Yesterday stood up. ‘We have to go back to the plane.’ She bit her lip. ‘Thank you,’ she added softly. ‘Thank you for trying.’
‘But…but…’ Boo looked around. There was nothing to see, except the glowing green walls. He didn’t even know where they were, he realised, or if the creature had really been there or was a sort of television picture. ‘Yesterday, come with me! Escape!’ he whispered urgently.
Yesterday looked down at him. ‘How?’
‘Just follow me down the wormhole!’
‘There’s no need to whisper,’ said Yesterday in her normal voice. ‘In fact there is no point in whispering. The Guardians can hear us no matter how softly we speak. The Guardians know everything.’
‘Yesterday—’
‘You must go, Boo. No, I will not escape.’
Yesterday began walking across the room and out the door, then down the corridor again.
Boo scurried after her. ‘But…but why not? Why did you ever come back here? You could have stayed at the school—or come to live in my universe, or Mug’s.’
‘I’m not a zombie.’
‘That’s not an answer!’
Yesterday said nothing.
They walked along the corridor. Boo lifted his nose—another group of humans was coming towards them. He stared as they rounded the corner.
They were so young—younger than him. Younger than Yesterday and the boy back at the hut and the children who’d scrubbed the Guardian. They were even thinner, and curiously bowed as though they were too tired to stand straight—or perhaps the tools they carried over their shoulders were heavy for them to bear. They also had scars down their arms, and on their legs and ankles.
They looked at the floor as well, casting only furtive glances at Yesterday and Boo as they passed. Didn’t humans even say hi or smile at each other in this place?
Suddenly he blinked. For Yesterday had smiled at them—one of her rare true smiles—but it was so brief he wondered if he had imagined it.
He looked back at the children. Maybe he was imagining this too, but it almost seemed like the children walked straighter now.
He glanced back at Yesterday. She was expressionless again, as though she had not seen the children pass by.
‘Are they slaves?’ asked Boo quietly.
‘Yes.’
‘Is every human here a slave?’
‘Of course.’ Yesterday’s voice was carefully impassive. ‘The Guardians are the most ancient race in this universe. They were here first, long before us. The human race is so much younger than the Guardians. We could never have their wisdom and intelligence.’
Boo growled softly. The big dinosaur hadn’t seemed all that brilliant to him. But he supposed Yesterday couldn’t say anything else if the Guardians might be listening.
Yesterday had reached the room with the flying thing now. She stopped and, for the first time ever, bent down and scratched behind his ears. ‘Thank you again, Boo,’ she said softly. ‘Your coming here means more than I can say. Now go.’
‘No, I—’
‘Boo, if you stay things will be bad for me.’ Again there was no expression in Yesterday’s voice. But her eyes made their own plea clear. ‘Go. Now. Please.’
Was that a tear falling on his fur? Boo stood up on his hind legs and licked her face. Yes, they were tears.
Then he trotted onto the flying thing. It closed around him.
Call servant.
Ask for sandwich.
Eat with silver knife and fork.
Call servant to brush off crumbs.
FROM REALLY REALLY ROYAL RECIPES BY PRINCESS PRINCESS SUNBEAM CARESSE VON PEWKÉ