frozen within time

Chapter five

There was an incredibily long pause. Then karl let out a shuddering breath and his shoulders started to hitch and his head dropped and he rubbed his eyes. when he looked up his face was pink and he was shaking his head. he was in fits of laughter.
Holly was staring at him, a shaky smile beginning to dawn on her face.

'You----you----you must have thought we were born yesterday!' Hooted Karl, slapping his thigh like someone in a pantomime. 'Honestly----I----I really, nearly . . . . You nearly had me! That was good----that was . . . . I have to say . . . . Really the tops! The tops!'
Alex and Kristen looked at each other, aghast.
Now what?

'We're not joking, said Alex, but now holly was laughing too. 'We're not!' He shouted. 'Look----look-----have toy seen anything like this in 1956?' He pulled up his sleeve and showed them the watch he'd for for Christmas. it was a glamming do of digit numbers, the liquid crystal display twinkling with blue green light, offering up the time of day, the date, a stopwatch function. And even a calender and a calculator if you wanted it. it kept exact time, as it was connected to a global satellight, and it was sleek and fantastic and totally twenty-first century.

Karl grabbed hold of his wrist and stared at it 'wizard!' He said, respectfully. 'I've heard you can get those in America.'

'Oh come on! In 1956 really? Not on your life!' Alex began to flick through the different modes of the watch, like a desperate timepiece salesman, using Karl to believe the unbelievable. 'See----it can do that and that and. . . .'

'Stop it,' said Kristen. 'They'll know soon enough. We need to take them back up the ladder. Back to the house . That'll settle it.'

'You bet your life it will! Father will soon sort you out,' said karl, slamming the tizer bottle down and getting to his feet.

'D-did you live in black blood house too then?' Asked Alex.

'We do live in Blackwood house!' Snapped Karl.
'And you don't! So pack it in! Stop being such an ass!'

He pulled holly up with him and they walked smartly, although still rather unsteadily, through to the bunk room and on into the sitting room with its silenced reel to reel machine. Alex and Kristen watched them take in more dust on all the surfaces but they didn't slow down. they strode across to the door which lay open to the corridor-----a shaft of pale daylight showing at the end by the wall ladder.

'Cared----you're still really weak,' said Alex, as they both flung themselves righteously up it. he was right too, they had to pause half way up, but eventually they were on the surface and when Alex and Kristen had caught up and climbered out onto the soggy mud around the hatch, they found the brother and sister standing staring around them in silence.

'Well,' said Kristen, at length. 'I guess you can see its not fine any more. it's August. nearly September.'
They continued to stare. Stricken and still.

'Wheres the garden?' Said holly, in a choken whisper.
'Oh----um . . . .  Well it is a bit overgrown,' said kristen, aapologetically. 'Mum and dad aren't great gardeners . . . . And uncle John wouldn't know a lawnmower of it bit him on the backside.'
'Its . . . . It's a jungle . . . .'

Karl was slowly turning around, taking in the trees and bushes. Alex could guess that he was sizing them up and remembering them as they had been . . . . Just a day ago in his world. he gulped serveral times and his hands went into a fist. His skin went pale .Then he stepped across to holly and rested a hand on her shoulder. 'Youre not to panic, hol. All right? Don't have hysterics. We'll work this out. it's probably not . . . . I mean, it needn't be as long as they say.'
But holly had turned and was taking in the evedence of a the digging Alex and Kristen had done around the hatch. 'Look,' She whispered. 'Look how far under it was. they really did dig us out! Why would he have done that? Why would father ha e buried us?'