A Discovery in the Attic

Best friends discover a family secret in the attic…

By Sophie Knight, age 11

The drill of the school bell pierced the silence of the classroom.

I leapt out of my seat, grabbing my backpack and darting for the door.

“Miss Johnson please return to your seat as the bell is two minutes early. We shall read for until it is the proper time to leave,” ordered Mrs Budd.

“But-”

“NOW.”

Slumping back into my seat, I knew they were going to get me. I was sure of that. 

 

“There she is!”

“Get her!”

“Quick, she’s getting away!”

“Come on!”

I ran for my life for my bike, heart pounding in my chest. Once I reached it, I grabbed the handlebars and swung my leg over the seat. Pushing off, I began to peddle as fast as I could.

“Yeah that’s it, run home to mummy, loser!”

“Ickle baby Alexa wants her mummy to pwotect her!” cooed one in a baby voice.

Tears pricked at my eyes but I wiped them furiously away, peddling faster than ever. Pebbles rained at my bike, one even somehow managing to slice my knee but I soon rounded a corner and the bullies were out of sight.

But maybe not for long…

Six bicycles rounded the corner ahead of me, squealing to a stop in a line so they blocked the entire road. I tried to edge backwards but cars were waiting impatiently behind me now. The bicycles began to advance closer and closer. There was no way out now. If they caught me… Well, let’s just say that Joe and his gang would not be merciful. They were only five metres away now- I had to think of something quickly or I’d be done for.

Four metres. I strained to think of a way out.

Three metres.

Two metres. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

One metre…

I swerved off the road, almost crashing into a bush but managing to get onto a small footpath which led to my road. The echoing roars of frustration from the gang chased me as I relived the events of the encounter in my head.

 

A few minutes later, I pulled into our driveway and laid my bike on the grass next to the oak tree where Mike was waitingfor me.

“You’re hurt! We need to tell your mum so she can clean it!” Mike exclaimed straight away.

“No, I’m fine, OK? It’s just a little cut anyway.”

“But-”

“Mike, you are here for the best sleepover of all time and you are worried about a little cut? Come on, I’ve got to show you all the sweets I got, and then we can bake cookies, watch a movie, build the biggest Lego town EVER, eat way too many snacks, make milkshakes, find you a sleeping bag in the attic and then finally, have a midnight feast. Any questions?”

“Could we look in the attic after you show me all your sweets? It’s just I want to make sure you have a sleeping bag,” he asked.

“Yeah sure. Now come on!”

We dashed for the door, sending gravel flying.

 

The attic was a maze full of cobwebs, old, falling apart cardboard boxes and dust-covered antiques. Cockroaches scuttled across the bare floorboards and the darkness seemed to press in on us with every step (there was no light bulb) but we continued relentlessly searching.

“I don’t like it in here Al, can we go now please? All the cobwebs give me the creeps and I can hardly see anything,”Mike moaned desperately.

“In a minute Mikey,” I sang and then I saw it, sticking out of a box,” Oh look! It’s a sleeping bag!” I passed it to him.

“How can you be eternally cheerful? Anyway, this sleeping bag is pink, do you not have any boys sleeping bags?” Mike grumped.

“Mike, some boys like pink, just like some girls like blue. Cheer up, we are here to have the greatest sleepover in the history of the universe!”

“Which you had to bribe me into by buying me three study books,” he murmured.

“But Mike, you do realise I am trying to help you take a break from studying. GCSEs are still three whole years away!”

“Three whole years might just be the difference between failing and passing. But don’t get me wrong, I am grateful you invited me and I would have come even without those study books you bought me.”

“Hey, those cost half my pocket money!”

As we made our way towards the welcoming exit, I spotted something unusual on a rickety shelf. My dad’s old time piecefrom when he was a boy. Made of pure gold, complete with glass that sparkled like crystals with a silver chain, it was a wonder it hadn’t been targeted by thieves already. But why was that up here? Dad lost it years ago when he was eleven just like me. I knew there must be a reason and an interesting reason at that. So when Mike wasn’t looking, I slipped it into my pocket to have a closer look later.

 

Later, when Mike was fully absorbed in the boring movie we were watching (Mike insisted it was the best movie ever), Ipulled the time piece from my pocket as quietly as I could and felt all over it for something interesting like engraving or a latch to a secret compartment. Nothing.

“Oh, come on, show me your secrets,” I murmured aloud.

Mike turned around. “What’s that?”

I shoved it back in my pocket. “Nothing.”

He sighed and returned to the TV. I felt bad for keeping it from him but it felt personal. After all, it was my dad’s.

 

That night, when Mike began to snore loudly, I had another look at the time piece. It read midnight. All of a sudden, I feltshallow grooves in the hard metal on the bottom of it so at once I turned it over. It wasn’t a picture like I expected it to be, but deep, flowing script.

1990 Johnson Manor, 2oth September

“That’s the date my dad lost his time piece,” I breathed.

To my shock, the letters began to glow like fireflies, brighter and brighter until it felt like it was searing into my soul. I flipped it over, desperate to stop the burning light but then the hands of the clock began to whirr backwards faster and faster.

Mike awoke, dazed by the brightness. “What’s going on Al? Al?”

“No time!” I grabbed his hand, just in time before we were transported to a scene which had happened earlier that day at school, when the bullies cornered me in the lunch hall, but I didn’t have much time to dwell on it because the pace had picked up, flashing between scenes so fast they were almost a blur, first scenes from our lives, then someone’s who at first I didn’t recognise. Then I did.

It was my dad’s.

Finally, ten minutes later we settled on a scene in a familiar bedroom.

Mine.

Two young children, about the same age as us lobbed pillows at each other, cackling with laughter. The boy had a rather lopsided fringe with messy brown hair, who I instantly recognised as my father and the girl had neat, straight, brown hair, a slightly lighter shade than my dad. 

“Mum? Dad?” I whispered, reaching out to touch my mother but flinching when my hand went straight through her shoulder. “Why can’t I touch her?” I asked Mike.

“We’re in the past so we can’t interfere or it could change the future. One tiny change and we could never exist,” he said solemnly.

“Since when have you known so much about time?” I asked, surprised.

“The History and Rules of time by Isaac Baker.”

“Of course! Silly me!” I replied sarcastically.

The door opened.

“Honestly you two! Can’t you keep it down? It’s eleven o’clock at night!” It was a young girl with blonde hair and a large grin.

“Who’s that?” I whispered to Mike, “Mike?” He was frozen, staring fixedly at the newest arrival to the scene.

“Sorry sis, we’re just having a pillow fight before bed. We’ll go to bed after this. Oh yeah, do you want to join us for our midnight feast?” My dad replied cheerfully.

“Sis?” I cried incredulously,” Dad-“

“Alexa.” Mike interrupted 

“-never had-”

“ALEXA!”

“-a sister. Yes, Mike?”

He took a deep breath. “That’s my mum,” he rushed.

“Woah, say that again,” I exclaimed.

“That is my mum. The blonde one.”

“But- she- my dad’s sister- we-”

“Cousins,” we both said at the same time.

“That’s so cool! We are best mates and cousins!” I bounced up and down over- excitedly.

“But that can’t be right. Surely our parents would have told us if we were, you know, cousins.” Mike concluded flatly. “There must just be a mistake, or this memory is false or something.”

“How else do you explain it- everything we’ve just seen?” I cried,” This is the only reasonable explanation!”

“But-”

“Stop trying to deny the truth!” I exploded, “I thought this would have been good news because we’re best mates but clearly not!”

Tears welled in his eyes and he turned away.

“Hey,” I softened, putting my hand on his shoulder,” If you’re so bothered about it, we can ask our parents in the morning about it.”

He nodded slowly.

The colours began to swirl around us, faster and faster until the floor disappeared into the spiral of colours and we were falling down, down, down…

We both woke up, sprawled on my bedroom floor no longer in the strange scene that told us the truth. I was still gripping the time piece, but so tightly it left marks in my hand. I got up and shoved it in my cupboard before slamming it shut- I’d had enough time travel for one night.

That morning, both of us ran downstairs, still in our pyjamas. Mike held the time piece. I didn’t want to risk another argument after last night so when he asked if he could hold it, I agreed at once. We hadn’t really spoken much about the events of that night- I was still picking up the courage to apologise and make it up. But honestly, I thought he should have at least shown a bit of excitement towards the news, because without it, it made me feel quite offended, like I wasn’t good enough and being my cousin was a bad thing.

I considered all of this as we flew down the stairs, side by side. That was when we smelt the pancakes and I began leaping two stairs at a time.

“Don’t do that.” Mike ordered suddenly.

I stopped. “Why?”

“You’ll wear the stairs down because you don’t have a carpet over them.”

“Where’d you get that from?” I asked playfully.

“How to preserve your stairs by Melody Andrews.”

I laughed. “You really do read some rubbish don’t you?”

“You know me, reading useless books with no known use is my speciality. Anyway that book contained useful life tips for the future, though I must admit that it was less interesting than The Life of Concrete by Max Smith and that is saying a lot.” 

I laughed.

I took a deep breath. I was going to do it.

Holding out my pinkie, I asked hopefully, “Friends?”

He linked his pinkie with mine. “Friends,” He confirmed. 

We unlinked, neither knowing what to say to the other but inside I felt like I was floating on air- the happiest I’d ever been.

“Dad we need to talk. Just you, me and Mike. Now,” I demanded as soon as I was seated at the dining table.

He looked at us strangely. “Why?”

This time Mike ordered him. “NOW.”

“Okay, okay, calm down. Alexa, your mum isn’t here because she had to go early to work so we can just talk here. So, what’s up?” 

“Your old time piece.” Mike fingered it gently.

“You found it? Give it to me now, it’s dangerous, please you have to believe me!” he cried urgently.

“I think we know that already,” Mike said flatly.

“You-you do? Did it take you- back in time I mean?”

“Yes it did and it told us the truth.” I glared at him.

He didn’t notice me glaring. “The truth about what?” he teased.

“Me and Mike- we’re cousins aren’t we?”

“Um, no o-of course not w-why would you th-think that, eh?”His voice wobbled.

“Dad.”

“Aw, fine. Yes, you are cousins,” he confessed.

I stood up, now towering over him. I’d never been so angry in my whole life. If he’d just told us when we were younger, me and Mike could have become even firmer friends. 

“Why didn’t you tell us? We’re best friends!” I cried.

“I’m sorry honey. There isn’t a good enough reason to make up for it. I guess… well… we thought you might not have become such firm friends as you are now if we told you when you were younger.”

I fell silent. To my surprise, it was Mike who broke the silence.

“I-I suppose that makes some sense b-because we learnt it now instead of when we were younger, now we are even firmer friends than we were before.”

I stared at him. He hardly ever talked about useful stuff when it really mattered. But I knew what he said was true.

 

That day after school (my dad picked me and Mike up in his car), the three of us drove to Vintiques of Surrey (a vintage and antique shop) to drop off the time piece. All of us agreed that it would be better to take it there because then it could help others to find the truth in their lives- just like it helped me and Mike find the truth.

Later, when Mike had gone home, I asked my father,” If you knew it could take us back in time, what truth did it show you?”

But all he did was smile and wink.