Mia's Optiscope. Natalie Rose

handed the trimmed beans to her mum and began peeling the cucumbers.

      ‘Joseph is sick,’ Mia suddenly blurted out.

      ‘Yes, yes he is,’ Mrs Glasson replied, at once understanding what had been bugging Mia all afternoon.

      ‘He is very old,’ Mia stated. ‘I don’t want him to die. Why does he have to be so old? I only just met him and now...’ Mia became upset and buried her head in her arms.

      ‘It’s a shame,’ Mum consoled, ‘we were both wrong about him being young... but you know, he’s not dead yet.’

      Mia raised her head, a look of shock on her face. ‘We’re going to see him tomorrow, right?’

      Mia shrugged her shoulders and buried her head again.

      ‘And we will see him as often as you like, until, well, until we can’t see him anymore. What would you rather? To have never met him and never known who it was you shared a game with, or to have met him and had a chance to say goodbye?’

      Mia shrugged as she stared at the floor under her. Say goodbye? I’ve only just met him, why should I have to say goodbye? She felt Mum’s hand on her back.

      ‘Mia, Mia darling. You know, he’s clung on for you?’

      Mia looked up with a puzzled expression.

      ‘That’s right, love, fought that little bit harder so he could meet you.’

      Just then Dad came home, and, seeing his wife and daughter looking so serious, put his bags down and took a stool next to Mia. Mia leapt onto his lap and buried her head in his shoulder.

      ‘Hey, hey what is it?’

      Mia just clung tight, unable to say anything. His wife filled him in.

      ‘Pretty cool,’ he said at the end.

      ‘What do you mean?’ Mia scowled.

      ‘Well, it’s certainly not boring, is it? Besides, he might leave you a fortune.’

      ‘Dad!’

      ‘What? It’s not like he has any family, right?’

      Mia squinted at him.

      ‘Okay, look I’m sorry, I’m just teasing. Although, it seems the only people in the world he knows are Denise, Mum, and you.’

      ‘Hun, don’t...’ Mum warned, ‘I’m sure he has plenty of people in his life.’

      ‘No, I don’t think he does Mum.’

      ‘Oh?’

      ‘I asked him if his friends visit. He said no like he didn’t have any.’

      Mia had not thought of this, and it hadn’t crossed Mum’s mind either by the looks of it - she was scowling with disapproval. This new thought didn’t seem to cheer Mia up, so Mum suggested a game of ball after dinner. It proved to be a good distraction, and they stayed outside until the mosquitoes drove them indoors.

      That night, long after her bath and bedtime story, Mia lay staring up at her bedroom ceiling. As she scanned the embossed fruit and leaves in the cornices of her room, Joseph’s words ran through her mind. ‘See back in time one hundred, two hundred, and even one thousand years.’ Well what about two thousand years? Mia thought to herself. She could hardly wait to see the glasses in action. She was tempted to use them now, but she had agreed to wait until tomorrow. Besides, she couldn’t turn the dials, she’d tried but they wouldn’t turn over. Does Denise help Joseph turn them? How does he manage with those hands of his? Why can’t I tell anyone? So many questions milled through her mind that it was quite surprising she fell asleep at all.