SURE THAT IF A WIGHT WER TO TAKES SUCHE HASTE IN JOURNEYS THEN WOLDE HE NAT HATH HIS BLODE TOOZED AFROM HIS ERES. SUCHE THYNGS ME NE ATTAYNE. I TOLDE MYNE HORS O THYS AND IT DIDST THYNKS ME O LUNES AN REPUGN MYNE CHAIRE TO HIS BAK FOR FERE THAT ME MAYE IMPOSE THYS FEAT UPON HIS POORE SELVE. YOW AXE OF MYNE GOD. MEN O MYNE TYME HATH MANIE THOUGHTS. MOSTLYE THAT LERNYNG BE FROM THY DEVYLL. METHYNKS NOUGHT COLDE BE MOSTE CONTRARIOUS. A LERNED MAN CANST MAKE GOODLYE URS O HIS SUFFEIENCIES AN BOUNDS. LOVE AN HONOURE. FOR HE CANST UNBOLT ALLE MANNER O THOUGHT BY FEWE GOODLYE WORDES WE ARN HEER FOR COMUNYIOUN THYS BE AL US TREWELY HATH. PREYE NAT.
LUKAS
You talk of things which I will never understand. If a man were to go as quickly as you say would not blood ooze from his ears … ? I told my horse of this and it thought me mad. It threw off its saddle for fear I might force this feat upon it. You ask of my God. Men of my time have many thoughts, mostly contrary to each other. A learned man can make good use of His gifts and constraints. Love and honour for a man can set loose all kinds of ideas with a few wise words. We are here to communicate. This is all we really have, don’t you agree?
A few days later Lukas wrote to say that he had been forced to do a deal with Grosvenor, who would now take over his house and land in ‘non less than tweye [two] monthes’. Lukas thought it was probably for the best as it was possible that Fowlshurst would return when he had recovered from the shock and realized that his soul was still intact.
25
From 12–21 July the messages flowed easily. The format was very stable. A message would be typed in either by myself or by Debbie. The room was then left for between half an hour and an hour, sometimes longer. I would go out for a walk or a drive or just sit in the car outside the house. Music might be playing on the tape recorder upstairs or Debbie might doodle on a sketch pad or have a bath. It was important for her to be relaxed. This view was based on accumulated experience. The computer was on all the time during the ‘ghostbust’.
The issues, the problems at both ends, were clear enough. Yet this was the pattern that had settled into place by July, and was aimed quite deliberately at providing as many opportunities for Lukas to write as possible, while at the same time giving maximum time for the rest of our lives.
The task did not end there. We had bought a computer some time previously but could not afford a printer, so during the school holidays when there was no access to a printer we had to copy messages out by hand.
And there was Peter. He was so enthusiastic about the words that I got into the bad habit of delivering messages for his comments almost every day. It was no longer necessary for Peter to translate as the meaning was pretty obvious, but Peter was someone to talk to who really knew what we were facing. In a way he was facing it too.
We were all becoming more skilled at imitating Lukas’s language in our replies but it was clumsy at best and we knew Lukas was having to struggle with it. Peter would often compose his own messages to Lukas which I would take to the cottage and type in.
With the burdens of a full-time job, altering the house and writing out by hand the latest message, it is not hard to understand why Deb and I would seldom follow up what Lukas wrote to any great extent. The list of historical items alone which we needed to check and discuss grew longer and longer. Big questions were given ten minutes, really important ones an hour. Only Peter was doing any serious work on the messages as he probed every single word, assessing its accuracy and writing copious notes on everything he found in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Lukas rarely came through now on files other than the one we were using, which was a relief as it meant less searching around. He’d write below the message left to him, sometimes without leaving any space between our message and his. Equally there were times when the message was a long way down in the file and a lot of empty pages were created. It was now no inconvenience as we had learnt that typing ‘Command B’ shot the cursor straight to the base of the file. It was about time we read the computer manual. If a message was seen during this ‘fast scroll’ we’d just shuffle the pages back using the cursor keys. I was now in the habit of dating the messages. I sometimes noted the times, especially after a day when a number of different messages came up.
During this period John Bucknall and Dave Welch visited the cottage to talk over the possibilities of achieving a result now that Lukas was back and might be persuaded to co-operate. Peter wrote to Lukas asking that he write when next these ‘learned’ gentlemen, ‘our friends’, called.
Lukas looked at this very differently.
MYNE GOODLYE FOOL.
WOT BEEST THISE WIGHTS YOW SPAKE THAT DOE VYSYT. PREYE NIS THEYM LERNED FELAWES AFROM OWRN FAIRE OXENFORDE. WY BE THEI COM TO EYEN MYNE LEEMS. O WOT PURPOSE DOST THISE MEN UNDERGOE. ME NOLDE HATH OFFENDYND TO MYNESELVES THAT BUT YOW TELLE MOORE ABOUTE THEYM. PREYE SEYE THIR QUALITEE AN AVERREY THIR REESOUNS. FOR IT MATTER MYCHE MYNE FREENDE. BEE ADVISD ME COLDST NAT CHARGE OWRN FREENDSCHYP NOR DISTASTE MYNE CONDICIOUN ATTE THYS TYME FORN MANYE FERES UPON MYNESELVE. ME REPEALE FOULESHURST SEYNE A WIGHT DIDST CAUSE THY BOYSTE TO MISAPERE WAN NY. WALD O BEE THYS SAYM MAN PREYE. BEEST THEI SAYME WEAR AS YOWRSELVEN. YOW WAL NAT CAUSE MYNESELVE TO BE CLOTHED WYTH MYNE PATCH COATE. AN WILFULLY BE-JAYPE MYNESELVE AN URS MYNE POORE SELVE LYK SOM NAK. METHYNKETH NAT. SOE BE IT ME WILT SUBSCRIBE TO YOWR WYSHES. AND MUSE ATTE THIR AXYNGS WYTH HOPE THAT YOW TELLE OONLY MEN O REKONYNG WHOE DOTH NAT UNDOO MYNE LEEMS AN FREENDS. VALE LUKAS.
My good fool,
What do these persons, these visitors you speak of want? Aren’t they scholars from our beloved Oxford? Why do they come to see the ‘leems’? What cause do these men serve by doing so? To avoid offending me you should tell me more about them. Give their background and check their reasons for being here. It is very important. Take good heed to me … I remember that Fowlshurst said that a person caused the ‘leems’ to disappear when close to it. Is one of these men the same person … ? You will not ruin me nor will you use me like a toy or plaything. I don’t think you will so I will go along with your wishes and consider their questions with the hope that you tell only men of wisdom who will not destroy my ‘leems’ and friends.
Lukas
Peter explained at great length that these were ‘goodly men’. He gave their names and thanked Lukas for his promised co-operation. Lukas wrote once more, emphasizing that we must ‘pace slowly wyth thys man jon’.
21 July
Lukas was becoming very suspicious. Perhaps never fully recovered from the possibility of the ‘leems’ being ‘undone’ by John Bucknall … or others … he began to wonder why Debbie sat in front of the computer and wrote for Peter.
The question of why a particular person affected the screen was put to him. He couldn’t offer much on this.
I HATH NOUGHT POWRE WHOME CANST BE NERE WEN THY LEEMS DOST SHYNE AX ME WY YOWR MAYDE BE PRESENTE AN ME HATH NO ANSWER WE BATHE ARE BEEF WYTTED OR CONFUS BY ANOTHIRE EYTHRE METHYNKS.
I have no power over who causes the ‘leems’ to shine when near it. Ask me why your maid is here and I have no answer. Either we are ignorant of these things or confused by another ‘ether’.
The message concluded with an interesting, and unexpected aside about ‘Jon Kabot’:
‘DOST THEE KNOWE O JON KABOT FOR WY HE WERT CLOTHE IN MYNE WEN PLAS AND DIDST TAKES GOODLY CRAFT WYN MYN KYN ON MYNE SHYPPS.
LUKAS
Do you know of John Cabot, for he was living in my home area and took good ships with some of my kinfolk on them?
Lukas
Bristol, from where Cabot sailed, was my target for a flying visit to celebrate the en
d of the school year. Bristol had been mentioned in the cottage and thus he might have ‘heard’ the name, but this tie-in with a famous explorer caused some renewal of the scepticism to which, I am glad to say, we all fell prey at regular intervals. I’d rather Lukas were no one and knew no one now remotely important to history.
Peter wrote to Lukas saying that holidays were upon us and that John Bucknall would be visiting soon. Lukas thought our dispersal, Peter to France, me to Bristol and Debbie later on to Oxford, was at the insistence of enemies of the ‘leems’. He was especially concerned at Peter’s ‘exile’ to France, taking it to mean that he would never come back. Peter had meant only to reassure Lukas but had been roundly misunderstood. Following on the doubts Lukas was having over the visit of SPR and the reluctance of Debbie to concede that she had indeed spoken to him it was an unfortunate coincidence of problems. The main effect was to waste time getting his confidence back when more interesting questions could have been put.
But during this process of soothing Lukas something rather special cropped up:
DOST A WIGHT OF YOWR STATES CAUSE ANNOYANCE TO YSELVE. METHYNKS IF THY CROWNE DOST FONGE AN DISPENSE MYNE QUAYNT NAK FOR THEYM SILFS URE THEN TWOLDE BECOME THIR POWNCETT BOX. WOT GRETE POWRE THAT TWOLD DERADYNATE THY WHOLE O HYSTORIE BEEST SURE MYNE FREEND OR METHYNKS UNSURE PARDIE. TIS MOORE CERTAYNE IN MYNE TYME THAT THER BE LITEL FEWE THAT NILL FERE MYNE LEEMS BUT TIS NAT SOE IN YOWR WORLDE PREYE. TIS PRIMER THAT THAN YOWR CROWNE DOST NAT TAKES OWRN BOYSTE AN YOW DOE LEEVE YOWR BROTHIR LUKAS
Does one of your peers seek to cause you harm? I think if your Government takes over control of the device for their own ends then it will become their plaything. A great power would destabilize the whole of History, it is sure or rather unsure, forgive me. I am sure that in my time there are few who would not fear the ‘leems’ but it is not so in your world. It is essential that your Government does not take our ‘leems’ and you do not leave your brother Lukas …
