has a name,’ said Ruby. ‘And this is an especially good fall for leaf peeping. It’s due to that Indian summer we had; I mean, until a few weeks ago the days were pretty sunny, unusually so. We’ve also had some cool evenings and no rain to speak of – as I said, ideal conditions for leaf peepers. It all has to do with sunlight, sugar and sap.’
‘What?’ said Clancy.
‘The green in a leaf is chlorophyll, right? Well, chlorophyll disappears more quickly when the sunlight is bright and the evenings are cool. And dry weather makes more sugar in the cell sap, which accelerates production of red compounds. So: bright days, cool nights and no rain means the green goes fast and lots of red is made to replace it. A leaf peeper’s idea of heaven.’
‘Jeepers, you really retain all this stuff in your actual brain?’
‘You never know when it might come in handy,’ said Ruby.
‘Apart from a biology test, I don’t see this info coming in super handy,’ said Clancy. ‘It’s not knowledge you need to have at your fingertips.’
‘How do you know?’ said Ruby. ‘You never know when a piece of information might prove vital for your future survival.’
‘I think you can be fairly sure this leaf thing isn’t going to help you in a life-or-death situation.’
Ruby knew a lot of facts like this – she spent an awful lot of time looking them up in books. She sometimes even attended lectures on subjects which interested her, slipping in unseen to the Twinford University seminars. The more you know, the more you know was a motto of Ruby’s, and she knew a lot.
Clancy and Ruby were sitting high in the oak’s branches and looking up at the sky and the dark clouds that were beginning to gather. Was the wind picking up or was there rain coming in?
‘You reckon you could outrun a tornado?’ mused Clancy.
‘No,’ said Ruby.
‘You say that, but I mean could you? I mean, has anyone tried?’
‘I’m sure plenty have tried, but unless they can run at two hundred miles an hour then no, they haven’t succeeded.’
‘Even on a bike?’ asked Clancy.
‘Who can ride a bike at two hundred miles an hour? Who does anything at two hundred miles an hour?’ said Ruby.
Clancy changed the subject. ‘So how are you going to explain climbing into a garbage can?’ he asked.
‘To whom?’
‘Your folks?’
‘How are they gonna find out? Mrs Digby’s sure as darn it not gonna tell ’em.’
‘Yeah, but Mr Chester might.’
‘Oh, so he’s been broadcasting in your neighbourhood as well?’
‘Well, my sister Lulu knew about it. She overheard Mr Chester telling Mr Nori when she walked past the bus stop.’
‘Why doesn’t Mr Chester just get himself a radio station? It would give him wider coverage.’
‘I’m not sure it would,’ said Clancy.
As parents went, Sabina and Brant Redfort were two very easy-going people, but bad manners and lack of social graces turned them very uptight indeed – especially if these failings were their daughter’s. And getting spotted by the town busybody as you climbed out of a dumpster in front of a poker bar was not socially graceful.
‘Let Mr Chester gossip all he likes,’ said Ruby. She wasn’t concerned; she would figure out exactly what to say. ‘So what was the exciting thing you wanted to tell me?’
‘What do you mean, what exciting thing?’ said Clancy.
‘Come on Clance, it is written all over your face, practically oozing out of the corners of your mouth. I can tell you’ve been dying to tell me something since you got here.’
‘No fooling you, huh?’ said Clancy.
‘I can read you like a book, baby.’
Clancy frowned. ‘Let’s hope a more interesting book than the one about how leaves turn red.’
‘So what’s the news?’
‘I’m going to the Environmental Explorer Awards,’ said Clancy, smiling the smile that he would be wearing on the night.
‘You’re going to that?’ Ruby felt like she might fall off her branch.
Clancy nodded. ‘Yes, I am.’
‘Since when?’ said Ruby.
‘Since my dad had this extra invitation.’
‘How did he manage that?’ asked Ruby.
‘My mom’s not keen on some of the live exhibits.’
‘I guess you got lucky,’ said Ruby.
‘I know,’ said Clancy, ‘it’s this year’s big money-can’t-buy ticket. It must be one of the few perks of being the Ambassador’s favourite son.’ (Clancy was also the ambassador’s only son.)
‘What about your sisters? They not wanna go?’ asked Ruby.
‘Minny’s banned due to some misdemeanour or other, Lulu’s not into that kinda thing, and since I’m the third oldest the others don’t actually get a look in.’
‘I must say, for once I envy you my ambassadorial pal,’ said Ruby.
‘Are your mom and dad going?’ said Clancy.
‘Need you ask?’ said Ruby. The Twinford Environmental Explorer Awards was a three-yearly event held in the Twinford Geographical Institute, a grand modernist building near the Twinford City Museum. A large cheque was presented by a local dignitary to the environmentalist deemed to have made the biggest impact on some area of world ecology. It was a big deal event. Of course the Redforts were going. Ruby’s parents were Twinford’s premiere socialites, attending on average two major functions per week along with a sprinkling of private parties, launches and fundraisers.
‘You couldn’t, like, wrestle a ticket?’ asked Clancy.
‘It’s a sell out,’ said Ruby, ‘everyone wants to be there. I guess I will be left watching it on TV.’
‘It’s because of the exhibits,’ said Clancy, ‘that’s what makes it so popular. They said there’s going to be moon rock there and probably one or two astronauts floating around.’
‘If you get to speak to one of them you gotta ask, which is the more comfortable space suit: the G4C, or the A7L?’ Ruby thought for a moment and then added, ‘Also, does the moon really smell like wet gunpowder?’
Clancy said, ‘I’m going to ask them how they can sit in a rotating spacecraft without
