“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”
The boy’s eyes flew open. Then he flung his arms out in the direction of his surprise.
“My own bike!” He lunged in its direction.
Dorning grabbed him by the shoulder, holding him back.
“Not so fast, young man, not so fast. I have something else for you, something I insist you always use with your shiny new bicycle. Natalie?”
She pulled a white helmet out from behind her back.
Dorning pointed a stern finger at the boy. “If we see you riding your bicycle without wearing your helmet, I’ll take the bicycle away, and you’ll never see it again, understood? We don’t want to send you to the hospital for more stitches, now do we? You are to avoid all traffic, obey the rules of the road at all times, only ride during daylight hours, stay in our immediate neighborhood, avoid talking to any strangers, and finally, absolutely do not try any daredevil stunts. Again, if you disobey any one of these rules, I will take the bicycle away from you at once. Now, let’s see if the helmet fits properly.”
Miguel reluctantly took the helmet and put it on.
Dorning adjusted the straps. “There. Don’t change anything.”
“Can I go now?”
“By all means.”
Miguel raced to the bike, hopped on and began doing lazy figure eights on the hard-packed gravel driveway. He gave a thumbs-up sign to Dorning and Natalie as he went by.
“Keep both hands on the handlebars at all times, please,” Dorning admonished him.
Natalie smiled. “That was nice of you to give the boy something to play with, Doctor. He was getting so bored. I felt sorry for him.”
Dorning scrutinized the boy’s riding skills. “Yes. Well, he seems proficient enough. I decided this was far better than allowing him to play on the beach. He gets much too close to the water sometimes. That makes me very nervous. At his particular age, this is statistically much safer. A scraped knee can be bandaged, but there is no cure for being swept out to sea if you can’t swim, now is there?”
Natalie looked at him kindly. “It was good of you to take him in, Doctor. I appreciate having someone else to care for since the professor died. I don’t know where I would have gone if you had dismissed me. At first I wasn’t sure I could keep up with someone so young, but it hasn’t been too difficult. He’s very precious, but I’ll tell you, sometimes I still miss the professor.” She gave a heartfelt sigh. “I miss him very much.”
The doctor turned slowly towards her. “I’m not sure Percival is really gone, Natalie.” He stared steadily at her with a humorless expression, knowing he took a risk.
“What do you mean? That he lives on in our hearts?”
“No, I mean you may soon see and hear him again.”
She laughed uneasily. “How is that possible? Recordings? That’s really not the same thing, now is it?”
He opened his mouth then closed it, deciding instead to reveal the truth in small doses. “I mean I want you to start watching the boy very carefully for me.”
She shook her head, unsure what he meant. “Why? Haven’t I been doing a good job?”
“Of course you have. What I mean is, the boy is being carefully groomed to . . . take the professor’s place in due time. You should notice a change in him before too long. Please inform me when you do. Some of the things he says or does should most definitely remind you of Percival.”
Natalie gasped and put a hand to her throat. “You mean he’s that smart? I had no idea! No wonder you and the professor took him in.” She looked at the boy in awe.
Dorning relaxed. “Precisely. And that’s why I might seem somewhat overprotective of the boy at times. Nothing must be allowed to interfere with his full recovery from his . . . unfortunate accidents. I have very big plans for him.”
Natalie nodded promptly. “Of course, Doctor. Now I understand.”
Dorning smiled. “Good. Now, you might as well know I’ve also arranged to go on a short trip with the boy in the near future. We’re going to a place that was very familiar to the professor. I’m anxious to renew some of Percival’s former ties, particularly the academic ones. I expect they’ll come in handy when the boy is . . . older. We should only be gone a couple of days.”
“Whatever you say, Doctor.” She turned her attention back to the boy, still riding his bike up and down the long driveway. “Miguel. Miguel! Not so fast! Slow down.”
Dorning nodded, pleased with Natalie’s heightened sense of responsibility. That was precisely what he had hoped her response to be.
In time, he knew, she would realize the truth and be thankful the professor was back among the living.