In Search of Ancient Angiosperms

Mother conscripted Claire and Ulrik to help her study the terrain for the types of rock that would indicate the Cretaceous period of the earth’s development, the period in which plant life began to reproduce using seeds instead of spores or other more primitive methods.  Father piloted the Schoneluft slowly, giving them time to examine the bare faces of the cliffs around them, and bare faces there were.  Despite the millennia of accumulated snow, many of the mountains were so steep that no blizzard, no matter how fierce, could find purchase on the vertical precipices.

Mother lectured all the children in what to look for, how the mighty rocks had developed deep in the crust of the earth, and how they had subsequently achieved their lofty positions.  Adolphus had begun by helping the search, staring earnestly out the broad windows of the great room, but after an hour his observation book had far more doodled inventions on the page than notes on mineralogy.  The younger children had not even pretended they would help.  The twins locked themselves in the children’s lab to experiment with roller skates and Chinese fireworks, and to give Bettina practice with her lock picks.  Gerhardt was in his room, which was far easier than fighting the girls over laboratory space, working on his marshmallow crossbow.

When they broke for lunch, Mother asked Adolphus for his notes.  He flushed pink as he turned them over.

“I see,” she said.  “You may keep this notebook, and continue your own work after lunch.”

“No, Mother!” Adolphus protested.  “I can find your beastly rock if Claire can!”

“No doubt, my dear, if you were at all interested in mineralogy, you would excel at it, but I think your talents are better used correcting the differential on this cog system you drew in the margins, here.  I think you’ll find that if you were not watching for my ‘beastly rock’ your calculations would make more sense.”

Adolphus took back the notebook, dropping his voice to a whisper as Ulrik passed by.  “I’ll do better this afternoon!”

“You may try, if it amuses you, liebshen, but if it were me I would follow my heart, not someone else’s ambition.”  With that she smoothed his always-tousled hair, and went to the table.

Claire appeared suddenly where Mother had been standing.

“Don’t sneak up like that!” Adolphus grumbled.

“You weren’t even looking out the window,” she accused.

“Was!”

“It wouldn’t matter if you had.  You couldn’t tell shale from chalk, must less igneous from sedimentary.”

“Could to!  You’re not going to find Mother’s rocks either!  If she doesn’t, Ulrik will.  He’s better at everything than you are.”

“Children, do sit down, the soup has been served,” Mother said, and that ended that.

When Herr vonHedwig joined them, Gerhardt wasted no time.

“Father, when are you going to stop blowing things up so we can go sledding?”

Bettina giggled.  She had taken to eating mashed potatoes and peas at every meal (to Chef’s great annoyance) and was causing an avalanche of peas to cascade down her potato peak.  “Boom,” she sang quietly to herself.

“As a matter of fact, I have postponed further experimentation due to unforeseen complications with the landscape.”

“Boom, boom, boom!”  Bettina sang.

“Exactly,” Father agreed.  “In addition, your Mother’s research takes precedence, as we only have a month here before we’re due back in Shandong.  Perhaps we’ll explore the Steppes after that.  Plenty of room for experimentation, there.  When we’ve identified some likely areas to search for Mother’s ancient seeds, she and I will take the launch and search them out, just the two of us.”

“Oh, how charming, my darling,” Mother cooed, “a research date.”

“While we are gone, Ulrik can take you sledding.”

There was a cheer around the table, muffled somewhat by mouths full of sole in buerre marnier, and in one case, mashed potatoes.

“Ulrik,” Father added, “I recommend you invite the Boiler Crew on your excursion.  If they’re interested, they make take you down in their launch.”

After lunch, Adolphus returned to his window post with determination, studying precipice and crevice diligently for nearly two hours, but alas, his attention waned at last.  As his eyes wavered from the rock face before him they dropped to the snow-covered fold below, and he was startled by a most curious observation.

Adolphus is startled by a Great Discovery.

This story began with On Grandmothers. The last episode is With a Bang and the next is Assault on the Galley.