‘I think your mice are making people happy in the world. They make me happy!’
‘I don’t think that counts: I like doing them.’
‘It counts. Anyway. I need to order another book and I need to say thank you for the discount and the way I would like to thank you is with this!’
He brandished something at her.
‘What’s that?’
It was a tourist flyer for Camera Obscura, with a two-for-one offer, valid on a weekday morning, which it still was, for about forty minutes.
‘Camera Obscura?’ said Carmen, frowning. ‘I’ve heard of it. It’s a touristy thing, isn’t it? What even is it?’
‘It’s how they used to draw things before photographs! It’s amazing.’
‘Isn’t it for children?’
He rolled his eyes.
‘And the young at heart.’
‘But what actuallyisit?’
‘It’s a hole in the roof!’
Carmen frowned.
‘You want to go see a hole in a roof?’
‘It changed the world!’
‘How?’
‘Because! You had perspective and straight lines and could draw and trace things and get precision into art and work and, well, it’s just very, very cool. It’s over 2,500 years old. Don’t you think that’s quite cool?’
‘That striped building by the castle?’
‘Now you’re being dense on purpose. The technique.’
Carmen picked up the leaflet. It was covered in wacky light shows.
‘Why is it covered in wacky light shows?’
‘That’s just to get the kids in,’ he said. ‘But they have the original at the top. I think it’s worth seeing.’
‘The original box with a hole?’ Carmen frowned. ‘But we can still go see the wacky light show, right?’
‘If you like.’
Well, it was better than mooching about trying to work out what the time difference was between LA and Edinburgh. Carmen traipsed back through the stacks.
‘Is this a lunch hour again?’ said Mr McCredie, but his face wasn’t quite as low as it normally was.
‘Possibly … Are you readingWhite Boots?’
‘Possibly. Don’t worry: I’ll hold the fort.’
Carmen smiled.
