The Twins Paradox by Alan Gasparutti (best contemporary novels txt) 📖

for you.”
Henry and Andrew remained in the pub for over an hour, before they decided to go back out and head for the harbour, where, hopefully, a man would be waiting to meet them. It was still windy outside, though the sun had by now come out.
It was a pleasent stroll to the harbour, where they didn’t have to wait too long before a young man appeared.
“Hello there,” he said. “Might one of you be Councillor MacDonald?”
“Yes, that’s me,” said Andrew. “Are you the owner of one of these boats in the harbour?”
“Ai, that I am,” said the young man. “I understand I may be able to help you?”
“I’m sure you can, I’m sure you can,” said Andrew. “It’s just a small query at this moment, but do you know the name to the narrow cliffs that jut out at the Butt of Lewis?”
“We don’t really have a name for those cliffs, but I believe they’re shown on maps as Cunndal,” replied the young man. “Is that it?”
“Well, you see, we’d like to know how low the tide gets at that point, or whether a beach is unveiled at low tide?” asked Andrew.
“I believe a beach is unveiled at low tide a little further along to the south of Cunndal, but I don’t believe the depth at that point is high enough for any beach to materialise.”
“Oh thanks, thanks,” said Andrew and Henry, to which the young man asked what the query was about. Andrew and Henry looked at eachother, unsure what to say. This was where Henry’s psychic aspect came in handy, as he stared at Andrew.
“Yes indeed,” Andrew replied, as if Henry had asked him to confirm that planning permission has been granted. Henry then asked, psychically of course, if it would be okay to divulge the scheme, to which Andrew said okay, but not to say too much just yet. Henry then told the young man about the scheme.
“Oh yes, I’ve heard about something like that,” said the young man. “Do you know when it will be constructed?”
“I’m afraid we have no planned dates for that as yet,” said Andrew. “Planning permission hasn’t yet been confirmed.”
“We’re just trying to ascertain how large the turbine should be, and what infrastructure would be required for the project,” added Henry.
“Oh, right,“ said the young man. “Would you mind if I go now? I’ve got a few friends to meet in the local’.”
Andrew and Henry said farewell to the young man and shook his hand, before walking back to the car.
“So, what now, then?” asked Henry.
“Is there anything else we need to find out?” Andrew asked him.
“Not that I can think of,” replied Henry. “Thinking about it, I suppose we should have found out about these things before arranging consultations.”
“Probably, probably,” said Andrew. “This isn’t just you’re average run-of the-mill scheme, however. We need to see if the people of the island are prepared for such a scheme. I don’t think planning permission will be a problem.”
“Let’s hope not,” muttered Henry. “We’ll have to find contractors to carry out the work, when it’s all agreed.”
“I’ve got a list of some contractors who the council have used, in my office,” Andrew told him. “Would you like to go back to the office this afternoon – it shouldn’t take long.”
Henry looked at his watch, which was gone 4.30.
“Good Lord, is that the time?” he half-shrieked with surprise. “I’m staying here tomorrow and over the weekend, so I can come and pick up that list tomorrow, if you’d prefer?”
“I think that would be a better idea,” agreed Andrew.

Henry went to meet Andrew the next morning in his office, where he picked up a list of contractors which he had put together. He looked carefully through the list.
“I see some of the contractors are from the mainland,” he queried.
“Yes, that’s right,” said Andrew. “There are a few local contractors, but they may not have all the plant & machinery you may require for the project.”
“Well, thanks anyway,” Henry acknowledged. “I’ll have a closer look over a pint, and go and visit some later today.”
“Oh, by the way, I meant to tell you yesterday, I’m going to a meeting in Edinburgh next Friday,” Andrew mentioned before Henry left the office. “Perhaps you may want to meet me there for an update on things?”
“Hhmmm, possibly,” replied Henry. “I’ll have a look in my diary when I get back.”
“Actually, I’d be interested to see those cars of yours,” Andrew then said, after which Henry turned around with interest.
“Come to think of it, I don’t believe I have anything on next Friday,” he said. “I can bring one along perhaps.”
“You say they’re eco-friendly,” queried Andrew.
“Oh yes, certainly,” said Henry. “Whereabouts are you staying?”
“At the Novotel, just outside the city,” replied Andrew. “Do you know Edinburgh at all?”
“Not really,” said Henry. “It would be nice to visit the city, though.”
“Well it won’t be difficult to find the hotel,” Andrew told him. “It’s just off the end of the M8, where it meets the city orbital road, not far from the airport. I’ll send you the details by email.”
“Thanks very much,” said Henry. “I hope to confirm things when I get back.”
“Well mind how you go,” Andrew said to Henry as he left the office.
“’See you next Friday, if all’s well,” said Henry, as he waved farewell before closing the office door.

Henry then went back to his hotel, to take a look at the list of contractors. He had a map of Stornoway on him and so decided to go and see some of the Contractors himself. He told them about the scheme and discussed requirements with them, whether they could meet them, how much this would cost and how long it may take. In the end, he took the details of each of them (there were three in all on Stornoway) before going back to his hotel to have a closer look at the details.
Henry hired a car for the weekend, and drove to the cliffs at Cunndal, though he had to walk the last half mile to get to the cliffs themselves. He took his brief case with him, in which was a small replicator with the designs of the infrastructure for the scheme. He considered using the replicator against the land, to create the infrastructure, but in the end thought it best not to. The infrastructure concerned would be too large and heavy for one man to replicate, particularly as the winds were strong.
Henry contacted Ramondo back at Skipton, and asked if he could come along the next day. Ramondo, however, wasn’t too sure, so said he’d check out any flights that weekend, and call him back.
Ramondo looked on the internet, and found that though there were some flights on Saturday evening, he would still have to travel to get to a suitable airport in the first place. After Ramondo suggested booking in at a hotel on the outskirts of Glasgow later that night, before catching a flight the next morning, Henry lost interest in the idea. Instead, he considered arranging the use of a heavy vehicle for a couple of weeks time, and to come back with Ramondo, and if possible, Lucas as well.
Henry went back to his hotel and looked at the lists of contractors. He decided to visit the Isle of Lewis on Sunday, and stayed at Stornoway for the next evening. On Monday, he went to visit some other contractors on the island, to see what they had to offer, as he didn’t fancy involving contractors coming across from the mainland. He didn’t make any arrangements at the time, but took details of the work entailed, and their expense, back to Skipton with him, to look over with Ramondo.

By the middle of the week, the two of them had decided which contractors to hire, and so made arrangements for the work to be carried out on the turbine. A commencement date was set for July 25th, after which Henry began to concentrate on his next expedition – a trip to meet Andrew at Edinburgh on Friday, and show him the digital car he and his team had designed.
Henry checked over his digital car on Thursday, to ensure everything was in good condition and running smoothly. On Friday morning, he awoke a little earlier than usual and had a shower to freshen himself up, and after breakfast, he set off for Edinburgh. Though it was rush hour, the local roads seemed fine, until he got to Sedbergh. He then proceeded through the traffic to the M6, which he followed beyond Carlisle and eventually took the A7 to his final destination. It was about midday when he reached the Edinburgh orbital road, which he followed to the hotel where Andrew was staying.
When Henry booked into the hotel, he noticed Andrew’s name on the register, and after going up to his own room to sort his baggage, went back downstairs to the hotel foyer, where he read a Top Gear magazine while waiting for Andrew. Henry was facing the stairs, expecting Andrew to come down at any time, but instead felt a tap on his shoulder from behind.
“Hi there, Henry, have you been waiting here long?” was the question, after which Henry turned around, to find Andrew.
“Hi there,” Henry said to him after shaking his hand. “Have you just come from that meeting?”
“Ai, it lasted a little longer than I expected,” Andrew told him. “We had sandwiches and refreshments laid-on, so we were obliged to stay back for lunch, too.”
“Well you know what they say - waste not, want not,” chuckled Henry. “Besides, I wouldn’t turn down anything free of charge.”
“You don’t mind waiting a short while, while I go and get changed?” asked Andrew.
“No, no, that’s okay,” replied Henry. “I could do with some lunch of my own, to be honest. I’ll meet you down here in half hour.”
In actual fact, they didn’t have to wait that long, though Henry was still eating his sandwich when Andrew arrived in the foyer. Henry scoffed the rest of his sandwich in no time, before leading Andrew to the hotel car park and his digital car. He was about to open the bonnet, when Andrew suggested they go for a ride in the hills of southern Scotland. Above all, Andrew wanted to get a feel of the vehicle before looking into it.
Along the way, they stopped ay a local café, where they had some tea and scones. Henry wanted to show the car to Andrew, but little did Henry know that Andrew had been monitoring the fuel gauge, and was impressed that this had hardly moved.
Henry did eventually get his chance to tell Andrew how the car worked.
“I see you still have a fuel gauge in this car of yours?” Andrew queried.
“Yes, this only comes into play after the car has started,” he explained. “It operates similarly to a normal car initially. After the ignition, the normal process, whereby the fuel is used to run the car, will apply. Once the car is in motion, however, the chips in the car will turn and gain energy as the car moves.”
“And do these run the car thereafter?” asked Andrew.
“That’s about it,” replied Henry. “By the time the car has moved into third gear, the chips will have been rotating and gaining energy. The third gear chip will have gained sufficient energy to propel the vehicle, and likewise, so will the fourth and fifth gear chips prior to changing into these gears.”
“Doesn’t the car have chips for first and second gear?” asked Andrew.
“There are chips