All About Edwin Longwickle (Part 1)

Little is known about the early life of the noted astronomer and scientific maverick, Edwin Longwickle. But this much is certain: Longwickle was a person who came from a long line of people. Originally named Benjamin Rupert Longwickle, after his grandmother, he eventually changed his first name to Edwin, in honour of his chief scientific inspiration, Edwin Hubble. When he was only four, Longwickle’s father died under mysterious circumstances shortly after being run over by a lorry. A two-year investigation was conducted by local law-enforcement, but the exact cause of his father’s death remains unknown.

Widowed at the tender age of twenty three, Longwickle’s mother, Elizabeth Longwickle, was forced to raise young Edwin and his twelve siblings on her own (a task that remained quite difficult even after she donated six of the children to scientific research). However, from entries in her private diary it is now clear that Elizabeth Longwickle later came to regret her decision to give away four of her beloved children. On September 15th, 1948 she wrote: “Why did I give away six of my dear wee ones when I could have sold them all for a handsome profit?” Elizabeth Longwickle’s words were a harbinger of things to come, for only two months later she sold her remaining seven children (including Edwin) to the Circus Royale, which happened to be touring near their home in Manchester. Always the shrewd business woman, Longwickle’s mother then invested her entire life savings in a brand new pair of breasts, lost fifteen pounds, and married a wealthy banker from South Kensington.

TO BE CONTINUED...