The Querulous Effect (3 page)

Looking back later over that eventful summer, Jay came to think, once the adventures were over and done, that those first few weeks at ‘The Cedars' were possibly the most enjoyable of all.

The work was quite hard but there was plenty of time also to explore the gardens and have free time in the company of Tim and Ella. After a few days, Jay had settled into a comfortable routine. Each morning the Prof would put outside the back door two large glass flagons, filled with a dark green liquid, which he had prepared overnight and which he called ‘luciferin.' It was Jay's job to mix a measure of this liquid with water in a number of watering-cans. The formula for doing this had been given to him the first morning by the Prof as “one part luciferin to nine parts water, that is ten percent green liquid to ninety percent water, if you see what I mean.” Jay did see what he meant and carefully mixed accordingly, helped by the fact that the watering-cans had measurements marked on the side in bold white paint.

Having filled each can as instructed, Jay's next job was to water the flower beds one by one in rotation, following the order in a schedule written up by the professor and pinned on the kitchen wall. The good thing was that the cans were not too large or too heavy and Jay could manage them quite easily. The less good thing was that this meant making lots and lots – and lots – of journeys to and fro across the gardens, filling and re-filling the cans through the morning. But the very good thing from Jay's point of view was that he could work as quickly or slowly as he wished. He also found, much to his relief, that most of the garden was, in practice, looked after by Mr. Stiggles, the gardener and handyman.

Sometimes, especially if it was a hot day, Jay would rest for a while and just enjoy the garden, watching the bees and other insects moving methodically from flower to flower. His favourite spot for taking a break and day-dreaming was a grass path which ran between two high hedges of clipped cypress. Here he would lie on his back out of the sun and watch the clouds as they emerged high above one hedge and slowly and majestically disappeared above the hedge on the other side. He was lying in this area one warm afternoon, thinking of nothing in particular, when he sensed a rhythmic, dull thud through the ground on which he lay. As the sound and vibration got stronger, he looked up. There, coming towards him down the grass path, was Mr. Stiggles leading Toby, the Shire horse, plodding steadily along with Ella sitting astride his broad back and Chip running in and out around his hooves.

“Hey, lazybones, out of the way,” shouted Ella as Jay leaped up. “We're going to water the meadow. Come and join us.”

Jay had watered every flower bed on the rota several times but watering the meadow was something new. He followed Toby as he made his way to the old barn where he was stabled at night. Tim and the Prof were already there. They were filling a large, wheeled tanker with water from a hose-pipe in the yard. Tim then climbed on top of the tanker, opened a hatch on the top and the Prof passed him in turn several of the glass flagons filled with the green luciferin. Tim emptied each one into the tanker to mix with the water. Once that was done, Tim slammed the hatch closed and, with the Prof's help, screwed in the bolts which held it fast.

“All ready,” Tim shouted to Mr Stiggles and Ella. “The harness is in the stable; let's get Toby hitched up to the tanker.”

At the end of the barn was Toby's stall with its straw and saw-dust bedding and a hay bale hanging on the wall. At the other end of the barn were more bales of hay, various farm tools, old wheels and sets of horse harness and tack strung in neat order near the wooden partition that fenced off Toby's stable area. Ella was in her element, selecting the correct harness and heaving it outside to get ready. Whilst Toby had a bucket of oats and a drink and Ming and Mong, the resident cats watched lazily from high up on a bale of hay, Ella and Mr. Stiggles got Toby ready and harnessed him up to the tank contraption. Then, with Ella on his back and everyone else in a rambling procession behind, Toby made his way to the meadow, pulling the tanker behind him.

On arriving at the meadow, Mr. Stiggles and the Prof opened two large valves to allow the liquid to spray out through a series of nozzles in a row of pipes running from the back of the tanker. As Toby tramped patiently back and forth through the meadow, the fine spray streamed from the tanker, creating rainbow effects as it cascaded onto the grass. Rabbits, startled from their afternoon fiesta, scampered off at the approach of the tanker, earnestly pursued by Chip. But the quarry proved too quick and elusive on a hot afternoon. Eventually, Chip, fearless rabbit-hunter though he would, no doubt, claim to be, found it all too frustrating and exhausting and just lay in the shadow of a hedge to watch Toby resolutely at work.

When they had completed just over half the meadow, they heard the ringing of the brass bell as Mrs. Stiggles appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, waving. The children ran back to the house, washed their hands and collected sandwiches and drinks for a picnic tea. Whilst the children ran that pleasant errand, the Prof and Mr. Stiggles closed the tanker valves and gave Toby a well-earned drink from a bucket of fresh water. After everyone had completed their welcome refreshment, the work continued through the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening. With the meadow all but completed, the spray finally spluttered and stuttered to a stop, bringing their efforts to an end.

“A job well done,” observed the Prof as the team made its way back to the barn and a well-deserved rub-down and rest for Toby who had worked the hardest of all.

“In a couple of days' time,” the professor continued, “we'll have a night-hunting expedition. If you agree, Jay, I'll visit your aunt tomorrow to see if you can stay overnight here that evening, which would make it easier.”

Jay did agree and the next day the professor went to see Aunt Mavis. His visit proved to be even more successful than Jay had hoped. After the Prof's discussion with Aunt Mavis (followed, apparently, by some telephone calls between Aunt Mavis and Jay's distant parents), he returned to report developments to the waiting children. He explained that it was agreed that Jay could stay the night of the hunting expedition. In fact, and more importantly, he could stay, not just that night but for the whole of the rest of the holidays, if he wanted to.

Tim and Ella received that news with great excitement. They looked at Jay expectantly and he looked back at them with a big grin.

“Yes, please,” he said simply.

“That's settled then,” said the Prof. “We can collect your luggage tomorrow and sort out the sleeping arrangements. Look's like you'll have to clear up your room, Tim, and make space for another bed.”

“I'm cool with that,” said Tim. “What do you say, Charlie?” he added, looking up towards the top of the kitchen cabinet.

Charlie just blinked.

“That means he's cool with it too!” explained Tim, in case anyone had any doubt.

Most of the next day was spent sorting out Tim's room to make way for a bed for Jay and a small cupboard for his clothes and belongings, which he and the professor brought over from Aunt Mavis' cottage, in the back of the Prof's car.

To make room, Tim had to move several stacks of books. He carefully piled them in even higher stacks in one corner, under the watchful gaze of Charlie, whom Tim had placed out of the way on top of the wardrobe. Jay helped move the books and wondered where they all came from.

“Are these all yours?” he asked. “Have you read them all?”

“No way!” laughed Tim. “Lots of them are just for looking things up in – nature guides, encyclopaedias, that sort of thing. A lot of them are the Prof's. He's got thousands in his library and lets us borrow them. I bet if you borrowed a hundred, he'd hardly notice.”

“I bet you've probably already borrowed more than a hundred, judging from this lot,” said Jay, staggering towards Tim with another pile.

“Hey, hold on, I've been looking for that one,” Tim responded, as he pulled out a large orange book from the pile in Jay's arms, with the result that the rest toppled back again onto the floor.

“This one's full of really good facts,” Tim went on, ignoring Jay's protests. “For instance,” he continued, flicking through the pages, “did you know that on average you would have to open about 1,000 oysters to find a single pearl?”

Jay had to admit that he didn't know that. On the other hand, he thought to himself, he wasn't likely to go around opening oysters anyway, even if he knew where to find them.

“Also,” said Tim, settling himself more comfortably on the floor and flicking to another page, “did you know that…”

His next fascinating fact remained unsaid because just as he was about to read it out Ella burst into the room with Chip close behind. Chip, excited to have Tim's room to explore, raced round, under the bed and out of the other side, demolishing with a swerve as he passed, two of Tim's carefully placed piles of books. Thinking that he was now under attack by a horde of falling books, Chip started barking madly. As Ella dived after him and Tim shouted crossly at her, the professor appeared in the doorway as the noise reached its peak.

“Come on, sort yourselves out or you'll never be ready for tonight's expedition,” he exclaimed over the barking and general commotion. “You've got twenty minutes to finish tidying-up here, then Tim and Jay can help me bring the spare bed in. After that we'll all meet up in the kitchen to plan the expedition. And don't forget to find yourselves a warm jumper or fleece for this evening.”

Chip had stopped barking when the professor appeared but now he was busy taking his revenge on a green-backed book under the bed – an activity which did not escape the professor's attention.

“As for you,” he said, addressing Chip severely, “you can come down with me straight away.”

Chip looked towards Ella with a quizzical and appealing expression. But, seeing that there was to be no support from her on this occasion, he decided that the fun must be over for now. He dutifully followed the Prof out of the room, looking back at the tumbled piles of books and the hot and bothered children, with an entirely innocent expression, as if to say (as Mrs. Stiggles often said to him) “I really don't know what the world is coming to!”

An hour later, with Jay at last installed in Tim's room, everyone reassembled, as summoned, around the kitchen table.

“This evening,” explained the Prof, looking at Jay, “the plan is to go back into the meadow we watered with luciferin – which I'll explain about later – and do some bug-hunting. Not any old bug, even though they are all interesting in their own way, but the ones I particularly need for my experiments. Now that you are staying with us and have already proved to be a hard-working assistant, I think I should explain a bit more about my research. In fact, I should say ‘our' research because we are all part of the research team. So, whilst Mrs. Stiggles prepares tea, let's go into my laboratory and I'll show you some of the experiments.”

With that, the professor got up from the table and Jay, with his two fellow assistants, followed him out into the hallway and down a corridor until they reached a large oak door. On the door was a notice in large, red letters, ‘DANGER. STRICTLY NO ADMITTANCE.'

The Prof pulled from his pocket a huge bunch of keys and selecting a key unlocked the door.

“I keep it locked because there are all sorts of chemicals and equipment about. You must never come in here unless I am with you. I think you all understand that,” he said looking at them with a very serious expression. Jay joined Tim and Ella, in nodding equally seriously in agreement.

After that warning, Jay entered the room full of expectation. But the room looked disappointingly ordinary. There were several chairs, a large desk, covered in papers, and a great many indoor plants, some in big pots, some on stands. There was a tall fire-place with an ornate mantle-piece on which stood two white plaster-cast busts. Following Jay's gaze, the Prof explained that the men depicted in white plaster were both eminent scientists. One was Michael Faraday, a pioneer in the study of electricity, who lived from 1791 to 1867. The other was William Kirby, who lived from 1759 to 1850, and who studied insects, a science now known as ‘entomology.' That, the professor explained, was exactly the kind of a scientist he, himself, originally was, an entomologist. Jay thought that it all sounded rather complicated and that the men had lived an extremely long time ago but he did agree that they were impressive little statues.

“This room is my study. The laboratory is through that other door,” the professor explained, indicating another large oak door at the far end of the room. That door also bore a notice in large, red letters. This one read, ‘HIGHLY DANGEROUS. AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY.'

“We will have a look in there shortly,” continued the Prof, “but before we do, let's have a practical demonstration of our research. Help me draw the curtains, will you please.”

The four of them went to the big study window. Together, they pulled the heavy red velvet curtains closed, shutting out the late afternoon sunshine and plunging the room into total darkness.

Jay peered into the darkened room. After a while he could see the vague outline of the desk and a corner of the mantle-piece but nothing else. He wondered a little nervously what all this mystery was about. What would happen next?

“Just wait a few minutes,” the professor's voice said, nearby. “Actually, I reckon we're down to only three minutes to wait these days.”

The four of them continued to stand in silence, although Jay could hear everyone breathing. He was sure he could hear his own heart thumping. Again he wondered what they could possibly be waiting for. He stared into the darkness. He could still make out the desk. He could see the mantle-piece. In fact, he could see it quite well. Messr.s Faraday and Kirby appeared quite clearly staring back at him. He realised he could now see most of the room. Was it just that his eyes were getting used to the dark? No, there must be a light somewhere.

Jay looked carefully about the room. By now he could see almost everything. The room was definitely glowing with a soft light. He turned to see Tim, Ella and the Prof all looking at him, smiling.

The silence was broken by Tim. “What do you think? Pretty clever, eh?”

Jay was not sure what it was that was supposed to be so clever. But he did realise that everything in the room was, by now, well lit with a gentle greeny-purple glow. He looked around again carefully and suddenly realised where the light was coming from. It was the plants. The house-plants, all shapes and sizes, were glowing with an eerie light and illuminating the rest of the room.

“It's the plants,” he said, rather flatly, “it's the plants, isn't it?”

“Indeed it is! It is indeed!” boomed the professor. Then, sensing that this revelation did not appear to be as exciting a discovery for Jay as he might have imagined, he went on to explain further.

“When I reveal this work to the world it will be a major scientific revolution. Unlimited free light. Self-sustaining, clean light energy. No need for electricity, no burning of oil, no nuclear power for this light source. Just Nature working with and for us. Think of it,” the professor went on, enthusiastically, “when I have perfected my research, all our homes can enjoy free light and lovely plants all at the same time. And not just our homes. I can see our city streets with fine trees along the roadway to admire by day and to light our way safely at night. All free of charge and saving the world's energy resources. A great ecological breakthrough!”

Tim and Ella beamed almost as broadly as the Prof. They had obviously heard this ‘lecture' before and clearly agreed what a great discovery it was. Jay was not so immediately sure. It was a lot to take in. He thought to himself that it probably was important. Certainly it was clever. But he needed a bit more time, he felt, to understand just what was going on in the room. With everyone looking at him, he also felt he should ask a question or make some comment.

“So how does it work?” he asked. “I mean why do the plants glow?”

“Ah, that's where the science comes in,” replied the Prof. “Let's sit down for a bit and I'll explain it to you.”

Tim and Ella sprawled on the sofa, the Prof pulled up a wooden chair from behind his desk and indicated to Jay to sit in a large, soft armchair into which he settled comfortably.

The Prof continued. “I'll try not to bore you with too much detail but generating the kind of light that is illuminating this room is what we are all working on, including you Jay. The first thing to note is that some organisms – certain plants and insects and so on – can produce light naturally. ‘Bioluminescence' is what we scientists call it. Some deep-sea fish, for example, do it to signal or attract prey in the darkness of the lower ocean. Then there are types of glowing fungi and insects, especially insects. Glow-worms, for example, like the one Tim found in the garden, and fire-flies. What is so good about these particular insects is that they can turn their little lights on and off when the conditions are right”.

Jay nodded, remembering the excitement of the others at Tim's find in the glass jar the day he arrived.

“The point is,” the Prof went on, “that we are trying to get the right conditions in the garden and the meadow to attract and breed large numbers of glow-worms and fire-flies. Not only that but in my laboratory I am trying to develop a wide range of special plants too. Am I making it clear so far?”

Jay thought hard for a bit and then replied. “Yes, I think so. Do you collect all the glow-worms, put them all together on a plant and then bring it indoors?”

As he said this, Tim, who had, up to that point, been fiddling with two rubber bands he had found in his pocket, burst out laughing. This made Jay feel rather silly and a little uncomfortable.

“Actually, Tim,” said the Prof gruffly, looking straight at Tim, “Jay's idea is a very good and straightforward one.”

Tim looked sheepish. “Sorry, p'raps it is,” he said under his breath, although he didn't look as if he really thought it was.

The Prof turned back to Jay. “Well, although that's a good idea, unfortunately it is not as simple as that. To get the amount of light we need and especially the brightness, we have to make the plants themselves give off the light. To do this I have to transfer the power to make light from the glow-worms and a range of other light-emitting organisms to the plants themselves. This means I need to transfer what makes the light work in the organism I am using, into the plant. In scientific terms, I have to transfer what we call its ‘luminescence or light related genes' from the glow-worm or another suitable organism into the plant. In fact, to get the right genes and plants, I've spent most of my life travelling the world collecting and collecting, for years on end.”

“So it's not just glow-worms?” queried Jay.

“By Jove no. From the West Indies I collected the West Indian Fire-fly or ‘Cucujo.' I've spent hours in the world's coffee plantations seeking out the Coffee Leaf Spot Fungus, ‘omphalia flavidi' which glows very effectively. In the Far East I searched the oceans until I found the Japanese Fire-fly Squid and Lantern Fish. Nearer home waters I've collected luminous jelly-fish and the polynoid worm. And the polynoid worm has, if I may say so,” and here the Prof put his hands together as if praying and looked up to the ceiling with a smile of pleasure, “the most interesting habits, most interesting indeed. But that's a story for another day.”

The Prof stopped speaking and sat in silence for a while, presumably contemplating the intriguing habits of the polynoid worm. Ella looked at Jay, then back at the Prof, wondering if his ‘lecture' had finished. But it hadn't.

“Now where was I?” the Prof continued. “Oh yes, I remember. Having got the light-producing gene or bacteria into the plant, I have, somehow, to ‘switch the light on,' as it were. So at that stage we need to add another chemical. In fact, Jay, that is what you've been doing with all your watering. You have been adding that important chemical – what scientists call a ‘luciferin' or light-maker. It's the green liquid you've been adding to the water. You see, you are a research scientist yourself!”

Jay did not see all that clearly but he now felt quite proud of himself despite Tim's earlier outburst.

“The final challenge is the most difficult,” said the professor, taking up his explanation again. That is to get the plant to turn on its own light when it goes dark. Now, in your own brain, Jay, like every human being, you have a part, which we know as the circadian clock, which tells you when you should do certain things, like go to sleep. And flowers, whilst they do not have brains as such, also have control mechanisms that, for example, close up their petals when it gets dark. So my final task was to link up that bit of the plant's ‘brain' as it were, to the bit that makes them light up. And now I've done it. We're almost there!”

With that, the Prof folded his arms and beamed contentedly at his small audience. Jay, his concentration now broken, moved his gaze from the professor to look around the room. Ella was, it appeared, almost asleep. Well, it was a warm afternoon and she had heard it all before. Tim, still put out by being told off by the Prof for laughing at Jay, had left the sofa and was peering under the desk trying to find Charlie, the chameleon, who, having adopted a greeny-purple colour like the plants, had gone walk-about.

Jay just sat looking at Professor Ricardo. Assembling all the information he had just received into some sensible order in his brain had left Jay motionless. He was just about to ask a question, when his thoughts were interrupted before they could be gathered together properly.

“A quick look in the laboratory,” said the Prof, rising to his feet, “then we'll do some bug-hunting.”

With that he fumbled in his pocket to produce once again his huge bunch of keys.

“Leave that chameleon of yours in here, Tim,” he said. “No dogs in the study and no chameleons in the lab. eating up all my specimens. You know the rules.”

Then, inserting his selected key in the lock of the door leading to the laboratory, he heaved the door open, calling back over his shoulder as he entered, “Follow me, team, and all will be revealed!”