Gold Rush • The Adventure Continues
A Professor Chalkdust and Miss Lucy Adventure • Part 7
This twelve-part serial follows the unexpected adventures of Oxford professor Emerson Caldwell Chalkdust and new teacher, Victoria Ann Curly, whom he volunteered to mentor. Both get far more than they expected thanks to a magical encyclopedia set. I will post chapters every other day until it is complete.
In the previous chapter, the Professor and Miss Curly visit Sutter’s Mill, collect more gold, and return to town, where Miss Lucy has an idea on how to return home.
Start at the beginning here:
“Yes! Oh, Professor,” Miss Curly shouted and threw her arms around the Professor. Tears started flowing down her cheeks as she hugged him.
“I can honestly say I have never been so happy to be in Middleton,” the Professor said. “Oh my, I need to sit down.”
“Here, sit down and rest,” Miss Curly said as she pulled a chair over from the table. The Professor sat down and sighed deeply. Miss Curly, however, was in no mood to sit. She was smiling and spinning around in pure elation.
“I can’t believe it. We’re home! It worked, Professor. It worked!”
“You are a lifesaver, my dear. That was a brilliant bit of reasoning.”
Miss Curly didn’t hear the compliment. She had just noticed something.
“Professor, look at the teacups. They are still steaming.”
Then she grabbed her cell phone from the table.
“Professor, it is the same time as when we left. I don’t think any time has passed here at all.”
“Amazing,” the Professor said. “We were gone for three days.”
“What do we do now? Do we tell someone what happened? Would they believe us?” Miss Curly wondered aloud.
“I think we had better keep this to ourselves for a while. I need to process it all, and I do not want to do anything hastily that we will regret.”
“Of course, you’re right. But what a secret to keep,” Miss Curly replied.
“Well, it is a secret we both share. You can talk to me about it anytime.”
“True. That will help.”
“One thing is for sure,” the Professor added. “I will not be reading any more encyclopedia entries out loud for quite some time.”
Miss Curly laughed and said, “I agree. Time travel is nerve-wracking. I need to recover.”
“Well, I see no reason to let good tea go to waste. Care to join me?” the Professor asked.
“I did say I wanted to get to know you better over a cup of tea. I guess it’s time for the tea now.”
She laughed the purest of laughs.
The next day, Miss Curly went back to work like it was any other day. Except it was only her third day as a teacher, and she was still trying to get a handle on the job. There seemed to be countless things to manage and learn, but she was glad to have something other than time travel and magic encyclopedias to keep her mind focused on. Near the end of the day, she encountered Principal Hammerdown in the hall.
“Miss Curly, I trust you and Professor Chalkdust had a chance to get to know each other a little better after our meeting yesterday?”
“Oh, yes. We became very well acquainted.”
“I am glad to hear that. I am confident he will be a great help to you.”
“He already has,” Miss Curly said in all honesty.
“Wonderful. I have a meeting scheduled, but you must tell me more sometime. Have a good day.”
“You too.”
After the school day ended, Miss Curly walked to her car, opened the door, and got in. She immediately dug through her bag, found her phone, and dialed the Professor.
“Professor, I hope I am not being a bother, but I would like to stop by your house and talk.”
“Certainly. I had a feeling you might. In truth, I was hoping you would. Drive carefully.”
The Professor greeted Miss Curly at the door and invited her to come in and sit. He headed to the kitchen and returned with tea and a cup of coffee.
“Professor, you didn’t have to make coffee for me.”
“Nonsense.”
The Professor handed her a cup and said, “I hope I didn’t bungle it. It is my first attempt.”
“Thank you.” Miss Curly took a sip and said, “It’s not bad. A little strong for my taste. I will show you how I do it next time.”
“Excellent. I am always eager to learn something new.”
Miss Curly knew he was being polite but also believed he actually meant it.
After a few sips of tea and coffee, the Professor changed the tone of the conversation.
“Victoria, as much as it pains me to say this, I believe we need to destroy the encyclopedias. They are far too dangerous. If someone else got their hands on these books, they could change history.”
“I have been thinking the same thing. Except we both know that there is another set of encyclopedias out there. What if they have the same powers?”
“Yes, we are of the same mindset. This is why I think we need to try and find the other set of encyclopedias and destroy both sets.”
Miss Curly thought for a moment and said, “Professor, when we were gathering gold nuggets at the stream, you said something about taking a trip to Paris to research the encyclopedia once we returned to our time. Did you mean it?”
“It was an impulsive thought at the time. I was hoping to cheer you up. Now I think that it might be a wise course of action. It may be our best hope of finding the other buyer.”
“I agree. But I don’t think we should destroy the encyclopedia set we have until we’ve located the other set. What if we need them?”
“Although I feel it is dangerous to keep or use the encyclopedias, you may be correct. Very well. Down to business. I am retired and am free to travel whenever I like. You are new to your employment and, no doubt, have limited time off. Is there a good time for you to go overseas?”
“I have four days off at Thanksgiving,” Miss Curly replied.
“Won’t you be visiting family?”
“I am an only child, and my parents are in Chile.”
“Chile? I thought you were from the States.”
“I am. My parents are missionaries serving with the Mapuche people. They do Mapudungun translation work, teach at a school, and help out at a small local church. They weren’t too surprised when I decided to become a teacher. I miss them terribly sometimes, but I didn’t plan to visit them at Thanksgiving this year. And they are not expecting me.”
The Professor thought for a moment and said, “Well, if you are truly free, four days will give us at least two full days in Paris. Hopefully, that will be enough time to find out more about the encyclopedias, and hopefully, that information will help us decide what to do with them.”
“Do you think the gold nuggets we found will cover the cost of the trip?” Miss Curly asked.
“Oh, yes. Easily. I have researched the price of gold online.”
Miss Curly gave him a look, and he furrowed his brow.
“I am quite capable of operating a computer, young lady.”
He paused for effect, then continued, “In fact, the nuggets should cover several trips if need be. And some student loans.”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not? You found the nuggets. They are yours. You are one of the lucky ‘49ers who actually struck it rich.”
“No, we are the lucky ‘49ers who struck it rich,” Miss Curly corrected.
“We can discuss what to do with the gold proceeds later. For now, let’s focus on the trip ahead,” the Professor said.
“Agreed. You take care of selling the gold, and I will make the travel arrangements.”
“Well said. And a nice bit of taking charge,” the Professor said, officially beginning his role as mentor.
“I will also talk to Mr. Booker and attempt to find out the name of the bookstore in Paris that sold him the encyclopedias, without drawing too much suspicion.”
Continues in Part 8:
Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
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