The Star Agency (The Star Agency Chronicles)

by R. E. Weber

  *

  Theo awoke early that morning. Indeed, almost every morning since his arrival back on Earth, nearly two weeks earlier, Theo had woken up early. Early that was by his standards. When he’d first arrived back on Earth, he’d been certain that he’d be accepting the invitation, so amazed had he been at his incredible journey. But as the days had passed back on Earth, in the comfort of his home, he’d begun to doubt his decision a little. His relationship with his auntie had been much improved, and although they’d had the occasional bicker, there’d been nothing like the blazing rows he was used to. It was almost as if, while he’d been away, she’d made the conscious decision that he was now all grown up and whatever he decided to do was OK by her. Of course, he knew that she probably wasn’t thinking that deep down, but he did appreciate the fact that she seemed to be making the effort. And of course, Jules had been there as always – his best friend. Since the school holidays had started, they’d spent nearly every day together. Jules had always been careful not to constantly ask Theo if he knew what he was going to do. But he knew that she must have been dying to know.

  Theo had now begun to realise what he’d be giving up if he left. Both his auntie and Jules seemed to know somehow, that if Theo left, they might never see him again. Of course, his auntie was, or at least seemed, convinced that he was going to some wonderful new life in France, living in a picture postcard cottage in the French countryside with his mother and new family. But where Jules really thought he was going, was a mystery to him.

  Theo sat up in bed and looked at his watch. Seven fifty-five am on the twenty-fifth. Christmas Day! And as Jules had been so keen to tell him nearly two weeks earlier, they were having Christmas dinner with the Kingsleys. Of course, he’d seen Jules often enough on Christmas day in the past. But this was going to be the first time that he would sit down to roast turkey and all the trimmings with her. She’d told him how chaotic it could get, with various relatives popping in and out and her mum getting frantic in the kitchen, making sure that everything came together on time. Yet despite her warning, he was looking forward to it. So he flung off the covers, leapt out of bed and showered and dressed as quickly as he possibly could. Then he headed downstairs for his breakfast.

  *

  It was almost one pm when his auntie called upstairs to ask Theo if he was ready. He quickly gathered together all the presents he’d haphazardly wrapped up that morning and stuffed them into a plastic bag. Then he galloped downstairs to see his auntie waiting at the front door.

  ‘You didn’t mind waiting ‘til we got round to the Kingsley’s before we opened our presents, did you?’ said his auntie.

  ‘No, not at all,’ said Theo, actually pleased that it had given him a chance to wrap his up.

  ‘We might have to make a couple of trips round there. I can’t carry all this food and the presents at the same time.’

  Theo nodded absent mindedly as they headed out of the door and round the path to Kingsley’s front gate. It was a pleasant chilly but sunny winter day, and he could see the last remnants of snow melting from the Kingsley’s front garden. Right in the middle of the lawn stood a rather sorry looking Father Christmas. It was leaning a little to one side, with a yellowing stain down the front, and Theo knew why. He’d heard Jules’s father swearing at the cat about an hour before they’d arrived.

  As Theo and his auntie opened the Kingsley’s front gate, Jules’s mother opened the front door and stood there looking rather breathless.

  ‘Merry Christmas,’ she panted as they walked down the path. ‘Let me take those off you.’ She took the bottles of wine and homemade soup from his auntie’s outstretched arms. Then she turned and headed towards the Kitchen. ‘Please go into the lounge and make yourselves comfortable,’ she called back. ‘I’ll be with you in a minute.’

  Theo and his auntie headed into the lounge, and at that moment Jules came galloping down the stairs.

  ‘Hi, Merry Christmas,’ she said excitedly, kissing both Theo and his auntie on the cheek.

  ‘Merry Christmas,’ they both replied. Then his aunt nudged Theo.

  ‘Oh yeh,’ he said and rummaged inside the large plastic bag for her presents.

  ‘Theo, I’ve just got to pop back next door to get the presents for Richard and Janet,’ said his auntie. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.

  ‘OK,’ he replied.

  Theo finally found Jules’s present at the bottom of the bag and thrust it impatiently into her hand.

  ‘Oh thanks,’ said Jules, ‘I’ll open it in a second’. She put it down on the table, then fumbled around behind the sofa and pulled out a neatly wrapped box with a red ribbon and bow.

  ‘Merry Christmas to you, too,’ she said, handing the box to Theo.

  They both sat down on the sofa and unwrapped their presents. Theo had managed to unwrap his first by just casually ripping off the neatly sellotaped paper without a second thought. But Jules had taken a little more care and managed to gently peel Theo’s haphazardly folded Father Christmas patterned paper away from itself, without a single tear.

  Once Theo had removed the paper, he saw that there were two presents. He picked up the first. It was a new CD by a rock band called Space Cadets.

  ‘Cool,’ said Theo. ‘I’ve wanted this for a while.’

  ‘Well I thought the band’s name was very apt,’ said Jules, grinning.

  For a moment, Theo’s heart skipped a beat at the thought that Jules somehow knew where he’d been. Then he reminded himself that she knew him well enough to know that he’d always been obsessed with anything space related, and so it probably didn’t mean anything.

  ‘Ha ha,’ he replied sarcastically. Then he picked up the second present. It was a novel, simply entitled Mars.

  ‘You haven’t read that one, have you?’ said Jules. ‘I know it’s an old one, but I was told by the shop assistant that it was really good. You’ve always been…’

  ‘Obsessed with stars and planets?’ interrupted Theo. ‘Your problem is you know me too well. And no I haven’t read it. This is…. well… brilliant.’

  Jules finally finished unwrapping Theo’s hastily wrapped present.

  ‘Theo, that’s fantastic,’ she said, waving the sketchpad and professional pencil set in the air. ‘You know I ran out ages ago and never got round to buying a new set.’

  ‘You should never stop drawing you know. Trust me, you’ve got a gift.’

  ‘That’s what Dad said. But I don’t know. I don’t seem to have the time for it these days. Or the interest.’

  ‘That’s because you spend too much time with me.’

  ‘Hey, you’re not complaining, are you?’

  ‘No way,’ said Theo. ‘But there might be a time when, you know, you want something else to do.’

  ‘Are you trying to tell me something, Theo?’ She then leaned in towards him and whispered ‘Does this mean you made your mind up? Does it mean you’re leaving?’

  ‘Oh… erm… no, it’s just, you know, you’re good at it. You shouldn’t waste your talent. You might want to go to Art College or something one day. If you don’t keep it up, you’ll never get in.’

  ‘It’s a bit early to be thinking about that,’ said Jules.

  ‘This is Jules I’m talking to, isn’t it? Grade A Jules. Last year you were talking about being a graphic designer.’

  ‘Times change.’

  ‘Yeh they do.’

  For a moment, they both sat in silence, staring at each other’s presents, their minds elsewhere. Then suddenly, the silence was broken by Jules’s mum shouting in the kitchen.

  ‘Fudge, off now! You’re a bloody pest, cat,’ she screamed.

  Theo heard the cat whining as it was hoisted off the work surface, clearly just moments away from attacking the turkey.

  ‘Out now!’ she shouted. Then he heard the French doors slam.

  ‘Oh that cat,’ said Jules, breaking the silence between them. ‘He’s been a right pain today.’

  ‘So he’s er
m… in the dog house, is he?’ said Theo.

  ‘Oh very funny. Did you see what he did to the Father Christmas in the front garden?’

  ‘I never noticed,’ lied Theo.

  But just as Jules was about to explain further, there was a knock at the door.

  ‘Jules, can you get that?’ shouted her mum. ‘My hands are full.’

  But Jules had already leapt up and opened the door for Theo’s auntie, who had just returned with the rest of the Kingsley’s presents.

  ‘I’ll just put them under the tree,’ said Jules, taking the bag away from his aunt.

  Just as Jules was about to start neatly arranging the presents, her mother called out from the kitchen.

  ‘OK, it’s ready.’

  Hastily, Jules shoved the bag under the tree. Then she trotted into the dining room, closely followed by Theo and his aunt.

  ‘In case you were wondering,’ said Jules, ‘it’s always like this round here, at Christmas.’

  Theo didn’t say anything and just smiled to himself as he walked into the dining room. Then he stared at the table in front of him. ‘Wow’ he said quietly to himself as he stared at the beautifully laid table, complete with neatly folded napkins, carefully arranged best cutlery, lighted candles and table decorations. It was quite a sight, especially considering all the chaos that seemed to have been taking place earlier.

  Jules patted the chair next to her and Theo sat himself down and folded his arms politely, waiting for everybody else to join them. And soon they were all tucking into a glorious Christmas dinner. All of them that was, except for Fudge, who was staring back at them from the other side of the French doors, complaining at the top of his voice.

  *

  Later that afternoon, a couple of hours after they’d finished dinner, Theo and Jules were still at the dinner table chatting away, while her mum loaded up the last of the plates into the dishwasher. Her father was still busy clearing up the table and the rest of the mess in the kitchen, and Theo’s auntie, after one too many glasses of sherry, had wandered back into the lounge, fallen fast asleep on the sofa and was snoring loudly.

  As they continued to chat, they suddenly heard a muffled voice from the lounge.

  ‘Ohhhh what happened…’ said his auntie as she woke suddenly. ‘I need to help with the….’. Then they heard her try and get up, stumble and then sit down again, muttering something. Theo turned to Jules and grinned.

  ‘Adults, eh?’ said Jules.

  ‘No stamina,’ replied Theo.

  ‘Huh, you should try cooking a Christmas dinner for five,’ replied Jules’s mum sharply from the other side of the kitchen.

  ‘Oh er, sorry Mrs Kingsley,’ said Theo turning bright red, ‘it was lovely.’

  ‘Dead right,’ said her father kissing her on the cheek.

  Embarrassed, her mother turned her face away. ‘Not in front of the kids, Richard,’ she whispered.

  Moments later, Theo’s auntie wandered through the doorway, looking a little unsteady on her feet.

  ‘It was quite warm in there,’ she said. ‘I must have drifted off for a minute.’

  ‘Too many sherries, auntie?’ said Theo, grinning.

  ‘Just the one, Theo,’ she replied sharply.

  ‘Of course auntie,’ said Theo, trying not to laugh.

  ‘Anyway, I suppose we should be making a move,’ she said trying to suppress a yawn.

  ‘Ohhhh,’ said Theo grumpily, ‘I was just….’

  ‘No Theo, we can’t stay,’ interrupted his aunt. ‘Mr and Mrs Kingsley must be tired. They’ve been busy all day.’

  ‘There’s no need to rush off,’ said Richard. ‘Stay and have a coffee if you want.’

  But Theo’s auntie wasn’t listening and was already grabbing her empty bags to take home.

  ‘Can Jules come round to ours for a bit?’ said Theo.

  ‘Erm yeh, I suppose if her mum and dad don’t mind,’ said his auntie, her face visibly dropping.

  ‘Great, is that alright mum?’ said Jules.

  ‘Yeh, if you want,’ said Janet. ‘But don’t stay too long. Remember they have to…’ She cut off mid-sentence as if suddenly remembering that she shouldn’t have spoken. Then she turned away and looked around the kitchen, pretending that she had lost something and it was really that which had stopped her, not whatever it was she was really thinking about. Immediately, Theo could see that something was going on, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to spoil the happy mood by asking too many awkward questions.

  Moments later, the three of them headed out of the door after saying their thanks and goodbyes to the Kingsleys. Theo had to admit that it had been a very nice afternoon, and he was sure that the Kingsleys wanted to be left alone so they could put their feet up in front of the television.

  *

  A couple of hours later, Theo and Jules were still chatting away in his bedroom, after having left his auntie in front of the TV catching up with the Christmas day soap operas.

  ‘Can I ask you something?’ said Theo as they continued to munch their way through a big box of chocolate assortments.

  ‘Of course mate, what is it?’

  ‘It’s just that you’ve never asked me much about what happened. Where I went and what I did. I thought you’d want to know.’

  ‘Theo, we’ve talked about this before. And besides, are you actually supposed to tell me?’

  ‘Mmmmm hard to say,’ said Theo, ‘but probably not.’

  ‘Well there’s your answer then.’

  ‘But I’m not sure if I want to go back any more,’ said Theo.

  ‘Why not?’ said Jules.

  ‘Well I mean, it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of and I’d be mad not to go. But these last few weeks with you and even auntie – we’ve all been getting on so well and having such a great time. I don’t know if I can give all that up now.’

  ‘But this place – you said it was everything you’d expected and more. What happens if you don’t go now? Will you get another chance?’

  ‘No,’ said Theo. ‘That’s one thing I do know. It’s now or never.’

  ‘When do you have to decide by?’

  ‘New year’s day,’ said Theo.

  ‘Oh. So erm, you don’t have long, do you?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Can I say something?’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘Since you’ve been back, you’ve been different. You’ve changed. You’ve got your sparkle back. I think that this place, or whatever it was, has changed you. You should go back there. It’s your dream.’

  ‘Sounds like you want rid?’ said Theo, slightly annoyed.

  ‘Don’t be stupid. I’m gonna to miss you like…. Anyway, it’s your choice mate. But I think you should decide soon. Tomorrow in fact.’

  ‘Why then?’

  ‘I don’t know, it just feels like it should be then. Besides, no point putting it off, is there?’

  ‘You and your feelings,’ said Theo.

  ‘Where would you be without them?’ said Jules.

  Of course, Theo knew she was right. He couldn’t keep putting it off. But by tomorrow? It seemed too soon. And why did she really think that it had to be tomorrow? Had she perhaps just grown impatient with his indecision? Or was it something else?

  As Theo sat there, deep in thought, he heard his auntie calling up the stairs.

  ‘Theo, can you come down here a minute.’

  ‘Hang on a sec,’ said Theo, ‘I’m coming.’

  When he arrived in the lounge, his auntie was sat on the sofa. She looked up at him and smiled weakly.

  ‘I don’t mean to be rude, Theo, but is Jules planning on staying much longer?’

  ‘I don’t know, but I mean it’s only nine o’clock. It’s not late or anything.’

  ‘Theo, there’s something that we need to do. Tonight, on our own.’

  ‘Oh, right. Is it going to take long?’ said Theo, slightly irritated.

  ‘No I suppose not,’ said his aunt.
>
  ‘Well then Jules can wait upstairs, can’t she? She won’t mind.’

  ‘Yeh, I suppose so. But we do need to do this on our own. It’s kind of private.’

  Curious, Theo wandered back upstairs to tell Jules what was happening and then appeared back in the lounge a minute later. As he sat on the sofa next to his aunt, he noticed that she had a large flat wooden box on her lap.

  ‘What’s that?’ said Theo.

  ‘This is yours, Theo. It’s from your grandfather.’

  Surprised, Theo stared at the flat oblong box. It was about forty centimetres across, by about thirty deep, by ten thick, and made from dark brown wood. Although sturdy looking, it was quite badly scratched and worn, especially around the corners where the varnish had come off. At the front was a small, tarnished, engraved brass lock. It was clearly very old.

  ‘The last time I saw Dad,’ said his auntie, ‘he asked me to give you this after he’d.… well you know, left us.’

  ‘You can say died auntie, I can deal with it,’ said Theo.

  ‘Anyway,’ she continued, ‘well he wanted you to have this. You know, once things had settled down a bit and gotten back to normal.’

  Normal? Theo could barely remember what normal felt like.

  ‘So what is it then?’

  ‘Here,’ she said, leaning over to the table to grab the key. ‘Take the box and open it. It’s all yours.’

  ‘What’s in it?’

  ‘He didn’t say. Just that there were a few things for you. I’ll just go a make a cup of tea while you have a look.’

  Theo took the box and plonked it down on his lap. At the front, just under the lock, was a tiny brass plate engraved with four letters. TTHL: his grandfather’s initials. Theopolis Terrance Harold Logan. He picked up the key, inserted it into the lock and then wiggled it left and right. Then he heard a click and it sprung lightly open. Carefully, he lifted the lid and peered inside.

  The first thing that caught his eye was a large brown envelope. He folded the box lid back fully until the small material straps at each side of the lid stretched to their fullest extent, holding the lid open. Then he carefully lifted the envelope out and turned it over. On the front, written with what looked like a fountain pen, was his name: