The Prophecy Chapter Two

The stranger was walking over towards them.

‘Hi, you guys,’ he said. ‘Can I introduce myself? Gabrizan Taylor. I’ve just come in with my folks. My old man’s involved with the Cloud Project.’ He shook the hands of those people nearest to him.

How cute, thought Marijam. Where on Terrestra did he learn that?

Gabrizan stretched his hand out towards her. Marijam was annoyed to find herself trembling slightly. She felt as if her chest was going to burst. Her cheeks flushed bright red. This time not because she was embarrassed or felt uncomfortable. This was exciting. Even so, she was glad that it was too dark for anyone else to see. Two deep blue eyes met hers and she felt as if she was being drawn in.  Before she could take his hand, though, Rainer interrupted.

‘How come you’re here, then?’ he asked. ‘I thought the Cloud Project was based in Melbin.’

Gabrizan appeared thoughtful for a second or two.

‘Well’, he said suddenly, ‘you can hardly see the Northern lights that far south. If that’s what they are. Both of my parents are here to investigate them.’

‘Will you be schooled through Project 57?’ asked Sadie.

‘I think so,’ said Gabrizan. ‘It’s similar to the Alexander Project we did down there.’

‘Oh, I hope they’ll put you in our Social Unit then,’ said Sadie.

‘I guess they will,’ said Gabrizan, smiling warmly at Sadie. ‘They suggested I came here.’

Marijam’s fingers were pressed into her palms. Hands off, he’s mine, she thought, trying to catch Sadie’s eye.

The excitement was growing in the Laguna. People were now squashed up against the dark walls of the cave. Marijam sipped her nectar slowly. As the sweet liquid smoothed the back of her throat, she began to feel like she belonged.

Gabrizan was deep in conversation with Rainer now. She could not hear what he was saying, but they were both frowning. Every so often one of them would shake his head or rub his chin thoughtfully, occasionally looking up at the big screen and pointing to something.

Probably trying to work out what has been happening, she thought. She wanted to join in but knew that if she tried she’d be tongue-tied as usual. And anyway, it was actually quite nice just sitting there watching him. His blond hair and his brown skin fascinated her. She couldn’t help noticing how tall he was.

‘Hey,’ said Sadie, ‘what are you staring at?’

‘Oh, nothing,’ said Marijam, going red again.

‘You don’t fancy him do you?’ asked Sadie.

Marijam turned away from Sadie. She was certainly not going to answer a silly question like that.

She was facing the two boys directly now. Gabrizan waved and smiled. She just about managed to smile back.

I hope I don’t look stupid, she thought.

She saw Gabrizan mutter something to Rainer. Both of them looked at her again. Rainer gestured with his hand towards her.

They’re talking about me now, she thought and tried to get away, but she was hemmed in. Gabrizan was walking straight towards her. Rainer stayed behind, and Sadie rushed straight towards him.

Thanks, Sadie, thought Marijam. She couldn’t cope with this sort of thing. She wanted the comfort of her room with the skylight and the dataserve.

A hand was held out across the table. Marijam leant forward to take the hand. She was trembling.

This is ridiculous, she thought. I’m behaving like a complete idiot.

The handshake was firm. She wasn’t used to people her own age shaking hands with her. And even an adult’s hand had often been limp and damp.

‘I’m Marijam Kennedy,’ she managed to say surprisingly calmly. ‘I’m on Project 57’.

‘Hello, Marijam Kennedy,’ said Gabrizan slowly. ‘I’m really glad you’re on Project 57. That’s where I’ll be schooled. Let’s hope they have a meet soon.’

He’s flirting with me, thought Marijam. He’s flirting and I actually think I like it. But I don’t know what to do.

He was smiling at her now, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Suddenly the News screen sprang into life, and filled with her father’s face.

‘This is a special announcement for all seniors,’ he was saying. ‘What has happened tonight is of monumental importance and is going to change dramatically our way of life on Terrestra.’  Frazier Kennedy paused. People gasped. Some reaffirmed their opinion that what had happened tonight was something to do with the poison cloud moving. Others also speculated what had caused that to happen. When everyone had quietened down again, Frazier continued.

‘Obviously you will wonder what I mean by that remark and you will no doubt have many theories about what actually happened tonight. What has happened is much too important to discuss via a News screen. Therefore, all seniors are to return to their homes immediately and be ready for a meet in their normal Project Room at 9.00 a.m. sharp tomorrow. And allow plenty of time for the journey. Everyone else has also been called for a meet at their work centres. The transport systems will be overloaded. But don’t worry, and sleep well. It is just good news.’

The screen went blank again. There was silence at first. Then some students pushed towards the exits. Others got in their way as they lingered behind, unwilling to be sent home when there was so much to talk about. Gabrizan stood to one side as Marijam struggled out from behind the table. He walked behind her as she turned towards the door. He kept close to her most of the way towards the transporters. The crowds left them little other choice. She didn’t want to turn and look at him. That would have seemed so rude. But she knew he was at her side all the time. That made her feel proud, as if she were royalty, and she was sure everyone was looking at her.

I am being ridiculous, she thought.

‘This is where I leave you,’ said Gabrizan, as they arrived at the A Transporters Deck. The grey platform was crowded. Already she could hear the high-pitched whirring of one of the steel-nosed jet-trains. The usual swish of air as the machine hovered near the platform told her she was going to have to leave this fascinating person very soon.

‘Save me a place at the meet if you get there before me,’ he added putting his hand gently on her back. ‘And if I’m there first I’ll save you one.’ He smiled and winked.

Marijam felt a big lump in her throat.

‘See you tomorrow then,’ she managed to just about whisper.

*   *   *

‘You look very smart today, sweetie,’ said Frazier Kennedy.

Marijam plucked nervously at the edge of the navy tunic.

‘Not that you need to dress up. You’ve inherited your mother’s good looks,’ her father continued. Then he laughed, looking at himself in plastiglass window as the private transporter pod they were using sped though the dark tunnels. ‘You certainly didn’t get them from me.’

If only you knew, thought Marijam.

She had had no trouble feeling wide awake this morning, despite not getting to bed until well past midnight, and then being too excited to sleep for most of the night. She had dressed really carefully today, something a bit better than the grey ripon tunic, but nothing too showy. She was fairly confident that the well-cut navy suede-effect tunic was just right. And she knew exactly why she had made an effort with her appearance.

There was just one other person in the room when Marijam arrived at the room designated for her group’s meet.  Her heart started pounding as she went through the door and saw him.  Gabrizan signalled with his head that she should sit next to him. She felt herself blush again.

‘It certainly seems clear out there,’ he said as she sat down. ‘Have you had a look yet?’

She hadn’t actually. She realised she hadn’t bothered looking through her skylight when she got back the night before. She had had other things on her mind. She shook her head.

‘Anyway,’ said Gabrizan, leaning back into chair, his arms jangling limply at his side and his legs stretched out in front of him. ‘I want to know all about you.’

As the others arrived, Gabrizan punched questions at her.

‘Do you have any brothers and sisters?’ he asked.

‘No,’ she replied. ‘I’m an only child. What about you?’

‘Just one sister. Is it as good as they say, then, being the only child?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know really… it’s a bit lonely sometimes…,’ she answered.

‘Makes sense. There couldn’t be another as gorgeous as you.’

Marijam felt her cheeks start to burn. She tried to be polite and ask him similar questions back, but his answers were dismissive. His home was fairly ordinary. He wanted to know about her. And he seemed to find her answers so interesting and delightful that she really began to feel important. His eyes smiled at all of her answers.

Soon the room was full. The dataserve’s tinny voice proclaimed that all students on Project 57 were present. Frazier walked into the room.

‘Right, folks,’ he began, ‘you will be pleased to know that the speculation was correct. The poison has indeed dispersed. Every single trace of it has vanished and in one night of astounding electrical activity. We are not quite sure how or why it happened yet, but the main idea we have so far is that some strong force entered the cloud and seeded it, just like they used to in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.’ He then showed them pictures of rain clouds over the African mainland from the year 2005. Small primitive aircraft had flown into them dispersing chemicals, which helped the clouds to release their moisture. ‘The case is a little different here,’ he added. ‘Something has set up electrical charges within the cloud. We believe it is from a type of metal not found on Terrestra, as we have already tried this with every metal known on Terrestra. This has discharged the poison from the cloud. That was what produced some of those glorious colours you saw last night.’

Marijam noticed that Gabrizan was now sitting forwards on his seat, his knuckles white as he gripped the sides. There was a slight frown creasing his forehead. Marijam caught his eye and he relaxed, flashing her a wide smile. His eyes danced again for a few seconds, but then the concentration came back.

Frazier was now showing pictures from the night before.

‘You are a very privileged group,’ he said finally ‘to have witnessed something like this in your final year of schooling. There are five research places now open to students of Project 57. Anyone interested can apply through InterEducation as usual.’

Everyone sat in silence for about ten seconds, then everyone started talking at once.  Questions were shouted out without the normal order and discipline in a school meet – especially when the Head of Education was there. Frazier Kennedy did his best to answer them, but even he was not his usual unflappable self.

For a short while Marijam forgot who she was sitting next to. Even Gabrizan seemed less important than the news they had just been given. So the poison cloud was gone after all that time, and it had gone so quickly in just one night of the most fantastic light display she had ever seen.

‘Are you going to give it a go?’ asked Gabrizan, now sitting back in his chair again, and pulling her out of her day dream.

A little thrill of excitement ran through her as she looked at him.

‘I think I’d like to,’ she managed to say. There was a strange lump in her throat and she thought her voice came out a bit squeaky. She was really interested in the project, but she was fascinated by him.

‘Well, I’m going to,’ said Gabrizan. ‘Hey, don’t you think it would be good for the two of us to work together? Maybe we could take on a joint research project. It would be a great Part II.’

Wouldn’t it just? thought Marijam. Especially if I was doing it with you.

‘Will you meet me later?’ asked Gabrizan, as they were about to leave the seminar room. ‘There is something I think you would really like to see.’

‘Oh, just one thing,’ called Frazier Kennedy as the students started to make their way towards the exit. ‘No-one will be allowed up to the surface for a while yet.  We need to carry out further tests, then get it ready. We’re pretty sure it’s safe out there, but we must be certain. We think the strange metal entered Terrestra’s atmosphere randomly, but we have to be sure that it was not fired or planted there by people from another planet. Also, it will take some getting used to the outside air. Anyone caught going out before the all-clear is given will be dealt with severely. Everybody needs to get used to the idea anyway. But,’ he paused. There was a twinkle in his eye. ‘Some of the outer plastiglass comes off the windows straight away.’

‘Intersection Q5A. Seven fifteen,’ Gabrizan whispered.

Marijam turned to see Gabrizan walking away from her. He waved and grinned.

*  *  *

‘Well all I can say is,’ said Louish Kennedy, looking at her daughter in the silver silk, ‘he must be a pretty important guy. I’ve never seen you look so well-groomed. It’s good to see you get away from that dataserve a bit as well.’

‘It’s the new chap, isn’t it?’ said Frazier, grinning hugely. ‘That’s okay by me. He’s quite a man. Got his application in for Project Northern Lights already. And it’s looking good!’

Already? thought Marijam. How on Terrestra had he managed that? She would have to get cracking. But not tonight. She briefly thought of the chaos she’d left in her bedroom. All of her tunics were strewn across the bed. It had taken forever to decide what to wear, and even now she wasn’t sure. But it was time to go. The silver silk would have to do.

*  *  *

Marijam had never been to Q5A or even to this side of town before. It was right where this cave network ended. A transporter system could take you to the next network, but it would usually take a long time for one to arrive.

There was something dull and tarnished about the caves here. They looked as if they had not been cared for in a long time. Marijam was so nervous that when her arm brushed one of the sides, she sprang away, startled.

‘Leave me alone!’ she shouted. It had only been the bare rock, though. She put her hand on its surface. It was cold and clammy. Obviously, it had not been dehumidified and damp-proofed like the other cave networks she knew.

‘You look gorgeous,’ said a voice. Marijam jumped again. She hadn’t seen him there, standing in the shadows.

‘Thank you,’ she managed to remember to say.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘You’ll find this unbelievable.’

‘Where are we going?’ she asked.

‘Don’t be frightened,’ he said. Could he see how much she was shaking? ‘Nothing’s going to hurt you.’

She followed him along the cave path. It was really rough just here. There were loose rocks, which you couldn’t actually see, all along the pathway. Marijam tripped several times. Once, she fell to the floor, grazing her hand.

‘Are you all right?’ asked Gabrizan, moving towards her. He sounded concerned.

‘I’m fine,’ she said, quickly getting back up before he could help her. She wasn’t really. Her hand was throbbing. But she felt too embarrassed to admit that she was hurt. He might think she was clumsy.

What a silly time to wear a silk tunic, she thought.

It was really hard to walk. And it was so dark here. She supposed it was because they were so close to the edge of the cave network. Every so often, Gabrizan turned to see whether she was still coming.

‘Nearly there,’ he said, as they came to a real bit of cave where it was even more difficult to keep going.

‘Here,’ he said a few minutes later as they arrived in front of a steel door.

Gabrizan took a strange looking object out of his pocket and started to work at the door’s lock with it.

‘What’s that?’ asked Marijam?

‘Have you not seen one before?’  Gabrizan was not looking at her. ‘It’s a just a little gadget I always carry with me. It’s especially good for opening stubborn doors.’

In seconds the door was open. Marijam realised what was happening. She remembered her father’s warning about how it might not be all right outside and how people would be punished if they were caught.

Gabrizan turned to face her.

‘It will be all right. Really, it will. Trust me.’

Marijam’s mouth went dry. The shaking became worse. Gabrizan was still staring at her. His eyebrows were slightly raised as if he was asking a question. He smiled slowly. Of course she could trust him!

‘I’ll be behind you all the way,’ he said. ‘It’s only a few metres up here. But you might feel funny when the air hits you.’

Carefully, Marijam stepped on to the first rung of the metal ladder. She made her way up slowly. She was afraid of what she was going to see at the other end. Gabrizan didn’t say anything as they went up, but she knew he was behind her and that reassured her.

‘We’re half way there,’ he said suddenly.  ‘Just another twenty rungs to go.’

Marijam could feel the air on her face now. It felt like the way the water from the cooler tasted. Of nothing, but cool and fresh. Everything seemed to be jumping around and she couldn’t focus her eyes on anything.

‘Careful,’ said Gabrizan, gently. ‘Don’t breathe in too much at once. You’re not ready for the natural mix yet. There’s actually more oxygen out here than in what they pump through the caves.’

How does he know? thought Marijam. How can he know it’s that safe?

Marijam couldn’t help feeling excited, though, as she came to the top of the shaft. She felt even dizzier as she let go of the rungs and pushed herself onto the surface of Terrestra. There was something soft and powdery beneath her hands. Pink dust.

‘It’s been scorched,’ said Gabrizan, coming up behind her. She was glad he was there. It made her feel safe. ‘It will soon be green again, though,’ he added. ‘Now that the poison cloud’s gone, they can bring the plant life back.’

‘How long do you think it will take to come back?’ she asked. After all, the cloud had arrived gradually. No-one had realised at first. But she remembered from her history lessons that the plants had started to die and then people started to cough and choke on the bad air. The authorities at the time had decided to get everything that lived underground. Would it come back just as gradually?

Gabrizan shrugged.

‘I guess it’ll take a while,’ he said. ‘Oh, but just look at that,’ he said, pointing towards the dark blue sky.

Marijam stared at the stars. They seemed so near, and she could see so far. A bright moon was shining. It seemed to Marijam brighter than the sun usually was.  There was no plastiglass or rim in the way. A breeze tickled her neck. There was the faint scent of something a little familiar but which she could not name.

‘What’s that?’ she said.

‘What?’ asked Gabrizan.

‘That sort of green smell,’ she replied suddenly realising it was what the greenhouses smelt like, only not so overpowering.

‘I wonder…’ He grabbed her hand.

Gabrizan walked rather quickly. Marijam found herself slipping on the pink powder. It was so different from walking on the special surfaces in the caves. Each step took longer as she kept on sliding back. Soon she was out of breath.

‘We’re nearly there,’ said Gabrizan.

Marijam could hear water rushing. It sounded like a huge tap running. The ground beneath them had stopped being soft and had now turned into solid rock. It was hard and cold beneath her feet. Gabrizan stopped suddenly. Marijam shivered. Gabrizan put his arm around the waist and held her closer.

‘Look,’ he said.

In front of them a waterfall tumbled over the rocks.

‘Can you see it?’ asked Gabrizan.

Marijam looked to where he was pointing. Nestled in the rocks were a few strands of green.

‘That’s what you could smell,’ he said, ‘ferns which have lived despite the poison cloud.’

Marijam breathed in deeply. She could taste the air. There was something sweet about its dampness, and underneath a taste of something like fresh salad. The breeze danced around her cheeks again.

‘How did you know it was here?’ she asked Gabrizan.

‘I’d seen there used to be a waterfall on the map,’ he said. ‘And when we noticed the green smell, I guessed it was still there.’

Marijam bent down and touched the ground beneath her. Its hardness and rough surface startled her. She drank the air, swallowing mouthfuls at a time. She looked up at the sky again. She had never seen so much sky. She  had never seen its blueness properly before. The poison cloud had always cast a grey shadow.

‘It is so amazing,’ she said quietly. ‘So …. it’s hard to describe… well, alive, I suppose..’

But there was something else.

Marijam turned to face Gabrizan. He was staring at her, his eyes wide open.

‘What I see is also fantastic,’ he murmured.

Marijam suddenly felt uneasy. Yet tingles of excitement ran up and down her body. Gabrizan touched her face gently.

‘You’re so beautiful,’ he said. Then he laughed suddenly.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘We’d better get back. Being outside for the first time is too much of a shock.’

But Marijam knew they would be back. Oh yes they would! Outside was definitely good!

The Prophecy Chapter One

Marijam looked up at the skylight. The smoky plastiglass, which covered the ordinary plastic window, was distorting her view of the stars. But it could not dull the brightness of the strange lights, which were shooting across the sky tonight. They were still changing colour. They were even more intense now than when they started an hour ago.

‘Is it working again?’ her mother called up from the other chamber.

Marijam looked at the dataserve screen. Still frozen. She bit her lip and ran her fingers through her hair. She wanted to finish the unit on the causes of sunlight poisoning in the late twenty-third century. That would complete her Part One, the first of her Specialist Study for her High School Graduation Certificate and well before the summer holiday.

‘No!’ she called back.

‘Well give it a rest, now, sweetheart,’ her father called. ‘You really should watch this. It’s the first time the Northern Lights have appeared for centuries.’

Marijam’s mother, Louish Kennedy, came into the room. Dressed from head to toe in a besequined pale blue satin, Louish stood out as usual from the damp greyness of the cave walls. Marijam winced as she saw her. She preferred to blend in with her surroundings. But even Mrs Kennedy couldn’t compete tonight with the light show out there.

‘Do you think’ she said to Marijam, ‘it might mean that the poison cloud’s beginning to lift at last? And it really is something, isn’t it?’

Marijam watched as a sheet of light shot across the sky. Marbled streamers of pinks and golds and greens flowed into one another. Marijam had never seen so many colours in one go. It was so dull down here in the caves. And even when you went up into the tubes and walked across the surface, you looked at everything through grey glass. The colours were so bright tonight that the glass couldn’t dull them.

‘I don’t think it is actually the Northern Lights,’ said Marijam’s father, appearing in the doorway. ‘I’ve seen movie clips of them, and they weren’t this pretty. Even when you saw them direct, and not through plastiglass.’

‘I don’t think you’ll be able to get anything else done tonight,’ said her mother. ‘There are too many problems with the network.’ She shivered. ‘The other support systems will work, won’t they?’ she asked, looking at her husband.

Marijam’s father, Frazier Kennedy, Head of Education, smiled.

‘They’ll be fine,’ he said to Louish, combing his hand through his wiry black hair.

Marijam recognised the gesture. He always did that when he was trying to convince himself rather than the person he was speaking to. He hugged his wife, resting his dark brown cheek against her greyish pale one. Not for the first time Marijam looked at her own arms and wished she had inherited her father’s skin colour instead of her mother’s. The cave-life was just washing white people out.

‘They always give the air top priority,’ Frazier continued, the skin round his eyes beginning to crinkle as his eyes smiled. ‘They’ll keep the seals in place as well.

‘But they’ve got to keep the life support systems going… on the farms and everything,’ Louish continued.

Marijam suddenly noticed how anxious her mother looked. The pupils of her eyes were bigger and her face was a shade whiter than normal.

Frazier shrugged his shoulders lightly and opened his arms, turning his palms upwards, and admitting defeat. ‘The education networks will be the first to go down,’ he said. ‘They’ll keep the lights on in the plantation caves, and yes, they’ll let us carry on breathing. Don’t worry so much.’

A purple light, edged with silver and blue streamed across the sky, catching Marijam’s eye and making her look again through the skylight. She held her breath. Not even the Midsummer Presidential Laser Show could match this.

It wasn’t just the lights, though. There was something about the atmosphere tonight. It was warm, even with the air conditioning, and she had this overwhelming feeling that something tremendous was about to happen.

‘Well, I guess nobody will be studying much tonight,’ said Marijam’s mother. ‘Everyone will be up in the tubes, getting a closer look at the sky.’

‘You should go and meet your friends,’ said Frazier. ‘You’ve just got to enjoy an event like this with people of your own age.’

‘Well, we’re going anyway,’ said Mrs Kennedy.

It probably was a good idea. There seemed to be little hope of completing her project tonight. And goodness knows when anything as exciting as this would happen again. Marijam felt a strange fluttering in her stomach. Her heart was racing.

‘Go on,’ said Louish Kennedy. ‘Put on your best tunic. Go and meet your friends. I’ll bet they’re all out there.’

They left her room. Marijam turned to her wardrobe. It was overflowing. She was the only daughter of the Head of Education. All the Heads of Services – Education, Transport, Agriculture, Life Support, Diastics and all the other services which kept this isolated planet going - were rich and important. Marijam could have anything she wanted apart from fresh air. Her parents had even let her have the room with the skylight. She opened the door. Row upon row of tunics. Black and grey ones. Some were made from expensive wool and cotton. Then there were the ordinary ones out of ripon, the cheap comfortable cloth that everyone wore. And some in blue, red, lilac, in fact every colour you could think of.

How can I possibly choose from all these? she thought. So much for equality.

She always felt guilty that her father’s position allowed her so much. Everyone was supposed to be born with equal chances. She knew, though, that she had it easier than many. That was why she normally preferred to just wear a comfortable dull-coloured ripon tunic.

She really didn’t go out much, even though she was allowed to use the cyber beaches and holoscenes as much as she liked. That was yet another advantage of being the daughter of one of the Heads of Services. There was never a question about the cost. On the whole, though, she preferred the solitude of her room and her dataserve, and the sky above, which she looked at through her skylight. She liked to dream of a time when all the people – even those from the Z Zone - would be able to walk freely on the surface of the planet. Would they ever be able to again? And would it be in her lifetime?

No, that won’t do, she thought to herself as she took down her old grey tunic. Not today. Today’s really special.

Marijam found herself gently touching a purple silk tunic. It was so soft and smooth beneath her fingers. She had not worn it before. It had been a present from her aunt, her mother’s sister.

‘You should get out more and enjoy yourself,’ Aunt Kayla said. She always told Marijam off about spending too much time in front of a dataserve screen, of not going out enough and mixing with other young people.

Well, Aunt, thought Marijam, you would be astounded. Yes, this will do nicely.

She felt the soft fineness of the silk next to her skin. It added to her excitement. She sprayed on some perfume, and even put on a little make up. She looked at herself in the mirror.

Yes, she would do nicely as well. Though for what, she was not quite sure. Another streak of pink light rushed through the sky above. She heard the swish of the vacuum doors closing in the entrance hall below. Her parents were already on their way. Time to get going for her as well.

The crowds making their way through the cave networks were stifling. Marijam had never seen so many people out at once. If you could really call it ‘out’. Even up in the tubes wasn’t really ‘out’. She had often wondered what ‘out’ would really be like. Not even this many people were around for the President’s Laser Show or the Christmas Walks. The queues for the lifts were really long. Marijam asked herself whether it would be better to just make her way to one of the large skylights. But no! Looking up from a tube would be a bit nearer to standing in a field and staring at the night sky.

‘Oh come on, get a move on,’ she heard one man mumble under his breath.

Exactly, she thought.

‘I expect we’ll get there eventually,’ a woman’s voice answered him.

It was amazing how calm people were staying.

Eventually she was at the front of the queue and the lift came. In seconds they were up at the surface, and she was joining the crowds now making their way along the tubes. She desperately wanted to get to somewhere where they didn’t criss-cross over each other so much, so that she could get an uninterrupted view of the sky.

Odd that she had not yet seen anybody she knew. She had to walk almost half a mile before she came to somewhere she could stand and look.

The lights still rushed across the blackness. Occasionally two from different directions would collide and then a shower of golden and lilac stars would sprinkle down towards Terrestra’s surface. But it was not accompanied by the ‘oohs’ and aahs’ heard at the President’s laser display. Everyone stood in absolute silence. This was something really special. The excitement carried on growing inside Marijam’s stomach. She felt as if she were glowing. And it was good watching the lights through the plastiglass tubes. She seemed as if she was nearer to them than when she looked through the sky light. You didn’t have the long tube of rock and stone.

Gradually, though, the brightness of the lights faded, and their path across the sky became slower, less urgent. Suddenly, one last vibrant streak of red seemed to rush at the plastiglass tube where they were standing.

The silence broke. There was a gasp of surprise, perhaps of fear. The light hovered, almost threateningly. Then it vanished suddenly. There was nothing left but a clear night sky. Clearer, Marijam thought, than she had ever seen it before. Was her mother right? Was the poison cloud shifting at last?

The noise that the people now made as they moved towards the lifts compensated for the earlier silence. There was an excited chatter. And all sorts of ideas about what might have caused the lights.

‘I bet it’s somebody from another planet,’ a young boy cried. ‘I bet they’ve got some guards up there that they didn’t tell us about. They’ve been zapped.’

‘It could just be some strange meteorite storm,’ the man with him replied.

‘I wouldn’t have thought they’d be that colourful, though,’ replied another man.

Marijam didn’t want to go back to the apartment. It would be too much of an anticlimax to go back to work. And she was not far from the Laguna, the nectar bar where people from her school level were encouraged to go to meet people of their own generation.

For once, anyway, Marijam felt the need to be amongst people, and drink some of the state-provided nectar with its mild mind-altering chemicals.

The Laguna was buzzing when she arrived. Marijam almost turned straight back. People she wanted, yes, but not this many. But she had to pause a moment to admire the granite walls. The Laguna, at least, was a real cave, unlike most of the man-made ones that inhabitants of Terrestra used as their homes. The ceiling was covered with a huge screen, which showed the picture taken from a camera up on the surface. You could almost believe that you were outside.

Marijam looked up at the sky. No, there was definitely no more sign of the lights. And yes, she was sure the sky did look clearer than normal.

‘Marijam!’ a voice suddenly called. ‘Over here!’

Marijam turned to see who had called her. A girl in a silver tunic and with purple hair was waving frantically at her. A whole group from her school unit were sitting in one of the alcoves. It was Sadie Rojens. They had once worked on a project together, though mainly via the dataserve.

‘So what do you think caused those lights?’ asked Sadie excitedly. ‘We’re just getting one or two ideas here.’

‘What would you like to drink, Marijam?’ said a male voice.

A tall boy who was now standing up next to the table. It was Rainer Elbman.  He looked quite elegant in his deep navy tunic. It looked as if it was made of wool and so must have been expensive.

‘Oh, er … a peach and melon, I think,’ said Marijam blushing slightly.

‘Hands off, he’s mine,’ Sadie hissed in her ear.

The thought had never occurred to Marijam.

‘Well, Marijam, what do you reckon?’ asked another masculine voice. Ponty Davidson. ‘What was all that about?’

Marijam felt herself flush. Ponty made a point of talking to her at every school meet. She always felt so awkward talking to boys, but with Ponty it was worse. He seemed to stifle her. She couldn’t work out what he wanted of her.

‘Do you think it’s the poison cloud going?’ she managed to mumble eventually.

‘Maybe,’ replied Ponty. ‘Or maybe it’s because one of the most delicious girls in our social group has decided to show off her assets at last.’

His pupils were wide open and she could feels his eyes first on her legs, and then on her breasts. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, nestling his nose into her hair. ‘Oh, and you smell so gorgeous too,’ he said. ‘Have you any idea, what you’re doing to me?’ he asked.

‘Put her down,’ said one of the other girls. ‘This is much more interesting.’

Marijam managed to wriggle free. She was surprised, though to see something different flash across Ponty’s face. There was something in his eyes. He looked almost as if he was going to cry.

‘Sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘Won’t you go out with me, though? I promise I’ll behave well.’

‘Oh look,’ said Marijam, as another bright flash chased across the sky.  When she turned back, Ponty had disappeared.

‘Well, I guess we’ll know soon enough, what’s been happening,’ said one of the other boys. ‘I bet the scientists are on to it already.’

‘They’ll be putting it up on the news screens soon, then we’ll know,’ said someone else.

Rainer placed her drink down in front of her.

‘Who’s that over there?’ he asked.

Marijam looked over to where he was pointing. It was a boy she had never seen before. His tunic was a little odd. Not really quite the usual shape. He was white but had much darker skin than she had ever seen before and his hair was much lighter than everybody else’s.

I don’t know, thought Marijam, but I wish I did. That odd, exciting feeling was beginning all over again. Her stomach was turning summersaults and her heart was racing. She held her breath until she really needed to breathe again.

Now she understood what Sadie was talking about. She took a sip of her peach and melon nectar.

The Prophecy, The Prologue

‘It’s quiet, isn’t it?’ said the commander of the Scouting Vessel 2195, Western Sector 3.
‘Well, that’s what you’d expect, isn’t it?’ replied his young trainee, Kyle Thomas. ‘No craft landing. Nor any coming from it,’ remarked Kyle. He looked down at the milky blue planet. They were quite close to it now, and it filled almost half of the screen. It seemed so still, as if it were surrounded by a pool of quietness.
The rest of its solar system was buzzing. Small scouting vessels like their own, and bigger cargo ships were busily going backwards and forwards between the planets. It made navigating this stretch of the Sector 3  rather tricky. He was glad the autopilots were amongst the most sophisticated available.
‘Well, it sure is still a fairly blue planet,’ Nielson continued.
‘Shame, though. It used to be so much prettier than this. It was even bluer. And you could see greens and  brown as well, before the poison cloud.’
‘Why do they bother?’ asked Kyle. ‘They have a poison cloud and they’re still living there? They could live anywhere.’
‘I suppose they feel safe enough down there, ‘replied Nielson.
‘What with all their farms and things tucked up nice and safe in those caves of theirs. The rest of us could learn a thing or two, if only they’d let us get a bit closer.’
‘Not much chance, though is there?’ replied Kyle. ‘What with them wanting to keep disease out. They won’t let anybody in.’
‘Yeah, well,’ said the Commander. ‘That’s something else it would be great to learn about. It’s funny how  they’ve gone so shy. Considering it all started there in the first place.’
‘When was the last time anyone moved from the planet?’
asked Kyle.
‘2309,’ replied Nielson.
‘Just after the first colonies formed?’ asked Kyle. ‘So, over a millennium ago? It’s mad.’
‘Yep,’ replied Nielson, ‘and they’ve reported being diseasefee for just over two hundred years now. So, it ain’t just that 9 that’s keeping them there. I reckon they’re just using that as an excuse.’
They were beginning to leave the blue planet behind.
‘Right, we’ll go on to manual now,’ said Nielson. ‘I want to see how well you can steer this thing.’
Kyle felt the power surge as the scout switched over.
‘One wide orbit around Terrestra and then out to the end of the solar system,’ said the Commander.
Kyle turned the craft. It wobbled and juddered a little. He fought hard with the controls for a few seconds and then she began to glide gently back over Terrestra. He began to get the scout under control. He had the measure of her now. She was purring along. It was then that he noticed it. A flash of green lightening
ripped through the soft blue mist that surrounded the quiet planet. A cascade of sparks followed. Kyle opened his mouth to say something.
‘Watch it,’ said Nielson suddenly.
A smaller scout was nudging its way across their flight path.
‘Watch the dataserve,’ said Nielson. ‘You must follow its coordinates.’ Kyle concentrated on the controls  again.

Build a Book Workshop Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Working with a charity

Some advantages

Working with a charity can be extremely motivating for your students, and indeed for you. It gives your anthology a purpose: you want it to be good so that it will make money for the charity.

If you can tie the theme of your students’ work in with the charity, even better. This will actually provide some content for your students’ writing. For example, if you support a wild animal charity you might get your students to write about animals living in the wild. If you support a charity that looks into drugs for children with cancer, your students might write pieces that would amuse children. If you support a children’s hospital, you might produce work that would cheer up hospital patients who have a long wait.

If your book is good enough, and you have a good relationship with your charity, they may be willing to promote it for you. In addition, you could arrange further events for the charity and continue to sell the book. Your connection with this charity can become more than just about the book.    

Choosing you charity

It may seem rather obvious to pick a charity that is going to be popular. Our young students find charities to do with children or animals easy to relate to. Sometimes it’s good to pick one that has a direct contact with your school. It’s certainly good to pick one that has a local contact. Perhaps ideal is one that has a local connection but is part of a bigger organisation – a national or even international one.

You could, of course, also pick a school project – e.g. raising money for a new stage or a new floor for the Sports Hall.

The charity commission provides a searchable database: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/. There are even instructions here about how to start your own charity, which might be appropriate is some cases. Oddly, this does not show some of the most obvious charities. ‘Remember a Charity’ does, even though it’s primarily an organisation for helping you to leave money to a charity in your will: http://www.rememberacharity.org.uk.

 Simply Googling the word “charity” brings several lists you can use.  

 

Etiquette

It is essential that you get your relationship with your charity right. Remember, you are there to support your charity; the charity is not there as a convenient hook for you and for your students’ work. These organisations have a real concern and are doing a real job.

One always has to be careful anyway that helping a charity is not just a way of making the helpers feel better about themselves. There is a world of difference between this and inspiring genuine passion about the cause in your students. However, it’s likely that the students will actually feel a genuine care. This will be reflected in the writing the writing and will motivate them to complete the book to a high standard.

As soon as you do anything for a charity – even just taking a collection at the end of a concert - you are in a relationship with that charity.  They need to be consulted.  Whatever you do is now associated with that charity. There must be nothing in what your students produce that is contrary to the aims of the charitable organisation. The book has to be good. It becomes a permanent link – it may turn up in any bookshop and sit on anyone’s bookshelf – especially as you are likely to use a print on demand printer so that the book will never go out of print. This means that you may never be seen to be doing anything contrary to the ideals of your chosen charity. Ever.  

You normally have to obtain a letter of engagement from your chosen charity. This will often enable you to use the charity’s logo in your book, mention that you are working with the charity and use the charity’s name in the promotion of your book.

Great, of course, if they can endorse your book, and perhaps provide a foreword.  

 

 Advance Planning

It is great to have your students chose the charity. However, if you wait for the start of the workshop, you miss all of the opportunities for advance planning.

So, it’s absolutely ideal if you can have access to your students beforehand so that you can discuss what sort of charity they would like to support. You could even get them involved in finding information. You may want to plan a series of meetings.

If you do this, you might even set up a small committee of students who can keep their eye on how the finances will work and who would be able to kick start the marketing.

Once you have decided on a charity, you need to get that all important letter of engagement. This will involve establishing:

·         How the charity will benefit from the book (I suggest offering £1.00 per copy and links to their JustGiving site)

·         How often they will be paid

·         Whether they want to provide some copy for you book – maybe a blurb about the charity or even an introduction to the book

·         Whether they can be involved in any book launch

·         Whether they can advertise your book at all

·          How long your agreement will last (though as mentioned above, your relationship will be permanent as you have a permanent link to a book whose sales may dip but that will never be out of print)