The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2878 by Angharad Copyright© 2016 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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“What was the lesson that Sister Vag—Virginia was supposed to be teaching?”

“Science,” Livvie informed me.

“Evolution—only she makes it sound like God planned it all,” huffed Trish.

“Perhaps that’s what she believes.”

“But it’s wrong, isn’t it?”

“I believe so.”

“So there, I was right.”

“Trish, you weren’t listening.”

“Why, whatya say?”

“I said I believed her belief was wrong.”

“Yeah, so I was right.”

“Only in the eyes of my belief.”

“Yeah, but you’re a scientist, like a biologist.”

“Trish, there is no scientific evidence to support that there is a god.”

“Yeah, like I said.”

“There’s also none to prove there isn’t.”

“So?”

“So it is my belief there isn’t one and the theory of evolution works without one but over longer timescales than many can conceive. It takes millions of years for stages of it to happen and even then we don’t always find evidence as we’d like.”

“So you saying she’s right?”

“No, I’m saying you have to allow people to believe different things, especially if you can’t prove them wrong and it even that depends upon why you want to prove them wrong.”

“I want to prove she’s wrong.”

“I don’t think you can and if you could do you really want to make her like a silly old woman and yourself look like some vindictive monster?”

“Uh no, course not.”

“Because it looks like that is what you’re trying to do.”

“Oh,” she pouted. “I don’t want to hurt her even if she is wrong.”

“Look, darling, there are many ways to be right and wrong at the same time.”

“That doesn’t make sense, Mummy.”

“You can be factually correct—the earth goes round the sun—okay?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Well when we look in the sky what appears to happen?”

“I dunno what appears to happen?” she looked quizzically at me.

“If the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, what appears to happen?”

“It gets dark?”

“No, what does the sun appear to do?”

“It goes across the sky but that’s only ’cos the world is spinning.”

“Right, so someone who didn’t know the earth was spinning in orbit around the sun, might think the sun revolved around the earth, because from an earthbound perspective, that is what appears to happen.”

“But they’re still wrong.”

“Yes, I know, but what do you gain by telling them?”

“You educate them.”

“Just because you know this stuff doesn’t make it true to someone else unless you can prove it in ways they can understand.”

“Without being able to take them up in a space rocket you can only prove it mathematically, which I know I can’t do. Aristarchus proved it back in ancient Greece but Copernicus was the first modern man to suggest it and he got it wrong, he thought the orbits of the planets were spherical and they’re not, they’re elliptical, which Kepler suggested but Galileo rejected, suggesting the tides proved the earth moved round the sun. He was wrong anyway, as the tides are affected by the moon, something which is very easily seen with spring tides and neap tides.”

“You’re so clever, Mummy, but surely the proof is easier. The sun is about 330,000 times heavier than the earth and 109 times its size. So gravity means the smaller planet goes round the bigger one.”

No wonder she frightens her teachers. “How did you measure them?”

“I’d look it up in an encyclopaedia.”

“Go and change,” smart arse.

I spoke to Jason and told him that I’d recorded the interview with my interrogators, though they’d have been unaware of it, but then they recorded me without telling me.”

“They can’t do that.”

“Just as well I did it then.”

“How did you get away with that?”

“I was doing something on the iPad when they arrived and switched on voice record by accident.”

“Of course.”

“Want a copy?”

“I better had in case I need to bail you again.”

“You make it sound like it’s a frequent event.”

“Compared to most university professors, it is.”

“So, I get involved in things.”

“Cathy, there are rumours circulating that he was enabling jihadists to get into the country. They also suggest alternately that he’s been secreted away by them or been killed by them.”

“Rumours—any smidgen of truth in them?”

“Cathy, whether there is or not, stay away from it, these guys are dangerous. One of them in Syria shot his own mother in the head because he believed she was betraying their cause.”

“Nice people.”

“Exactly, so keep well away from it, let the security services deal with it—they get paid for it, you don’t.”

“D’you seriously think we’re in danger in this country?”

“The experts seem to think so.”

“Yes but they enhance their budgets by suggesting were under threat, they also enhance their power. They say they’ve stopped so many terrorist plots but we rarely hear any details. How do we know they’re not just making it up?”

“We don’t, except I know one or two people at or near the top and they are nobody’s fool.”

I shrugged although he wouldn’t be able to see it, like nodding or shaking one’s head. “Okay, I shall try to keep my distance. We had some guy call round to the department saying he’d paid O’Connor to get his son into the country but the son had never shown up. He wanted to know where his son was.”

“Why did he come to you?”

“O’Connor told his secretary that I was in on the enterprise and would deal with queries in his absence.”

“Hence the visit from the plod earlier. He’s got a nerve hasn’t he?”

“So have I and he’s getting on it.”

Jason laughed at this then after advising me not to get involved, rang off. Danielle came down to see me, she’d changed into her old clothes and applied another ten coats of mascara. “Hello, darling.”

“Mummy, this guy that’s washed up in the harbour or wherever, isn’t the one they found in your car, is it?”

“I have no idea, but I doubt it, why?” It probably was but I didn’t want her to know that.

“I just wondered.”

“I think James has some agreement with the authorities about dealing with bodies.”

“Oh, okay. Will I be able to play soccer for the school on Saturday?”

“I don’t see why not, what about Portsmouth ladies and England ladies?”

“Portsmouth are resting me and England seem to have gone quiet for the moment.”

“I’m sure it will all sort itself out, you’re one of their best players so they’d be silly to leave you out for long.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

My phone peeped indicating a text. It was from James, he was on his way to see me and Tom was coming as well.”

“Gramps is on his way home.”

“Oh that’s good to hear.”

“What did David say was for dinner?”

“I dunno, I’ll go and ask him—bet it’s bloody cottage pie again.”

As he makes the most amazing cottage pie, I don’t care and Simon will want to kiss him, he loves cottage pie.