Dinosaur Wars

Chapter eleven - The blue cathedral revisited

The carriage jolted as Adam made his way down the aisle and he had to grab the back of a seat to stay upright. He had spent some time looking at the locomotive before boarding. Its sheer size was impressive, but the precise arrangement of its parts - the valves, pistons, radius rods and eccentric rods, all working to turn the huge steel wheels - had captivated him. In front of the cab was the belly of the beast that contained the firebox and boiler. The smoke stack panted as if the engine was alive. He snapped out of his trance when the conductor called, "All aboard". He had to run to climb onto the carriage. 

Now the train chugged along and the countryside sped by. A journey that once took weeks by horse had collapsed into a few days. He sat down opposite a young man fashionably dressed in a bowler hat and three-piece suit.  

"You nearly missed it."

The voice was surprisingly gruff. 

Adam wanted to be with his own thoughts, so simply said,"Yes". 

"Saying your goodbyes to some sweetheart, was ya?"

"Um, no, not really." 

"Go on - you can tell me. I bet you leave broken hearts left and right." 

"Be assured, I don't." 

"Handsome fella like you, I don't believe it." 

Adam was beginning to feel uncomfortable. The thought of spending five days with this character made the feeling worse. 

"I'd prefer not to talk about it." 

"Don't be shy. Tell me about all your girlies."

Adam didn't want to meet his eye, for fear of engaging him further. 

"I don't have any ... ah ... girlies. Not really." 

"Not even one?" 

"Yes, one, but I'm not discussing my private affairs." 

"Tell me, what's she like?" 

She was magnetic, Adam thought. Charged with an electrical current. He missed her already. Two days before, he had said his goodbyes and they had embraced. Their cheeks had come together - the impossible warm smoothness of hers against his newly shaved. Then they had kissed on the lips. He felt an anguish of longing for her.  

As if the young man opposite had read his mind, he asked, "Is she a good kisser?" 

"That's none of your ..." 

He looked up to see the young man smiling broadly at him, and the shock was a terrible, sweet electrocution. 

"Dita!"

She lifted her finger to her lips. 

"Shhh." 

"What ... Why ...?" 

"It's so much easier to travel when you pretend to be a man." 

"But ... why are you ...?" 

"Papa has an interest in the coalmines in Pennsylvania, the ones you're having a look at. I thought I'd take a peek myself. If things are as dire as you say, I want to know about it. And so should he." 

"But won't he ...? Does he know about you ... ?"  

"He doesn't tell me about everything in his life - why should I tell him all that I do?" 

It seemed incredibly wrong to Adam. And dangerous. And he couldn't at once bring together in his mind all the ways it seemed ... inappropriate. 

"While he's away on this dig, I thought I'd dig around in the coalmines."