Chris.and Sandy by Monica Hughes hat are you studying in school today?” Father asked politely, He asked this same question every moing before returning to his study to work on the long mathematical calculations that would one day “set the world right. “Act Two of Hamlet, Plane Geometry. The causes of the First World War, Father, we're out of jam.’” “Jam?” Father looked vaguely suzprised, as if jam were a substance he had never heard of before, ““Jam, I suppose we could have sun out. We should go through the storeroom and bring our list up to date some time.’” He wandered off, his thumb marking the place in the book he had been reading during breakfast, Too bad you couldn’t hold a normal conversation with Father. It wasn’t his fault. He was just too far inside his own head. Chris sighed. He tidied the Kitcheh and made a note to himself to check through the stores one'day soon. Thank goodness for Sandy. Without Sandy he'd go crazy for sure. He found his books, sat down at the table, and tapped EM Four’s code into the computer. “Hello, EM Four.-Chris zeady for work. Is Sandy there yet?” Sandy was always late. “Good morming, Chris. Please open your book at page fourteen. Act Two, Scene One: a room in Polonius’s house . . . . Here is Sandy.” On the TV screen appeared 2 picture of a freckled boy, about twelve ot thirteen years old, with a wide grin, “HY Chia, what's cooking?” “HI, Sandy. Not much, Did you get all your homework done last night?” The voice of the computer cut in. “Shall we begin, boys? Chris; explain the meaning of the scene between Ophelia and her fathes. How dose it advance the plot?” 24 ssOn the TV screen Sandy crossed his eyes, wiggled his ears, and put out his tongue. Chris snorted with laughter and wondered if EM Four knew what games Sandy got up to when they were supposed to be working. ‘“Give me your answer, Chris,” EM Four said calmly. : ‘The lesson finished, and Chris reached over to the cupboard and got a Blass of synthetic milk and a protein cracker. Sandy said he'd go and get @ snack too. Chris stared at the blank screen while he drank his milk and wished it would show the inside of Sandy's house, There was only a blank wall behind Sandy's cheery face, and Chris had never seen his friend's home. When he got back, Chris asked him, ““Exactly where do you live?” “On top of the hill: Not fx.”SMa be such fun if we could Bet together” % We're together now. There's Schooliand chess games and” “"l’s not the sarne thing. You know, Sandy, sometimes | get absolutely. ‘Squitrelly, stuck if the house all day with just Father” “You have me for company too,” EM Four put in, “No more talking now, boys. ‘Time for Geometry, Chis, will you enumerate the Properties of ‘angles?’ After Math there was History, and then the TV closed down. Chris Picked a Package’ marked '’$KL#1" for his lunch and sat down at the table to eat it, Staring at the empty screen, He Wished Sandy would stay and have lunch With him, but always, as soon ne lessons were over, he vanished and only enlPpearet! whien Chris coded “Games Time" into the computer. A Jong, Empty afternoon stretched in front of him, He sighed and Pushed away the Test of his lunch, “I wish I could go’over to his house, Give him one heck of a surprise if } tuned up there.” He found himself sea '§ out of the room and staring at the big front door, For years there had been ared light over it, but about five months ago the light had tarned green, When Chris had told Father, he hac said vaguely, “‘Temakes no difference, We have all we need here” ‘@ Maybe it was true for him, but it sure wasn’t for Chris—thirteen years old, : skinny, and growing fast, needing leg room, Almost without meaning to, he began to tum the great wheel inthe centre Of the door. The first half tun Was almost more than he could ‘manage, but then it became easier. He spun it round and round, and at last, with a faint creak, the door swung inward, Chas hesitated. Should he fell Father what he planned to do? But the study door was firmly shut. Even as a litle boy, when Mother was stil alive, the one rule had been: Father must never be disturbed, “But why? Ineed hini tg Play with us, Mom,” “He's working on special problems, and when he’s 0t the answers, the world vl bbe. safer place to live in, He'sa genius, Chris, and he mustn't be He could almost hear Mother's Voice, He set his foot to the first hoop and sched up for a handhold. Rust came off bright orange, and the hoops é 26: / Sandy is here in this sheltes “What?” Chuis jumped to Ris feet. “Whece? How Could he be? Come on, e® show me where he ig" "He is difficult to reach, Sometimes: Wheryeu are angry—"" (i'm not angry. I am nop &n8ry."" Chris pounded his fist on the table, “Te was not good for you 16 Brow up alone, After your mother’s death you needed 4 companion to keep you healthy ang happy, to give meaning to your life,’” ‘then you did invent him, He fsalie” : “No. AN did was bring him out," slumped at the table. YOU trying to be difticuny No, don't answer that, T can’t stand it. EM Fouy, il liv Chris. Sandy is you, The Part of yourself that the adventurous part, The part 8 swing anda picket fence, Sandy is inside you Chis stated through ‘hi Rt at the blank screen, Temembering the feckled boy who cour wiggle his ears, He felt ag Someone he loved had died, That night he lay in hig Rettow bunk above the table steady whis and listened to the "Per of the air conditi ‘ner. When the clock told him it was moming, he got up and made breakfast for Father and himself, as he had done every other ‘day. “What are you studying today?” Father asked, his eyes still on the ‘Papers he had brought from his st ly. Chris thought of telling him about Sandy, but it seemed kind of Useless, Hlow close are you?’ “Eh?” “Toa Solution, Father _ “Oh, my goodness, that’s hard to say. t see 4 finer, you know, at the end of the tunnel, A glimmer.” i / What'l you do with the Solution when you've found 9" (Do? Why .. I don't kes reg, That 18 for others to d ic dv: tier of knowledge. Whar other Wandered back to his shidy, The doorterminal. He sighed and then punched in EM work,” he said and reached for his Hamlet. As he read, he found himself lo stared at the printed page, dus the shaft, He shut the book, “EM Four, is Sandy there?” At once Sandy’s face eyes, “E thought you'd given up “Fat chance. Listen, Sandy, I'm sick of Hamlet an¢ Geometry an: causes of World War One. What ab w to find other people and lear to start livin