I mustn’t think about massages.

I must think about Science and Electricity and Atoms.

‘Let’s get those electrons agitated!’ I say in a brisk voice, whipping the balloon backwards and forward then round and round. When his hair is a bushy cloud, I let go of the balloon and this time it sticks.

I smile down at the children who are creeping closer. ‘Your turn,’ I say, ‘and make sure you all get a go.’ For the next few minutes, Ed is attacked by children with balloons. Some of their parents join in, and even Maggie has a go.

Eventually, I tell them to sit down. Ed and George stay standing next to me. Ed’s looking slightly dazed, a single yellow balloon still clinging to his hair.

‘So that’s the end of the show,’ I say, and I can’t help smiling, because I’ve actually done it – I’ve stood up and spoken to a group of strangers for a long time. In my head, Valentina gives me a high five. ‘But there’s lots more to see and the telescope tour is about to start in Dome B –’

‘Hang on!’ shouts Grandad. ‘What about the electric shock?’

‘We’ve not got time for that.’

‘The tour can start a few minutes late,’ says Maggie.

Ed turns to me and whispers, ‘What’re we supposed to do?’

Everyone is staring up at us, waiting to see what we’ll do next. I shake my head. ‘It’s nothing,’ I say. ‘I was going to touch fingers with the volunteer to see if I would get an electric shock. But we don’t need to do it.’

Our whispered conversation has gone on for too long, but this doesn’t bother Ed. ‘Why not?’

I try to think of a good reason. The electric shock was supposed to impress a load of children, and make them love what I love, not provide the perfect punchline when Ed tells Bella everything that happened today. I can just hear her shrieking out in science, ‘Oh my God, she made you touch her?!’

‘Come on,’ says Ed, sticking his index finger out, ‘it won’t kill you.’

‘Fine,’ I say and I move my finger towards his. By our feet, the children lean closer. Ed smiles and raises one eyebrow, and the situation is so funny that I can’t help smiling too as I bring my finger closer to his. And then, the moment our fingers touch, there’s this tiny flash of white light and a jolt of electricity jumps from Ed to me, tingling through my hand.

‘Ow!’ he says, pulling his hand back and laughing.

I stare at my buzzing fingertip. ‘I didn’t think it would work,’ I whisper.

‘Shock me!’ says George, jumping up and down. ‘Shock me!’

TWENTY-SIX

After everyone’s given me a clap and Maggie’s thanked me for my ‘highly original and messy show’, the audience files out of the tent.

I watch them go, slightly dazed, slightly amazed and totally happy. I bend down and pick up a blueberry that’s rolled between my feet. When we were arranging fruit into the solar system, this was my moon. I hold the slightly squished berry between my fingers.