frozen within time

chapter ten

The next day began sunny. With screaming.
Kristen was hurtled out of sleep by the sound of holly waking up and realizing that yesterday hadn't been a dream after all.

'It's ok---it's okay!' She grabbed hollys arm, still dealing with her own sense of unreality. 'Youre all right! You're safe!'

Holly stared at her and then shut her eyes. when she opened then again she looked more composed.

'Sorry,' She said. 'Oh gosh----I'm really sorry! Jess has wet the bed. And----oh no----she's eaten a bit of ritzy!'

Kristen winced. her chatz doll was still pouting and smerking despite having her left leg gnawed off at the knee. And being covered in puppy drool. Jess thumped her tail and looked very proud.

'I think we'll have to get her a basket and lay down some newspaper in the kitcken or something,'  suggested holly, looking very guilty.

'Yes----we can do that today. don't worry about it,' said Kristen. She lay back in bed and felt her brain stretching and flipping like a mad gymnast as she tried, all over again, to believe that she was sharing a bedroom with a girl----And a puppy----from 1956.

A second later the door burst open, with only a hint at a knock beforehand. And Karl and Alex spilled in.

'The suns out again!' Said Alex. 'And I think we might be able to go out on bikes----all of us!'

'We've only got two bikes!' Pointed out Kristen.
She couldn't emagine holly doing a doubler, somehow.

'No! We've got four!' Beamed Alex. 'Karl and I have been right through the back of the old garage and guess what? Their bikes are still there!'

'Really? After fifty three years? Aren't they just a heap of rust?'

'No,' said karl. 'They've been under a heap of old sacking, so they've stayed quite dry. just need a bit of oil and a pump up! Come on, you two lazy bones! Stir your stumps! We've already had breakfast.'

Half an hour later, after eating boiled eggs and toast, with cups of tea (which holly had insisted on neatly laying out on the table once more), and feeding jess with some food scraps, the girls were outside by the garage, helping Alex and karl work on the old bikes. It was utterly weird, thought Kristen, seeing the very same bike that Karl had ridden across the old video screen before their eyes only hours before----still here fifty three years later. The bike had not worn as well as its rider. In spite of the sacking over it there was a fair bit of rust in its wheels and the basket was mouldy. Kristen poked at it with a revolted finger.

'We'll have to Chuck this away.'

Holly looked appalled. 'Why on earth would we throw it away? A it needs is a good clean.'

'Its mouldy!' Protested Kristen.

'Itll be perfectly all right after we've given it a wipe down with carbolic,' maintained holly. 'You do have Catholic these days, I suppose?'

'Whats carbolic?' Asked Alex.

'Skal, you dolt!' Laughed Karl, pistoning the old black bicycle pump with vigour.

'Well----we've got antibacterial cleaning sprays,' said Kristen. 'I'll go and get one from under the sink----and some bit water and cloths.'

She expected holly to be unimpressed, but in fact, as soon as she'd got the hand of it, she was quite pleased with the spray. 'It really cleans ninety five per cent of all known bacteria . . . . Dead?' She marvelled. 'That's jolly good!' And she was right; the mould on the basket was only a thin layer and after they'd sprayed and scrubbed at it for a few minutes it looked fine.