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By Root 176 0

purposefully off down the corridor, his head buzzing with his discoveries, towards the steps that led up to street level. He stopped. What was that noise? Swinging up the torch he caught a swooping pterodactyl in the beam. He flung himself to one side as it flapped by, the tip of one leathery wing grazing his cheek. The Doctor trained the torch on the flying reptile as it wheeled round to attack again. He dived full-length on the platform—but the bird anticipated its prey’s move by back-flapping in full flight, and landed by the Doctor’s head, huge jaws open to tear at the flesh of the Doctor’s face! The Doctor swung the torch round and shone it full into the monster’s eyes. Screeching loudly, the pterodactyl flew up to the roof of the station. The Doctor scrambled to his feet and raced down the station, the flapping wings pursuing him. At the opening to the stairs the pterodactyl found its wing span too great to go through. The Doctor escaped up the stairs. Being now in total darkness, the pterodactyl settled down to wait for sunrise.

7 The Reminder Room

Sarah looked through the glass door that led to the flight deck. The one seat which faced the console of instruments was empty. From time to time, the levers on the console moved of their own accord.

‘Why is there no pilot?’

‘It’s not necessary,’ replied Mark, who was showing Sarah around the space ship. ‘The controls are all on automatic pilot, locked to the controls of the leading ship.’

‘Extraordinary.’ She extended her hand to open the glass door.

Mark showed alarm. ‘You mustn’t go in there!’

Sarah quickly withdrew her hand. ‘Why not?’

‘None of us can go in there. The controls are very delicate. When we arrive, the ship will land automatically.’ He smiled. ‘And our Golden Age will begin.’

Sarah screwed up her face, and pretended that she couldn’t remember what he meant. ‘My memory still isn’t very good, Mark. How will we live?’

‘We shall found a settlement. We have seed, tools, and enough provisions to keep us going for a year. We’ll be like the Pilgrim Fathers who went to America.’

‘What about the present inhabitants of the planet? I don’t think the Red Indians liked the Pilgrim Fathers very much. Maybe these people won’t like us.’

‘We shall treat them kindly and decently,’ Mark insisted. ‘We’ll guide them, and make sure they don’t make the same mistakes that were made on Earth.’

‘What mistakes?’

‘Surely you know. Factories and mines that destroy the landscape. Explosives of all kinds that kill and maim. Cars and aeroplanes that pollute the atmosphere.’

Ruth and Adam appeared from the direction of the main living quarters. ‘Finding it interesting?’ Adam asked Sarah.

‘Very. Mark’s just reminding me about all the awful things humans have done to ruin Earth.’ She turned back to the young athlete. ‘But what about medicine and education? Surely they were good things.’

Ruth laughed. ‘Compared with its evils, the benefits of technological civilisation are very few.’

Adam took up the argument. ‘Supermarkets, colour television, plastic cups. But what are they all worth?’

‘They make life comfortable for a lot of people.’

Adam, ignoring Sarah’s reply, continued: ‘We shall take the good, but leave the evil behind.’

‘And who decides which is which?’

‘It’s all so obvious.’ Adam’s eyes began to look like those of a prophet who was in personal communication with God.

‘But don’t you think that people have a right to choose the kind of life they want?’ Sarah blurted out.

Ruth looked at her a little sternly. ‘People on Earth were allowed to choose—and see what kind of a world they made! Moral degradation, permissiveness, cheating, lying, cruelty!’

Ruth’s one-sided attitude angered Sarah. ‘There is also a lot of love and kindness and honesty! Didn’t you ever notice those things on Earth?’

Ruth’s mouth set into hard lines. ‘You mustn’t say such things!’

Mark grinned. ‘I’m sure Sarah meant nothing—’

‘Oh yes I did!’ interrupted Sarah. ‘And I’ll say whatever I like. I’ve met people like you lot before. Everything you believe in must be absolutely right! If