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“I want to see the astronauts when they land…”
“Ah.” The old woman said and suddenly her eyes lit up. “Tell me, dear,” she suddenly asked. “Does your kitten have only one eye?”
“He has two.” Alice said blandly, “it’s just that he always has one of them shut.”
“It doesn’t matter.” The old woman still looked apprehensively at the bag. “Well, I’m going to the launch site too.”
“To meet the astronauts?”
“More or less, but not all of them. My son is coming back on the flight. He’s the engineer.”
The old woman pulled a large photograph of the astronaut that Alice had liked from her purse.
“Here he is. See.”
“Oh, I know him.” Alice said. “His name is Tolo.”
“Everyone knows him.” The old woman said with pride.
“Then why are you traveling on an ordinary train?” Alice asked.
“What else should I do?”
“You’re the mother of one of the astronauts. The astronauts’ parents and families have special accommodations and transport to the launch site.”
“Oh, that would be far too much of a fuss.” The old woman laughed. I just live in a village so I’m behind the times. And my Tolo is modest too. You would never guess that he’s an astronaut. You must have read in the paper about the accident, when the meteorite punctured the ship’s hull; it was my Tolo who went outside the ship and repaired the puncture.”
The carpetbag hit Alice in the side. But she had already guessed the point to which Purr was drawing her attention. This was how the Space Plague had gotten inside the ship. This meant that Tolo was already sick.
“It doesn’t matter.” Alice said aloud. “We’ll cure him.”
“Cure whom?” The old woman asked.
“Oh, I mean, in case….” Alice thought suddenly.
“My Tolo is healthy. He’s never been sick a day in his life. Not even a tooth ache. Such a son.”
The old woman stoked the photograph and put it back inside her purse.
Alice felt another soft punch through the side of the bag. Evidently, the archaeologist was excited about something. Just what was it he wanted?
“Get in with her.” A whisper suddenly came out of nowhere and fill the compartment.
“What?” The old woman asked. “Did you say something?”
“Yes.” Alice answered. Just me mumbling. I said that you must be very happy.”
“Of course I’m happy. To have such a son! So healthy, not even a tooth ache…”
“I was thinking about something else.” Alice said. “They are going to let you to the ship, aren’t they?”
“Of course they will. How else can I embrace my son when he returns?”
“And I’ll have to stand a long way off. I might even have to stay in the city. Oh, how I like your Tolo! Really, word of honor. He’s so much nicer than the other astronauts.”
“Are you telling the truth?” The old woman asked seriously.
“Word of honor.”
“Then I think I can do you a good deed.”
The old woman started to muse, and Alice held the bag down on the bench. The archaeologist was so excited and agitated that the bag actually chittered, as though it contained not a single cat but a whole litter.
“Your cat is very disturbed.” The old woman said. “You should let him out.”
“I can’t.” Alice said. “He would run away.”
“Listen to me, my dear.” The old woman said. “Today will be a very great day for me. My son is returning a hero And I want to do a good deed. I believe Tolo will not be angry with me for it. Come with me. Come with me all the way to the ship itself; you can say you’re my daughter, and that Tolo is your brother. Do you understand?”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so very much.” Alice was delighted. “You can’t imagine what a wonderful thing you’ve done. And not only for me but for yourself and everyone!”
“‘The good deed touches not only the given, but the giver and the world.’“ Evidently, the old womnan did not understand what Alice had in mind, and as much as Alice wanted to tell her everything she clampped down on her own tongue with her teeth until she nearly drew blood, but Purr clearly guesses what she was thinking and stuck the knife through the little hole in the bag and prodded Alice.
Alice jumped to her feet from shock.
“Are you happy?” The old woman asked. She was clearly happy herself and delighted at the thought of bringing joy to someone else.
“Overjoyed.” Alice said, and punched the bag.
The train began to slow down. Beyond the window they could see the new skyscrapers that filled the capitol’s suburbs.
14
It sometimes happens that if things go well, they go very well indeed. The old woman had not only invited Alice along with her to the space port under the pretense of being her daughter, but even fed her supper in a caf‚ near the train station and, because Alice had admitted she was a foreigner, showed her the city’s sights. And then their taxi arrived at the launch site.
Well before they came to their destination the car slowed to a crawl and could hardly move more than a hundred yards before coming to a halt. It appeared the entire capitol city was rushing toward the space port. It might have been a joke the world’s first space ship was returning to the planet. The streets were decorated with flags and big pictures of the astronauts, and every time the old woman saw a picture of her son she clasped Alice by the sleeve and loudly said:
“And who is that?”
“Our Tolo.” Alice answered.
“Yes. Our boy.”
The old woman had already started to believe somewhat that Alice was, in fact, her daughter. Finally, when the main entrance to the space port could be seen ahead of them, the taxi came to a final halt in the current of busses, cars, bicycles, and other means of transport. The driver turned to his passengers and said sadly:
“You’d better continue on foot. I’ll be stuck here until evening. No one’s moving in this.”
Alice and the old woman thanked the driver, paid him, and headed off on foot. The driver caught up with them about twenty paces later.
“The car can sit there.” He said. “What can happen to it today? The traffic’s packed solid. And I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t see the landing.
The first chain of police in white parade uniforms were standing by the main entrance. They held the driver back; he remained in the enormous mass of people who hadn’t been given tickets, but they let the old woman pass through with Alice almost without a question. The old woman showed them her documents and one of the cops even said:
“I’ll take you to the field. Make certain no one else stops you.”
The old woman nodded to Alice and whispered:
“It’s the only way he’ll get to the field himself. His ohota is to not let people through. He wants to see the ship land and our Tolo come out of it too.”
A half an hour later the old woman and Alice had made it to the last barrier; before them stretched the seemingly endless concrete field where the ship was scheduled to land.
Loudspeakers and radios were all the time broadcasting descriptions of the ship’s re-entry into the atmosphere, his breaking maneuvers, and its approach to the landing field. Very little time remained before its landing.
All around them stood generals in uniform and medals, and the country’s very important people; the leaders of the government, famous scientists, writers, artists, actors, reporters. They were all waiting in tense expectation.
But none of them could have guessed that, in that enormous crowd filling the space port, the most excited of all was a little girl by the name of Alice who had come from the future and from the other end of the Galaxy. And she was excited more than anyone else because she knew she held in her hands the fate of the entire planet.
Alice began to feel that her knees were shaking a little, and her palms had become moist. She began to move forward a little, until she was touching the very barrier itself.