Alice: The Girl From Earth

13

Fortunately their neighbors in the coach debarked after two stations and Alice found herself alone. She pulled the archaeologist out of the bag and together they read all the information in the newspapers, where it described the astronauts flight, and how they were to be welcomed back at the launch site.

They were even able to work out the best ways to get across the capitol from the train station to the landing site. Although the archaeologists had not yet excavated the capitol city, Purr had found tourist maps and street guides to the capitol in the provincial city’s library and had them copied out. The money situation was poor. They had just enough money for the street railway or local bus. There was not enough to pay for food.

“I have an idea!” The little archaeologist laughed morosely and blinked his single eye to Alice. “If it comes to it you can, like in the old fairy tale, sell me, your sole friend.”

“No one would buy you without your tail.” Alice replied..

“Don’t worry about that.” The archaeologist said. “I found your grandmother’s needle and thread. Only you tossed the bag around so much I was afraid of skewering myself in the hand. But now I have a chance to sew the tale back on. It will be done in half an hour.”

Alice looked out the window. Outside, beyond the window glass, the land looked ordinary; in fact it looked enormously backward compared with Earth, but back a hundred years ago Earth would have looked enormously backward. No monorails, no flyers, no antigravs, flying houses or any other sorts of ordinary, every day things.

The archaeologist was muttering something to himself pod nos and sewing the tail back on. Alice cold have helped him she was better with needle and thread than Purr but how could one offer ones services when the task was sewing a tail on oneself?

Alice turned to study the portraits of the astronauts in the newspapers. One of the astronauts appeared to be larger than the others. He was young, dark eyed, and with a smile so wide it seemed he’d have trouble not breaking out into laughter. “Engineer Tolo.” She read his name aloud, and remembered it.

The door to their compartment opened and an old woman entered. The old woman was small, with around, ruddy face. She wore a long blue dress. Alice saw the old woman’s eyes suddenly widen with fright. The old woman was looking down, at the floor boards.

“Oh!” The old woman exclaimed.

Alice looked at the same spot and so caught the little the archaeologist unawares, clutching the tail in one and in the other holding the needle and thread, try to crawl back into the carpet bag. Alice quickly opened the bag wider and Purr flung himself inside. Alice looked at the old woman again.

The old woman stepped back into the corridor; her mouth was already opened, as though she were about to scream.

“Don’t be afraid, ma’am?” Alice said. “Don’t be frightened. It always plays like that.”

“Oh.” The old woman said, as though she had been somewhat frightened, on hearing Alice’s voice. “It seemed to me that….”

“What?”

“Don’t laugh, missy.” The old woman said. “For a moment I was certain that your cat was sewing his own tail onto…. My eyes are deceiving me.”

The old woman quickly forgot her fright, sat down by the window, untied the bundle she was carrying, reached inside and pulled out two apples. She kept one for herself, but extended the other to Alice.

“And where are you going, young one?” The old woman asked.

“I’m bound for the capitol.”

“That’s rather obvious, the capitol.” The old woman agreed. “And what do you plan to do there.”

“I want to see the astronauts when they land…”

“Ah.” The old woman said and suddenly her eyes lit up. “Tell me, dear,” she suddenly asked. “Does your kitten have only one eye?”

“He has two.” Alice said blandly, “it’s just that he always has one of them shut.”

“It doesn’t matter.” The old woman still looked apprehensively at the bag. “Well, I’m going to the launch site too.”

“To meet the astronauts?”

“More or less, but not all of them. My son is coming back on the flight. He’s the engineer.”

The old woman pulled a large photograph of the astronaut that Alice had liked from her purse.

“Here he is. See.”

“Oh, I know him.” Alice said. “His name is Tolo.”

“Everyone knows him.” The old woman said with pride.

“Then why are you traveling on an ordinary train?” Alice asked.

“What else should I do?”

“You’re the mother of one of the astronauts. The astronauts’ parents and families have special accommodations and transport to the launch site.”

“Oh, that would be far too much of a fuss.” The old woman laughed. I just live in a village so I’m behind the times. And my Tolo is modest too. You would never guess that he’s an astronaut. You must have read in the paper about the accident, when the meteorite punctured the ship’s hull; it was my Tolo who went outside the ship and repaired the puncture.”

The carpetbag hit Alice in the side. But she had already guessed the point to which Purr was drawing her attention. This was how the Space Plague had gotten inside the ship. This meant that Tolo was already sick.

“It doesn’t matter.” Alice said aloud. “We’ll cure him.”

“Cure whom?” The old woman asked.

“Oh, I mean, in case….” Alice thought suddenly.

“My Tolo is healthy. He’s never been sick a day in his life. Not even a tooth ache. Such a son.”

The old woman stoked the photograph and put it back inside her purse.

Alice felt another soft punch through the side of the bag. Evidently, the archaeologist was excited about something. Just what was it he wanted?

“Get in with her.” A whisper suddenly came out of nowhere and fill the compartment.

“What?” The old woman asked. “Did you say something?”

“Yes.” Alice answered. Just me mumbling. I said that you must be very happy.”

“Of course I’m happy. To have such a son! So healthy, not even a tooth ache…”

“I was thinking about something else.” Alice said. “They are going to let you to the ship, aren’t they?”

“Of course they will. How else can I embrace my son when he returns?”

“And I’ll have to stand a long way off. I might even have to stay in the city. Oh, how I like your Tolo! Really, word of honor. He’s so much nicer than the other astronauts.”

“Are you telling the truth?” The old woman asked seriously.

“Word of honor.”

“Then I think I can do you a good deed.”

The old woman started to muse, and Alice held the bag down on the bench. The archaeologist was so excited and agitated that the bag actually chittered, as though it contained not a single cat but a whole litter.

“Your cat is very disturbed.” The old woman said. “You should let him out.”

“I can’t.” Alice said. “He would run away.”

“Listen to me, my dear.” The old woman said. “Today will be a very great day for me. My son is returning a hero And I want to do a good deed. I believe Tolo will not be angry with me for it. Come with me. Come with me all the way to the ship itself; you can say you’re my daughter, and that Tolo is your brother. Do you understand?”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so very much.” Alice was delighted. “You can’t imagine what a wonderful thing you’ve done. And not only for me but for yourself and everyone!”

“‘The good deed touches not only the given, but the giver and the world.’“ Evidently, the old womnan did not understand what Alice had in mind, and as much as Alice wanted to tell her everything she clampped down on her own tongue with her teeth until she nearly drew blood, but Purr clearly guesses what she was thinking and stuck the knife through the little hole in the bag and prodded Alice.

Alice jumped to her feet from shock.

“Are you happy?” The old woman asked. She was clearly happy herself and delighted at the thought of bringing joy to someone else.

“Overjoyed.” Alice said, and punched the bag.

The train began to slow down. Beyond the window they could see the new skyscrapers that filled the capitol’s suburbs.