Zodiacal light

Chapter 5

When Vicky woke up the next morning, she prepared her breakfast and went out to sit on the balcony to eat. While looking at the sea, her thoughts were miles away. She looked so much forward to her first day at the course.

She was going to see the amazing observatory and god knows how many brilliant scientist would be there too. "I wonder if I am clever enough to understand everything they talk about" she thought to herself a bit worried. "What if someone asks me something obvious and I get too nervous to reply thorough?" she continued to worry. "Ah Vicky, stop it! Just go and have fun, instead of worrying all the time." She replied to her thoughts.

She cleaned up the table, dressed up and headed for her car, to drive to the observatory, where the course started. As she entered the dome, she could see that many had already arrived. She found a free seat, and waited for the lecture to begin.

As the light in the dome faded, she could hear a voice close by "Sorry. Excuse me. I am very sorry to disturb. Oh sorry mam." There was something very familiar to the voice. Then it hit her. It was the man from her trip yesterday! As he got closer, she could see his tall silhouette again, and she caught herself just staring at the man she could not see.

"Sorry mam. Is this seat taken?" The man whispered to her. Vicky was speechless. All she could do was shaking her head, and luckily, he could see her shake her head. "Thanks" he replied as he sat on the chair next to her.

The professor started to talk about the latest discoveries in Space, but Vicky's thoughts were a very different place. She continued to cast sidelong glances at the man next to her.

"Amazing, isn't it?" she heard the man whisper to her. Vicky nodded while her heart skipped a beat as she could feel his warm breath close to her ear.

"Oh, that was my key word. I have to go down there now to speak and then I am off" she heard him say. She was a little puzzled about what he had just said. "Did he just say that he had to give a lecture?" Vicky thought dizzy.

An applause rose in the dome, as the professor ended his lecture, and the host entered to introduce the next speaker.

"Wow that was a powerful lecture professor. I am sure that everyone in the dome agree." The host said while the applause continued.

"Next we have a man with us, who can reveal a lot about the phenomenon "zodiacal light" The host said out loud, as the applause slowly faded.

"Please welcome Doctor Brian May!" he said aloud, and the dome started applauding again.

Vicky was baffled. She could see the silhouette enter the room. The same silhouette she saw yesterday in the darkness on mount Teide. The same silhouette she had just sat next to a few minutes ago.

She could just sit and stare at the silhouette, as it became brighter and brighter, until the light revealed a man she perfectly knew who was.

"Have I been sitting next to Brian May yesterday on a mountainside? It cannot be. It must have been someone else who's got the same build as him." Vicky continued to tell herself.

She just kept staring at him the rest of his lecture, and the more she listened to him, the more evident it became, that the accent was similar to the voice she had heard the day before, but Vicky refused to believe it.

The lecture ended, and Brian hurried out. The dome applauded loudly again, and people slowly started to leave the room.

Vicky headed for the host. "Excuse me Sir, but do you know where Doctor May is. I have something I need to ask him." Vicky asked eagerly.

"Sorry madam. He was in a hurry, but you might get lucky if you walk through that door." The host said, pointing at a door at the left side of the room.

Vicky ran over to the door and opened it. She ran down the stairs and outside, just as she saw Brian open his car.

"Doctor May! I have something to ask you" Vicky tried to call aloud, but she had lost her breath running so fast.

"I have a very important meeting now. Sorry." She heard him say without even looking at her. He entered the car and hit the speeder.

A dust cloud emerged from his trail. He was gone.

Gone before she could tell him about the night at the concert.

Gone before she could ask him about yesterday's trip to mount Teide.

She headed for her own car. She just had enough time to drive back to the hotel, to make herself ready for the meeting with the man she had just met yesterday. "Vicky it's not him. You are not going to have a meeting with Brian May. Why should he want to do that?" Vicky tried to convince herself.

As she arrived at the hotel again, she headed straight ahead for thebathroom. As she stood under the shower, salty water ran down her face.