explained sheepishly, `was that the distance to Lime Street is nothing compared to the distance you’ve travelled to end up here.’
She nodded. No smile this time. `I see.’
There followed a long, awkward and humourless silence. `So can you tell me how to get there?’ the alien asked hopefully.
`What? Oh, yes,’ I stammered, feeling my face redden. `Sorry, it’s just that I wasn’t expecting to…’ `To what?’
I didn’t know what to say. Instead I began to direct the alien across town. `Take a right, follow the high street until you reach the junction with the road to Fordham. Turn left and Lime Street is the second road on your right.’ `Thank you,’ she said and she turned and began to walk away. `So how are you finding it here?’ I asked, shouting after her. I instinctively wanted her to stay a little longer. I would have been disappointed if my first conversation with an alien had ended as completely unrewarding and embarrassing as it had begun.
She turned back and smiled again. `When you say here,’ she began, `are you talking about the town or the planet?’ `Either,’ I replied. `Both.’
She sighed and thought for a moment before answering. `I don’t know how to answer honestly without offending you…’ she said. `Just offend me then,’ I interrupted. `Your planet is fine, but it’s not what I’m used to. It’s not my home, is it?’
Although her use of the word `fine’ annoyed me because it made my planet sound nondescript and barely adequate, I understood what she was trying to say. `Of course it isn’t,’ I agreed. `Don’t get me wrong, I like what I’ve seen here,’ she continued, `but I’d rather be back home.’ `How long will it be before you get back?’ `A year and a half, maybe longer.’ `And how does that make you feel?’ `Desperate,’ she replied, before turning and walking away again.
I watched the alien disappear and thought about her constantly until Joe finally emerged from the warehouse.
14
By seven o’clock that evening I was restless and bored. The day was in danger of ending as dishearteningly lonely and quietly as it had begun. Everyone seemed to have something to do except me. I was too tired and it was too late to do any more work at Porter Farm, Rob still hadn’t come back from wherever it was he’d gone to, Siobhan was visiting her parents and just about everyone else I could think of were at home with their families.
Leaving the rat-race behind seemed to have had a strange and unexpected side-effect on my life in that I had become a misfit of sorts. Without the normality of a regular routine to base my life around I was free to stay up late or go to bed early or stay out all night or do pretty much anything I wanted to. Everyone else was still trapped by their responsibilities. Though I was delighted with my freedom and lack of restrictions at times like this I felt completely alone and out on a limb.
I decided to go for a walk. I started off wandering through the centre of the village but quickly got fed-up. The population was still artificially swollen by holidaymakers and alien-spotters alike. It was time to take myself away from it all for a while. If no-one wanted to be with me then I didn’t want to be with anyone. It was time to be as antisocial as I was beginning to feel.
I walked away from Thatcham and soon found myself wandering along the rough coastal path that I often followed when I ran. I had allowed my training to slip recently and it had been almost two weeks since I’d been out running. I could have run tonight, I thought guiltily. Never mind. I would get up early tomorrow and run first thing. Well, that was the plan…
The sky above me was clear save for a few light speckles and bands of clouds on the edge of the horizon. The huge
She nodded. No smile this time. `I see.’
There followed a long, awkward and humourless silence. `So can you tell me how to get there?’ the alien asked hopefully.
`What? Oh, yes,’ I stammered, feeling my face redden. `Sorry, it’s just that I wasn’t expecting to…’ `To what?’
I didn’t know what to say. Instead I began to direct the alien across town. `Take a right, follow the high street until you reach the junction with the road to Fordham. Turn left and Lime Street is the second road on your right.’ `Thank you,’ she said and she turned and began to walk away. `So how are you finding it here?’ I asked, shouting after her. I instinctively wanted her to stay a little longer. I would have been disappointed if my first conversation with an alien had ended as completely unrewarding and embarrassing as it had begun.
She turned back and smiled again. `When you say here,’ she began, `are you talking about the town or the planet?’ `Either,’ I replied. `Both.’
She sighed and thought for a moment before answering. `I don’t know how to answer honestly without offending you…’ she said. `Just offend me then,’ I interrupted. `Your planet is fine, but it’s not what I’m used to. It’s not my home, is it?’
Although her use of the word `fine’ annoyed me because it made my planet sound nondescript and barely adequate, I understood what she was trying to say. `Of course it isn’t,’ I agreed. `Don’t get me wrong, I like what I’ve seen here,’ she continued, `but I’d rather be back home.’ `How long will it be before you get back?’ `A year and a half, maybe longer.’ `And how does that make you feel?’ `Desperate,’ she replied, before turning and walking away again.
I watched the alien disappear and thought about her constantly until Joe finally emerged from the warehouse.
14
By seven o’clock that evening I was restless and bored. The day was in danger of ending as dishearteningly lonely and quietly as it had begun. Everyone seemed to have something to do except me. I was too tired and it was too late to do any more work at Porter Farm, Rob still hadn’t come back from wherever it was he’d gone to, Siobhan was visiting her parents and just about everyone else I could think of were at home with their families.
Leaving the rat-race behind seemed to have had a strange and unexpected side-effect on my life in that I had become a misfit of sorts. Without the normality of a regular routine to base my life around I was free to stay up late or go to bed early or stay out all night or do pretty much anything I wanted to. Everyone else was still trapped by their responsibilities. Though I was delighted with my freedom and lack of restrictions at times like this I felt completely alone and out on a limb.
I decided to go for a walk. I started off wandering through the centre of the village but quickly got fed-up. The population was still artificially swollen by holidaymakers and alien-spotters alike. It was time to take myself away from it all for a while. If no-one wanted to be with me then I didn’t want to be with anyone. It was time to be as antisocial as I was beginning to feel.
I walked away from Thatcham and soon found myself wandering along the rough coastal path that I often followed when I ran. I had allowed my training to slip recently and it had been almost two weeks since I’d been out running. I could have run tonight, I thought guiltily. Never mind. I would get up early tomorrow and run first thing. Well, that was the plan…
The sky above me was clear save for a few light speckles and bands of clouds on the edge of the horizon. The huge
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