Read Online Lavender Hill by P. J. Garland - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: P. J. Garland
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university library tomorrow to find some of his publications. He was a bit of a maverick apparently, controversial.”
“That’s great, Amy.”
“What’s wrong, Jack? I can tell something’s wrong.”
“Sarah and the kids left earlier. She couldn’t handle my obsession, as she put it, with the Rapture, and... well, we’ve been having problems for a while.” He paused. “I shouldn’t be telling you this stuff, really.”
“It’s OK. I don’t mind listening. It must be difficult. You should come here tomorrow and help me find out about this guy.”
“I will, definitely. The thought of being in the house when it’s so empty is horrible.”
Amy hesitated for a moment. “You can drive up tonight if you want.”
Jack went quiet before replying, “OK... yeah, OK, I’ll do that. We can spend the whole day researching this guy then.”
Amy gave directions to her apartment and then they said goodbye. Jack immediately got up and prepared to leave the house. He packed quickly and then rushed into Dylan’s room and sprinkled plenty of food into the fish tank. As he walked out of the house and went to close the door, he paused. From the front door he could see down the hall, through the kitchen, and out of a window to the moonlit fields beyond. The fields he had seen the iridescent light pass over some days before. He stared at the fields for a while before carefully closing the door.
*****
DAY 6
8:45am
Jack walked through the crowd of people. They smiled at him as they walked past. In the distance he thought he saw someone he recognised, but they disappeared into the dense crowd. Then again, but this time closer, he saw someone that looked like... No, it couldn’t be, he thought. He kept walking forward while trying to see through the people moving towards him. The crowd parted, and Gabriel Ash walked quickly towards him. He was smiling and just before he reached him he—
Jack woke with a start. He looked around the room and felt disorientated and confused until he remembered he was in Amy’s guest room. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for his head to clear.
After a while, Jack noticed the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and bacon cooking. He got dressed, looked in a mirror to tidy himself up, and walked to the kitchen.
Amy smiled as Jack appeared. “Hi, how are you? Did you sleep well?”
“I slept great, thanks. I was absolutely exhausted last night. Sorry we didn’t have much time to talk about Gabriel Ash.”
“That’s fine. We’ve got all day now.”
They both sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat breakfast. Amy began to tell Jack about Gabriel Ash again.
“So, as I was saying last night, I found out he used to be a physicist based here in Bristol. He was trying to develop something called a ‘theory of everything’, but people didn’t like his ideas and he left his position some years ago.”
“A theory of everything?”
“Yes, a scientific theory that can explain everything in the universe, but I couldn’t really understand the explanation of his ideas I saw on the web. The most important thing he insisted on was that science wouldn’t be complete until it could explain human experience, emotions, consciousness, etc.”
“Maybe things will be clearer when we get to the library,” said Jack.
The doorbell rang.
Amy looked surprised. “Who’s that at this time? I’ll be back in a minute.” She left to answer the door.
Jack continued eating his breakfast. He was thinking about his dream earlier and the news about Gabriel Ash when he began to notice raised voices.
“Jack!” Amy called.
Jack got up and rushed into Amy’s living room to find her surrounded by three men. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
“They say they’re from the government, Jack.”
“Where’s your ID?” asked Jack.
The Tall Man walked towards Jack and showed him an official looking badge.
“We represent Her Majesty’s Government, Mr?”
“Clarke,
“That’s great, Amy.”
“What’s wrong, Jack? I can tell something’s wrong.”
“Sarah and the kids left earlier. She couldn’t handle my obsession, as she put it, with the Rapture, and... well, we’ve been having problems for a while.” He paused. “I shouldn’t be telling you this stuff, really.”
“It’s OK. I don’t mind listening. It must be difficult. You should come here tomorrow and help me find out about this guy.”
“I will, definitely. The thought of being in the house when it’s so empty is horrible.”
Amy hesitated for a moment. “You can drive up tonight if you want.”
Jack went quiet before replying, “OK... yeah, OK, I’ll do that. We can spend the whole day researching this guy then.”
Amy gave directions to her apartment and then they said goodbye. Jack immediately got up and prepared to leave the house. He packed quickly and then rushed into Dylan’s room and sprinkled plenty of food into the fish tank. As he walked out of the house and went to close the door, he paused. From the front door he could see down the hall, through the kitchen, and out of a window to the moonlit fields beyond. The fields he had seen the iridescent light pass over some days before. He stared at the fields for a while before carefully closing the door.
*****
DAY 6
8:45am
Jack walked through the crowd of people. They smiled at him as they walked past. In the distance he thought he saw someone he recognised, but they disappeared into the dense crowd. Then again, but this time closer, he saw someone that looked like... No, it couldn’t be, he thought. He kept walking forward while trying to see through the people moving towards him. The crowd parted, and Gabriel Ash walked quickly towards him. He was smiling and just before he reached him he—
Jack woke with a start. He looked around the room and felt disorientated and confused until he remembered he was in Amy’s guest room. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for his head to clear.
After a while, Jack noticed the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and bacon cooking. He got dressed, looked in a mirror to tidy himself up, and walked to the kitchen.
Amy smiled as Jack appeared. “Hi, how are you? Did you sleep well?”
“I slept great, thanks. I was absolutely exhausted last night. Sorry we didn’t have much time to talk about Gabriel Ash.”
“That’s fine. We’ve got all day now.”
They both sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat breakfast. Amy began to tell Jack about Gabriel Ash again.
“So, as I was saying last night, I found out he used to be a physicist based here in Bristol. He was trying to develop something called a ‘theory of everything’, but people didn’t like his ideas and he left his position some years ago.”
“A theory of everything?”
“Yes, a scientific theory that can explain everything in the universe, but I couldn’t really understand the explanation of his ideas I saw on the web. The most important thing he insisted on was that science wouldn’t be complete until it could explain human experience, emotions, consciousness, etc.”
“Maybe things will be clearer when we get to the library,” said Jack.
The doorbell rang.
Amy looked surprised. “Who’s that at this time? I’ll be back in a minute.” She left to answer the door.
Jack continued eating his breakfast. He was thinking about his dream earlier and the news about Gabriel Ash when he began to notice raised voices.
“Jack!” Amy called.
Jack got up and rushed into Amy’s living room to find her surrounded by three men. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
“They say they’re from the government, Jack.”
“Where’s your ID?” asked Jack.
The Tall Man walked towards Jack and showed him an official looking badge.
“We represent Her Majesty’s Government, Mr?”
“Clarke,
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