Thursday, August 17, 2017

A Dancer in the Infinite - Chapter 17


Chapter 17

Chateau de Pays m des Merveilles





“The formalism of quantum theory did not come out of nowhere. It is the solution of a scientific problem and, as always in science, the problem was not primarily what mathematical formula best predicts the outcomes of experiments. It was what mathematical structures correspond best to reality. If we alter the ‘interpretation’ of the theory without regard to the second question, we can conjure up virtually any world we like. But it will not be the real world. The real world is the multiverse, and it does contain many universes.” – David Deutsch



     “Welcome to Castle Wonderland,” said Barry Allen with a bow and flourish, a wave of his hand at the ancient chateau before them.   It looked just as it did in the pictures from the internet: Hundreds year old stone work, patched here and there by concrete, windows that had to be three hundred years old, roses at the gates, in full red bloom, grapes and kudzu climbing over the castle’s sides.  The only things that seemed out of place were the automobiles parked out front, the radio tower and satellite dish on the roof.

     “How old is this chateau?” Marie asked.

     “Which part?  The newer sections are only five hundred or so years old.  The rest of the place is about a thousand years old.  It was an old Cathar fortress, back in the day. Anyway, let me show you around a little bit and introduce you about.  Then I’ll get your bags and show you to your room.”

     “That sounds great.”

     “Super,” he said, holding the gate open for her to enter to walled compound.  She ducked under the grape vines which hung from a trellis that ran about ten yards from the gate and emptied into a large terrace overlooking the mountains and valleys.  She could hear the river below.  A light wind whistled through the trees of the wooded hills.  Barry pulled open a heavy wooden door, and made a gallant bow and welcoming gesture.  “Entre …”

     Marie curtsied and entered the chateau.  She hardly entered the foyer when she heard a voice off to her side.

     “So, this is the famed Marie Brabant I’ve heard so much about” said a female voice with a BBC clipped English accent.

     Marie, turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw a dark-haired, slender woman in her early fifties in a lab coat over a stylish dress suit.  She looked vaguely familiar, but Marie could not place her.

     “Marie, this is Jackie, er … Dr. Jacqueline Shellborne, our bio-physics experts” Allen offered by way of introduction.  “Jackie, this is Marie.”

     “I don’t know that I’m famous,” Marie said humbly.

     “Nonsense,” came another voice, this one was male, and possessed a New York accent.  The words came from the other side of the foyer.  “To us you are famous.  We’ve been looking forward to meeting you since we got your application.  A real live Merovingian descendant, it’s very exciting for us.”

     His hair was all gray, his face chubby and friendly, with a week’s worth of stubble.  He wore a green sweater over a white button down shirt, and khaki slacks.  He walked forward with a hand extended.

     Marie quickly shook Dr. Shellborne’s hand and turned to greet the approaching man.

     “Marie, this is Stan, as we call him, sometimes Lord Stan, when he gets in one of his moods, Dr. Stanley Wukowski, Co-Founder of Castle Wonderland and Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton.”

     Marie bowed slightly, “It’s so nice to meet you both.”

     Barry turned to Stan, “Is she?  Is that confirmed?”

     “Yep” offered Jackie.  “The doc called with the results of DNA swab just an hour or so ago.  She’s a direct descendant of Clovis I, which is exciting.  She’s also descended directly from Charlemagne, Raymond VII, and there by the Plantagenets; fascinating genetics.”

     Marie was dumbfounded.  “I’m sorry; I guess I don’t understand why any of that matters.”

     “It matters,” said Stan reassuringly.

     “I thought I was just coming to help keep house and such?”

     “You’ll have a few chores, and plenty of time to yourself, but we’re going to need your help with some of our experiments,” Wukowski continued.

     Marie shook her head, “I said in my application that I don’t have any experience with physics at all.  I got a D in Newtonian Mechanics and failed Electricity and Magnetism at college.  I don’t see how I can help you.  I think you must have me mistaken for someone else.”

     “Trust me,” Jackie said.  “You’ll be able to help us.  But, that’s nothing for you to worry about now.  Get yourself settled.  You have no responsibilities all week.  Relax, enjoy the village.  I’ll get Lew to show you around.”

     “I’ll do it,” offered Barry.  “They won’t need me down in the lab until tomorrow, right, Stan?”

     Allen looked at the older gentlemen and winked.  Marie noticed the wink. She could tell Barry didn’t think she would.  It made her feel good.  She was feeling out of her depth talking to the two scientists, and had a certain ominous unease at their words.  Barry made her feel safe and protected.

     “Come on, I’ll get your bags and take you to your room.  We’ll do the tour later,” the Flash’s namesake smiled.  He turned and addressed his colleagues, “Did Doc mention that we ran into Wally?”

     “He did not,” said Jackie, “Problems?”

     “Nah, we lost him, but he was keeping tabs on Marie.”

     “Fuck!” exclaimed Stan.  “How do those tiny bastards do it?”

     “We’ll talk about it later, Barry,” Jackie cautioned seeing the concern return to Marie’s face, “you’ll give us the full report after you get our guest settled in.”


copyright 2017 Diana Hignutt

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