‘Yes, well thank you very much’ - said Mrs. Sterling

Mrs. Sterling was on the phone with the headteacher.

‘A late bloomer, just like his father’ - said Mrs. Sterling

The headteacher had phoned to apologize. David would not be suspended. The headteacher was sorry about the mix-up and the accusations of cheating.

‘That was the headteacher on the phone’ - said Mrs. Sterling to David

‘Is everything sorted out now?’ - said David, who was on the computer.

‘Yes, they are not going to suspend you’ - said Mrs. Sterling

‘That is a relief’ - said David

Mrs. Sterling walked over to where David was sitting.

‘What are you doing?’ - said Mrs. Sterling

‘Solving a puzzle’ - said David

David was staring at the screen. It was a series of thousands of zeros and ones.

‘What kind of puzzle is that?’ - said Mrs. Sterling

‘It is supposed to be an impossible puzzle’ - said David

Mrs. Sterling smiled.

‘Your father told me he completed a puzzle when he was young, and he won a prize. When he called the number to claim the prize he spoke to someone from the government, and they arranged a meeting with him and gave him a test and then they gave him a scholarship to university. The puzzle was run by some spy agency to find people who were very good at puzzles, and if they could solve the puzzle then the government paid for them to go to university and then work for the government solving puzzles’ - said Mrs. Sterling.

‘Yes, I read that in a biography about father’ - said David

David was entering his details on a form, and hit enter.

David sat with his mother whilst she knitted and watched TV. David was reading a book he had found in the barn about quantum string theory.

Two days later David was eating breakfast in the kitchen. He heard the postman, and walked to the front door and picked up a letter. It was addressed to him.

David took the letter back to the kitchen and opened and read it.

Dear Mr. Sterling,

Congratulations! You have solved the Impossible Cryptogram on ImpossibleCryptogams.com.

For solving this puzzle you have qualified for a prize.

To claim your prize please dial the telephone number at the top of this letter.

Congratulations again!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

The ImpossibleCryptograms.com Team

David walked to the wall where the telephone was hanging and dialed the number at the top of the letter.

‘Hello?’ - said a woman

‘Hello’ - said David

‘Is this David Sterling?’ - said the woman

‘Yes, it is’ - said David

‘Are you, by any chance, related to Dr. Roger Sterling?’ - said the woman

‘Yes’ - said David

‘What is your relationship to Dr. Sterling?’ - said the woman

‘He was my father’ - said David

‘We would like you to come to Cambridgeshire, to collect your prize’ - said the woman

‘When?’ - said David

‘When can you come?’ - said the woman

‘Saturday’ - said David

‘Do you have a pen and paper?’ - said the woman

‘I don’t need a pen or paper’ - said David

‘Do you know the Barclay Laboratory?’ - said the woman

‘My father taught there’ - said David

‘Come to the Barclay Laboratory on Saturday at 10AM’ - said the woman

‘Okay’ - said David, and he hung up the phone

David walked to the lounge where his mother was drinking tea and watching the morning news.

‘We have to go to Cambridge on Saturday’ - said David

‘What are you talking about?’ - said Mrs. Sterling

‘I solved a puzzle and won a prize. When I called the number to claim the prize I spoke to someone from the government. They want me to go to Cambridge on Saturday and they will ask me to take to a test, and then they will offer me a scholarship to go to university’ - said David

Mrs. Sterling stared at David.

‘I am not going to go to school today’ - said David - ‘If you can call them and let them know please’

‘Okay’ - said Mrs. Sterling

David went back to the kitchen and finished his breakfast. He then sat and read books all day whilst his mother knitted and watched television.