“But how no some kin o bird that can flee even better than bats?” speirs I.
“Uize yer heid, min,” qo Ísabel, “baukies flees better at nicht, wi thair
sonar an that. I can shup mysel intae onything in aa creâtion, as lang’s I
ken the cratur, it juist depends what kin o transport I’m wantin. The’r things
flees better than bats in the mirk, but thay’r no o this warld, or ony warld;
ye wadna want tae be ane for the ilkanicht. Sae I keekit up at the tap o St
Rules Touer an wantit tae be up thare, an like that I flew up, an chainged
back intae human form for tae view the toun laid afore me. Juist ablo me wis
the spires o the cathedral, for aa the warld like rocket an gantry. My ee follaed
whaur thay wis pyntin an thare abuin me wis the stars. An whan I saw the stars,
I seemed tae can hear them cryin on me aa ootthrou the parsecs an parsecs o
black vacuum.”
“As a astronomer ye ken that’s impossible, divn’t ye?” qo I.
“I ken,” qo she, “but things is oorier than ye think, mair eldritch than
ony scientist can meisur. An yit the cries o the stars wisna aa I heard: I
heard the cries o spacefaurin craturs that flees in the gowlins o the galaxies,
an I pat what Suphy haed sayed, that vampirism is the only disease that can
be passed atween species, fornent what Cranmore sayed that the flu daes as
muckle itsel, an I saw it. I saw what Suphy wis sayin. It’s no aboot species
on the Yird: vampirism is the only disease we ken that can be transmittit fae
the tae alien species tae the tither, that’s what Suphy kent.”
I haed tae stop her again. “Suphy coudna kent that,” I sayed, “we dinna
ken ony alien species, nae theory can be seyed wi a sample space o ane.” I’m
nae scientist, but I ca’s the crack wi the science students gey an aften. Syne
I haed anither thocht, “Forby gin she’d kent aboot thae craturs?” I’d jalouzed
aiblins Suphy haed heard the craturs the wey Ísabel haed.
“I dinna think she kent them, but I thocht on that,” qo Ísabel, “I think
what Suphy first fand wis that vampirism can infeck inanimate maiter, no juist
the leevin. Ye’ll no finnd my name in the Student Directory, for example. I’m
matriculate, but I’ll bate an ye canna finnd me in the matriculâtion roll.
An gin vampirism can infeck inanimate maiter, it maun can infeck alien species
an aa.”
“That’s some idea,” this is me, “gin a body juist happent tae be keekin
at the richt page o the Student Directory at juist the richt meenit, thay’d
see yer name bein etten strecht aff the page.”
“No like that,” qo she, “thae things stravaigs time, it wad be like the
typesetter misses my name in the first place, an my name’s somewey illegible
on the matriculâtion roll an that. Evidents that the undeid gaes amang the
leevin’ll never be alloued.”
“Sae what’s the pynt in me writin yer story doun whan it’s juist awa tae
vainish fae exístence, or the like gaun tae happen?” I spiered.
“A story aboot vampires?” this is her, “wha’s gaun tae credit it, forby
anither vampire? The’r nae need for it tae vainish gin it’s no awa tae pruive
onything.”
“Sae what if I incorporatit pruif intae the story?” spiers I, “What if
I pit doun facks, an times and dates an places, that fowk coud check up on?”
“Syne thae partíclar bits’ll disappear.”
I haed tae admire her lugic, I’ll no say. She wis never aback as faur
as that. But I pressed the pynt, I daured her gie me some unconterable …
ey
o gittin aboot.”
