Free The Portal by Andrew Norriss Page A

it was in a separate box from the one with the mole’s lungs.
    Ten minutes later, as William was climbing gratefully under the bedclothes, the front door-bell rang.
    â€˜Morning!’ said a cheery-looking man in green overalls when William opened the door. ‘Patio doors.’ He gestured with his thumb to the van behind him where another man was already unloading pieces of white plastic. ‘Is your dad in?’
    William hesitated. ‘Dad’s working.’
    â€˜Well, if you could let him know we’re here,’ said the man, ‘then we’ll get started.’
    â€˜You… you’re going to fit them now?’
    â€˜That’s the plan.’ The man smiled happily. ‘Any chance of a cup of tea?’
    â€˜Oh,’ said William. ‘Right.’
    â€˜One with sugar and one without,’ said the man and then added, as William turned to go, ‘No school today then?’
    â€˜I’m off sick,’ said William.
    â€˜Yeah…’ The man looked at him. ‘You don’t look too good. You should take it easy.’
    â€˜Thank you,’ said William. ‘I’ll try.’
    The next bricks arrived at 10.32 a.m. and brought another message from Brin on Q’Vaar.
    â€˜How are you managing?’ asked the figure in the hologram. ‘I know you’ve had a busy night but are you all right? Let me know, will you?’
    William was about to record a reply for Emma to attach to the next bricks when the station computer informed him the workmen were looking for him upstairs.
    The man fitting the patio doors wanted to know if the fascia board should overlap the bricks or not. William had no idea what a fascia board was.
    â€˜What do you think would be best?’ he asked.
    â€˜Well, if it was me,’ said the workman, ‘I’d have it like this.’ He held up a piece of plastic against the brick. ‘But you’re paying. It’s your choice.’
    â€˜Let’s have it like that,’ said William.
    â€˜You’re sure?’
    â€˜Positive,’ said William.
    And it went on like that all day. As the hours passed, William found it harder and harder to stay awake and by four o’clock, when Daniel got back from school, he was so tired it was getting difficult to understand what people were saying.
    â€˜Mrs Catterall fainted when I showed her my lungs,’ said Daniel, throwing his bag on the floor, ‘and two people were sick. There’s a van outside. What’s going on?’
    William explained about the new patio doors and Daniel asked if he could have the old ones so he could break all the glass in them with a hammer. William was still trying to work out the best way of saying no when the phone in his pocket vibrated.
    â€˜You have a passenger arriving shortly,’ Emma told him.
    It took a moment for the news to penetrate through the fog in William’s brain. A passenger? Another one? Without any warning?
    â€˜How shortly?’ he asked.
    â€˜Arrival expected in two minutes,’ said Emma.
    Moving hurriedly down the hall to his father’s office, William wondered who it could be. Perhaps it was Uncle Larry, coming back earlier than expected with news. Perhaps, he thought briefly, it was his parents…
    But the figure that came up through the Portal was not Uncle Larry, nor was it his parents. It was a short man with a head of dark curly hair and a big black beard that William was sure he had seen before but couldn’t remember where.
    â€˜Sorry to arrive out of the blue like this,’ the man said as he stepped out of the Portal, ‘but I really was quite worried. And when you didn’t answer my message this morning, I thought I’d better come over.’
    William suddenly remembered who the man was. It was Brin, the station manager from Q’Vaar.
    â€˜I… I’m fine. Thank you.’
    â€˜Really?’ Brin looked at him closely. ‘How much