* * * * *
Charles Wallace tried his best to keep up with Calvin and Meg. While very brilliant for his age, Charles Wallace was not gifted in areas when it came to physical prowess. Nor was his sister, meg, who seemed to be running way to fast than was comfortable for her, in order to keep up with Calvin.
“Go ahead, my loves,” said Mrs. Whatsit. “You may knock.”
It was Meg who knocked. The door opened and a fairly tall man, in a rumpled tweed suit stood at the door. He looked to be about their fathers age, or at least a year or two older.
“Good morning, Dr. Ransom,” said Mrs. Whatsit.” Have we come at a bad time.”
Ransom smiled, “Not at all. The Oyarsa have already told me you were coming. You look exactly like how they had said.”
“My kin did wise to inform you,” said Mrs Whatsit. “ I take it they have told you why?”
“That they have,” said Ransom gravely. “ Might these be the children you spoke of? The ones from the future?”
She nodded. “They are.”
“Come in,” said Ransom . “I have just put on some tea.”
Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace followed Ransom into his house as Mrs. Whatsit closed the door behind them. A fire was already roaring in the fireplace. In the one of the rooms in the cottage, the three children noticed a strange crystal box lay on a table.
“What is that?” asked Calvin.
“It looks like a coffin,” said Meg.
“Actually it’s a very special vessel that will take me to the world of Perelandra in a few short days, after we have tended to this other matter.”
“Perelandra?” asked meg. “ Where is that. I‘ve never heard of it.”
“You three know it by another name,” said Ransom.
“Venus,” said Charles Wallace. “ Perelandra is Venus.”
Ransom smiled. “ You were right about the boy, Mrs Whatsit.”
“How can you get to Venus in a glass box?” asked Calvin.
“That is something I cannot get into right now,” said Ransom, as he sat in his high backed chair beside the fire. “ Not because I Do not want to mind you, but because I myself do not know .Oyarsa has not revealed it to me. ”
“But this… Oyarsa,” said Calvin. “ He told you about us?”
Ransom nodded.
“Professor Ransom,” siad Meg. “ Not that this isn’t at all interesting, but well, why are we here?”
“Mrs Whatsit said there was a very grave matter at hand,” said Charles Walalce.
“And right she was,” said Ransom. “This is a matter that could threaten all worlds, and not just mine now, but the world of the past, and the world of the future. It all begins with a man named Weston.”
Ransom told them the story of Weston and Ransom’s abduction to the world of Mars or Malacandra. Since their return something changed in Weston. He had always been hungry for power, he had shown it while at Malacandra, but now he was seeking it in other means. Weston had developed a Time Machine.
At that moment, Charles Wallace realized something. He knew it would be discourteous to one like Ransom to just interrupt, so she raised her hand as though she were in school. “Wait a moment did you say a Time Machine?”
“I did,” said Ransom as he lightly puffed on his pipe.
‘Did it look like two chairs on a platform with two chairs on it?”
“I believe it did,” said Ransom. “ I have never seen its myself apart form blueprints found in his office.”
“Meg,” said Charles Wallace. “Weston was the man who stole dad’s journal.”
Ransom leaned forward in his chair. He was not surprised that these children had meet Weston. He had been gallivanting o much through time as it was, it was impossible to tell where or when he hadn’t been. No one was even sure if he just went to possible futures or to the real future.
He was rather curious about this notebook that Weston stolen and asked about it’s contests.
“Well, our farther is a physicist,” said Meg. “ He specializes in the area of well, Tesseracts.”
“Now I know you all come from the future, but bare in mind, in my time we have no knowledge of such things. What is a tesseract?” asked Ransom.
Meg sighed and shrugged. “ It is a means for traveling not only through time but other worlds.”
“Other worlds,” asked Ransom, his voice growing grave. “How do you mean?”
“Well, you see sir,” said Calvin. “ Meg, Charles Wallace and I actually traveled once by Tesseract to this world called Camazots. Actually, we were in a different universe.’
Ransom turned white like a sheet. “ A different universe?”
The children nodded.
Ransom shook his head, filled with deep concern. “ It is worse then I feared.”
“Why is it worse?” asked Meg as she shipped her tea.
“There is only one reason why he would go after your father’s notes. He plans to use them himself. He just doesn‘t want to concur this world , or any of the worlds in our solar system but all worlds, all universes!”
Ransom rose to his feet. “We must hurry.”
“Again?” asked Meg, who was growing very tired of having to hurry from place to place. She still had not even grown adjusted to where or when they were. “ What for?”
“We must meet with the rest of our allies.”
* * * * *
“So this,” said Saruman. “ Is the world of the future.”
“It is,” said Weston. “ I hope you find it to your liking. Granted the rest of the world is far different from what yous ee down here. If you will let me, allow me to show you what else I have procured for my purposes.
First was a large man like monster, at least eight feet tall, and locked away in a steal cage. It resembled a dead man brought back to life. There were stitches upon it’s body and bolts in it’s neck.
“I found this in the 1800’s, by my calendar, mind you. This creature was built by a man named Frankenstein. ”
“Please,” said the creature. “ You must let me go .All I want….”
“Silence,“ said Weston as he struck the monster in the face with a gardening sapde that he kept nearby. The monster rubbed it’s face in pain.
“This is just called the monster,” explained Weston.
He led him over to a door to a wine seller. He told Saruman and Grima that he cleared out it’s contents and filled it with something else. Morlocks, horrible savage creatures he brought from a possible future. The door was locked tightly despite all the pounding on the other side.
“Morlocks are stupid creatures really. “ he said. “ We need not worry about them breaking out of their prison.”
“Edward,” droned HAL. “ I am feeling almost neglected. You have not bothered to introduce me to our two guests.”
“Ahh,” yes,” groaned Wetson. “ My apologies. Saruman, Grima. Meet the HAL 9000.”
Saruman and Grima eyed Hal with great curiosity. It was obvious they had never seen anything like it before.
“What sort of devilry brings this contraption on life?” asked Grima. In away, with it’s great red eye, it reminds me almost of Sauron.”
“I would beg your pardon, Grima,” said HAL. “ I am not brought to life by devilry. I am the HAL 9000. I was built at the…”
“HAL,” said Weston. “You can explain it to our guests later.”
“And what is that over there?” asked Saruman, pointing to an object underneath a sheet.
“This,” said Weston. “Is called The Mechanical Hound.”
Weston took the sheet of the object. As he had said it was a mechanical hound, It looked basically like a large dog made out of steal.
“And how does it work?” asked Saurman.
“As I understand you just tell it to track down a specific person or thing.”
“Can you prove this to me?” asked Saruman.
“Certainly.”
“There is one person I would like to have it track down. Some one from my time, who may still be walking among this earth.”
Weston thought it impossible but decided to humor the old man. “ Go right a head.”
“Allow me to give you the description.”
* * * * *
The next day, there was a knock at the big house of Professor Kirke. Lucy was the one to answer the door, as she had been closest to it Her brothers had founds some fencing foils and were practicing their dueling in a vacant room, with the professor’s consent. Susan was busy reading some big boring books in the library, not the ones about magic lands , but more of the boring books about stuffy subjects.
Though she may have been tallest in her class, Lucy, had to stand on her tip-toes to reach the door-knob.
“Hello,” said Lucy, as she threw open the door.
Professor ransom stood. Meg, Calvin, Charles Wallace and Mrs Whatsit stood down at the bottom of the hill. Mrs. McCready hurried down the stairs to greet Ransom and shoed Lucy away from the door.
“Professor Elwin Ransom,” said Mrs. McCready shaking his hand.“ How wonderful to see you again.”
“I do hope I am not interrupting anything, Mrs. McCready,” he said. “And I apologize for coming over so unannounced.”
“Oh, not at all,” said Mrs. McCready. “ It is so delightful to see you. ”
“Thank you,” he said. “ Now could you perhaps inform my most esteemed collogue of my visit?”
“I will go tell him,” said Mrs. McCready. “Follow me, Dr. Ransom.”
“Just a moment, I have an associate who also wishes to meet with him.”
Mrs. McCready glanced ou the door. She told him that Mrs Whatsit was more than welcome to converse with the professor. She felt there was something very important about the lady, which meant she was worth the professor’s time.
“But those urchins you travel with must wait in the hall.”
While the three children were very important to the matter, Ransom knew that I was best not to argue with Mrs. McCready. He knew she was a very persistent person when it came to such things as rules of the house.
“Professor Kirke can only deal with important matters.“
Mrs Whatsit didn‘t need to know Mrs. McCready to know how she felt about children, any children. She didn’t hate Mrs. McCready for the feelings she felt either. She knew that was common for humans not to overlook children for other things.
“Sometimes, Mrs McCready, the most important things in life are the hublest,” she said cryptically as they headed for Professor Kirke’s office.
