The Investigators

Chapter One

Lucas drew his gun and fired three shots. Three figures fell. That made twenty hits in twenty shots. Every alien invader of the planet Earth outwitted, outguessed, eliminated. And in record time. God! Computer games were easy.

He snorted with disdain and closed the game. What did children see in them?  He clicked on the little bishop icon to bring up Deep Fritz. Chess. Let’s play a something grown up, he thought. He had time now that he had finished his homework, and his voluntary extra homework, to work on his Elo rating, which was currently 2350, making him an International Master. Not bad for a twelve year-old. His aim now, was to raise himself into the Grandmaster category. But the travel alarm on his desk interrupted his thoughts.

Lucas got up from his seat, went to the window, and peered out. For a moment, his own face - round, bespectacled, capped by curly fair hair – was reflected back at him in the glass. A larger face loomed behind his own. Topped by a halo of unruly white hair, it had the topography of a walnut. Albert Einstein. Lucas had fixed a picture of the great theoretical physicist above his bed. On another wall, was one of Beethoven, and on a third was one of Leonardo. One day, Lucas hoped to be famous too.

He pressed his nose to the windowpane, placed his hands either side of it to cut out the reflections, and looked out into Philbeach Gardens. A fine drizzle fell, and leaves glistened on the London plane trees lining the road.

What would it be tonight, he wondered. White duck? Or red chicken?

 

BUY