In Which I Meet Mr. Darwin and He Spins a Tale

A Painting of Mr. Charles Darwin

Today, I was climbing up the stairs to the deck when I bumped into a tall man in a heavy overcoat. It took me a few moments to catch my bearings, but then I realized - It was Mr. Darwin himself! His eyebrows were much bushier in reality than they were in imagination. I think he noticed me staring, for at that moment he began to wiggle those bushy eyebrows in a rather furious manner. As my mother would say, I laughed in a completely unladylike manner. She always was embarrassed by my duck-like honk. But I had no care.

After all the tears of joy had been wept, we introduced ourselves. I told him about Miss Emily’s School for Girls and my top marks (mother would be proud) and he talked about about his life in England. He was born on the 12th of February, 1809, in Shrewsbury, which I’d passed by once on a holiday. At the age of eight, he went to its eponymous boarding school, the campus run by a certain Samuel Butler. After a few years of elementary education, Darwin was accepted to the University of Edinburgh and then the University of Cambridge, where he developed his interest in the life sciences. When he divulged the details of the dissections they performed on marine animals, I knew immediately I wanted to go to Cambridge.

But now I was here, and I was speaking with one of the premier naturalists of the day! Mr. Darwin started talking about the studies he was going to conduct on the voyage, and I could tell he was enthused - the Captain called him three times before he heard.

“My apologies, I must be on my way,” he said. “My colleagues are irked and awaiting for my presence. Let’s talk again sometime - I can tell that you’re going to become a wonderful Junior Naturalist.” (Me? A Junior Naturalist? Can you imagine!) 

And with that, he was off.