by Kir Bulychev
Alice looked out the window. Outside, beyond the window glass, the land looked ordinary; in fact it looked enormously backward compared with Earth, but back a hundred years ago Earth would have looked enormously backward. No monorails, no flyers, no antigravs, flying houses or any other sorts of ordinary, every day things.
The archaeologist was muttering something to himself pod nos and sewing the tail back on. Alice cold have helped him she was better with needle and thread than Purr but how could one offer ones services when the task was sewing a tail on oneself?
Alice turned to study the portraits of the astronauts in the newspapers. One of the astronauts appeared to be larger than the others. He was young, dark eyed, and with a smile so wide it seemed he’d have trouble not breaking out into laughter. “Engineer Tolo.” She read his name aloud, and remembered it.
The door to their compartment opened and an old woman entered. The old woman was small, with around, ruddy face. She wore a long blue dress. Alice saw the old woman’s eyes suddenly widen with fright. The old woman was looking down, at the floor boards.
“Oh!” The old woman exclaimed.
Alice looked at the same spot and so caught the little the archaeologist unawares, clutching the tail in one and in the other holding the needle and thread, try to crawl back into the carpet bag. Alice quickly opened the bag wider and Purr flung himself inside. Alice looked at the old woman again.
The old woman stepped back into the corridor; her mouth was already opened, as though she were about to scream.
“Don’t be afraid, ma’am?” Alice said. “Don’t be frightened. It always plays like that.”
“Oh.” The old woman said, as though she had been somewhat frightened, on hearing Alice’s voice. “It seemed to me that….”
“What?”
“Don’t laugh, missy.” The old woman said. “For a moment I was certain that your cat was sewing his own tail onto…. My eyes are deceiving me.”
The old woman quickly forgot her fright, sat down by the window, untied the bundle she was carrying, reached inside and pulled out two apples. She kept one for herself, but extended the other to Alice.
“And where are you going, young one?” The old woman asked.
“I’m bound for the capitol.”
“That’s rather obvious, the capitol.” The old woman agreed. “And what do you plan to do there.”
“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.
<
br /> “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.
“Where are you going.” The old woman asked. “I’ll go with you.”
Alice casually opened her bag and felt inside for the cannister. She took it out and hung it over he shoulder.
“And what’s that?” The old woman asked.
“A thermos.” Alice answered. “If you want something to drink I can open it.”
The old woman didn’t ask anything else; she was too busy watching the sky and the bright point of light that had suddenly appeared before their eyes.
The space ship, with its cargo of astronauts and Space Plague aboard, was coming in for its landing.
The ship descended slowly, like in a dream. For a minute it hung suspended over the field itself, blue flame from its tail playing over the concrete. Then it was on the ground, and a short hurricane carried off the spectators’ hats and caps.
The orchestra began to play, and several space port employees began to unfurl a thick role of white rug from the gate to the ship for the astronauts to walk on to meet the welcoming party.
“What should I do?” Alice asked the little archaeologist. No one was listening to her now; they were all waiting for the ship’s airlock to open and for the astronauts to emerge.
“Are we far from the ship?” Purr asked.
“About three or four hundred yards from the ship. I’d never be able to run there. They’d catch me.”
“Oh.” The archaeologist sighed. “So close, ands till to far! I might be able to make it.”
“But you could never carry the cannister with the vaccine.”
But here again the old woman came to Alice’s erscue. When she saw that the members of Coleida’s government pushed across the barrier and were now on both sides of the long white rug held ready for the astronauts, because they were as thrilled as anyone else and could not stand waiting any more than the old woman, the mother of Engineer Tolo moved away from her police escort and said:
“My son is over there.”
She spoke the words with such firmness and conviction that the policeman could only nod his head and let her pass.
Alice grabbed onto the old woman’s hand, and when the policeman tried to stop her, the old woman turned and said:
“This is his sister. I won’t move a foot without her.”
“Just leave the bag.” The cop said. “They don’t want any bags.”
Alice clutched the bag tightly, and it proved to be a hindrance because the old woman pressed forward and the policeman moved back and Alice was pulled between then. And then Alice heard Purr say in Cosmolingue, which none of the Coleidans could understand:
“Let go! Remember what we’re here for.”
Fortunately, the policeman heard nothing; he was trying to hold back the advancing crowd with his other hand. Alice let go of the bag with Purr in it and hurried forward.
They made it almost as far as the landed ship itself. But then everyone stopped. The old woman too.
The ship’s airlock was slowly turning, opening.
“It must have been like this back on old Earth when they met Gagarin and Glenn.” Alice thought. “It’s a pity I was born so late.” She said to herself.
And at the very moment that the airlock had slid as far back into the ship as it could go and the first astronaut, the ship’s captain, appeared in the round hatch, Alice jumped between a general and the Prime Minister, darted away from the outstretched hands of the honor guard, and ran for the airlock.
“Stop!” They shouted from behind her.”
“Don’t worry.” Alice heard the old woman’s voice. “That’s my daughter.”
As she darted forward, Alice pulled the vaccine cannister off her shoulder.
The ship’s captain, watching what was unfolding, burst into laughter, and waved her to one side.
Alice stopped for a moment. She had realized that the airlock was too high there was no way she could reach it. The spray of vaccine would not reach inside the ship.
“Raise the gangplank!” The ship’s captain shouted; evidently, he had decided that Alice wanted to present the astronauts with some gift, and he had decided to let her do it.
A moment later an automatic gangplank rose from the ground and extended itself forward and touched the ship.
“Don’t move!” Alice shouted to the captain, who had been about to step onto the gangplank.
Alice had already jumped onto the gangplank, moving forward, before it could even stop.
Behind her came policemen intent on reaching her and stopping her.
Alice flew like an arrow along the gangway, the cannister in her hands.
She aimed it right in the Captain’s face and pressed the button.
A strong, grey stream of pungent vaccine struck the Captain; out of surprise he jumped back.
Millions of people on Coleida who watched that moment either at the space port itself or on television, gasped in horror. All the inhabitants of Coleida could only believe it was an attempt on the lives of the astronauts.
Alice stood before the returning ship’s airlock and continued to press the button down on the cannister of vaccine. The mist quickly wrapped itself around the ship and filled all its internal spaces.
Then the button itself gave a click and the stream of vaccine cut off.
The cannister was empty.
And out of the still not dissipated cloud a number of strong hands grabbed hold of Alice and dragged her back.
15
The room where Alice found herself was small and completely empty. There was not even a chair. On the other side of
the door Alice heard voices. It was not even a proper room, just one of the space port’s many storage lockers that had been hurriedly emptied to hold the state criminal who had made an attempt on the lives of the returning astronauts.
Alice sat on the floor. She was very happy, but very tired and worried about what had become of Purr, the archaeologist.
She understood the panic that had overcome the entire planet of Coleida. Quite likely no one understood anything: everyone was asking his neighbor: ‘Where the astronauts injured?’ And thousands of different and quite terrible rumors were making their way over the planet.
Five minutes passed. And then another five minutes.
“Of course,” Alice thought. “They’re all busy with the astronauts. No one has any time for me.”
Then another thought filled her head. It was all very well and good that she had been able to save Coleida. But what happened now? Wasn’t she ever going to get out of here. And wouldn’t she ever see the noisy and good Gromozeka again and return home, to Earth.
She wanted to cry. And she did cry. Perhaps not so much from sadness for the situation she now found herself in as much as from physical and mental exhaustion. And, when she had cried a little, her mood became somewhat better. Because she understood that she would not remain in this precarious position forever. If they had to, they could bring three more time machines from Earth. And then Petrov, and Richard, and perhaps even Gromozeka himself would come looking for her. And they would explain everything to the Coleidans, and, perhaps, the Coleidans would even pit up a monument to Alice.
So Alice dozed off, leaning against the whitewashed walls.
In fact no one had even bothered to interrogate her yet; a panic had consumed the space port. But when they carted Alice away and the cloud of smelly mist cleared it turned out that the astronauts were completely unharmed. The astronauts had arrived safely, the vast crowd had a deep desire to celebrate, and that is what the people of Coleida proceeded to do. For the moment the people of Coleida had completely forgotten Alice existed.