The Afterlife of Alice Watkins 1

by Matilda Scotney

  “Will I be going to the Calamities when I get to Earth?” Alice didn’t see herself fitting the mould, so they might put her with all the other misfits.

  “Of course not! There’s no reason. You’re going to have a home in the Loyalties and in time, possible reintegration into your old or even a new career, but we must take things as they come, as you are ready to accept new things into your life. And I must clear up a misconception, Alice, those who live in the Calamities work in their professions and enjoy all the comforts loyal citizens enjoy. They are only forbidden to live and travel with their partners within the Loyalties, and they can’t have children.”

  Alice thought it unfair on the face of it but not sure she was qualified to offer an opinion.

  “I won’t pretend to understand completely, Dr Grossmith,” she admitted. “And I don’t remember having a career to be reintegrated into.”

  “I know you don’t at present. But we’ll see. And don’t worry about the Calamities.”

  “It seems people are sent to the Calamities because your government doesn’t like what they do. It sounds like prison.”

  Dr Grossmith shook his head.

  “In your world, Alice, people who didn’t conform went to prison. We don’t have prisons. In our world, there is no prejudice, everyone can learn and grow. People are what they are; there are no circumstances to dictate who gets on in life and who does not, even in the Calamities. Everyone is equal but, unlike in your time, no-one lives in poverty, no-one is unemployed or homeless and every citizen on Earth has rights. I think you will find it a pleasant and refreshing surprise and quite different from what I understand was the bleakness of your time.”

  I liked it fine, Alice thought. My life wasn’t bleak. I had everything I wanted. But a tiny, irritating voice niggled. Did you? Did you really? She ignored it.

  “Are we definitely going to Earth?”

  “Yes, Alice. You are going to Earth. Principal Hardy feels the time is right and I agree with him, but I admit, I will greatly miss our morning conversations.”

  Alice had become fond of him. She would miss their conversations too.

  “It’s big, isn’t it?” she said, her voice becoming distant, turning her head toward the viewport, towards space.

  “What is?”

  “My new world.”

  “Yes, Alice, it is big. Much bigger than ever imagined in your time.”

  My time, she thought, or Alexis’s time?

  Chapter Twelve

  Alice made a habit of sitting on the observation deck after breakfast. She and Dr Grossmith spoke of so many things, she rather enjoyed sifting through the remnants of what she remembered while watching the comings and goings of patients and crew.

  Alice found the politics of Earth’s society a little confusing but discovered a certain pleasure in unravelling the conundrums placed before her. Unused as she was to the exploration of ideas or making considerations and reaching conclusions, she liked having a mind of her own at last.

  No date for her leaving had been advised, but she sensed it would be soon and Alice recognised her leaving would be an enormous wrench for Dr Grossmith. His dedication to the Sleeping Beauty Phenomenon had caused him to pursue little of a life outside his work. She knew he made tremendous sacrifices on her behalf, even though he had never said as much but had told her, often, and with pride, the impact she made on the scientific world, about her transfer to Saturn Station when her hair started growing, and how Principal Katya had given dispensation to his idea she might wake without interference, years before she had shown signs of reviving.

  Removing her to Saturn had been his idea to protect her from a bug, Alice forgot its name, which could interfere with the growth of new organs and in answer to her completely unrelated question one time, he told her no; he hadn’t married. His favourite memory, he liked to tell her, was of his wonderment when she finally woke and of his enormous relief on her being weaned from life support.

  Alice felt no connection to Alexis Langley, but she did feel enormous gratitude to Dr Grossmith for his kindness and care. Alice imagined he behaved as a father, had she ever known one, interested, supportive and patient. She supposed even in an impossible dream, you can still feel gratitude, but no matter how often he said it, she still didn’t believe she was Alexis Langley.

  One evening, in her quarters, Alice pored over the registry; Eduction chip or no, she still had problems working the display command. She was allowed only restricted access to the full registry and consequently, much of what she saw gave incomplete explanations. While she assumed it was to stop her getting overloaded; she found this surfing the net dull. It was beyond her comprehension why Eliza found it so much fun.

  Alice had hoped to expand more on what to expect on Earth. Or what on earth to expect? But eventually, she wearied of the registry and turned to Kelly.

  “What’s your story, Kelly?”

  Kelly was working with her own portable registry, not really needed here now save as a companion for Alice and didn’t mind engaging in conversation.

  “No story, Alice. I’m a medical technician, only a few of us are compatible with KELA technology, that’s why I’m assigned to you.”

  “How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “30.”

  “Do you have a family?”

  Kelly’s face broke into a big smile.

  “I have a husband, Paul, he’s assigned to one of the minor principality ships, the Argos. He’ll be arriving here in about two months’ time and we’re returning to Earth to start a family. I told you this before, Alice.”

  “I’m sorry. I forgot,” Alice tried to recall asking. “I don’t remember you telling me at all, but it’s wonderful!”

  “It is wonderful. You are my second KELA implant and there won’t be another seeing as Paul and I have decided to have a baby. It’s been fantastic, but I’ll be happy to return to Earth, Paul is due to take up a lecturing position in geology at the university in Principality 11, so I might work in a City Infirmary, at least until a baby is on the way.”

  “Won’t you both miss working in space?”

  “Not too much,” Kelly confessed. “We’re both homebodies and Paul’s not military, he’s a civilian on secondment and he much prefers solid ground beneath his feet.”

  Alice dreamed of Earth that night. All evening, Kelly had entertained her with stories about home and what it would be like when she and her husband were together again. Alice built up a picture in her mind of a beautiful green Earth where every element and aspect of life existed in harmony, a place where children could play outside without fear and parents were assured of their child’s success. Kelly’s Earth sounded like heaven.

  But that wasn’t the Earth Alice saw in her dream. Yes, there were lush, green pastures, filled with happy and contented families but she also had glimpses of barren patches of land, where sad-faced people looked through high fences at the green and glorious place on the other side, their hands gripping tightly to the bars separating them, a sign, roughly tacked to the fence read ‘Calamities’.

  As Alice viewed the scene from her dreamlike state, a youthful man appeared and stood beside her, she turned to see who her companion could be, he shone with beauty, his face so noble, so gentle, she couldn’t tear her eyes from him, feeling she could gaze at him for eternity. His hair shone the purest of white, and many colours and shapes, in constant motion, surrounded him. But he did not speak.

  Alice didn’t mind the morning/night routine but there were no clocks with dials or numbers. It occurred to her she hadn’t seen a clock and had never asked about days or hours. Time was measured in breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner and someone usually came to fetch or send her where she needed to go.

  There must be proper time and days, so she went to the library to ask about clocks or what method they used to tell the time,

  But the library steward brought her a new friend, Educator Sebel, one of Dr Clere’s patien
ts and who, like Alice, was returning to Earth. Taller than Alice by a few inches, her brown eyes were full of sparkle and mischief and she had the cheekiest smile! Her blonde hair, tied over her right ear fell in a cascade of untidy curls over her shoulder. Educator Sebel’s stunning figure was shown off to advantage in the most beautiful maroon and cream one-piece uniform. Alice loved the colour. Grey was the permeating colour on the station, apart from an occasional green tunic and, as Alice learned later, the colour of the uniform signified designation. Maroon signified Educator.

  Bubbly, bright and friendly, and despite the usual formality of greeting, Alice quickly found Educator Sebel’s warmth and friendliness matched her physical beauty.

  “Dr Langley, I couldn’t be happier!” Educator Sebel whispered after the usual formalities of introduction were completed. “I know you’re classified, but I’ve been stuck here for weeks and feel like bouncing off the walls! I almost kissed Principal Hardy when he told me about you!”

  “That would have surprised him,” Alice grinned.

  “More likely given him a heart attack!” Educator Sebel laughed back. “Then Dr Clere would have had to have grown a new one for him!”

  They giggled, and Alice couldn’t stop smiling at her good fortune in meeting this lively, happy girl. Educator Sebel showed Alice to a registry console.

  “Did he tell you everything?” Alice wasn’t sure how much Educator Sebel knew. “I mean everything?”

  “Do you mean the part where you got chased up a tree by a bear?”

  Stunned, Alice replied, “I’ve never been chased up a tree by a bear.”

  “Of course, you haven’t! I’m teasing. You were suspended in time for four hundred years and now, you have amnesia. The bear would have been a lot easier to explain,” she gave Alice a bright smile before laughing.

  “You seem to be taking all of this in your stride, Educator Sebel.”

  “Dr Langley, you are a part of history, but me? I think I’m hilarious, so I add humour to all situations. These are unusual circumstances and they could be overwhelming, but I decided I would treat you as a contemporary first and a student, second.”

  Educator Sebel pulled a face and rolled her eyes before whispering, “I will admit I spent a good half hour with my mouth wide open in Principal Hardy’s office! He smiled a lot and brought coffee. Imagine, coffee with a Principal! Now, that overawed me I can tell you!!” then she assumed a matter-of-fact expression and shrugged. “But then I thought, meh, it’ll be fine, she’s 400 years old, no match for me! They all want you to be as prepared as possible for your return to society. Count on me.”

  “I will but would you call me Alice? I’m not comfortable with Dr Langley.”

  “Sure, and when we’re alone, you can call me Amelia. Dr Grossmith told me you used another name. In company, I must address you by your title and surname and you will need to call me ‘Educator Sebel’. Social etiquette is important to our society, but I’ll teach you all you need to know.”

  Alice nodded. It was important for her to learn these things. Although she’d become accustomed to the bowing and formality, she didn’t want to let herself down.

  “Manners maketh the man Alice. People will judge me by your manners. Mind them!”-Alice’s mother.

  Alice saw a silver band around Amelia’s arm. She had so many questions, this might be a good place to start.

  “It denotes rank,” Amelia told her, running a practised hand over the registry and bringing up several uniforms and rank insignias. “All professions attract rank. In education, we wear this colour uniform and we are all titled, ‘Educator’. The silver band signifies that I’m a three-year graduate. At five years, the band will be blue. After that, I’m eligible to be promoted to Statesman.”

  “I’ve only seen people in grey here, like those,” Alice pointed to the library staff, “but none of them have bands like this and apart from Principal Hardy, they’re all called ‘doctor’ or ‘Kelly’.”

  “Isn’t Principal Hardy a hoot?!” Amelia exclaimed. “I love him! He looked after me after Dr Clere did his part.”

  “Me too, for a while,” Alice said. “He said there are lots of different kinds of doctors.”

  “Well, yes there are. But doctor is the title given to a science graduate. It doesn’t matter whether you are a medical doctor, a physicist, a cosmologist, a linguist, all these, and more, come under the umbrella of the sciences. Principal Hardy is a medical doctor. In time, he advanced to statesman and then to principal. Principal outranks statesman and doctor. If he’s in uniform, you can see he wears a gold band.”

  “I’ve seen it, but isn’t being a doctor the most important thing anyone could be?”

  “It’s important but being a principal doesn’t stop you doing what you do, it just gives you more responsibility, and it’s a command post, even as a civilian.”

  “Dr Clere is still Dr Clere and Dr Grossmith is still doctor. Why aren’t they statesmen? Is it because they aren’t as young as Principal Hardy?”

  “Not everyone wants promotion.” Amelia showed her, on the registry, the level of responsibility given to a Principal. “Dr Clere serves the world best in his capacity, his work gives him a special responsibility. Dr Grossmith though, hmm,” she thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. I know little about him, apart from what’s on the registry. We can look him up if you like?”

  Alice stopped her with a shake of her head. She’d looked already, and the text spoke only of his tenure with the Sleeping Beauty Phenomenon, besides, she wanted to know more about Dr Clere.

  “How did you find Dr Clere? I’m a little afraid of him.”

  “I swear he has never found out how to smile,” Amelia declared, but then conceded his abilities were truly amazing, pointing a finger at herself and then Alice. “Look at us, testaments to a great man!”

  “Oh yes, and I’m grateful,” to acknowledge Dr Clere’s skills was only proper, “but is he the only one who can do those things?”

  “No,” Amelia said brightly, not minding Alice flitting from subject to subject. “There’s a whole team, but he pioneered the techniques used today and while he’s here, we use him. When he retires, the torch will pass to someone else. But he is rather a misery guts.”

  She pulled a funny face, making her cheeks sink in and her lips thrust outwards and Alice started giggling again. It wasn’t hard to see that fun was one of Amelia’s great motivators.

  “Did you have something serious, Amelia, that required you to be here?”

  “Pretty serious, but I expect to pick up where I left off!” Amelia replied without hesitation.

  Alice didn’t doubt it, but with Amelia offering no further information, she didn’t press, they’d only just met after all.

  Amelia explained things in such a coherent and light-hearted manner, by the end of the day, Alice suspected she had soaked up a whole year’s worth of lessons and the time had flown. Amelia had such a spark for life, Alice found it amazing that anyone, after major surgery, could be so lively and enthusiastic.

  “How can I learn so much in one day?” Alice asked her, feeling admiration for her new teacher and a sense of achievement for herself. “I only did the basics of formal education and I was hopeless at school, but I can remember almost everything you told me today even though I can’t vouch I’ll recall any of it tomorrow! But thank you anyway.”

  “It’s your Eduction chip,” Amelia grinned. “Not the perfect solution for memory loss, but it helps. And of course, I’m an awesome teacher! The chip will dissolve by the time we get to Earth, but you’ll have developed good learning habits by then.”

  “You people like your chips.”

  “They’re useful tools. Particularly when we need to fast-track information.”

  “Do you know when we’re leaving for Earth?”

  “Not exactly, Alice. The Significator is due anytime. It’s up to Principal Hardy, he may send us on one of the smaller ships or he may treat us to a ride on the largest ship i
n the fleet!”

  As the lessons for the day ended, Alice remembered her question about clocks. Amelia showed her how to use the chronometer and reminder on the registry and arranged for them to meet the next day before parting ways at the library portal. Amelia stressed to Alice she must take time to absorb the day’s lessons and bring any questions to the library in the morning. Alice thanked her again and returned to her quarters wearing a smile so big, her cheeks ached.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kelly was waiting for Alice as she stepped through the portal.

  “You’ve met Amelia Sebel. Isn’t she fabulous?”

  “Actually…” Alice couldn’t argue because yes, Educator Sebel was fabulous and her bubbliness and enthusiasm highly contagious. Alice began to laugh, she clasped her arms around herself, then flung them out wide, to embrace her happiness. Kelly laughed with her.

  “I haven’t felt energy like this since…” Alice said, lifting her hands to her face to touch her smooth, young-again skin. She held her hands out in front, turning them over to look at the slender fingers. She was renewed, she never appreciated her youth when she had it. What did they say? Youth is wasted on the young? But now…

  “You have a new body Alice,” Kelly smiled. “It’s yours, enjoy it.”

  Alice spent part of the following day with Amelia in the library and as before, flitted from subject to subject, her new teacher appreciating her pupil hadn’t had the benefit of being born into her society and so a considerable amount of catching up was needed. Often, the two of them strayed from the lesson to chat about other things, which, while fascinating, didn’t form part of Alice’s education and Amelia gained a sense Alice might soon be more in need of a friend, than a teacher.