Sandcastle for Pegasus

by Bob Avey

The conversation from the other table again found its way into Martin’s ear.

  “All right,” Doctor Stewart said. “You and Alice are good people. You’ll make good parents. And I didn’t mean to sound cold or insensitive. It’s just that you speak from concept, and I from experience. Real life has a no-punches-pulled way of teaching you how it is, and the way you want it to be doesn’t always line up with that. I’ve seen too much pain and suffering, McKinley, too many broken hearts and busted dreams. Some might call me cynical. I like to think of myself as honest.”

  Martin forced himself to snap his attention back to Susan.

  “Happy birthday,” he said.

  “You’re a kind man, Martin. A bit mysterious, but I guess in a good way. I’m glad I’m married to you.”

  Again, from behind, the sound of a cell phone gained Martin’s attention, but not as much as the voice answering it.

  “It’s Alice. She’s gone into labor. I knew this was a bad idea. I should have stayed at home with her.”

  “She’s not due for two weeks, McKinley. It might just be false labor.”

  “I’m sorry, but I have to go. It was good talking with you, though. We’ll do it again some time.”

  After a shuffling of chairs, Doctor Stewart and the other man walked past the table.

  Turning his head toward the windows and covering the right side of his face, Martin looked the other way, hoping Stewart wouldn’t recognize him.

  Thankfully, they walked on without stopping or saying anything.

  Martin waited until Doctor Stewart and his friend were out of sight. Now, he had a new problem. How was he going to handle this going forward?

  “I’m feeling better now,” he said. “I’ll try not to be so spaced out from now on.”

  “You’re an interesting man, Martin Taylor.” She checked her watch. “And as much as I’d like to stay here and explore it further, we had better go. Luke will be done skating soon. He hates it when we’re late.”

  Outside in the parking lot, Martin wasn’t sure which car he and Susan had driven, or even if they owned the same ones they had now. Thankfully, Susan led him to the vehicle, his old PT Cruiser. When he fished the keys from his pocket, he wasn’t sure which set would be there. What would he do if he had the wrong ones? But it was one problem he wouldn’t have to worry about; he recognized them immediately. He had the Cruiser keys.

  Inside the car, he fished his cell phone from his pants pocket, something he hadn’t thought to do earlier. It was an older version, series five. He turned it on and checked the calendar. It showed 2014. He glanced at his reflection in the car’s mirror. He had less gray hair and a few less wrinkles. It seemed he and everything else had gone back in the same manner. He had expected Susan would be a few years younger, but he hadn’t thought the same thing would apply to him. After all, he was the one traveling.

  Susan got in and closed the car door. After a moment, she said, “Are you still lost in thought, my love? You’d better get your head together. Luke has an uncanny way of noticing details. He’ll pepper you with questions.”

  Starting the car, Martin backed out of the parking space. Then, he guided the vehicle out of the lot and onto the street. He knew the area, but having just arrived, and driving a familiar and yet different car, everything was a little awkward. He felt as if he were driving not erratically but certainly like a beginner.

  Later, when Luke came running out of the skating rink, Martin received another shocking reminder of the time. Luke, at almost ten years old, was still small and thin. His weight had come on slowly at first, but during the year he’d turned fourteen, it had rapidly become noticeable. Martin had himself to blame for that, he and Susan. They were too easy on Luke. People were quick to point that out, but they didn’t know. They had never raised a child like Luke.

  By the time Martin pulled into the driveway at home, Luke had become sleepy. It was past his bedtime. Later, he would rebel against going to bed early and relish the time he and Martin spent watching car shows on television. Something similar to that future bond was happening right now. Luke had run from the room, and when he returned, he carried a book.

  “Look Mom got me,” he said, proudly holding the book out for Martin to see.

  It was a child’s book, but not just any child’s book. This one featured Pegasus on the cover, and the mythical horse was flying over a castle. Judging from the sheepish grin on Susan’s face, Martin suspected she’d played a major role in this little caper.

  “You read me?” Luke asked.

  Martin tried not to smile, but he was helpless to stop the expression from spreading across his face. “An early birthday present?”

  Luke glanced at Susan and then nodded. “You read?”

  “All right, read the book it is, but first you have to brush your teeth and get your pajamas on. Once you’re in bed, I’ll come and read to you, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  It didn’t take long for Luke to fall asleep. Martin waited until he was sure before he tiptoed from Luke’s bedroom, easing the door shut.

  When Martin crawled into bed, Susan was waiting for him. There was no small talk, only kisses.

  Later, Martin rolled over beside Susan and relaxed into the pillow. Their making love was not unusual, but the intensity of what he’d just experienced had been. He couldn’t recall ever being happier, and he wished for this to last, for him to stay here with Susan in this time and place. He wouldn’t mind doing it all over again. After all, he had six years to prepare for what was to come, and maybe this time it could turn out differently.

  “I didn’t think you could be a better father,” Susan said, “but I’ve never seen Luke so happy. And what we just did, it’s never been quite like that.”

  She paused. “Is there someone else, Martin?”

  Running her words through his mind, Martin tried to determine if he’d said something he shouldn’t have regarding the future or anything else, but he came up with nothing. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re not that naïve, and I’m not buying it. But if you want me to spell it out for you, I will. Is there another woman in your life? Have you found yourself a girlfriend?”

  Martin shook his head. After everything they had been through, he could not understand where this was coming from. “Are you kidding me? That was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. No one could ever do what you do, Susan, not for me.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. I feel the same way. But something is definitely going on. There’s no doubt that you are Martin Taylor, but you’re a new and improved version. Not that the old version was bad, but I’m just saying.”

  She rolled over and threw one of her legs across his. “Come on, Martin. You can talk to me. What is it? What on earth has gotten into you?”

  Martin wanted to tell Susan. He needed someone to understand what he was going through, and no one else understood him the way she did. What stopped him, however, other than the fact that she wouldn’t believe him anyway, was the nagging suggestion Tanner had put into his head. His interacting with anyone or anything could change the timeline. He wasn’t exactly sure of the implications of that, but he suspected it wouldn’t be without consequence. Then again, he had already interacted with Susan in a big way. There was also Luke to consider, whom Martin had interacted with as well.

  “All right,” he said, “I’ll try to explain, but you’re not going to believe it.”

  Susan moved closer. “And why wouldn’t I?”

  Martin scooted toward the headboard and propped himself up in a near sitting position. “Because, if our roles were reversed, I’m not sure I would.”

  “Don’t ba
ck out on me now and leave me hanging,” she said.

  “I guess,” he said, “the best way to proceed might be to ease into it.”

  “Ease into what?”

  “Well, for starters, the car I’m driving will break down in a few months.”

  She giggled. “What does that have to do with anything? We’ve both been expecting that to happen.”

  “All in due time,” he said. “Whatever happens, promise me you will remember what I am telling you. You might not believe me now, but when these things happen, you will.”

  “Martin Taylor, what in blazes are you getting at?”

  “I won’t remember everything. I mean who could? I have trouble recalling what happened last week.”

  “Martin?”

  “Okay, we’ll still be in the house. We will decide not to sell and just stick with it. Later, Dan from church will sell me the Audi he drives at a super good price, you know, because the PT quit on me.”

  “If you’re making all of this up just to scare me, I’ll never forgive you.”

  A sickening thought struck Martin. His parents. The accident. “In 2017, Mom and Dad will be involved in a car accident,” he said. “An eighteen-wheeler veered into their lane. They said it was probably a heart attack for the truck driver.”

  “Martin?”

  “They didn’t survive, Susan. They’re gone.”

  “That’s crazy, Martin. I talked with Molly a few days ago. They’re fine. Why would you say such a thing?”

  “It hasn’t happened yet. It’s 2014.”

  A thought struck Martin. “I need to go see them. Maybe tomorrow.”

  “All right. But tomorrow is Luke’s birthday. Just keep that in mind.”

  “It’s never left my thoughts, Susan. Trust me, May the fourth is firmly embedded in my mind. It happened on Luke’s birthday.”

  “What happened, Martin?”

  “The accident. In 2020, on Luke’s birthday, he and I are involved in an automobile accident. It’s what started this whole thing.”

  Susan sat up and flipped on the lamp beside the bed. In the dim light, her reflection looked solemn. “So, what are you trying to say, that you’ve suddenly become psychic?”

  “Not exactly,” Martin said. “Do you remember that old movie we watched a couple of times? It was one of your favorites. I think it was called The Butterfly Effect.”

  “Yeah,” she said, “I remember. It was a movie about time travel. So, what you’re trying to say is that you think you’ve been traveling through time?”

  “That’s right, Susan. That’s pretty much what I’m saying.”

  Susan stared at Martin for a moment. Then, she leaned over and kissed him. After that, she turned off the light and rolled over to go to sleep. “I love you,” she said. “Try not to think about it. We’ll work this out. We always do.”

  Martin said nothing more. It wouldn’t do any good. He lay there awake for what seemed like hours. At some point, his thoughts drifted back to the restaurant and the unusual conversation he’d overheard between Doctor Stewart and McKinley. There had been something sinister about where the discussion was going. McKinley and his wife, Alice, were getting ready to have a baby. It had sounded as if Doctor Stewart had tried to talk them out of it. He’d mentioned Down’s Syndrome and how his job had shown him things in life most people never see.

  McKinley had said he and his wife would call the baby Angela.

  During the unnerving interview Doctor Stewart had put Martin through, he’d asked Martin if the name Angela Stewart meant anything to him. He’d seemed extremely interested in Martin’s answer. If Stewart and McKinley had been talking about the same Angela, and Martin suspected they were, it would indicate McKinley and Doctor Stewart were related.

  A disturbing thought drifted through Martin’s senses. Angela Stewart, if Martin’s guess was right, had been diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome, a condition often carrying some degree of mental retardation. Candy Barnes had also been mentally challenged, and Luke and Candy possessed very similar mental capabilities.

  A trickle of perspiration ran down Martin’s side. Was it possible that such a thing was the motivation behind Doctor Stewart’s actions? Had a lifetime of dealing with these specific conditions hardened Stewart or frightened him to the point where he was willing to bypass nature and take matters into his own hands? If such patients, however, accounted for the bulk of Stewart’s practice, he would have treated hundreds, if not thousands of people with similar problems. Why, then, did he appear to be singling out certain patients?

  An even worse possibility occurred to Martin. What if Stewart wasn’t picking and choosing but would eventually go after them all?

  Martin had a lot on his mind as he gave in to the urge and drifted off to sleep, but one thought followed him. Doctor Stewart must be stopped.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  MARTIN

  May 4, 2014, 6:00 a.m.

  In the early hours of the morning, Martin opened his eyes to the same comforting world he’d gone to sleep in the night before. He didn’t have to check his watch to verify this. It was just something he instinctively knew. It seemed the more he traveled, the more adept he became at accepting the ridiculous notion of what was happening. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

  The sight of Susan sleeping next to him filled his head with thoughts of snuggling close to her warm body and letting everything else go, but the nagging idea telling him he could probably find the hospital where Alice Stewart was staying wouldn’t let that happen. At the restaurant last night, McKinley had said his wife’s name was Alice, Angela Stewart’s mother-to-be.

  Martin rolled out of bed, and after a quick shower and getting dressed, he left the bedroom and tiptoed across the living room to the kitchen area. He tended to keep things for a long time. The coffee maker his daughter, Krystal, had sent him for Father’s Day that year, an early gift because the old one had stopped working while she was visiting, was the same one he had in 2020. So far, figuring out things like the coffee maker had been easy. He brewed some coffee, mentally chastising himself as hissing and spewing noises from the coffee maker echoed throughout the house.

  With coffee in hand, he slipped into the office, flipped on the light, eased the double French doors shut, and then sat down in the office chair and turned on the computer.

  It didn’t take long. There were only a few major hospitals in the Tulsa area. Angela Stewart was resting at Saint John’s Hospital. Thankfully, she had yet to have the baby. Martin shut down the computer. If he left now in the early traffic, he could be there in less than twenty minutes.

  “Good morning, Tiger. You’re up early.”

  Martin twirled the office chair around. Susan stood in the doorway, wearing a white, terrycloth robe. She hadn’t called him that in years. He wondered how long she’d been there. “Hey, Suze. I had some work to do. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “Are you coming back to bed?”

  Martin thought about his reply. Susan was quite accomplished at arranging questions leading him into a trap. It was best to be as honest as he could.

  “I have some business to take care of,” he said. “It’s why I got up early. I didn’t want to bother you with it. I figured I could take care of it and be back before you and Luke were up. Guess it didn’t work out that way.”

  “What kind of business?”

  What are you going to do now, Martin? You can’t tell her your time-traveling friends are up to no good down at the hospital. She already thinks you’re bonkers.

  Martin leaned back in the chair. He’d left some things uncompleted at the office. It was six years from now, b
ut not a complete untruth. He didn’t like making things up, spreading white lies, but he didn’t see any other way out of it.

  “I have some reports I need to finish up at the office. Gary wants it first thing Monday morning. There’s no way I can do that unless I run over and finish them this morning. Like I said, it won’t take long.”

  “All right, but let me remind you again that it’s Luke’s birthday.”

  “I haven’t forgotten.”

  “It’s also Sunday.”

  Martin nodded. At first, Luke had been less than enthusiastic about going to church. Martin and Susan had both spent a lot of time and energy convincing him that he should go. Now, he actually seemed to like going. He also listened to the sermons and was beginning to understand what being a Christian meant. Going to church had become part of his routine. Luke was all about routines.

  “I’ll be back in time for the eleven o’clock service.” Martin said. “And Luke will never know I was gone.”

  “You gone? Where you go?”

  “Luke,” Martin said, “good morning, buddy.”

  “Daddy has some business to attend to,” Susan said. “He’ll be back before you know it, so why don’t you go ahead and get dressed so you’ll be ready when he does.”

  She glanced at Martin. “He promised. Didn’t you, Daddy?”

  “I go?”

  “It’s just some boring old accounting reports,” Martin said, “nothing you would enjoy.”

  “I don’t see why he couldn’t,” Susan said. “It’s the weekend. No one will be there, no one that would care, anyway.”

  Luke was looking Martin in the eye, something he rarely did, when he said, “I change mind. I no go.”

  “Well, you can if you want to, right Martin?”

  “I no go. I stay.”

  “Thank you,” Martin said, immediately wishing he hadn’t said it. It made it sound like he was thankful for Luke’s change of heart, and Martin was, but only because what he was intending to do could be unpredictable, even dangerous. There was also the increased suspicion in Susan’s eyes brought about by his declaration of gratitude.