The Querulous Effect (10 page)

The door was opened by Kakrayok. He stood for a moment staring at Cosmo, then, calling him by Cosmo's adopted Inuit name, he exclaimed, “Tiquana! What are you doing here? I didn't think you would come out whilst there were strangers here.”

“But they are not strangers to me,” replied Cosmo. “These young people, Tim and Ella are friends of mine and the dog, Chip, too for that matter. And I have now met a new friend, Jay.”

Kakrayok nodded in understanding. “That is good,” he said and smiled at the children. His expression then changed and he looked hard at Cosmo with very a serious expression on his face. “But what about the older man, the professor?” he asked in a low voice. “Is he a friend?”

Then, before Cosmo could answer, he added in an even lower voice, “He knows about the factory but we have told him nothing of you.”

Cosmo looked down reflectively and repeated under his breath, almost to himself, “Is he a friend? That is the big question.” He looked up at Kakrayok and replied, “We were colleagues and friends once but …” His voice trailed off and he shrugged his shoulders.

Tim and Ella looked at each other. This was not the Cosmo they knew. He was never hesitant or unsure of himself before.

“You must all come in,” Kakrayok said firmly, interrupting Cosmo's reflective thoughts. “Bring the little dog in with you this time but make sure he keeps quiet.”

“He will,” Ella nodded in agreement and she gave Chip her sternest look as she picked him up. Kakrayok led everyone back into the house. They went through the hall and as they entered the main room, the Prof, Atka and the other Inuit men were pointing out places on a large chart of the area spread out on the table. They all glanced up from the chart then sprang to their feet with surprise at seeing Cosmo.

Tim and Ella explained to the Prof how they had discovered Cosmo at the top of the slope beyond the village and that he still seemed to be doing some sort of experiments, which explained the unusual colour of his face. The Prof listened intently but did not say anything. Having found just what he had been looking for, he seemed unaccountably lost for words. Cosmo, in turn, did not appear to know what to say and the two men just stood looking at one another as everyone else looked in silence at them. It was Tim who broke the strange silence.

“This is ridiculous!” he blurted out in exasperation. “We've been travelling miles and miles for days and days so that you two can meet up again and now you can't speak to each other!”

Everyone looked at Tim and he flushed bright red.

“Tim is quite right,” said the Prof at last. “I am really glad to see you Cosmo. In fact, as the children will have explained, that is the only reason we are here in Greenland. We know there were problems with the factory in the nearby bay and we've come to help. The important thing is that we get the science right and remedy any mistakes either of us may have made. I admit some of the fault was originally mine. I should have involved you more. I may have been hasty in the past and for that I apologise.”

“Well maybe I was hasty too,” replied Cosmo, “but you must admit I did have some good ideas.”

“Humph!” exclaimed the Prof. “Good ideas, perhaps, but no patience. You should have tested them again and again before going off to that Blusterton bunch.”

“Well at least they listened to me!” bristled Cosmo.

“And look what a mess it got them into!” responded the Prof, remembering why he had fallen out with Cosmo in the first place.

“Stop. Please stop!” It was Tim who intervened once more. “We will get nowhere if you start arguing again. That's really the reason we've all ended up here in Greenland – because of you two arguing in the first place! Surely after all that has happened you can work together now!”

Jay and Ella nodded vigorously in agreement whilst Kakrayok told his companions what Tim had said. Tim seemed surprised at his own outburst and if he was bright red before, he was an even brighter red now. But he was right and everyone in the room knew he was right.

Then Atka stepped forward and spoke softly in a language which the children did not understand but which made all his companions nod in agreement. Kakrayok explained that Atka had said that whilst he was known as a wise man because he was old and had learned many things, it appeared to him that among their visitors it was the young ones who were most wise. He did not know what had caused the rift between the Prof and Cosmo, whom he also called, ‘Tiquana,' but he knew that they must work together if they were to solve the present problems caused by the factory. He knew ‘Tiquana,' which name, Kakrayok explained, meant ‘adopted son,' to be a good man and he had already been helpful to their community. The children, whom he trusted, had confirmed that the professor was a good man too. Their work was too important to be in danger from a petty squabble. They must settle all differences between them here and now and be friends again.

As the short speech ended, Cosmo, who clearly respected Atka, stepped forward and held out his hand to the Prof who took it warmly. They shook hands and agreed that bygones would be bygones and that they would not speak again of their past arguments.

“Now we have a lot to talk about and not much time,” said the Prof as they both sat down at the table.

“So it seems that you know about the problems at the factory in the next bay?” Cosmo asked.

“Yes, some of it,” replied the Prof.

“And we sorted out the problems at the factory back home after you left,” added Jay, who thought it about time he joined the conversation.

“What!” exclaimed Cosmo. “Problems there too? Nobody told me about that. No wonder you were cross.”

“Yes, but we sorted those out,” said Ella, “or at least the Prof did with our help.”

“I don't understand,” said Cosmo. “It seemed alright when I left there to work at the new factory here.”

“That's the point,” replied the professor. “The work you and I did at the laboratory at ‘The Cedars' wasn't finished. The luceferin we developed to cause bioluminescence to make the plants glow in the dark was not properly controlled. It could spread between different types of plants. Worse it could move between species if it entered the food chain. So when you applied the same techniques in experiments with food products it could spread from the food product to any fish or animal that might eat it – including humans if they had a lot of contact. From the colour of your face it looks as if that is exactly what happened to you too as you worked on your experiments every day.”

“Yes, that's what did happen,” responded Cosmo, a little flustered, “but I am making progress. I saved some of my equipment from the factory to set up a small laboratory in my hut on the hill. In the factory I was developing new foods from algae and I have continued that work on a small scale here. It's true I can't yet isolate my experiments for fear of the process spreading like it did after the factory collapsed. That's why I stay in my hut most of the time.”

“That's the good news, Cosmo,” interrupted the Prof, “we have found the answer.”

He explained how, after the discovery of the fish in the river at Frimton, he had developed the antidote and tested it successfully when they used it to clear up the problems of contamination at the local factory.

“So you see,” the Prof continued, “we've designed a genetic safeguard which stops other microbes from acquiring the colour and light changes. This stops the spread of the effect to other species entirely. It is important now that we prevent any further harm to local marine life and eco-systems after the loss of the factory here in the Arctic. I suspect that what happened was that some of the algae you were using in your experiments escaped into the bay when the storage tanks collapsed. The spillages would have drifted out into the open sea and some of your experimental algae would have been eaten by sea creatures like copepods and other plankton. Small fish would eat the plankton and, in turn, would be eaten by bigger fish, like Arctic cod. It could then spread further. Seals might eat the fish and, possibly, polar bears would eat them! So, stage by stage the colour and any luminescence could be passed on – even to humans if they ate any seal which had been affected. Now we can stop that with the antidote and the biological limiter I've developed. We have got some supplies with us on the flying boat and a great deal more is coming on a friend's trawler following us out here right now.”

Cosmo had cheered up considerably as he listened attentively to the Prof and had learned with obvious relief that there was a potential solution to his problems. In fact, being Cosmo and as impatient as ever, he was already thinking up new projects.

“I'll tell you what, Prof,” he exclaimed, “as soon as we've cleared up the spillage problems we can really get going with the improved formula. It will give me chance to develop ideas I've had for modifying some of the local summer moss as a vegetable for human consumption. I've already made progress in turning one species of algae into food for the locals. It will really help the local diet which at present is just meat and fish.”

The Prof clasped his hand to his forehead in exasperation. “Oh Cosmo,” he said, “please slow down this time or we will get into another mess. You don't even know what my formula is yet! Let's sort that out first, then we can consider your next bright idea!”

Cosmo decided that now he and the Prof had resolved to forget the past and be firm friends, he had better be a little more patient and listen to the Prof's advice. In any case he was interested to know what the Prof had discovered which he had missed. The Prof drew out his notebook and turned to a page full of mathematical and chemical symbols. The two of them became wrapt in a deep dialogue as they started poring over the formula. Suddenly Jay broke in on their conversation.

“I'm sorry to interrupt you,” he said, “but through the window I can see Mrs. McDoon standing on the wing of the flying boat with her megaphone.” He paused then added, “And she doesn't look too pleased!”

The Prof looked at his watch then stood up quickly.

“Oh no,” he said, “now we're running late and the plane must take off before the wind strengthens. We can't risk a delay but there's still so much to do. You're the fastest, Jay, run down to the shore and tell Mrs. McDoon that we are definitely coming very soon. Meanwhile the rest of us better come up with a plan of what to do next.”

No sooner had he finished that instruction than Jay was out of the door and charging down to the shore followed by Chip, happy to escape again, and behind him, Ella, in determined pursuit.

By the time Jay had spoken with Mrs. McDoon, or, rather, shouted across the water to her, and returned to the house, a plan had been made. It was agreed that all the villagers with boats would help unload the supplies of chemicals for the antidote and the extra laboratory equipment from the flying boat and ferry it back to shore. The plane could then get away before the evening winds got up. Then, if the Mcdoons would agree, they could return tomorrow to pick up everyone else. Meanwhile the Prof and the children could stay overnight to help Cosmo install the new equipment.

Squ. Ldr. McDoon did agree. He arranged by radio to fly back to a naval base in the south of Greenland where he could re-fuel the plane overnight, and return by noon the next day. Kakrayok called all the villagers together and outlined the plan to them. Everyone was eager to help and within twenty minutes, boats were scurrying about between the plane and the shore. Within an hour the job was complete with all the cases and equipment piled neatly on the shore. With much relief at the timing, Sandy McDoon fired up the engine and the great plane took off just before the waves in the bay became too choppy. Everyone stood and waved as it took off. It was a strange feeling for the children to watch it disappear into the distance and to think that they would be spending a night in the Inuit settlement. However, as Tim said to Ella, who was not quite so sure about this part of the plan, that since it never really got dark in this part of Greenland at this time of year, it would not be like spending a normal night and the time would pass quickly.

Certainly there was a lot to do. The first job was to get all the supplies up the hill to the laboratory Cosmo had set up in his hut. The group of Inuit children who had gathered round now proved of great help. They were fascinated that Cosmo, whom they had only seen at a distance before, was now active amongst them and he soon became a popular character, laughing and joking with them as they helped. Tim was also in his element, supervising the younger children or, as Ella termed it, ‘ordering everyone about.' With all the willing help, it was not long before everything was safely installed in Cosmo's laboratory and he and the Prof, aided by Atka and Kakrayok, set to work on preparing oil drums full of the antidote needed to treat the factory spillages.

With their part of the exercise completed, Jay, Tim and Ella now had some time to get to know their new friends better. The Inuit children took them a tour of the village passing from one brightly coloured house to another with seal-skins and fish pegged on frames outside each one. Now that they were accompanied by the local children, the teams of sled dogs chained by the houses also seemed to accept them with less fuss, even tolerating Chip as he scampered cautiously by.

The Inuit children also introduced them to the games they played. These all seemed to involve tests of strength or speed and were very competitive. The first one they tried was known as ‘the musk ox push.' This involved the two competitors kneeling down facing each other and pushing hard shoulder to shoulder. The first one to push the other backwards was the winner. Although Tim and Jay both tried very hard they could not win against their stocky competitors who seemed very strong for their ages. This was followed by ‘knee jumping', launching from a kneeling position and measuring how far you could move forward. Then came ‘knuckle pulling,' involving linking fingers with an opponent and pulling against them in a kind of mini tug-of-war.

There was much laughter from the Inuit children as they watched Jay and Tim try to compete and, although Tim was quite good at knuckle pulling and very determined, he could not get the better of the Inuit champion, a strong lad called Chulyin. Finally the Inuit children introduced their visitors to their favourite game, which they said the adults also played sometimes. This was known as the ‘mouth pull.' It involved the two competitors standing side by side with each reaching an arm around the other's shoulder so that they could place an index finger in the other person's mouth. Like the other games it was then a matter of pulling until one competitor gave in. Having seen a demonstration, Ella declared it was ‘not hygienic!' and refused to take part. Jay and Tim did try with a lot of laughter but no success. After all the pulling and pushing, Tim suggested they had a running race, confident that Jay would restore some respect for the visiting team. Jay duly proved his worth as a fast runner and after a few races, everyone agreed that honours were even and the whole group sat down to rest.

As they sat talking of other games and toys, one of the girls called Naja pulled out a length of string and wove a series of constructions around her fingers which Ella recognised as the pastime she knew as ‘cat's cradle.' She was relieved to learn that there was a game she could take part in and she and the other girls joined in passing the ‘cradle' from hand to hand. Meanwhile, one of the eldest boys, Minik, ran back to his house and rejoined them with a set of smooth pebbles, the size of small balls. He proceeded to juggle with them very skilfully, which prompted some of the other children to dash off and fetch their own sets. It appeared that juggling was also a popular pastime and many of the children were very good at it. Tim was particularly fascinated and after a few tries, managed to do it quite well himself. Minik said that all the specially shaped pebbles had been found on the nearby shore and although, as he pointed out, it took time to make up a matching set, he suggested they go down to the shore to see whether they could find some for Tim. Everyone stood up ready to go down to the shore when that particular expedition was halted by Kakrayok's wife calling out to them that she had prepared supper for the visitors. The Inuit children assured Tim and Jay that they would help them look for their own juggling pebble sets the next morning and then they all hurried off back to their own homes.

Tim, Jay and Ella followed Kakrayok's wife back to her house where the Prof and Cosmo were already awaiting them, seated at the table in the main room. As Jay was to observe when he recounted the events later, it was a most memorable meal. But then you are, of course, likely to remember your first meal of steaming hot seal and whale blubber stew.

After supper it was agreed that the children and the professor would sleep at Cosmo's hut. The children were made comfortable in Cosmo's room whilst he and the Prof continued their work well into the night. As Tim had explained earlier to Ella, it never really got dark as the sun hung as a pale circle over the horizon well after midnight. Despite the pale background light filtering through the windows and the drone of voices as Cosmo and the Prof discussed their work, the children slept soundly after what had been a very full and exciting day.

They woke to the smell of cooking and found, on emerging, that Cosmo was frying up some of his modified algae, which he then served up with some strips of dried seal meat. His concoction looked like boiled spinach and given that Cosmo himself still had the greeny purple hue in his face, the children were hesitant to try it. However, the Prof assured them that he had cleared the concoction in this ‘new and improved' version and when, with some trepidation, they tried it, they found it pretty good. It tasted like ‘bubble and squeak,' which was one of Jay's favourites and, as he said, it was worth trying anything to help down more dried seal. Much to Cosmo's pleasure it was declared a general success and Tim named it, ‘spinalg', linking its spinach-like look to its algae origins.

After breakfast the children helped with the final preparation of the antidote so that it could be transported later in the morning by boat to the next bay. There it would be tested on the remains of a spillage near the site of the factory ruins. They watched as it was loaded onto two of the Zodiac boats, which then set off for the next bay, piloted by Kakrayok and their friend Chulyin's dad, with Cosmo and the Prof on board. The other Inuit children joined them to see the boats off. Then, under the expert guidance of Minik, the whole group of children searched along the shore for juggling pebbles so that Tim, Jay and Ella could have their own sets. Chip joined in the fun, scrabbling amongst the pebbles and dashing off repeatedly to retrieve any that had been thrown away as unsuitable.

By the time the two boats returned everyone had a good set of pebbles. The expedition to the next bay had also been a great success. Cosmo in particular was both elated and very relieved that the tests they had carried out had gone extremely well. The antidote treatment had been immediately effective, neutralizing the colour of the spillages and restoring the algae to its normal greenish hue.

So it was an excited group that reassembled on the shore around noon, ready to welcome back the McDoons with the flying boat.