7

Marlowe—was Eliot their grandfather?

The Deputy Council Leader says a few more words to Marlowe before shaking their hand and heading back down the hallway they both came from. For a few moments, Marlowe stands where they are, not seeming able to move from the spot.

Then they turn as if to move straight towards the entrance—but as they do, their eyes land on where you're waiting. In their shock at seeing you, they stop.

"Huknock?"

You hear your name, but it isn't Marlowe who calls it. Spinning around in confusion, you see Robin coming towards you at last.

And when you see the beaming smile on his face, you realize it can only mean one thing.

Before you can say anything, Robin runs up and throws his arms around you.

"They said yes! They're going to let me put on an exhibition! Not a big one, maybe, but they actually want me to do it! They said my research was excellent, and they said I did a good job of bringing together so much information when there isn't that much out there. And they said—"

He stands back from you at last, catching his breath. You can see tears in his eyes.

"They said, if my exhibition gets enough interest, they'd consider making it permanent—and the archives could stay open," he gasps. "And then they even said they would put my name forward for the college scholarship—I can't believe this is really happening."

He laughs, and you see that tears are pouring down his face in earnest now. He seems so overwhelmed by happiness that he doesn't know what to do.

"I think—I need to lie down for a while," he tells you eventually. "I didn't get much sleep last night. Or this whole week. And I need to tell Vada, and then…I guess I need to start figuring out what I'm going to do next."

He shakes his head, still in kind of a daze. But after a few moments, he looks at you and says:

"Thank you so much, Huknock. I don't think I could've done it without you."

With that, he moves as if to head for the doors—but then he pulls back as if a thought has struck him.

"Now that this is over, I was thinking that I just really want to get out of the house," he says. "I know my telescope kind of sucks, but I thought it might be nice to go out tonight and see what I could see. Maybe—you'd want to come as well?"

He tells you that you don't have to answer right now, but just let him know later if you want to join him. At last, he turns and leaves you on your own in the foyer of the Town Hall.

Except you're not actually alone. When you look up, you see Marlowe is still standing on the other side of the foyer, waiting to talk to you.

Next