Prisoner in Time (Time travel)

by Petersen, Christopher David

  The private chuckled to himself, then turned forward, ensuring his distance from the soldier marching to his front.

  “That probably sounded bad, didn’t it? Sorry, wasn’t trying to insult anyone here. I just hate marching,” Geoff replied.

  “It ain’t that bad,” the private muttered matter-of-factly. He thought for moment, then added, “It ain’t like sleepin’, but it ain’t like fightin’ neither,” he replied, his face now turning soft and understanding.

  Geoff smiled slightly and said, “I hear ya. Fighting’s the worst. I think I’d rather have my nuts squished in a vise than go back out there again.”

  The two laughed together.

  “The names Casey … Dell Casey,” the private said, extending his hand.

  “Geoff Robbins,” he replied with a firm shake.

  “How’d you get so lucky? Medical assistin’ cain’t be that hard.”

  “It’s a lot harder than you think. You have to work for days without sleep, up to your eyeballs in blood and guts… and the screams from the wounded guys… just awful,” he said, shaking his head in distress.

  Dell nodded sympathetically and said, “Sounds awful, but ain’t nothing compared to getting shot or seeing boys kilt. You ever been in battle?”

  “Sure have. Actually, I started out as a sharp shooter,” Geoff responded proudly.

  “You’re joshin’,” Dell replied, now completely surprised.

  “Nope, I’m not. Dr. Warner and I were in battle together,” he said, pointing behind him to David riding his horse. “At one point, he loaded my rifles, while I shot them. We practically turned the tide of the battle by ourselves,” he said, now beaming with pride.

  “You must think I’m as dumb as a squirrel. General’s don’t load for no privates,” he countered.

  “He wasn’t a general at that time. He was a private, like you and me.”

  Dell thought about Geoff’s answer. A puzzled look crossed his face as he calculated the timing.

  “Boy, you cain’t go from a private to a general in just a few months,” he said, now becoming irritated. “I think you’re just telling me a tall tale again.”

  “Honest… I’m not,” Geoff defended. “Just ask him.”

  Dell looked over his shoulder and back to Geoff with suspicion. Looking back to David once more, he asked, “Sir, is it true? We’re you a private just a few months ago?”

  David glared at Geoff with disgust, then answered, “Yes, private, Pvt. Robbins is correct. I was indeed a private just a few months ago… at the same time I was a brigadier general.”

  Dell stared blankly back at David. The answer confused him, but he felt unsure whether to inquire further. Playing it safe, he nodded to David and turned his attention forward.

  “Told ya,” Geoff said, smugly.

  “Somethin’ ain’t right,” he responded bluntly.

  David could see the puzzled look on the private’s face. He knew he’d be asking difficult questions of Geoff.

  “Private, allow me to explain,” David started. “Several months ago, I was captured at the battle of Chattanooga. They sent me to Andersonville prison. While there, I ran into Geoff who was also a prisoner. We managed to escape, but ran into a Rebel column of men. Given a choice to either admit who we were and be sent back to Andersonville or hide our identity and become Rebel soldiers, we chose to become soldiers. So Pvt. Robbins was correct. I was a private… and at the same time I was a general.”

  Dell nodded in understanding, then looked over at Geoff with admiration. A smile crossed his face.

  “So you was a Reb?” he said, now chuckling to himself. “What battle?”

  “Dalton,” Geoff responded confidently.

  “I was at Dalton. So you was a Reb shootin’ back at us?”

  “Yeah,” he said in slightly guilty tone. “It was either shoot or be killed, so I fought to save my life.”

  Dell nodded in understanding. With the limited information he had, it only served to inspire his interest further. Looking back to Geoff, he grinned and said, “Tell me more.”

  Doc watched the two teens eagerly converse back and forth. He smiled to David and said, “Seems the lad has found a new friend.”

  “Yes it does,” David nodded approvingly.

  “It’ll do him good to communicate with others his own age.”

  “I’m sure it will. I just hope he doesn’t say something that’ll expose us,” David responded.

  “Like what?”

  David leaned closer and said in a quiet voice, “Like ‘Hi, I’m from the future and I’m here to kill Ales Moore.’ I think someone might find that a bit disturbing.”

  “Hmm, quite right lad, quite right,” Doc said with a nod. “And speaking of this Arles fellow, have you two come up with a plan to save the lad’s brother?”

  “I wasn’t aware Arles had a brother?” David joked.

  “I don’t consider this a joking matter, David,” Doc said in serious tone.

  “Sorry, you’re right. It isn’t,” David responded slightly embarrassed. Becoming serious, he continued. “So far we haven’t been able to come up with a plan to stop Arles. I’ve been wracking my brain over this for months now. When we were Rebs, because we were just privates, our problem was getting to Nashville. No one just lets privates wonder around unsupervised. Now that I’m a general, I can get us to Nashville whenever we need to, but now the problem is getting to Arles. We can’t just walk up to him in the middle of a battle with Union uniforms on. I’m pretty sure we’ll be shot dead before we even get close.”

  “Yes, I see your dilemma,” Doc replied, rubbing his white beard as he thought.

  “So far, there’s only one way I can think of to stop this guy and change the future,” David said, cryptically.

  “Geoffrey’s not really intending on shooting this Arles Moore, is he?” Doc responded, immediately understanding David’s message.

  “Yeah, I think he is.”

  Doc shook his head in discontent. David noticed his reaction.

  “I know, I know… I don’t like it either,” he said in disgust.

  “David, I know this Arles follow is supposed to die in battle, but I feel strongly it should be a natural event. If young Geoffrey takes his life, it’ll be nothing short of murder.”

  “I know, I know… you don’t have to remind me. I’ve already been through this with him,” David lamented.

  “And he’s still insistent upon taking his life?” Doc asked, incredulously.

  “As far as I can tell: yes.”

  “David, we must find a better solution,” he said in a determined voice.

  “I’ve been obsessing over this for months now. I’ve run through every scenario I could think of that didn’t include Geoff shooting the guy. Unfortunately, one of the big problems I keep stumbling over is the lay of the land. I have no idea what to look for or plan around. All I know is there’s a hill. I don’t know any of the features of the landscape. For example: is there a forest that Geoff could use to get close to Arles? Are there any depressions in the land that Geoff could lay in and spring up on him as he ran by? Boulders… knowing about a few of them beforehand would greatly help. Geoff could arrive at the battlefield early and hide behind one. But all of this hinges upon knowing exactly where Arles will be during the battle. We know the hill. We know he’ll be carrying the Rebel flag, but that’s all.”

  “Lad, I’m afraid the solution to this problem will require spontaneous thinking… that is to say, there’s no way to plan until you see the battlefield and I’m almost certain you won’t see that until it starts. So, I believe any plans to change the future will have to be done on the spot, after the battle begins,” Doc said, grimly.

  “Doc, do you realize how risky that is?” David asked.

  “If the lad maintains his position, what choice do you have?” Doc rebutted.

  “At this moment… none!”

  “You know, the crazy part about this whole thing is every time I talk to hi
m about it, he barely pays attention. It’s as if he already knows what he’s going to do and I’m just wasting his time talking about it. It’s so frustrating.”

  “That’s just the teenager in him, Lad. He’s still very young and immature. He probably can’t hold a thought past next week. Once the date gets closer, I’m certain he’ll be obsessing over this just as we are now.”

  -----*-----*-----*-----

  Days of marching, turned to weeks as Gen Thomas’ army was redirected further south. Each day seemed the same, with early rise, followed by hours of marching, ending with camp life by the fire…

  David reached out over the hot coals and lifted the tin coffeepot with a loose rag. Filling his cup to the brim, he replaced the pot on the coals and sat with his back against an old log. Feeling the warmth of the flames on his face, it helped to take the edge off the evening’s chill. Leaning his head back, he looked up at the stars and stared at their beauty.

  As Doc sat stretched out by the fire’s side, he stared at the flames and recalled memories of his family. A slight smile crossed his face and a warm contented feeling overcame him.

  Geoff exited the woods just behind the row of tents. Seeing David gazing at the stars and Doc staring into the fire, a thought crossed his mind. Slowly, a grin curled across his face as he began to move stealthily toward the fire. Taking care to place each foot silently, he inched closer. Doc moved his head slightly and Geoff froze. As Doc returned his stare to the fire, he continued on. Mere feet from the two resting men, Geoff knelt down and crawled on hands and knees.

  He paused momentarily behind Doc. A sinister plan crossed his mind. He thought about shouting and scaring the white-haired old man, but reconsidered. Slowly, he reached his hand up and moved it toward Doc’s face. Inching closer, he kept an eye on David, ensuring his plan went unnoticed. He giggled inside him and extended his index finger. Placing it just to the side of Doc’s cheek, it nearly pointed straight into it. As his heart raced, he took a shallow breath and executed his plan.

  “Hey Doc,” he shouted.

  Startled, Doc turned his head and poked his cheek into Geoff’s waiting finger. Geoff felt his digit pierce the course white beard and press firmly into Doc’s cheek muscles. Instantly, Doc shouted in surprise and jerked his body away from the strange sensation, nearly spilling his coffee on himself as he moved.

  “WHAT THE…?” he exclaimed, lunging away from Geoff in reflex.

  Geoff burst out in maniacal laughter. David sprang to a sitting position, stunned by the sudden outburst.

  “Geoffrey, I nearly soiled my under-britches!” Doc shouted, as he momentarily hyperventilated.

  Glancing over at David, he now had a large grin that crossed his face and was beginning to laugh, spurred on by Geoff’s infectious laughter. Looking back at the teen, his own playful instinct took over.

  “Geoffrey, you little demon! Two can play at that!” he shouted in animated tone.

  Instantly, he lunged at the still kneeling teen. Before Geoff could react, the old man wrapped his arm around his neck and his legs around his waist. As the two rolled to the ground, Geoff’s laugh grew to a hysterical pitch. David burst out in loud laughter as he watched the old doctor wrestle the young teen to the ground, pinning him almost immediately.

  “I got you so good, Santa,” Geoff shouted through his laughter, further teasing Doc with disrespect.

  “Santa, huh?” Doc shouted back.

  He arched his back and bent Geoff’s body backwards causing him slight discomfort. As he continued to apply pressure, Geoff soon began to feel a small amount of pain.

  “Uncle,” Geoff shouted through a short burst of laughter.

  “Not this time, junior,” Doc said, squeezing harder.

  “Uncle… uncle,” Geoff shouted again.

  Bending him further and applying greater pressure, Doc now held his vise-like grip. David sat and continued to laugh at the spectacle.

  “UNCLE,” Geoff shouted, now in a more serious tone. “Jeez Doc, I give up.”

  “You sorry for your mischief?” Doc asked, now grinning to David.

  “Yes, I’m sorry… I’m sorry. Let go. You’re turning me into a pretzel,” he exclaimed.

  “Apologize for calling me Santa,” Doc demanded.

  Instantly, Geoff shouted, “I’m sorry, man. I’m sorry for calling you Santa.”

  “And for spilling my coffee,” Doc added with sadistic grin.

  David burst out laughing once more.

  “Ok, ok… I’m sorry for spilling you’re coffee. Jeez, will you let go already?” Geoff pleaded.

  Doc released his hold and rolled away from Geoff. Standing quickly, he nonchalantly brushed off his uniform.

  “Dang, I sure wouldn’t want to run into you in a dark alley,” David said jokingly.

  “Ahh, it was all in good humor,” Doc replied, now feeling a bit embarrassed by his aggressive act.

  “Man Doc, you really have to teach me to wrestle like that. You’re amazing,” Geoff said, still grinning from the fun of it all.

  “Any more shenanigans like that, Lad, and you can bet the Lord himself, I’ll be showing you a lesson or two,” he responded humorously.

  As Geoff moved back to the fire, he picked up Doc’s cup.

  “Can I get you more coffee, Doc?” he asked sincerely.

  Doc nodded in genuine appreciation.

  “Why yes, Lad. That really would be nice,” he responded in a pleasant tone.

  As the three sat around the fire, they listened to a moment of quiet. Doc returned his stare to the fire. Geoff did the same. David laid back and gazed up at the stars once more.

  “You know, as much as I like modern living, I really enjoy the peaceful solitude of camp life. It may be uncomfortable and inconvenient, but it’s all real. There’s nothing about it that feels artificial,” David said aloud, still star gazing.

  “I do recall you saying that the last time you visited this time period, David. Does that mean you might consider staying when you’re business is finished?” Doc asked, in hopeful tone.

  He looked at Doc with an incredulous stare, then laughed.

  “If I could find a place that made a good pizza, I might consider it,” David joked.

  “Ahhh, pizza again. You complained about that the last time you were here too. I’d sure like to try some of that someday.”

  “Yeah, me too. If feels like I haven’t had any in forever,” Geoff replied. “All this boiled meat and vegetables, crackers and coffee, are ready to make me puke. What I wouldn’t give for a slice of pepperoni pizza.”

  “What’s pepperoni?” Doc asked.

  “It’s only the most incredible topping you can put on pizza,” Geoff shot back.

  Doc looked at Geoff with a puzzled stare.

  “It’s basically spicy seasoned sausage,” David cut in.

  “Ah yes, sausage. I’ve tried that once before, when I was passing through New York. Very tasty as I recall,” Doc responded.

  “Doc, what’s your favorite thing to eat,” Geoff asked, now curious.

  “Well, if I could ever get it again, it would have to be wapiti and roasted corn… simply delicious,” he said, smacking his lips as he talked.

  “What the heck is wapiti?” Geoff asked, now intrigued.

  “Wapiti is the Chiricahuan term for elk,” he responded.

  “Chiricahua? As in the native American Indians?” Geoff asked.

  “Huh… I’m surprised you know that term, Geoff. Most kids your age barely know what an Indian is, let alone the name of their tribe. Very good,” David complimented. “Where’d you learn that?”

  “School… social studies,” Geoff shot back, proudly.

  “You know Geoff, you’re so smart. It would be such a waste if you didn’t go to college,” David said, encouragingly.

  Doc looked toward Geoff with a scornful stare.

  “Geoffrey, what’s all this? Am I to believe you won’t be attending college?” he asked in surprise.

&n
bsp; “I just don’t know Doc. It costs so much money and I just don’t know if I’m smart enough,” he responded.

  “Nonsense Geoffrey, I concur with David. You’re as sharp as a tack. I can’t comment about your finances, but I would certainly agree that you not attending college would be a shameful waste of intellect,” Doc added.

  “I’m telling you Geoff, you really should reconsider. You have your whole life ahead of you.”

  Geoff’s face suddenly turned sullen as he thought about Bobby. Thinking of his plan to save him, he knew his future was uncertain. Pushing the disturbing thoughts from his mind, he looked around the campfire for a new topic to discuss. Suddenly, he saw Dell Casey standing by a campfire several tents down from them. Silhouetted by the fire, he could see his profile laughing in the dim light.