Henry and Sophie

by Grant Eagar

  He regarded her thoughtfully then scanned the horizon. “As we walk toward the farm every so often there will be some form of time shift. I don't want to be separated in the shift.”

  They walked for a ways with an occasional carriage or horse passing by. They finally approached what appeared to be a shimmering wall which went up into the sky. “If this is what I think it is then we’ve finally come to one of the mile time shifts.”

  Sophie looked at the wall with some confusion. “I think this is the part where we really need to hold hands. So how do we cross the wall? If we just step across part of us will be in a different year than the rest. Do we just step through or would it be more prudent to run through?”

  He took a cake out of his pocket and prepared to throw it through the wall.

  “Don't!” Sophie yelled.

  “Why not?”

  “I'm starving. We don't know when we’ll eat again.” She took the cake, broke it in half and handed part of it to him.

  After they had eaten he took her hand and asked, “Shall we?”

  She smiled and kissed him. “This is for luck.” They both ran at the wall and fell backward onto the ground.

  She rubbed her head where it had hit the barrier, “That was brilliant. It felt like we’d run into a great pillow.”

  “Well nothing ventured, nothing gained,” said Henry picking up his hat and putting it back on. They rose and touched the wall. “It has no texture, but there definitely is some resistance.” Henry took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. He took the hat and gently pushed it into the barrier and it disappeared. He pulled it back and glanced at Sophie. “I think we have to slowly step through the barrier.”

  She gave him a brave smile and took his hand and they slowly pushed through the barrier. It felt like they were in every day, every hour, every moment of time of the year they passed through simultaneously, finally they stepped through and they stood in a downpour. Henry took a deep breath. He took his jacket off and handed one end to Sophie and held the other over their heads to provide protection, but the rain passed right through it and right through them as well. He gave her a sheepish grin and put the jacket back on. “Well at least we cannot get wet. I feel different somehow, something has changed inside me.”

  She said, “I do as well, something is different. She glanced backward at the barrier, I feel a bit melancholy as well leaving my fourteen year old world along with the world which contained a living breathing grandmother.”

  They continued their journey across a bridge and up a hill leaving the city and entering the countryside. The road was now hemmed with rock walls and picket fences. Finally they were confronted by another shimmering wall. Sophie grabbed Henry’s hand “Take a deep breath and let’s get this over with.” They struggled to push through the barrier; this time it took longer to get through.

  “Whew, that time period wanted to keep us,” said Henry.

  She straightened her hair. “You’re just getting lazy.” They walked across a field filled with short horn cows and met the next barrier. Taking hands they fought through once again. “It is getting harder, I don’t care what you say,” said Henry.

  “Despite my love of disagreeing with you, I think you’re right,” said Sophie.

  He turned and raised his eyebrows. “You think I’m right, that’s a new one. My concern is that if they get harder we won’t be able to make it through the last barrier.”

  “That problem we’ll have to deal with when we come to it. Look at the cows, there is something different about them.”

  Henry walked up to the cows. “These are the same cows as on the other side except these are a year older, the herd must have moved. And ... they’re not as faded.”

  He walked up and touched the cow. His hand still went through it but this time it took a little force. They walked another hour and the road went through two more barriers, each more difficult to pass through than the last. They finally approached the last barrier. Henry walked up to the barrier and gave it a gentle touch. “This one feels like a brick wall, I don’t know how we’re going to get through it.”

  There was the loud noise of an airship and Johnson came into view. When he saw them he pulled out a pistol and trained it on the pair.

  Henry glanced up at him. “Problem solved, it appears our cab has arrived.”

  “If only the driver of our cab was not intent on killing us then this would be a grand thing. I suggest we run,” said Sophie.

  Johnson yelled from above, “Henry just face it, you’re never going back! I’ll soon be rid of you once and for all.” He frantically fired three shots at them. One bullet went through Henry’s hat, grazing his brow.

  Sophie grabbed Henry’s arm and they changed course and headed towards a grove of trees. “Come on before he gets into range. Try to weave in and out of the trees.” They ran between the trees attempting to avoid the occasional shot.”

  Johnson landed the ship in a clearing and stalked them through the grove of trees. “Henry, your days of inventing are over! You’ll not be able to help the English and the count will prevail. He’ll soon rule Europe as intended. No more old Monarchy. You’ll all bow to your new King, the count.”

  Henry was tempted to respond, but Sophie put her hand over his mouth and whispered, “Don’t say anything; he’s trying to bait us so he’ll know where to shoot.”

  They tried to keep trees between themselves and Johnson. “He has a gun and all we have is a dagger. This isn’t a fair fight,” said Sophie.

  Henry thought for a moment. “Are you not wearing a bustle?”

  The corners of her mouth turned up. “So you want me to remove my dress? If I’m going to be shot, I want to at least be decent.”

  “I never thought of you as a prude. I just need the elastic and the frame.” They continued to slip through the trees. Sophie removed her dress, wearing a corset and petticoat. Henry took the elastic from the bustle and using the frame he made a crude sling shot that fit in the crook of his arm. “Okay, what do you have in your bag?”

  She looked through her bag. “I have twenty pieces of silver and one gold coin, some lipstick, and a parasol.” He took the gold coin and the silver. He put the silver in his pocket and the gold coin in the elastic and pulled it back. She scowled and asked, “Why the gold, there is plenty of silver here.”

  “The gold is heavier and I may only get one chance. Now you run ahead and I’ll wait for him.”

  After putting on what was left of her dress, she squeezed his shoulder. “Henry, don’t play the hero. I’m staying so where you go – I go.”

  “Stubborn girl, leave me be or at the very least stay quiet and keep out of my way. If you won’t leave I will go and find Johnson myself.” He then slowly back tracked where he had heard Johnson was coming from, going from tree to tree and peering around them.

  A minute later Johnson entered the clearing looking around with his pistol extended. He made his way towards the tree where Henry hid. “Henry, it will only be a matter of time, come out now and I promise to make your death quick and merciful. And if you come out now I’ll let Miss Sophie go no questions asked. Come on be reasonable.”

  What an offer, how can I resist? Henry stepped out and shot the coin at him then ducked back behind the tree. The coin hit Johnson in the forehead. He rubbed his head and laughed. “Is this the best you can do?” He bent to pick up the coin.

  Sophie, who had been hiding behind a different tree pulled a dagger out of her boot and pegged Johnson in the thigh. He screamed in pain and emptied his pistol in her general direction then staggered back towards the air ship reloading as he went.

  “Sophie?! I thought I told you to stay.”

  “Do I ever listen to your commands? Come on we need to get on that ship before he does.” They sprinted to the ship and climbed aboard. Henry hit the forward lever just as Johnson entered the meadow. He had reloaded his pistol and fired several shots at them before they were out of his range.

  �
�You can’t leave me here.”

  Sophie waved at him and tossed the bucket of biscuits on him. “That sounds familiar, is that not what I said earlier when you left us behind? Best of luck getting through the wall.”

  They rose another thousand feet. “Why are we going so high we just need to cross the barrier?” asked Sophie.

  “Put on your parachute, I have no idea what is going to happen to the ship once we return to our time. I think it prudent to enter the barrier as close to where we left it as possible.”

  “What could go wrong? Okay, okay you are Henry David; something is going to go wrong. The ship approached the barrier, slowed then started to shake and smoke as it went through.

  When they had cleared the barrier Sophie put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Henry, I can smell the grass and the flowers. I finally feel alive again. We are back in our own time.” She stepped back and took in the view. “Today has been an excellent day. We visited my grandmother, my fourteen year old self, and had a pleasant walk. Other than being shot at it was extraordinary.” She glanced at the boiler which had several bullet holes in it and was on fire. “And the ship will soon explode, you have entertained me beyond my wildest expectations and we caught a spy in the process. Well done, though we should depart before this thing explodes?”

  He checked their parachutes then extended his hand. Glancing down he turned and smiled at her. “Shall we?”

  She put her hand in his and they stepped off the airship into space.

  CHAPTER 16

  A Disguise

  After things had settled down a bit Henry had returned or rather been dragged back to work. His mouth was once again full of pins as he pleated some trousers for a clergyman. He stood up and removed the pins from his mouth. “That will do sir, we'll have these ready for you in a few days.”

  “Very good,” said the man. Then after exchanging the pants he departed.

  Henry winked at several young ladies who waited for him and noticed the scowls of their governesses. Why is it that the sweeter the young lady the more ornery, hateful and belligerent their governesses? He raised his arm to signal Michelle, the next young woman with a warm smile, but to his surprise a man in a suit stepped in front of the girl. “Excuse me Miss, this is an extreme emergency.”

  Michelle, a blond girl who was a frequent customer, stepped back with an annoyed look. “I'm sorry sir, but there is a line.”

  Ignoring the girl, the figure grabbed Henry by the arm and said, “I must insist.” Henry was roughly dragged behind the partition; the figure whipped Henry around and covered his mouth with her hand. “Henry, it is I Sophie.” He looked at her with surprise in his wide eyes.

  She had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Henry, if I remove my hand do you promise not to scream?”

  His eyes narrowed and he mumbled an obscenity then finally nodded and after she removed her hand. “Why do you think I would scream? What kind of pansy do you take me for?”

  “Just the force of habit, I’ve done this before. It just seemed like the right thing to say at the moment. So what do you think of my disguise?”

  He took hold of her shoulders and studied her. “You pass off reasonably well, but I know you so let me try something.” He stepped out of the partition and took Michelle’s arm. “Miss, please come with me, I require a ladies opinion on how my friend looks.” He led her behind the partition. “What do you think of this gentleman? What would be your reaction to him if you saw him on the street?” He then turned to Sophie, “could you walk back and forth a bit?”

  Michelle gave Henry a nettled look. “You expect me to give an honest opinion of this boorish rascal?”

  Henry took her arm to lead her away. “You're right; maybe I should ask someone else? I'm sure considering his rudeness you could not offer an objective opinion.”

  She held firm. “I'll stay; I've waited long enough to see you. I'm not going anywhere.” Then turning and regarding Sophie she added, “Even though he’s rude, butting in line and all, I consider him quite handsome. There is a little of the sissy look to him, but all men can't be rugged looking.” She then glanced at Sophie again and her eyes widened, “this is a girl ... Sophie? Is that you? ”

  Sophie sighed in frustration and raised her hands in defeat. “Yes Michelle it’s me.”

  “Well you definitely are a rascal. Why am I not surprised?” She walked around Sophie and squeezed her arm. “Sophie, you look like you’re in misery.”

  Sophie touched her chest and said “The bindings are quite painful.”

  Michelle said, “I'm sorry I misjudged you, I won't tell a soul.” She then quickly stepped around the partition.

  After Michelle had left Henry whispered to Sophie, “So why the need for a disguise?” She looked about frantically as if someone listened. I'm interested in wooing a certain lady.” When Henry raised an eyebrow she added, “Just for professional reasons of course.”

  Henry gave her a reassuring smile and patted her hand. “So you’re up to no good again. It’s fortunate I have a duplicate of you. You’re taking good care of her aren’t you?”

  Sophie popped him on the head with her umbrella several times; he grabbed it out of her hand and examined it. “I prefer a parasol, they are much lighter and don't hurt nearly as much.” He glanced up at her worried face. “I can see you’re in no mood to jest. Don't worry; we'll pull this off even though switching roles is extremely difficult. Let's first lose your accessories. Dressed like this you come across as a dandy. You don’t want to draw undo attention to yourself.” He removed a flower from her lapel, a handkerchief from her pocket, a feather from her hat and loosened the belt and pulled the pants down a bit.

  He took a step back and examined her, then attempted to straighten her shirt. “May I?” She nodded. “The binding of your breasts looks painful tight; no wonder you're in such a foul mood. I would suggest binding them a bit looser so you’re not in so much pain. You’re not going to woo anyone while in pain. Go ahead and remove the binding.”

  She gave him a severe look. “Don't be like that, so how did you put it, I’m doing this for professional reasons.” He took her shoulders and turned her around. She removed her jacket, vest, shirt, and the bindings. She covered her breasts with her hands and turned around and smirked at him. “Stop looking so happy; now what do you suggest?”

  “From the deep grooves in your skin I can tell you were in quite a bit of pain. Let’s try something a bit less painful.” He rummaged through a closet and brought out four child's undershirts of increasing size. “I suggest first putting on the smallest and work your way up. Then put your shirt back on then add an oversized vest over this. You'll still have bumps, just not quite as severe bumps and you won’t have the pain of the bindings cutting into you. Now turn around and arms up to the sky while I slip these over your head.”

  “You are definitely enjoying this much more than is proper. Don't worry; you'll have your day.” The smallest shirt slid on halfway and became stuck at her breasts. Henry removed it and got the next size larger. He was unable to resist the temptation of tickling her sides a little and she squealed then put Henry in head lock and tickled him.

  There was a clearing of a throat and they both stopped and looked up. Michelle said, "Excuse me, was I interrupting something? I heard a squeal and wondered what was going on.”

  Sophie said, “All is well, I have him right where I want him, now come and help me tickle him.”

  Between bursts of laughter Henry said, “Don’t tickle me tickle her, she’s the one who has me in a headlock.”

  Michelle came over and started tickling both of them.

  Sophie giggled and said, “This isn’t fair I have my arms full.” She tried to tickle Michelle with her free hand.

  From the other room Mister Badge yelled, “Henry! There is a long line of customers, move along!”

  “I’ll just be a minute!” yelled Henry.

  Michelle giggled and said, “Uh Sophie, you realize you don
’t have a top on and you have him in a headlock?”

  Sophie stopped tickling and looked down at her chest. “Oh oops, Henry keep your eyes closed and I’ll release you.” After she had released Henry and stood with her back to him, she said, “Michelle you can go now, we’re through with the tickling. Henry you can look now.”

  Henry said, “Michelle, we’re almost done here, I’ll be out shortly.”

  Michelle tickled Henry as she left.

  After Michelle had gone Sophie said, “I don’t know if this is going to work.”

  Henry picked up the next tee shirt. “May I suggest twisting back and forth while I pull down on the shirt?” She tried this and he was able to slide the shirt over her breasts and down to her waist.

  She asked, “You seem to be quite knowledgeable about this sort of thing, what have you been up to?”

  “You're not the first lady I've encountered who has wanted to appear as a gentleman for one reason or another. This is an extreme fashion technique of the modern woman. It is part of the suffrage movement, women going into gentleman’s clubs and all that.”

  After she slid on the remaining undershirts, her shirt, the vest she put her jacket on and he examined her. “You have the barrel chest look down. Now the most important question is, is this comfortable?”

  She stretched a bit. “A little snug, but it does not hurt anything like the bindings. I’m still a little concerned about the wooing bit, I don't think I can be convincing.”

  Henry thought for a moment then said, “Well just wait here and I’ll send in a few girls and you speak with them and try not to give yourself away. I suggest you let them do most of the talking, the less said the better.”

  Her eyes widened. “I guess I could try. What am I going to talk with them about?”

  “Just relax and let them take the lead. I’ll tell them you're shy.”