Page 82 of Right Place, Right Time
‘That is where you are wrong, I’m afraid.’ A familiar voice comes from the top of the stairs. ‘Thingswillchange, and dramatically so. For us all.’
27
‘Ben?’ I walk to the bottom of the stairs to greet him. ‘What are you doing here? And Orla!’ I say as I spot her standing next to Ben. ‘Why are you here too?’
‘I’m just here to support Ben,’ Orla says in her usual calm manner. ‘This is a big day for him.’
I wonder what she means.
‘I see you’ve all discovered the office,’ Ben says, looking as far into the room as he can from his viewpoint.
‘We have, but what do you know of it?’
‘Probably a lot more than I should. Could we possibly continue this conversation up here?’ Ben asks. ‘These stairs look a bit uneven for me, and as you’ve probably noticed, I’m not as steady on my feet as I used to be.’
‘Of course.’ I look back at the other two.
‘Let’s go up to my flat,’ Adam says. ‘I don’t want to have to carry Ben up the stairs if he gets stuck down here.’ He winks at Barney. ‘No offence, Ben!’ he calls up the stairs.
Ben calls back to him, ‘None taken, young man! Good thinking.’
Luckily the stairs up to Adam’s flat are much newer and deeper than the uneven, narrow stairs down to thebasement office, so Ben is able to make his way slowly, but safely, up them. ‘I hope you don’t mind, Adam,’ he says as he arrives at the top. ‘I let myself into the shop downstairs before. I still have a spare key from when Gerald was here.’ He hands a bemused-looking Adam a brass key as he makes his way through to the lounge area.
‘So,’ Ben says, as finally we all get settled back in Adam’s flat. Ben and Orla on the sofa, Barney in his chair, and myself and Adam sharing one of the armchairs. ‘You’re probably wondering what I have to do with all this, and as I said before, the answer is a lot more than I should.’ Ben smiles at us all. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘We’ve got all night,’ Adam says. ‘Take your time.’
‘Should I begin, Orla?’ Ben asks, turning to her. ‘Or would you like to? I’m afraid my voice might give up before the end otherwise.’
‘Shall I fill them in on the history side of things and you do the other bits?’ Orla asks gently, leaning towards Ben and putting her hand on his arm.
I look between the two of them. What is going on here? What has Orla to do with all this now?
Ben nods. ‘That’s a good idea.’
‘Right, then, let’s give it a go.’ Orla looks around at us all. ‘As you probably know, Clockmaker Court has stood on this spot in Cambridge for many hundreds of years. It was built around the old oak tree that stands in the middle of the court out there. That ancient tree, and its predecessors before it, have stood here for many more centuries than this court has.’ Orla pauses to see if we’re taking all this in, then, happy we are, she continues.
‘The court was built with twelve buildings originally. Even more than it is now, the number thirteen back in the day was considered extremely unlucky, so twelvebuildings were built, and because they resembled a clock face, it was eventually named Clockmaker Court. Twelve is also a very common number for units of measurement – have you ever stopped to notice just how many things are counted in twelves?’
She looks around at us all.
‘For example, a dozen eggs, the twelve days of Christmas, twelve inches to a foot, twelve months in the year and even, historically, twelve ounces to a pound. They are all measured using the number twelve.’
‘So why is there a building missing?’ Adam asks. ‘Why are there only eleven buildings now if there were originally supposed to be twelve?’
‘For as long as anyone can remember, building number seven has been missing. But there’s a reason for this – because building number seven marks the exact spot of a portal.’
She pauses to judge our reaction to this word.
Adam looks immediately sceptical. Barney’s eyes light up. Ben’s expression doesn’t change, and I … well, I’m just wondering what on earth is going on.
‘The portal,’ Orla continues, ‘has been on this very spot for millennia. Before the buildings, possibly even before any of the oak trees. The current oak tree was planted to mark the spot when the previous tree died away.’
‘What are you talking about when you say aportal?’ Adam asks suspiciously.
‘A portal is a gateway into another world,’ Orla says without a hint of hesitation. ‘Like I suggested to both you and Eve when you were outside examining the oak tree, remember?’
‘How could I forget,’ Adam says, raising his eyebrows. ‘Is everyone else hearing this like I am? Eve?’ he asks, looking at me.
