Stargirl of the Edge

Ch 1 - Arrival / Dao Lai

On a cold, clear Sunday afternoon in January, the tree tops on Alderley Edge reached up into the infinite canvas of a deep blue dusk sky. In the distance, to the south east, a faint speck appeared, at first twinkling like a star, dancing in the air currents, then growing in magnitude, becoming stronger and steadier.

It moved silently, continuing north over the Pennine hills, its flashing lights now becoming visible. It seemed to be thinking as it flew, deciding which way to go next. Slowly it turned and headed to the south west towards Manchester's Ringway airport.

Up on Alderley Edge, the last few dog walkers were returning to their cars after a pleasant but chilly woodland walk. Down on the plain, a small jeep made its way along a winding lane.

"Are you feeling better now, darling?"

"Yes, a little. "

"What time is Dad's plane coming in, Mum?"

"Six thirty."

To the north, in the darkening sky, passing through low cloud, three bright beams of light shone through the haze, appearing like some extra-terrestrial craft. Then, emerging into clear air, they revealed themselves to be an airliner, a KLM Boeing 737, moving slowly like a glider, apart from the low roar of its twin engines.

Meanwhile, the jeep moved onto a highway, following the 'Airport' sign and drove faster.

As the plane descended, the orange cabin lights glowed through the portholes along the shiny fuselage. At one porthole about half way down, a face appeared: male, middle-aged and of Oriental appearance. The man looked out over the moving carpet of orange and white lights below and then turned to gather his belongings.

Now the jeep was driving by the northern end of the runway. Seen from the jeep, the lights of the plane hovered silently in the sky like a firefly, forming a halo of dazzling starburst patterns. The jeep drove on, and immediately the plane screamed over the approach lights and dropped onto the runway, its tyres screeching, engines thundering.

A few minutes later, on the second level of the multi-storey car park, the two occupants of the jeep got out.

"How long's he back for?"

"You'll have to ask him yourself, Livvy."

They made their way across the footbridge and into the warmth of the Arrivals area in Terminal 3. The people there looked mostly bored. There was nothing much to do, except watch the screens and wait.

"There, look!" said the girl. "The flight from Amsterdam, it's landed!"

They both continued to gaze at the screen, as if expecting some extra piece of information to appear, and then turned their attention back to their mobile phones.

Outside, the vast expanse of the airport lay chilled in a layer of damp, freezing air. Slowly, the plane moved along taxiways, guided by lights that appeared like strings of luminous green pearls, turning at numbered signs glowing ruby red like square Chinese lanterns.

To the south, on the horizon, the dish of a gigantic radio telescope was just visible, and to the south east, the curved, tree-covered outline of Alderley Edge, brooding presence.

The 737 rolled up to the terminal and came to a stop. The engines died down, and the passengers prepared to get off.

In the warmth of the Arrivals area, mother and daughter continued to wait and look at their phones. The mother was Caucasian, in her mid-forties, with thick, black curly hair, pale skin and reddish cheeks. She was, of medium height, around five feet five inches and wore a pink hooded jacket and jeans. She had shiny metallic spectacles, which she lifted up into her hair so she could read the messages on her phone.