Page 109 of Right Place, Right Time
We walk warily together down the dark tunnel towards the exterior doors that we know lead out onto the alleyway at the back of Clockmaker Court.
We stop when we get to the closed doors. Adam removes the planks of wood, then he takes my hand.
‘Ready?’ he asks, reaching for the handle with his other hand.
I whisper back, ‘Ready.’
Adam turns the door handle at the same time as the person the other side decides to knock again, and we both nearly jump out of our skins.
The door swings open and the person on the other side simply stares at the two of us, standing there open-mouthed, then she smiles.
‘Are you Adam and Eve, by any chance?’ she asks in a rounded, polite voice, as though we’re being formally introduced.
I open my mouth a couple of times, unable to speak. And then, in only a whisper, I reply.
‘Are you …Dotty?’
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Adam and I both stare at the woman standing in front of us.
She’s wearing a long navy-blue dress in a heavy tweed-like fabric. It has a full skirt and a fitted bodice, underneath which she has a white, high-necked, buttoned-up blouse. On her feet she wears brown boots with buttons, and on her head a wide-brimmed hat with both flowers and feathers sewn onto it. The hat is pinned to her dark hair, which is arranged in a tight bun at the back of her neck. Her gloved hands are held neatly in front of her. And my first thought is she looks a bit like Mary Poppins as she stands there in front of us.
‘I am indeed Dotty,’ she says. ‘And you are?’
‘I’m Eve,’ I say quickly. ‘And this is Adam.’ I give Adam a nudge – he too seems to have lost the use of his voice, like I had to begin with.
Dotty lets out a long sigh. ‘Thatis very good to know.’
‘Would you like to come in?’ I ask, sounding as though I’m calmly inviting her into my house for tea, when actually my mind is in complete turmoil at what’s unfolding in front of me.
Dotty looks past me into the tunnel. ‘It’s a long time since I set foot inside the portal. I’m not sure it will let me.’
‘What do you mean?’ I ask.
‘Let’s see, shall we?’ she says. Dotty seems much more in control of herself than we do – as if she’s been expecting this moment for some time.
Adam and I stand back a little to allow Dotty to come through the doors.
She gingerly takes one step forward. When nothing happens, she takes a second. ‘Well, that’s already further than I thought I’d get,’ she says, looking pleased. ‘Shall we continue?’
‘Yes, of course,’ I say, trying hard not to stare at her. But I can’t help it.How is this happening?
Adam and I lead Dotty all the way back to the office. Again she hesitates before stepping into the room.
When she does, she lets out another huge sigh of relief.
‘You don’t know what this means to me, to be back here again,’ she says, looking around. ‘This place has so many memories.’ Dotty walks slowly around the room, occasionally stopping to touch a desk or a chair as her memories come flooding back to her.
Adam and I can do nothing but watch her. Both of us utterly astonished at what’s happening in front of us. How can Dotty be here in this office with us? It’s like we’ve watched an old black-and-white photograph not only colour itself in, but turn into a completely three-dimensional moving image at the same time.
Eventually Dotty turns back to us. ‘Archie and I had many happy times here in this office,’ she says. ‘Many stressful times too, when we couldn’t figure out why our experiments weren’t working as we wanted them to. Butoverall, I have wonderful memories of my times here with your great-grandfather, Adam.’
I feel Adam jolt next to me at his name.
‘You know who I am?’ Adam speaks for the first time since Dotty arrived. ‘I mean, I know you used our names before, but you actuallyknowwho we both are?’
‘Of course I do. As I just said, you are Archie’s great-grandson. Your grandfather was George. I remember George when he used to be our messenger boy here with his friend Ernie. We didn’t pay him all that much and I think he spent almost every penny on comic books. But he seemed happy doing it and we were grateful to have him.’
