Boy's Best Friend (11 page)

“Why do you think that?” asked George.

“She's always sneaking out to the toolshed,” said Lester. “And I hear her talking to someone.”

Vivien's eyes grew bigger. “Do you think she kidnapped someone?” she asked.

“You should follow her,” said George.

“Can we follow her too?” asked Vivien.

“Not today,” said George. “You have to go to dance class, and I have to get home and see if Bart is waiting for me.”

“Be careful,” said Vivien when Lester got up to leave. She looked worried. “I wouldn't want you to be kidnapped.”

“Don't worry,” said Lester. Then he repeated Vivien's mantra. “Happy all the time,” he said.

“Happy all the time,” said Vivien, laughing.

*   *   *

When Lester got home, he found Bill Gates at the gate chewing on a dog bone.

“He's been there 25 minutes,” said Lester's mother. That was 5 minutes under the time it had taken Lester to walk home slowly. Lester reached down and tickled him under the chin. “So far out of ten trials, you knew when I was coming home nine times.” He got down on his hands and knees and nuzzled his face into Bill Gates's neck. Then he tossed himself into the hammock his father had strung between two trees. He rolled around in it, feeling like he was in a cocoon. Then he imagined himself shedding his skin and blossoming into a beautiful butterfly.

*   *   *

Meanwhile, Bart was waiting on the steps when George arrived home.

“He's been sitting here for the past fifteen minutes,” said George's mother. That's how long it had taken George to walk from Vivien's dance school home.

“Can't fool you, can I?” said George. He gave Bart a treat, then went up to his room to fill in his logbook.

Dear Dr. Sheldrake,

Do you think there is plant and animal life on other planets? Do you think the planets can affect our life here? Sometimes when I look at the sky I get the feeling that it's looking back. Did that ever happen to you?

Yours,

George Masson

P.S. Do you know what a mantra is? And did you ever have one? Do you think they work?

Dear George,

I don't think there are animals or plants on any other planet in our solar system. Either the planets are too hot for life as we know it, or too inhospitable in other ways. Space probes have been sent to the Moon, Mars, and past some of the other planets, and although it's plausible, so far there's no direct evidence of anything living there.

Still, every star you see in the sky is a sun like ours, and hundreds of planets have been found moving round them. Because they are so far away, we don't know if these other planets are like Earth, with animals and plants and other forms of life. But because the universe is huge, with billions of galaxies made up of billions of stars, it seems very likely that some of them could have biological life on them, although it may be very different from what we see on Earth. The fact is no one knows. It's like a blank sheet on which people can project their imaginations. That could be why so much science fiction is about space travel, ETs, and invaders from outer space.

I used to live in India, where I did research in agriculture, and in India lots of people have mantras. They don't necessarily have to mean anything. I have tried chanting a mantra and found that by repeating it as I breathed I was able to focus my mind. I also felt very different and much more connected, with a sense of wholeness.

Best wishes,

Rupert Sheldrake

 

22

On Tuesday during recess George grabbed a basketball and began to shoot a few baskets. He dribbled over to Lester. “Catch,” he said.

“I'm no good,” said Lester, dropping the ball.

“It doesn't matter,” said George. “You can get good.” George threw the ball to Lester, who tried to dribble but kept losing the ball. “Things change. You said so yourself. Remember, I used to hate mustard. You'll get the hang of it,” said George. “You just have to practice.”

Lester shrugged. “Okay,” he said. “I'll take a shot at it.”

Lester stood on the foul line and tossed the ball into the air. It bumped the rim and fell to the ground. Lester tried a second time, then a third. On his fourth attempt, the ball rolled around the rim and dropped into the basket.

“See?” said George.

Lester smiled. Another virtue had been released—Persistence—and he'd scored.

When the bell rang to return to class, Ms. Clover asked the students for a progress report on their science experiments.

“I don't want to know details,” she said. “But I'd like to know if you've made any discoveries, expected or unexpected.”

Charlotte was the first to raise her hand. She had discovered that hamsters don't like to be woken up. “They get grumpy,” she said. “Then they bite.”

Marcia spoke next. She was trying to discover whether ants preferred sugar or cheese. “If you leave cheese out it starts to stink. And don't put the sugar where your little brother can get it.”

“You shouldn't put anything where your little brother can get it,” said Charlotte. The class laughed, then Ms. Clover called on Lester.

“I discovered that my dog, Bill Gates, knows when I'm coming home,” said Lester. “I kind of knew that already, though. But I discovered some other things too that don't really have to do with the experiment.”

“Such as?” said Ms. Clover.

Lester paused while the class looked on. “There are some things about Cape Cod that I really like,” he said. “Like the marsh, George, and his dog, Bart. And his sister, Vivien. I didn't like it at first, maybe because it was so unfamiliar. And I missed Denver and my life there. Denver is really nice. And I think of it as my home. But maybe I can have two homes, like the birds that go south in the winter.”

Ms. Clover turned to speak to the class. “This is one of the things we should all keep in mind,” she said. “Sometimes when we do experiments we discover things we aren't even looking for, and that's why it's good to keep an open mind. This doesn't apply just to science experiments by the way, but to life in general.”

Ms. Clover wandered over to George's desk. “What about you, George?” she asked.

“Well, I discovered that each time I think I know the answer to a question, another one comes up,” said George.

Ms. Clover smiled and spoke to the class again. “I'm afraid that's another thing that applies not only to science but to life as well. And I don't think we'll ever find all the answers.”

Ms. Clover looked back at George. “Anything else?” she asked.

“I discovered that you can keep people in your memory even though they've gone away. And sometimes it's as though they are really here.” George looked across the room at Lester. “And probably that's true of places too,” he said. George fidgeted in his seat. “Oh, and I discovered I like mustard,” he added.

The class laughed.

“Thank you, George,” said Ms. Clover.

*   *   *

Lester had invited George to come over to his house after school. When they got to the bike rack, Lester checked his watch. It was 3:08. “Did I tell you I have a parrot?” he said.

“I'd love to have a parrot,” said George. He hopped onto his bike and followed Lester. “But my mom says there are already too many people talking in the house. I think she's right.”

Lester laughed.

Bill Gates was waiting on the walkway when Lester and George arrived. And Lester's mother was sitting on a mat, cross-legged, eyes closed, in the middle of the Sunshine Studio.

“Is that you, Lester?” she said. She opened her eyes just long enough to check the time. “Bill Gates has been waiting for 27 minutes.”

“Thanks, Mom,” said Lester. “Bill Gates knew when I was coming, but I wonder if he knew George would be with me. Mom, this is George.”

“Hello, George,” said Lester's mother. She hadn't moved from her spot on the floor. “Nice to meet you.”

“How does she know it's nice to meet me?” whispered George. “Her eyes are closed.”

“I'm sure she can feel you,” said Lester.

George was puzzled. “What's she doing, anyway?” he asked.

“She's meditating,” said Lester. “She's getting calm, centered, and peaceful. She's living in the present.”

“Oh,” said George. He didn't really get it. “What does that do?”

Lester shrugged. “It's supposed to make you feel good,” he said. “I guess it must work because she always feels good.”

George nodded, taking in the quiet that surrounded him. It almost seemed to have a sound.

“My house is never this quiet,” he said. “I don't think it's possible with a little sister.”

A voice from the kitchen broke the silence. “What's up, big guy?”

“That's Carlos,” said Lester, leading George into the kitchen.

“Hi there,” said George, reaching a finger out to pet the parrot. “What else can you say?”

“He knows about fifty words, but most of the time he says the same thing,” said Lester, reaching his hand into a cookie jar filled with crackers. He took one and offered it to Carlos. “Want one?” he said to George.

“Sure,” said George. “Thanks.”

Lester handed one to George, then took one for himself.

“Just one, Lester dear,” chirped Carlos. “Just one, Lester dear.”

“Okay, okay,” said Lester, turning to George. “Carlos has me on a diet.”

Dear Dr. Sheldrake,

Do you think birds are smart? I was thinking how every year spring comes at a different time but the birds always know when the last frost is finished. And they know from far away. Why do you think that is? Also, when they call on the salt marsh, I could swear they are talking to one another, saying something meaningful, even though I can't understand it.

And when they fly they swoop all together. I wonder how they keep their pattern.

Sometimes I wish I were a bird. Did you ever wish to be a bird or some other animal?

Sincerely,

George Masson

P.S. My friend Lester has a parrot that knows fifty words. I think that's a lot for a parrot.

Dear George,

I think some birds are very smart and some are definitely smarter than others. Some of the smartest ones are members of the parrot and crow families. In laboratory experiments crows, magpies, ravens, and jays do really smart things. For example, people test their intelligence by hiding objects and seeing if the bird can find them. Sometimes if one bird watches another one hiding food, it will go and steal it when the first bird has gone away. Other times before hiding something birds will look around to make sure there are no other birds watching so that it won't get stolen.

The smartest bird I've ever come across is an African gray parrot called N'Kisi. He lives in New York State and has a huge vocabulary, about 1,500 words, which is a world record (even fifty is quite a lot for a parrot). He uses language meaningfully and doesn't just “parrot” or mime things. Most surprising, he seems to pick up the thoughts of his owner, Aimee. We've done an experiment in which Aimee sat in one room and opened an envelope containing a picture that someone else had selected. The photos were of things that N'Kisi knew the words for, like “flower” or “car.” We filmed N'Kisi in another room while Aimee was looking at the pictures. There was no one with the parrot and he couldn't see Aimee. But in many of the tests he said what Aimee was looking at. He seemed to be picking up her thoughts.

No one really understands how birds know when to migrate or how they find their way over thousands of miles. Some scientists think their ability to find their way may have to do with magnetism, but that's not enough to explain how they get the timing right, or even how they find the right place.

I've always wondered what it would be like to fly, and when I was your age, I sometimes had dreams in which I flew. I don't have them much now, which is a shame because I really enjoyed them.

Yours,

Rupert Sheldrake

 

23

On Wednesday, Charlotte brought her two hamsters to school. Normally, hamsters sleep during the day and are awake at night. Charlotte was investigating at home how their behavior changed if one of them was roused during the day when it would normally be sleeping. She wanted to find out if the rested hamster remained more alert than the one she'd roused.

“That's Adam,” said Charlotte, pointing to the one curled up on a bed of paper shavings in a corner of the cage. “And this is Eve.” Eve was spinning a wheel with her tiny feet. Charlotte opened the cage and lifted Eve, cupping the hamster in her hands. Then she walked slowly along the arc of desks so that everyone could meet the hamster. When she got to Lester he petted Eve on the head.

“Hi,” he said.

“Want to hold her?” asked Charlotte.

“Sure,” said Lester, gently taking the hamster. Eve sniffed wildly, then settled into Lester's hand.

“She likes you,” said Charlotte. She seemed happy about this.

“Why do you think that might be?” Ms. Clover asked the class.

“It might be his smell,” said someone.

“Or the temperature of his hands,” said someone else.

“Maybe it's because he's nice,” said Charlotte.

“It could be any or all of those,” said Ms. Clover. “But how could we test some of those variables?”

“Give Lester a perfumed bubble bath and change his diet,” said George.

The class laughed.

“That's right,” said Ms. Clover. “We would have to control for smell while keeping other variables constant. Then we could control for body temperature.”

“Then we'd ask Lester to be mean,” said someone.

“I'm not sure Lester could be mean,” said Ms. Clover.

Lester let out a low growl, startling the hamster. Then Charlotte lifted Eve from Lester's hands and continued along the arc of desks.