Is by Derek Webb Page B

displaced.’
    As you can imagine, most of us just let his words wash over us.
    The exceptions were Clever Trevor, who tried sucking up to Mr Phillips by asking questions and appearing interested, and Is, who was sitting bolt upright and had an intent expression on her face.
    â€˜When we go on a ferry we all accept that it’s made of metal, don’t we?’ Mr Phillips went on. ‘We don’t give it a second thought. But we should stop and ask ourselves why it floats, shouldn’t we?’
    â€˜Because the ferry company’d be sunk if it didn’t,’ chortled Kevin, obviously still flush with the success of his brick levitation.
    Personally I thought that was quite good for Kevin, but Mr Phillips was less than impressed.
    â€˜Yes, thank you, Ryder. You can keep your jokes to yourself in future.’ After a pause while he wiped his shiny bald bit with a handkerchief, Mr Phillips carried on. ‘Of course, when they made the first iron boats, back in Victorian times, people didn’t believe they’d float either. In fact, some of you may remember a couple of years ago they brought back one of those early iron boats from the Falkland Islands, way down near the tip of South America.’ We all looked blank. I didn’t remember anything about any iron ship. And at the time the Falkland Islands meant nothing to us either; after all, the Falklands war didn’t happen for another ten years. ‘The ship,’ blabbered on Mr Phillips, ‘was the SS Great Britain…’
    My ears pricked up at that. The SS Great Britain was one of those boats Is had shown me in the museum. I looked across at her and grinned at the happy coincidence. But she didn’t appear to notice me. She was staring straight ahead, in a way I knew spelt trouble.
    â€˜â€¦ at the time it was one of the largest iron ships ever built…’
    â€˜It wasn’t one of the largest, Sir. It was the largest,’ interrupted Isabel.
    â€˜All right Isabel, it was the largest. That’s hardly important, is it? The fact that it was a bit bigger than other ships of the time is of no consequence.’
    â€˜It is of great consequence to me, Sir, it most certainly is,’ replied Is firmly in a suddenly very adult and formal-sounding voice.
    Mr Phillips looked taken aback by the way she had answered him, but before he managed to say anything, she continued in the same vein.
    â€˜And I will have you know that the Great Britain was not – to use your inadequate words – “a bit bigger than other ships”. She was, Sir, at 3444 tons, twice the the size of her contemporaries.’
    Mr Phillips recovered himself to say with a smirk: ‘Yes, well thank you for the history lesson, Isabel. We’ll let you know when we want to find out some more.’
    Is continued as if she hadn’t heard a word he said.
    â€˜People said that it would sink, of course. There are always sceptics in every society. Always there are those who cannot, who will not, believe. I had to suffer more than my fair share of such fools.’
    â€˜I hope I don’t have to repeat myself, Isabel. I seem to remember you adopting this ridiculous tone once before in my class. Well I have to warn you, I will not have it.’ Mr Phillips was quite clearly bristling by now. But Isabel took no notice. She carried on as if there was nobody else in the room.
    â€˜The SS Great Britain, of course, was nothing compared to my final triumph,’ she said. ‘I was determined to launch the greatest ship in the history of mankind. And I did!’
    â€˜Ssh,’ I whispered at her and shook my hand from side to side to try to make her stop. But she wouldn’t, she was completely oblivious of everything around her.
    â€˜The Great Eastern was to be that ship. And I, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was the engineer to design it.’
    â€˜Shut up, Is!’ I hissed. But it was too late; everyone started