Mrs Grayling is a paler shade of pink now. ‘Very well, since my secret’s out. I visit 1752 to attend an event on the eve of the 2nd of September called the Carnival of the Calendar. It’s an outdoor festival of music, poetry and dance to celebrate the 11-day leap. Mostly Leaplings attend but a few local Annuals help organise it. It’s hidden from the 1752 population but, to be honest, most of them were a bit cross about losing out on the 11 days so the last thing they’d want to do is celebrate.

‘It’s almost impossible to obtain a ticket and impossible to sneak in. I’ve only managed to attend twice; maybe I’ll never be able to attend again.’ Mrs Grayling sighs. ‘Leaplings come from all over the timeline so they had the wisdom to severely limit the numbers. Remember, the past is fixed. You can’t change it. If a thousand people attended that night, that’s what happened.’

Mrs Zhong raises her eyebrows ever so slightly like she disapproves of the Carnival. But I LOVE the sound of it. When I listen to music, I feel like I’ve gone back in time to the place it was made; poetry’s like spells that only work if you say them out loud; and dance is what MC2 and Kwesi do when they’re signing together. Kwesi’s an Infinite too who speaks with his hands. I can’t imagine Mrs Grayling dancing but I like her a bit more now I’ve seen her other side. Thinking about that helps me relax. Mrs Zhong continues her talk.

‘Leaplings, there are plenty more important historical reasons to visit 1752. Many tourists wish to see their favourite museum artefacts when they were new. We get lots of donations.’ She smiles. ‘I work with a very specialised time-travel team to authenticate them. Every object has a story; we have to make sure the story is true. And check the objects haven’t been stolen. Any questions?’

Several hands go up but I find myself on my feet. I didn’t mean to stand up; it’s just habit. Mrs C Eckler has been helping me break it. We always had to stand in primary school but we don’t in secondary. I sit down, embarrassed. But Mrs Zhong smiles at me.

‘You must be Elle. I’ve read your poem; it’s unique. Please ask your question.’

‘Do you get lots of stolen goods?’

‘Rarely stolen. We get lots of 1752 artefacts that are of no use to us. A time-tourist might purchase a rag doll in 1752 for their child back home in the present but their child rejects it. They donate it to us. The problem is, the item’s brand new. It hasn’t aged 269 years, so we reject it too. Whereas if someone discovers or inherits an object passed down through generations, my experts check out its history.’