Above the Vaulted Sky - Page 199

               ‘I thought you might ask that,’ Tarquin says. ‘People always do. The answer must be seen, not told. You’ve taken an interest in the school so I think that would be the best place to start for you.’

                He waves his hand and we follow him. Elle steps beside me.

                ‘Why did you ask that?’ she asks in a hushed voice. ‘I’m a little tired of people turning on us.’

                ‘I only asked a question,’ I reply. ‘I can’t help it.’

                Elle frets. ‘I just want to find Yates and get home.’

                ‘Me too,’ I say. ‘I promise.’

                ‘Remember when there weren’t crises every few minutes?’ She smiles despite herself. ‘Weren’t they happy days?’

                ‘Great power, great responsibility,’ I say, wise to the end. Elle nudges me in the side and I push back. We both giggle and try to hide it.

                We walk through the streets, past houses and big halls and long tables where people sit, talking quite content. It feels very peaceful here.

                ‘A lot of people find themselves here and take it as heaven,’ Tarquin says. ‘I’m quite proud of that.’

                ‘Do you think this is heaven?’ I ask. ‘The heaven at the end of all religion?’

                ‘I’m not sure what I think,’ he replies. ‘Our way of life might seem a bit hippy for a lot of people, and there are infinite benefits to living here, I’m just happy to have helped make it what it is. To be the one who built the waystation at the end of the line for so many people.’

                I look into his face and wonder if a part of him wants to leave too. Is this truly enough for anyone?

                ‘What were you when you were alive?’ I ask.

                ‘Believe it or not I wrote travel books.’ He laughs. ‘Ironic that this becomes my calling in life.’

                We reach a low building with wide windows on each side. I hear the laughs of a great number of children. It sounds like a happy place. A school in paradise. I’m sure for a lot of people that’s a form of hell.

                ‘How old are they?’ I ask as we pass through the open archway. ‘The children?’

                ‘They range from under a year to about twelve. If they want to stay longer they can. We find that after that they can make their own decisions about their lives.’

                Elle looks at me with an approving expression on her face. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if this form of schooling existed in the world of the living.