Seven Point Eight The First Chronicle - By Marie A. Harbon Page 0,2

further.

“Does anybody else visit her? They may be able to offer some clues to her history…why she ended up in this condition, when and why she cut her wrists...”

“I can’t disclose that information, it’s confidential I’m afraid.”

Her escort opened the door and Ava entered, determined to present a face of hope to Maria, her sister.

***

She felt a sense of relief to turn the key in her front door, and collapse on the sofa in her flat. Ava closed her eyes, trying to dissolve the day’s frustration through positive thinking, but didn’t totally succeed. There were too many questions and nothing made sense. Her life was becoming chaotic, not that it had ever actually been fathomable.

Rather than cook a meal, she decided to grab a takeaway. Only when she opened her handbag did she notice something that certainly didn’t belong to her, or any of her flatmates. In fact, she felt sure it hadn’t been in her bag before she left the flat. Ava stared at a red, silk scarf. How had it found its way into her bag, and why did she feel it held some personal meaning for her? This innocent little object disturbed her immensely.

With the red, silky fabric entwined around her fingers, she wandered over to the bay window and looked out at the twilight sky. The stars were obliterated due to light pollution, but for that moment, she felt a fleeting sense of connection to the cosmos. As if projecting her concerns to the universe, she communicated her anxiety.

“Nothing is real anymore,” she said. “What’s happening to me?”

Part One

The Genesis of Genius

I cannot but regard the ether, which can be the seat of an electromagnetic field with its energy and vibrations, as endowed with a certain degree of substantiality, however different it may be from all ordinary matter.

*

Hendrik Lorentz, physicist, 1906

1

Earthship

“Our story is the story of the cosmos, because every little piece of you, every little bit of me, everything you hold dear and everything you hate, all emerged from the first few minutes of life in the universe. The atoms inside our bodies came from the hearts of stars, or were created in their fiery deaths. When we die, those atoms will be returned to the cosmos, as part of the endless cycle of death and rebirth. I ask you, dearest audience, isn’t it wonderful to be a part of the universe?”

Dr. Paul Eldridge gazed at his attentive audience, who filled all the seats in this oak panelled lecture theatre. A mixture of potential students, accompanying parents, past alumni, and curious adults sat dressed in a typical array of post war fashions: casual and smart suits, pencil skirts, full pleated skirts, tailored dresses, trilbies, pill box hats, and real stockings. They hung on his every word, and his passion and charisma seemed to entice others to study at the university. Since attaining his doctorate in 1947, he’d accepted an invitation to lecture on physics, and had never looked back.

Paul’s proud, dignified features reflected his natural sense of authority and although not traditionally handsome, he came across as a fascinating individual. His striking blue eyes suggested both wisdom and curiosity. They possessed warmth and humour but also a special intensity, as if they were the doorway to some great cosmic knowledge. His fair hair curled in an anarchistic fashion, so he kept it short to ensure absolute follicular rule. He dressed conservatively when necessary, and casual when that rule didn’t hold. This particular day, he wore a cream shirt with neutral coloured trousers, which he deemed acceptably smart.

As he spoke, he gesticulated powerfully, etching his enthusiasm and beliefs into his facial expressions while walking up and down the stage.

“We live on this amazing giant floating ball of rock and water, spinning on its axis at over a thousand miles per hour, and travelling around the sun at over sixty-seven thousand miles per hour. Our sun drags the solar system around the galaxy at over fifty-five thousand miles per hour, and all the while, our galaxy itself is moving through the universe faster than the speed of light. What a ride!”

“In essence, our home is an Earthship which is over four billion years old. We orbit an immense power source, and in the universe, there are billions more stars like ours, possibly with their own family of Earthships. How many planets out there in the universe support life?”

“However vast our cosmos may be, it is still composed of tiny particles called atoms. They are so small that