“Time difference, Alice. You get used to it when you travel.”
Alice jumped down, her heart beating hard with anticipation and possibly, just a smidgeon unprepared to be convinced about the Calamities, but they were set down on a green lawn where several tall trees towered above them and Alice caught the scent of a lemon-scented gum. It smelled divine. The house, a single storey dwelling with a verandah skirting three sides, was achingly familiar to the houses from her old life. Set up high on a cliff top with breathtaking views of the ocean. From the verandah at the back, wide steps led down to neat gardens, and beyond, pastures, green and glorious. The house was painted white, with the large windows reflecting the morning sunlight. This was not small, not dilapidated, not prison-like and to Alice, the whole property was more like a prize, a reward, rather than a punishment for being different.
Two large, boisterous dogs ran barking from the house, followed by a woman, hurrying as fast as she could. She was of a similar build and height to Auntie Mary, her skin was dark and her curly, greying hair was tied back in a bun. She pushed the dogs away as they tried to include her in their excitement at having Mary home.
Giving up trying to hurry the woman along, the dogs dashed off towards Mary, smothering her with wet kisses of greeting, before turning their attention to Alice for the same treatment, not mindful they almost knocked her to the ground, then dashed back to Jane to encourage her along. Mary greeted the other woman, embracing her as if their separation had been weeks instead of just a few hours.
Alice stopped walking, this place was idyllic. She took a deep breath, sea air, mingled with the lemon-scented gum infused her with a sense of beginning. She had somehow been blessed to have been brought here and her old prejudices and fear of lesbians, along with her dread of the Calamities, were completely erased.
Mary held Jane’s hand and drew her close to Alice. Jane was smiling and weeping and shaking her head and wiping her eyes. She held Alice’s face in her hands and then embraced her fondly, Alice had to wipe the tears from her own eyes. Jane’s voice was soft and though Alice found it difficult to hear, the emotion and love were unmistakable.
“Principal Katya messaged that you were on your way. Alice, I’m Jane Greer and I am proud to be your Auntie.”
Mary joined in with the hugging, and the dogs, not to be excluded, bounded around with excitement. The three women laughed, putting their arms around each other as they walked together across the grass to the house. Alice glanced back as the automatrans lifted and for a second, fancied she saw a tiny explosion of colour and a glimpse of the youthful figure she had seen before, but it was so fleeting, she decided it was simply her mind playing tricks. She wouldn’t think about it now, not in the moment of such happiness. This was Alice’s, or perhaps Alexis’s as well—final homecoming.
END BOOK ONE
Acknowledgments
Writing a science fiction story, in fact writing any story needs a little help from your friends!
So I must give special thanks to my alpha/beta readers and editors, Jo and Amy for their ruthless, take-no-prisoners approach to every stage of my work.
Loved The Afterlife of Alice Watkins?
Then continue following Alice on her adventure through her new, totally unexpected new life in:
The Afterlife of Alice Watkins: Book Two.
Alice is blissfully happy with her new family on a peaceful, renewed Earth. Her new-found contentment is in stark contrast to the one she left behind in 2016. But those in whose hands the fate of humankind rests are watching events unfold, and soon, Alice will need to face a reality, a reality that shatters not only her universe, but alters the course of Time itself.
Check out my other books here:
www.matildascotneybooks.com
About the Author
Matilda Scotney spends most of her days roaming the galaxy, searching for people and places to write about so she can provide her readers with a few hours of stories that are truly off the planet. The rest of the time, she lives in the mid-west region of Western Australia with her dog, Oggie.
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