Some useful words in
Spark World
Anti-matter Yorke Barnsley’s antidote, for example, for misapplied QuanTum.
Aqua A dream-like coastal paradise.
Async Mazik’s ‘face turned sparkling gold! His dimples glowed. His eyes twinkled. The assembly gasped. The magic spread instantly.’ Async is the skin colour change that becomes global, causing the outbreak of peace.
Asyncing Mazik and Kizam learn to synchronize and control rhythmical changes in both their skin and fabar colours and their shape.
Be-Qua An electronic rather than physical state of being. Individuals are separate entities within the particle cloud of Qua and can move around freely without losing identity. In a state of Be-Qua, no earth time passes. The entirety of Qua can be sensed.
Deep Thought An elevated level of consciousness evolved by Annie, giving her enhanced communications capability with humans, Qua and computers. She regards this is part of her prodigious ‘cerebral spectrum’.
Fabar As Yorke says when he appears wearing a brightly shimmering, silky, booted onesie: ‘It’s the latest in smart suits. The material is called fabar. Erm…for Fabric from Barnsley!’ he improvised, ‘Keeps me at a comfortable temperature whatever the environment.’ Faber meaning artisan, craftsman, architect, creator, maker, artificer, forger or smith, from Proto-Indo-European “to fashion, fit”. Cognate with English daft, deft, Lithuanian “habit, character”, Czech “good”.
Gobstopper A large round, hard sweet consisting of different coloured layers that are revealed as it is sucked.
INU The International Novation University situated between Revolution! and Brickley Woods, founded by Jimmy Spark and Dizzy Tech. It is dedicated to environmental research.
InuSolar A production unit set up by Jimmy Spark including both flexible solar panels on a long roll, which can be used almost anywhere at very little cost, and also the coating machines for making the rolls.
Paulinus 627 The mineral rich asteroid capture by Jimmy Spark and the crew of the spacecraft Thrymsa. After a nearly catastrophic mission, they land the asteroid on the Moon.
Qua An electromagnetic colony of sub-atomic particles. Qua first visited Earth to communicate with Jimmy and the crew on board Thrymsa during the Paulinus 627 mission. Qua memorized everything useful that is online on Earth.
QuanTum Growth compound that Yorke generates from his digestion. Subsequently, production is bovine.
Quantummy An abdominal sensation Mazik feels, usually but not always as a result of swallowing QuanTum.
Quarth Qua’s attempt at planet-building based on Earth, but with an initial confusion of geological periods. Quarth is inhabited by a mix of prehistoric animals, had twin-suns and three moons.
Quasi Special powers given to various Spark siblings by Qua, via Yorke Barnsley, a humanoid manifestation of Qua. Subsequent materializations included Cratese-Platese and Sam Nyhill.
QuaSteak Delicious potato-based steaks made from 16-kilo potato whose growth is accelerated by QuaDust.
QuaTree Huge trees which grow at an astonishing speed when treated with specially adapted QuanTum.
Revolution! The sports stadium, adjoining INU, originally founded by Jimmy Spark and Dizzy Tech.
Smarmcloaks Latest exclusive fashion designed by Spiky Smarmycreep consisting of ripped dust sheets covered in splodges of old paint, painters’ slime, filth and muck.
Spark World The oldest Spark sibling, Jimmy, has returned from a dangerous space mission during which Qua, an alien electromagnetic life-form, makes contact. The evolution of Sparks Fly reflects Qua’s involvement with earthly matters.
Syn-Qua Sharing sensations and sensing them differently from normal. A state of mind achieved by Annie, Mazik and Kizam.
Thrymsa The spacecraft of Jimmy Spark and his crew during their mission to capture the mineral rich asteroid Paulinus 627 and land it on the Moon.
Veronica Gramps’ vintage Bentley.
Yorke’s spark An inspiring electric pulse surging power through the entire body, initiated by contact with Yorke.
Illustrations by Peter Hudspith
