by Stuart Boyd
***
The house had many floors, so there were a number of sets of stairs to climb, each one slightly narrower than the last, until they reached a ladder that stretched upwards to a hole in the ceiling.
“I guess that’s the attic,” Stella said.
Helix started to whine. He couldn’t see how he would be able to climb the ladder.
“Don’t worry, we’ll lift you up. Just put your paws on the top rung,” Stella told him.
It took a great deal of lifting, scratching and affronts to canine dignity before Helix eventually scrabbled over the lip of the ladder. Tom followed him after moaning about Helix’s weight. Stella climbed the rungs, wondering what there was in the attic that could transport them to Pilades Cluster.
When her head peered through the hatch, the first thing Stella noticed was the room had very shiny, wooden floorboards. At first glance, the attic looked quite ordinary. Although the roof did slope down, Stella could easily stand up in the room. A set of purple, velvet curtains hung across one wall, and an ornate brass door was set on the opposite wall. The only furniture that she could see were a couple of worn leather armchairs and a comfortable-looking green sofa.
In the middle of the room, there was a large object covered by a large, white blanket, the kind that decorators put over things so they don’t spatter paint on them. The object underneath was so broad that it looked like somebody had put up a tent. Dodds was waiting by the hatch to give her a hand up from the ladder.
“You’re all here. Just in time. Another couple of minutes and we’d have missed the moon,” Dodds said, pulling up the ladder.
There was a trapdoor on a hinge by the hole they’d just entered. It had a golden wheel as a handle that made it look like the door of a safe. The door made a loud clang as Dodds heaved it shut. He span the wheel to lock it and walked over to a metallic cone that sprouted out of one of the walls. He bellowed into it, “Hatch is closed! Weigh anchor!”
Dodds then sat on one of the worn armchairs. “You’d best sit down. Take off can get a bit rough,” he said to Stella and Tom.
Helix, taking the prompt, bounded onto the other chair.
There was a wrenching creak, and the floor lurched upwards. Stella almost fell over, but managed to keep herself upright by grabbing hold of Tom. Propping each other up, they both staggered onto the sofa. The room started to judder, and Stella felt the sensation of being pressed down, as if she was on a very fast fairground ride.
“What’s happening?” she managed to gasp. She felt as if someone was squeezing her whole body very tightly.
“We’re leaving the Earth’s atmosphere,” Dodds shouted over the rattle of the walls. “Don’t worry, this only lasts until we get into space.”
“How can we be moving?” Tom asked, sounding just as out of breath as Stella. “I didn’t notice any rocket or anything in the house.”
“A rocket? What would I want a rocket for? They’re pretty dangerous, you know. One spark in the wrong place could wipe out most of South London. Not to mention the damage it would do the environment.”
“So how are we moving, then?” Stella shouted back. She didn’t know whether it was the pressure or the conversation that was making her the more dizzy.
“Moon-magnet!” Dodds yelled.
“What?” Tom and Stella shouted together.
“Moon-magnet. The Attic is built out of stone ore that contains a kind of metal that is magnetic to the moon. As long as the moon is in the right place in the sky, you just let go of the anchor and whoosh! Up we go.”
“He is mad!” Tom wailed, and Stella found herself ready to agree with him.
Stella’s head felt as if it were heavier than a bowling ball, and her bones seemed to be shaking so much they could’ve been jelly. Then, there was a loud pop, and the movement abruptly stopped.
“Ah, you see, we’re now out of the atmosphere,” Dodds said cheerfully and hopped up from his chair.
Tom rubbed his jaw. “I think I need some new fillings,” he said.
“Are you telling us we’re in space now?” Stella asked.
“Yes. Where did you think we were?” he replied. “Help me with this, will you?” Dodds was trying to unentangle the white blanket from whatever it was covering, but it kept getting caught on whatever was underneath it.
“Then how come we’re not floating around, then? There isn’t any gravity in space,” Tom said.
“That’s because of the Gravo-wax,” Dodds replied, sliding one of his boots on the shiny floor. “It keeps the gravity in. As long as you apply a good coat of it every couple of days.”
Dodds finally managed to tug the blanket free to reveal the object underneath. It was a huge wooden wheel set on a golden stand. It had spokes bristling at regular intervals around the circumference. Tom and Stella looked at themselves and then back to Doctor Dodds, their disbelief plainly written on their faces.
“It’s the steering wheel,” Dodds explained. “There’s no point in having a spaceship that can’t turn around, is there?”
“Are you sure we’re in space, Uncle?” Stella asked.
Dodds just looked at her, perplexed.
“I mean, it’s just…” Stella gestured around her. “We’re in the attic.”
“Yes. We’re in the Attic,” he repeated, obviously confused.
“In space?” Stella said.
“Yes, in the Attic, in space. Just look out the window,” Dodds said and gave an airy wave at the curtains.
Tom joined Stella beside the curtains.
“This is going to be really embarrassing when we open these curtains and see Greenwich outside. I mean, he’s really lost it now. Moon-magnet? Gravo-wax? Does he think we’re stupid or what?” Tom said, tugging open the curtains. “I knew all along this must be some kind of hoax. Look, I’ve got to tell you…”
But Tom never finished his sentence, as his jaw dropped open, making him look like a particularly surprised fish.
“What’s the matter? Tell me what?” Stella asked, looking at Tom and then at the window.
The window was a huge round pane of glass that took up most of the wall. In the centre of it hung the green-blue orb of the planet Earth.
“Wow!” she said.
“Believe me now, do you?” Wilberforce chuckled.
Tom tapped at the window, trying to re-assure himself that it was real.
“It’s a big television screen, it must be,” he muttered. “Where’s the plug?”
“There are some cabins back there,” Dodds said and gestured towards the brass door on the opposite side of the room.
“They’re a bit cramped, but that’s life on a spaceship, I’m afraid. You can store your things there, though. Could you do me a favour and find Wendell and send him to me. He’s supposed to be helping me navigate this ship.”
Stella picked up her and Tom’s bags, whilst leading Tom away from the window. He was still looking stunned and kept repeating, “We’re in space! We’re in space!” under his breath.
She was about to call for Helix, but noticed him curled up asleep on the armchair. He was already bored with the wonders of space travel.
The corridor behind the door was cramped, and Stella found it difficult to pull her baggage and Tom through it. As she passed, she opened doors on either side of her, trying to find a cabin. The first had the word ‘Galley’ written on it and opened into a cramped kitchen. A small basin was fitted into the corner, and the rest of the space was taken up with the Mechomator, who gave her a cheery whistle and offered her one of the pancakes it was flipping. Wondering how the Mechomator could have made it up the ladder, she stuffed the pancake into her mouth and continued on.
The second room opposite was smaller still. Inside, there was a shower and a toilet and Wendell.
“Oi, close the door!” Wendell said.
“Uncle Dodds said he needed your help,” Stella told him. She was sure that Wendell was only using the toilet to hide in.
“Impossible. I’
m far too sick,” Wendell said.
“Well, he seemed pretty sure.”
“He did, did he?” Wendell said, in a defeated tone. “Well, it’ll be his fault when I get space sick on him.”
“We’re in space Wendell,” Tom said, his eyes still held their glassy sheen.
“Don’t remind me,” Wendell said gloomily and bobbed past them to find Doctor Dodds.
The next door opened into a sparse cabin with a bunk bed in it. Stella guided Tom into the room and told him to lie down for a bit. For once, he didn’t argue with her. She then went out to explore the rest of the ship. Once she’d got over the initial shock of being on a real-life spaceship, Stella found that she was very excited. When looking out of her bedroom window at night, it had always been a secret wish of hers to see what was up in the stars. Now that she was here, she wanted to explore. The door opposite held another cabin almost identical to the one she had put Tom in, so Stella decided that it would be hers and put her bag on the bunk.
At the end of the corridor, there was a flight of very narrow stairs. They were so steep that she had to use her hands and feet to climb up. She couldn’t believe that even in the Attic, there was yet another floor. However, the top passageway doubled back on itself sharply and was even more cramped than the corridor below. It also had doors to open. The first had a sign on it saying ‘Communications room’. When she opened it, the room was little more than a cupboard. It was brightly lit and contained shelves of plants, with bees buzzing around them. The door opposite was the storeroom: another cupboard with heavy sacks that were leaking out clouds of blue powder onto the floor. There were also some crates stacked by the corner and lots of tins.
Stella picked up one of the tins. It had a garish cartoon label on it, showing something that looked like an octopus and a little green alien with a bib on, trying to prod it with a fork. There were words in bold letters that Stella read as ‘Pallett & Abel – Delicious, Jupitopus tentacles in a creamy tomato sauce’ and then, below it, ‘Fresh and wriggling in every can!’ Whoever had packed the provisions certainly liked the Pallett & Abel brand. There were dozens of tins of ‘Pallett & Abel, Sizzling Sun Beans – The beans that cook your toast, so you don’t have to,’ or ‘Pallett & Abel Saturn Spaghetti rings – The Universal Snack.’ The exceptions to the Pallett and Abel collection were a couple of golden tins right at the back of the cupboard. Stella picked one up and turned it around in her hand. It didn’t have a label on it, but some lettering was carved into the side: ‘Caution: this way up’. Stella was tempted to turn it upside down, just to see what would happen, but she carefully replaced it at the back of the storeroom.
Pushing aside worries over the food, Stella looked at the next door along. It had the name of ‘Doctor Dodds’ written on it, so she assumed that it was his cabin. She wanted to take a peek, but thought that to go in uninvited would be a bit rude, so she moved to the door opposite, with the words ‘Engine Room’ inscribed on it.
She walked into a room filled with rattling pipes and the chuffing sound of pistons and moving cogs. The room was alive with clattering and rhythmic motion, except at the end of the room, where a statue stood motionless. It looked like a gargoyle, complete with a tail and little horns prodding out from its head. Its face was carved with a large overhanging forehead and a fierce long jaw. The stone was grey and dappled with soot. Stella was fascinated and moved closer to it. She reached out her hand to touch the gargoyle’s rough surface, and it moved.
“Vot you do here, lady?” it said, in a deep, rasping voice. It slowly turned to face her, and she could hear the sound of its joints creaking. The small eyes that stared at her had a red tinge.
“Sssorry,” she said, “I-I thought you were a statue.”
As she said it, she realised that this could be taken as an insult. Stella was preparing to run when she heard a disturbing noise, like gravel falling. It was obviously something coming from inside the statue, and its cavernous mouth split into a huge grin. Stella realised that it was chuckling.
“A statue. Dat is very good joke. I am Grandas. Vot call you?”
“Vot call me? Oh my name? I’m Stella Mayweather. Good to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand for Grandas to shake.
She regretted it because his grip was so tight she felt her hand getting crushed. She gritted her teeth and tried not to flinch as Grandas brought her hand up to his mouth and gave it the most delicate, pebbly kiss.
“I am pleased to meet you, Stella Mayveader.” Grandas let go of her hand and gave an old-fashioned bow.
“Do you live here, Grandas?” Stella asked him and looked around at the collection of machinery, in what she hoped was an appreciative way.
Grandas started his deep chuckling again. “You are very funny, Stella Mayveader. Grandas live here? Very funny. My planet is far away. It call Cragulus, very fine planet, has many great mountains. I vork here,” Grandas said, banging a massive fist, with eye-watering force, onto his chest and causing a chip to fly off. “Am chief engineer for Doctor Dodds.”
There was a whistle, and Doctor Dodds’s voice, sounding metallic, could be heard coming from a cone, similar to the one that Stella had seen him speaking into in the wheel room.
“There’s a solar wind on its way, Grandas. Hoist the main sail, if you please.”
“Aye, Doctor Dodds, sir!” Grandas bellowed into the cone. “Doctor Dodds is very fine man. Grandas feel for him, like he is family,” Grandas said, giving an emphatic nod.
He trudged over to a portal that was embedded in the ceiling. Stella peered up and could see the roof of the Attic jutting out against the darkness of space.
“Ve must raise sail up. If ve don’t use solar vind to change course soon. Splat! Moon in face. You vant to see, Stella Mayveader?”
“Yes,” Stella replied. The uneasy thought popped into her head that her first trip into space might end with a nasty crash-landing on the moon.
“Climb up my back, den, and stand on my shoulders. You get good view of deck.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Stella asked, although the size of Grandas’s shoulders made her believe that he could quite happily lift a house.
“Vy? You dink Grandas is veak? Just cos he is small?” Grandas rumbled in outrage. He loomed over Stella, her head only reaching up to his chest, and his pillar-like arms bulged menacingly.
“No, no. Not at all. I think you look very strong. And you’re much bigger than I am, look.” Stella hastily reassured him, lifting her arms up to show him the difference in their respective sizes.
“You are right. You are very small. But dat is not your fault. I am sure you vill grow, Stella Mayveader. You mustn’t let dem pick on you. Grandas is little under-height for Cragulon, and sometimes dey tease him. But he soon show dem how strong he is.” Grandas illustrated his point by smashing one of his huge boulder-like fists into his palm.
“I can see that.” Stella gulped.
“If anybody try and pick on you, Stella Mayveader, dinking you are too small, you tell Grandas, and he vill come visit dem, eh?”
Stella was very tempted to tell him about Shane Biggs and some of his gang. She liked the idea of Grandas stomping into school canteen, looking for them.
“Must raise solar sail, climb on Grandas back and see.”
Stella lifted herself up Grandas’s granite torso; it felt like she were rock climbing. From his shoulders, she was able to peer through the window in the ceiling. She could see that the roof of the Attic was a lot flatter than she had first supposed. It was dotted with normal things that you expected on a roof: chimney pots, a weathercock and TV aerial. In addition, there were chains and winches and three massive pillars lying along the roof. There were also four more statuesque beings moving around outside that looked just as much like gargoyles as Grandas did, but even bigger.
“Dose are Grandas cousins. Very fine fellows, very fine crew,” Grandas explained.
He rapped on the window with knuckles like marbles. The blows wer
e so hard that Stella wondered that the window didn’t crack.
One of the Cragulons noticed and came over to the window. Grandas put his thumb by the window and gestured upwards with it. His cousin gave a nod and a salute and bounded off to join the others.
“Are your cousins okay out there?” Stella asked. “I mean, it must be very cold, and there isn’t any air.”
Stella felt a rumbling underneath her, as Grandas chuckled again. She wondered whether this was what it was like being in an earthquake.
“Is not cold for Cragulons, and ve do not need air like you, Stella Mayveader. My cousins like being out dere. It is your planet vich is uncomfortable. Too much gravity. Not like Cragulus. Most of the time is very hard for a Cragulon to even move on your planet. Is okay, dough. Is good vay to get dinner. You stand really, really still, vid moud open,” Grandas said and opened his mouth, to display fearsome jaws and a long tongue. “Bird come rest on shoulder and den on head and den in moud and den, crunch! Nice pigeon snack.”
Three of the Cragulons formed a line. They held a chain in their hands and pulled on it, whilst another Cragulon waved directions. With each heave of the chain, one of the pillars lying on the roof slowly moved upwards. The Cragulon giving directions then started to push the pillar from the other side, whilst the others were pulling it upright.
“Look, Stella Mayveader. See? They pull up main mast,” Grandas explained.
Once one of the pillars was fully upright, they did the same thing to the other two masts. Zero gravity seemed to agree with them, as the Cragulons worked quickly and easily, despite their heavy-looking bulk. They climbed the pillars, carrying chains and pulleys, and started to assemble a network of lines and spars.
“Are they the solar sails?” Stella asked, pointing at a Cragulon who was lifting what looked like a rolled-up carpet on its shoulders.
“Very good, Stella Mayveader. Is indeed solar sail. Ve make a spacefarer out you yet. Ya!”
The Cragulon attached his burden to a winch and organised the others to start pulling chains again. This time with two on each side of the pillar, they began to pull the sail up the mast. When it got to the top, they gave one final heave and the sail unfurled down in a sheet of dazzling silver. The sail looked like it was made out of tinfoil, and as it caught the light of the sun, it billowed outwards as if a great wind was blowing into it.
As the Cragulons were raising the other two sails, Stella peeled her eyes away from the window and looked around at all the machinery in the engine room.
“Grandas, if the ship is moved by solar sails, how come we need all this?” Stella asked, waving at the pistons and cogs.
“Ah, sometimes the solar vind is not so strong. Den is best to be powered by engine. Not as fast, but at least ve don’t get stuck. Also, ve need lights, and Doctor Dodds like hot vater for shower. Vich reminds me, Grandas must start boiler. If you vish, Stella Mayveader, you can see deck better in observatory.”
Going back into the passageway, Stella saw a ladder at the end of it that led up to the round opening of the observatory. Stella climbed up to a small platform enclosed by a glass dome that looked out onto the deck. There was a circular bench she could sit on around the side and a telescope hanging down from the middle of the dome that Stella discovered she could move around. She spent a long time looking at the Cragulons, occasionally giving them a wave when they tried to catch her attention. One of them proved quite good at juggling flower pots, until he misjudged one and it went spinning off into space. Another Cragulon started showing off on the rope ladders that were hanging from the mast, swinging from one to the other like a trapeze artist, and occasionally doing somersaults.
Stella found it most relaxing, though, to stare out at the clusters of stars and the planets in the distance as they sailed past. It was a curious thing, but for the first time that she could really remember, Stella felt as if she belonged.
***