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Back Stargazing for Beginners Save as PDF
Contents ( 64)
  1. A Letter from the Author
  2. ONE
  3. TWO
  4. THREE
  5. FOUR
  6. FIVE
  7. SIX
  8. SEVEN
  9. EIGHT
  10. NINE
  11. TEN
  12. ELEVEN
  13. TWELVE
  14. THIRTEEN
  15. FOURTEEN
  16. FIFTEEN
  17. SIXTEEN
  18. SEVENTEEN
  19. EIGHTEEN
  20. NINETEEN
  21. TWENTY
  22. TWENTY-ONE
  23. TWENTY-TWO
  24. TWENTY-THREE
  25. TWENTY-FOUR
  26. TWENTY-FIVE
  27. TWENTY-SIX
  28. TWENTY-SEVEN
  29. TWENTY-EIGHT
  30. TWENTY-NINE
  31. THIRTY
  32. THIRTY-ONE
  33. THIRTY-TWO
  34. THIRTY-THREE
  35. THIRTY-FOUR
  36. THIRTY-FIVE
  37. THIRTY-SIX
  38. THIRTY-SEVEN
  39. THIRTY-EIGHT
  40. THIRTY-NINE
  41. FORTY
  42. FORTY-ONE
  43. FORTY-TWO
  44. FORTY-THREE
  45. FORTY-FOUR
  46. FORTY-FIVE
  47. FORTY-SIX
  48. FORTY-SEVEN
  49. FORTY-EIGHT
  50. FORTY-NINE
  51. FIFTY
  52. FIFTY-ONE
  53. FIFTY-TWO
  54. FIFTY-THREE
  55. FIFTY-FOUR
  56. FIFTY-FIVE
  57. FIFTY-SIX
  58. FIFTY-SEVEN
  59. FIFTY-EIGHT
  60. FIFTY-NINE
  61. SIXTY
  62. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  63. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  64. ONE

I decide to see if he’s left a note for me somewhere. There’s nothing in any of the usual places – on the fridge or the kitchen table – so I go to look in the front room. There’s no note, but tucked behind the door I see a huge white cone. I run my hands over the peeling paint. I know what this is: it’s the top half of the rocket he made me. I trace my hands over the words MEGARA 1 and for a moment, I forget that Grandad’s missing … I even forget about the speech. Grandad gave me the rocket years ago and I spent hours in it, playing and dreaming … I didn’t even know he’d kept it. I pick up the cone to see if my mission notes are still scribbled on the inside, and that’s when I see a tiny glass bottle filled with amber liquid sitting underneath it. Meg’s Rocket Fuel! is written on a label tied on with string.

I smile. Russian cosmonauts always drink a sip of real rocket fuel before a mission; it’s supposed to bring them luck. I don’t know what Grandad’s put in the bottle, but I’m guessing he was going to get me to drink it before I went to school. But why was it sitting under the cone? I slip the bottle in my pocket and go back into the hallway where Elsa’s squirming in her pushchair.

And that’s when I notice Grandad’s bike is missing.

He wouldn’t have gone for a bike ride, would he? Not today …? I ring his mobile, but it goes straight to voicemail. ‘Grandad’s gone for a bike ride,’ I say to Elsa, hardly believing the words myself. ‘What shall I do?’ I go to the front door and peer up and down the road.

‘Da!’ she shouts.

I go back inside. ‘You’re right,’ I say. ‘We should wait. I’ve still got loads of time until I need to be at school. Wherever he’s gone, he’ll be back soon. He knows how important this is.’ I undo the clips on her pushchair and she wriggles out on to the carpet. ‘Actually, this is good. Now I can read through my cards one last time.’

But I can’t read through my cards. I try to, but every few minutes I keep jumping up to look out of the window, searching for Grandad’s yellow helmet. After half an hour, I realise that I can’t wait for him any longer.

‘OK,’ I say to Elsa, pushing her arms back into her coat. ‘I don’t know what Grandad was thinking, but I guess I’m just going to have to take you with me. The Biscuit Club will have to look after you.’ I put her back in her pushchair.

‘Na, na!’ Elsa makes herself go rigid so I can’t get the pushchair straps round her arms.

‘Bend, Elsa!’ I tickle her tummy until she doubles over and I manage to get the clips done up. But now I’ve made her mad, and she’s screaming.