A week with Peter 17/17

Saturday

For the last day of his holiday, Jennifer Jane took Peter down to the village of Holmwood. She thought it only fair that he should see something of normal life as well as the fairy folk of her world. He didn’t seem to be terribly impressed.

“All the houses and shops are quite nice although they’re much smaller than I’m used to, but your traffic is terrible! The main problem apart from the smell is the noise.”

He made some notes in his pocket book. Jennifer Jane looked over his shoulder. There was only one heading, ‘Improvements possible by changing to solar energy.’ Everything was there, even his use of the accelerator at the village fair. They walked back home and Peter said goodbye and ‘thank you for having me,’ to Jennifer Jane’s parents.

They went into the wood for the last time and found Abigail waiting for them near the spot where the ‘door’ would materialise.

“I’ve brought you a present to remember us by,” she said, “don’t open it until you’ve arrived home and the ‘door’ has shut.”
Jennifer Jane wasn’t quite sure but thought that Abigail winked at her as she spoke to Peter.

She suddenly remembered Lieutenant Moonshine telling her that Abigail had something up her sleeve to stop Peter remembering too much when he got home. The present looked remarkably like a spell box done up in gift-wrapping.

Jennifer Jane looked at her watch, any minute now the ‘door’ should open. Even as she looked back at the trees, a haze appeared and quickly solidified into the familiar laboratory with the end wall missing. Peter’s dad looked out at them and waved.

Peter waved back and shook hands with Jennifer Jane and Abigail, then ran to greet his father.

“I expect I’ll be hearing some traveller’s tales,” said Professor Edwards.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Abigail whispered, more to herself than to Jennifer Jane.

Everybody waved for the last time as the Professor clicked a switch. The laboratory faded and disappeared.

“Well that’s that,” said Abigail, “we still don’t know where that world is located but I have a feeling that we’ll be better off without that level of technology.”

“He made an awful lot of notes,” said Jennifer Jane, “I think he wanted to come back and sell us all his solar powered gadgets. Surely he can come back any time his dad uses the ‘door’, even if we don’t know how to go to him?”

“Don’t worry I’ve fixed his notes as well, It would be rather fun to know what they’re talking about now, but I’m sure it won’t have anything to do with this world!”