Stargirl of the Edge

Ch 48 - TV Personality

Olivia is invited to Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope in Cheshire by Alan, the character inspired by Alan Turing. There she meets a researcher who congratulates her on her discovery of a new supernova, which she found by deciphering an ancient Chinese book. Alan takes her on a guided tour and then they go to the canteen, where a famous TV professor is about to go on his tea break. Please note the TV professor in Stargirl of the Edge is an entirely fictitious character. He is not intended to represent Professor Brian Cox!

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Alan nodded in the direction of the door. There, to Olivia’s astonishment, was the man whose television programmes had so enthralled her. With his flamboyant brightly coloured clothes and shoulder length hair he was unmistakable.  Alan waved at him, and he walked over.

“Alan, how are you doing mate?” he said in his strong northern English accent.

“Fine. And you?”

“Oh, not so bad! Not so bad!”

“How’s the latest programme going?”

“Oh, smashing! Very well indeed, we’re ’aving lotsa fun with it!”

“I found your last series entertaining,” said Alan, looking down “though I feel you did rather oversimplify the information.”

The presenter turned his head to one side.

“Well Alan me old mate, it’s television, you know, we’ve got to keep the audience ’appy!”

“You may be keeping them ‘happy’, but are they being given the complete picture?” said Alan, looking up at him, and smiling.

“Ooh, Alan, you do like to pick a fight, don’t you! ’Ay you ’aven’t introduced me to the young lady!”

Olivia was transfixed by the voice she usually heard coming out of the TV.

“Oh, I do beg your pardon, allow me to introduce Miss Olivia Yang”

He leaned forward and turned his head to one side as if to hear better, smiling widely and offered her his hand. She took hold of it, and wanted to squeeze it, but she was overwhelmed.

“Nice to meet you Olivia. Alan’s told me about you.”

“Yes, I have, but there is one thing I haven’t told you about yet...”

Alan told him about Olivia’s discovery.

“Ayyyy! That’s wicked, girl!”

Alan looked away.

“Gimme High Fives, babe!”

They slapped both hands together once, then twice.

Olivia couldn’t believe whose palm she had just slapped.

And then he started to stroke his chin.

“Ayyy! You got me thinking now! Yes, yes!” he said, clicking his fingers “There’s an idea for a television programme! He swept his hand through the air: ‘Starbabe of the Science Block! The Schoolgirl who discovered a Supernova.’”

Then he thought for a moment, turned his head sideways as if looking into an imaginary second camera just next to Olivia, and whispered:

“I don’t think the producer’s going to let me call it that!”

Alan covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head as if he was about to weep. 

“Ay, listen ’ere, Olivia. I’m off to the Arctic Circle on Friday for four weeks’ filming, but when I get back, would you mind if I contacted you?”

She nodded and smiled. She felt like pinching herself, to check it wasn’t  a dream.

“Oh, and before I forget…” he reached into his inside pocket. “...’ere’s me card!” 

Olivia studied the multi-coloured card, then turned it over. She was grinning widely, her dimples were showing and she felt embarrassed. With an exaggerated gesture, she looked over at Alan and pointed at the blank side of the card with her index finger three times. 

“I think she wants you to sign it,” he said.

“My pleasure!” and the Professor scribbled his autograph with a felt tip pen.

“All right then Alan, me old mucker, and Olivia, lovely to meet you, babe, and I will be in touch in late August or September!”

He walked over to the table where his film crew and production assistants were sitting. Olivia held the card in her left hand, waving it like a fan to dry the ink, and covered her mouth with her right.

“I think you have made a very good contact there, though I must say, I really do wish that he would speak English properly!”

She nodded, closing her fingers around the card and looking back at him one more time, and giggled.

At four o’clock they drove back through Cheshire along the country lanes. Alan dropped her off at home and continued back to his house, just 10 minutes away. 

As she came in through the door, Jessie stood up. Olivia flung her arms around her and showed her the card. She could sense that Olivia was happy, and licked her hand. For once she felt a little bit optimistic and light-hearted. When her state of mind was like this, it felt much more likely that her father would soon be released. The pressure didn’t seem so bad.

Sunset was at 9.25 that evening, another six hours.  She would go up to her room, put on her headphones, play some very loud music and dance!

Liz got back at around 6pm. Olivia rushed down the staircase and told her what had happened.  Liz was ecstatic, jumping up and down. It was the most positive thing that had happened for a while. 

“I told you you’ve got a fantastic brain!” said Liz, kissing her on the forehead.

Liz prepared a hearty meal of baked potatoes, salad, fried noodles and breaded chicken and they sat down and ate together, a rare treat.

“Livvy you must come out tonight and celebrate!”

She needed to think of an excuse to get up to the Edge after nine but she decided just to tell her mum straight.

“Mum, I just want to go for a walk, later, on my own. I just need to think. It’s been an amazing day. I want to see the stars coming out.”

“Oh, well then let’s both of us go for a walk then!”

“Mum, I need to be on my own, please! I need to think. It’s a really nice evening. And when I get back we can go to the Jolly Wizard.”

“All right then, darling,” said Liz, now realising she had grown up. “I’ll wait for you. I love you so much Livvy!”

“You too, Mum,” and they hugged.

At around 8pm, Olivia took the jeep and drove up to the lay-by. She decided to take a walk first, along the path she had taken on the twenty-third of January. That was nearly six months before, in the middle of winter. Now it was the middle of the summer. So much had happened and the ultimate question remained unresolved.

It was a beautiful evening and the sky was blue. As dusk approached, she headed for the meeting place. This was the sixth time, one time she had missed, and the next time would be the last.

She sat on the fallen tree, holding the tube with the charts. There was the sound of birdsong, a relaxed air. She waited. There was silence.

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Making a major scientific discovery, visiting Jodrell Bank as a VIP guest, meeting the famous TV professor, that's all wish fuflment for me, and perhaps for other people as well! My aim is to show that everyone has the potential and possibility to do something amazing and unique. Another famous TV personality  - I will leave him unnamed for now - helped to discover a meteor shower in 1966 at the age of 16.