“It makes sound into electrical signals, and this here is a transmitter coil … and the sound processor.”

She pushed her hair back.

“It’s kept in place with a magnet so I can take it off if I want to.”

Marty’s mind was whirring.

“That is pretty cool…,” he said.

Gracie looked at him in a bemused way.

“It’s not perfect,” she said eventually. “I don’t always have it on anyway. Sometimes I like to be without it. Especially when it’s math … or when there are really stupid people about…”

Marty laughed. He didn’t do that much at school. It was more of a “get there and get out” situation for him. He had tried to make a few friends before—some of the other kids were actually okay, it was just they tended to play computer games together and Marty didn’t have those, or they tended to go to one another’s houses on the weekends and Marty could never have anyone back to his, so any effort he made with them kind of just petered out.

“The bell rang…,” Marty said.

“I know,” she said, and smiled.

Marty got up.

“I’ve got math…”

“I’m going that way too…”

Marty shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“Well, we might as well walk together, then…,” he suggested as he watched Gracie get up.

“… since we both stink…”

Gracie walked past him and muttered …

“Such a charming way with words too.”

FIVE

“WHAT DO YOU think?”

Marty felt his stomach lurch. It was phenomenal. Less than a week had gone by, but the seed had sprouted. It had split in two and sent down long white sucker roots that were just about visible digging into the soil. From the top end, two leaves had shot upward. Triangular and sort of deep green. Marty reached out to touch them, and as he did, he felt a quivering deep down in his stomach.

“Those are the pilot leaves,” explained Grandad, watching him. “Those will power the roots with energy until the plant really gets going…”

“But it’s grown so fast!” exclaimed Marty.

Grandad grinned.

“Indeed it has! Indeed it has!”

He was jumping around and clapping his hands.

“But you ain’t seen nothing yet, son!”

“What on earth is it?” asked Marty. “Come on, you’ve GOT to tell me now…”

Grandad was enjoying this and tapped the side of his nose mysteriously.

“You’ll see…”

“Oh please?”

“Nope, sorry, kid. Go on, then,” Grandad said. “I mean, go make the tea for your old grandad.”

Marty reluctantly turned away from the plant. And walked to the shed.