Go on, get your self inside and cleaned up. Dinners ready.
Spotting his mother sitting outside under the kitchen window, pushing his baby sisters pram backwards and forwards, Arthur trudged off down the garden path towards them.
Mu-um, youll never guess..
Shh! She replied, raising a finger to her lips for him to be quiet.
But Mum
Shh!
Agh, fine! he said, reaching for the porch door and leaping out of the way as the family labrador, whod evidently heard him coming, bounded past, sending a stack of empty paint tins clattering to the ground. Not about to hang around and find out who was going to get the blame for waking his sister, he vanished into the kitchen.
Well, well, if it isnt our intrepid adventurer returning from a hard days doing nothing, said Aunty M, with her customary cheeky grin. Is that your handiwork I can hear?
All I did was open the door, said Arthur, trying to keep a straight face.
And how many times do you need to be told not to let the dog out?
But I cant see through it, can I?
Its called being careful, she replied, handing him a bowl of soup and leaving to go and help his mother.
Soup again.
It had been soup yesterday and the day before that and very likely even the day before that, too. Cutting himself some bread, he sat down at the kitchen table and gazed at it all miserably.
You know youre supposed to eat it, not watch it, said Sasha, entering the kitchen.
I know, but why do we have to have it every day?
Because your mums decided that its good for you, he said, washing his hands and splashing water over his shaven head.
But there must be other stuff thats good for me.
Well, then I suggest that you get yourself down to the shops and find something. And, when youve worked it all out, you can take over doing the cooking. Im sure shell be delighted.
Arthur pulled a face and dipped his spoon into the soup.
Yum, he said, grinning.
While they ate, they talked more about the helicopters landing in the woods and how the men in black uniforms had blocked off the road. The part about the black train, however, Arthur left out even just thinking about it gave him with a weird feeling and he had no idea why.
When they were done, Sasha turned on the local news and, curious to see if thered be any mention about what had happened, Arthur stayed for a while to watch the reports. But there wasnt anything, and not wanting to watch it anymore, he moved to sit by the kitchen window. A storm was already starting to blow in, and soon the rain which was already tapping on the glass was coming down in force. Presently, his mother called out for them to go and bring the cushions in from the chairs in the garden.
You grab those from the bench, Ill get the rest, said his stepfather, entering the porch, which already smelled strongly of damp earth. Opening the door, a sharp gust of wind knocked them both backwards.
Right, go! he shouted, leaping into the downpour.
No sooner though had Arthur jumped out after him, than a terrible flash had lit up the sky, flooding everything around him with a pulsating white light. Barely able to move, and no longer feeling the torrents of rain beating down on him, his hands suddenly began to shimmer like two black holes. Holding them out in front of him, unable to look away, Arthur started to become aware of a kind of deep and distant darkness. An endless abyss, flecked by tiny lights, it felt vast ancient. And in those moments which followed, as he stared through his hands, feeling a rush of sensations which he could not understand; he could have sworn that he heard his name being called from within.
Then, just as suddenly as it had all begun, it was over. The light vanished leaving Arthur staring at his hands in disbelief. Only now, all he saw was the rain splashing against his fingers.
Hey, did you see that? shouted Sasha, reappearing clutching several large seat cushions.
Arthur stared at him, shaking.
Come on, grab those over there, and get inside, quickly.
Hurrying back into the porch, they both stood in silence, watching the storm through the open door, waiting to see if it would happen again.
Go on in, Ill lock up, said Sasha finally.
Peculiarly, no one indoors appeared to have noticed a thing. His mum had been preoccupied with his sisters bath time, whilst Aunty M had been enthusiastically scouring for shoes online and had just shaken her head in surprise. Not sure what to make of it all, Arthur spent the rest of the evening lying on his bed unable to get the images of his hands and what theyd transformed into out of his mind. When he did finally manage to close his eyes, he began to imagine a star-filled night.
Hello, Cat, he mumbled sleepily, feeling the cat come and lie down on the bed next to him. Whereve you been all evening, then?
Where do you think? Trying to stay out of that dreadful storm.
Arthurs eyes flickered slightly. If he hadnt known better, hed have sworn that the cat had just said something to him.
You didnt just talk, did you? he grinned, reaching out to stroke his warm fur.
Sure, I did. Is there something wrong with your ears, all of a sudden?
Gasping, Arthur sat bolt upright, almost tumbling out of bed in the process. Oh my god! Cat! Youre talking!
What do you mean Im talking? Of course Im talking. Whats wrong with you?
No, you dont understandyou can really talk!
And there you have it folks, the kids a born genius.
What? No, lookI mean, listen. Youre talking, and I can understand everything that youre saying. Go on, say something, Ill prove it.
Liquorice sticks, said the cat.
Liquorice sticks!?
Yeah, I dont know, it was the first thing that came to mind.
Weird, but OK. Now do you see!? he exclaimed excitedly, struggling to keep his voice down. But, Cat, hows it even possible?
Search me. Maybe you hit your head on something? Did you hit your head on something?
No. I dont think so. Did you?
Not that I can remember. But then I reckon that if I had, it might explain why I cant remember doing it. The cat made a slight choking sound, which Arthur could have sworn was him laughing.
Woah! You dont think its got something to do with that light, do you? You did see it, right?
Of course I saw it. It made all my fur stand on end.
And everything was normal before that?
Well, if by normal, you mean that you couldnt understand me, then yes.
But what about everyone else? Do you know if they can understand you too?
No, I dont think so. That aunt of yours completely ignored me when I suggested that she might want to share some of her chicken with me. And that was even after I complimented her on her hair, so And your stepfather, well lets just say I had a few choice words for him when he stood on my tailwhich still hurts, by the way.
OK, so only me, then?
I guess.
What do you mean you guess? You dont seem particularly excited about it. Cant you see that this is major? Youve suddenly started talking like a person.
Perhaps, replied the cat, yawning. Only, without wishing to put a hole in your boat or anything, as youre the only one who appears to be able to understand me, maybe its actually you who can suddenly talk like a cat?
Arthur stared at him, gobsmacked. Oh! Do you really think so?
I really do, he purred. And now, not wanting to be a killjoy about the whole discovery thing and all, but having just spent the last two hours deep cleaning my fur after that rain, Im totally knackered. Soooooooo, super excited and everything, but as the saying goes, Too much doing and not enough sleeping turns cats in to rats.
And without another word, the cat curled up into a ball and fell asleep.
2
More Surprises
Arthur wasnt the first to wake that morning. His stepfather, who worked shifts for the emergency services, had already left to go to work. In the summer, when they were all at the cottage, that always meant a very early start in order to stay ahead of the traffic.