would have seen it, wouldn’t he? He can’t have been that far on—just seconds on from it, don’t you think? He would know!’
‘Yes—brilliant, old girl!’ snapped Freddy. ‘All we need to do is put a notice in the local newspaper asking for anyone who might remember seeing a black car while he was passing in 1956! Easy!’
Polly gave him a furious look and turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
‘Come on,’ said Ben. ‘It’s really late. You need to get some sleep. We all do.’
‘Quite right,’ muttered Uncle Jerome. ‘Off you go now. Early to bed! Off to sleep!’ Ben knew he was desperate to get rid of them so he could examine the Ampex undisturbed.
‘We’ve slept a lifetime!’ grumbled Freddy, but he was looking very tired.
Ben patted his shoulder. ‘Come on, mate. Honestly—it’ll all seem a lot better in the morning.’
He steered Freddy and Rachel out and Uncle Jerome stared up at the screen for a long time. He wound back the tape a little way and squinted at the man with something in his shoe. Then he looked at the car again. Then the man again.
Then his mouth fell open and his hand went to his temple. ‘No,’ he breathed. ‘No … it can’t be.’
The next day began sunny. With screaming.
Rachel was hurtled out of sleep by the sound of Polly waking up and realizing that yesterday hadn’t been a dream after all.
‘It’s OK—it’s OK!’ She grabbed Polly’s arm, still dealing with her own sense of unreality. ‘You’re all right! You’re safe!’
Polly stared at her and then shut her eyes. When she opened them again she looked more composed. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Oh gosh—I’m really sorry! Bess has wet the bed. And—oh no—she’s eaten a bit of Ritzy!’
Rachel winced. Her Chatz doll was still pouting and smirking despite having her left leg gnawed off at the knee. And being covered in puppy drool. Bess thumped her tail and looked very proud.
‘I think we’ll have to get her a basket and lay down some newspapers in the kitchen or something,’ suggested Polly, looking very guilty.
‘Yes—we can do that today. Don’t worry about it,’ said Rachel. She lay back in bed and felt her brain stretching and flipping like a mad gymnast as she tried, all over again, to believe that she was sharing a bedroom with a girl—and a puppy—from 1956.
A second later the door burst open, with only a hint at a knock beforehand, and Freddy and Ben spilled in. ‘The sun’s out again!’ said Ben. ‘And I think we might be able to go out on bikes—all of us!’
‘We’ve only got two bikes!’ pointed out Rachel. She couldn’t imagine Polly doing a doubler, somehow.
‘No! We’ve got four!’ beamed Ben. ‘Freddy and I have been right through to the back of the old garage and guess what? Their bikes are still there!’
‘Really? After fifty-three years? Aren’t they just a heap of rust?’
‘No,’ said Freddy. ‘They’ve been under a heap of old sacking, so they’ve stayed quite dry. Just need a bit of oil and a pump up! Come on, you two lazybones! Stir your stumps! We’ve already had breakfast.’
Half an hour later, after eating boiled eggs and toast, with cups of tea (which Polly had insisted on neatly laying out on the table once more), and feeding Bess with some food scraps, the girls were outside by the garage, helping Ben and Freddy work on the old bikes. It was utterly weird, thought Rachel, seeing the very same bike that Freddy had ridden across the old video screen before their eyes only hours before—still here fifty-three years later. The bike had not worn as well as its rider. In spite of the sacking over it there was a fair bit of rust on its wheels and the basket was mouldy. Rachel poked at it with a revolted finger. ‘We’ll have to chuck this away.’
Polly looked appalled. ‘Why on earth would we throw it away? All it needs is a good clean.’
‘It’s mouldy!’ protested Rachel.
‘It’ll be perfectly all right
‘Yes—brilliant, old girl!’ snapped Freddy. ‘All we need to do is put a notice in the local newspaper asking for anyone who might remember seeing a black car while he was passing in 1956! Easy!’
Polly gave him a furious look and turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
‘Come on,’ said Ben. ‘It’s really late. You need to get some sleep. We all do.’
‘Quite right,’ muttered Uncle Jerome. ‘Off you go now. Early to bed! Off to sleep!’ Ben knew he was desperate to get rid of them so he could examine the Ampex undisturbed.
‘We’ve slept a lifetime!’ grumbled Freddy, but he was looking very tired.
Ben patted his shoulder. ‘Come on, mate. Honestly—it’ll all seem a lot better in the morning.’
He steered Freddy and Rachel out and Uncle Jerome stared up at the screen for a long time. He wound back the tape a little way and squinted at the man with something in his shoe. Then he looked at the car again. Then the man again.
Then his mouth fell open and his hand went to his temple. ‘No,’ he breathed. ‘No … it can’t be.’
The next day began sunny. With screaming.
Rachel was hurtled out of sleep by the sound of Polly waking up and realizing that yesterday hadn’t been a dream after all.
‘It’s OK—it’s OK!’ She grabbed Polly’s arm, still dealing with her own sense of unreality. ‘You’re all right! You’re safe!’
Polly stared at her and then shut her eyes. When she opened them again she looked more composed. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Oh gosh—I’m really sorry! Bess has wet the bed. And—oh no—she’s eaten a bit of Ritzy!’
Rachel winced. Her Chatz doll was still pouting and smirking despite having her left leg gnawed off at the knee. And being covered in puppy drool. Bess thumped her tail and looked very proud.
‘I think we’ll have to get her a basket and lay down some newspapers in the kitchen or something,’ suggested Polly, looking very guilty.
‘Yes—we can do that today. Don’t worry about it,’ said Rachel. She lay back in bed and felt her brain stretching and flipping like a mad gymnast as she tried, all over again, to believe that she was sharing a bedroom with a girl—and a puppy—from 1956.
A second later the door burst open, with only a hint at a knock beforehand, and Freddy and Ben spilled in. ‘The sun’s out again!’ said Ben. ‘And I think we might be able to go out on bikes—all of us!’
‘We’ve only got two bikes!’ pointed out Rachel. She couldn’t imagine Polly doing a doubler, somehow.
‘No! We’ve got four!’ beamed Ben. ‘Freddy and I have been right through to the back of the old garage and guess what? Their bikes are still there!’
‘Really? After fifty-three years? Aren’t they just a heap of rust?’
‘No,’ said Freddy. ‘They’ve been under a heap of old sacking, so they’ve stayed quite dry. Just need a bit of oil and a pump up! Come on, you two lazybones! Stir your stumps! We’ve already had breakfast.’
Half an hour later, after eating boiled eggs and toast, with cups of tea (which Polly had insisted on neatly laying out on the table once more), and feeding Bess with some food scraps, the girls were outside by the garage, helping Ben and Freddy work on the old bikes. It was utterly weird, thought Rachel, seeing the very same bike that Freddy had ridden across the old video screen before their eyes only hours before—still here fifty-three years later. The bike had not worn as well as its rider. In spite of the sacking over it there was a fair bit of rust on its wheels and the basket was mouldy. Rachel poked at it with a revolted finger. ‘We’ll have to chuck this away.’
Polly looked appalled. ‘Why on earth would we throw it away? All it needs is a good clean.’
‘It’s mouldy!’ protested Rachel.
‘It’ll be perfectly all right
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