by Al K. Line
"Where are we? I mean, you know I told you about the pub?" Dale nodded. "Well, if things are different here to how we both remember them, then where are we? Some other timeline in our own world, or some other universe?"
"I honestly don't know, honey. I'm not even sure what the difference is between those two things. My guess is that as we basically set things right, but not quite, then we are back where we belong, but also not quite. Once we do this," Dale nodded at the pad and the book, "then that should be it and we will be where we are supposed to be. Maybe."
"Ugh, this is one Saturday I won't mind forgetting. I wonder if we will, like Tellan said we have in the past? Just wake up again after we do this and it will be like nothing happened."
"I hope not, as then we'll just go through another version of it all over again, like we already have, right? This is what, the third time now we've had this morning? Although I missed some of it. Better to just do these things and carry on with our lives remembering it."
Amanda thought for a moment. "I'm not sure it works like that. Also, Tellan said that if there is no time travel then there is no need for the future to have happened, that when you jump you kind of make the future a reality, so you create a new world, or universe, like an almost-parallel universe, so if we do what we are supposed to and then there are no Hexads, won't that mean the other you will be gone?"
Dale scratched at his stubbly chin. "You know what? I honestly don't care. If there is supposed to be just the past and the present, then great, and there should be only one of me, and you, not endless versions all created because Hexads bring other realities into being."
"So, shall we do this then?" asked Amanda nervously. Gosh, are we really going to time travel, go meet ourselves? This is so weird.
Dale got up and stretched his back. "It feels sudden now, but yeah, let's do it. Haha, you do know how crazy this seems, right?"
"Oh yes, totally bonkers." Amanda moved close to Dale, stood on tip-toes and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"What's that for?"
"Because I love you, Dale, and I'm glad you're here, with me." Amanda sniffed deeply, just to make sure, then wrinkled her nose.
Dale watched her face and Amanda could see his panic rising as she flared her nostrils in disgust at his scent. "No, no, you just need a shower. Haha, it's you, don't worry. I think I need one too."
"Phew, you had me worried there for a bit. Okay, shower, then we go to save the world. Again, apparently."
"Dale and Amanda save the world. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, but I'd rather go to the pub," said Dale.
"Trust me, the way it is now you might change your mind."
They went to shower.
~~~
Dale tapped his foot impatiently on the kitchen tiles. He watched the squirrel upend the bird feeder, tipping out the last few seeds. He turned away when he heard noise in the hallway; Amanda appeared moments later.
"About time," he said.
"What? I had to do my hair." Amanda put a hand through the still-damp curls, wondering if it would make a difference to their future if she met herself looking anything but exactly like they had when they'd done it before, a before that was in a future that by rights should no longer exist. She shook such speculation away. Stuff like that could drive you mad.
She stared out the window and watched the squirrel. Dale followed her gaze.
"I'll do them when we return. We can jump back to right this moment, I suppose, so it's not like the birds will go hungry. The squirrel certainly won't."
"Suppose not, no." Amanda put a hand through her hair again, her pride and joy. She hadn't done more than give it a light trim for many years now and she loved the light golden color, the way it smelled after double conditioning, and the sensation as it tickled her neck. Concentrate, Amanda, focus. "Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. Shall we do the book first, just so it's done with? You do know we're about to jump into a world that won't make any sense, right? This Chamber sounds mad, but I gotta say I'm quite looking forward to seeing it."
"Remember what it said in the book Tellan left us though: no hanging around. If we get caught, or meet ourselves in there, then we change the future and anything could happen. You know, I keep expecting this to be some kind of bad joke. You can't time travel, it's too nutty."
"I know."
Amanda walked over to the table where the Hexad still stood. She glanced nervously at Dale, who nodded his agreement. Amanda picked it up. "Well, at least I haven't just exploded or anything." It felt warm to the touch, the opposite of what she expected. The whole thing felt alive, like it was almost sentient. Amanda peered closely at the domed top of the device, the warm blue somehow reassuring. A 6 flashed slowly, rhythmically, and she couldn't help feeling that the device truly belonged to her somehow, like a part of it contained what made her who she was. Silly, but the feeling wouldn't go away.
Amanda felt Dale's arm on her shoulder. She turned to him and smiled. "You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine. A little scared. Well, a lot scared. You?"
"About the same. Okay, are we going to do this?"
Amanda nodded then fiddled with the Hexad. It felt almost too familiar — watching as her fingers made the adjustments. Now all she had to do was think really hard. That was right, wasn't it? "Oh, don't forget the book." Dale picked it up off the table and watched as Amanda worked the Hexad. She had to set the dials to no place, no time — Tellan had explained that this type of jump was all about your connection to a place, not to a time. Amanda focused, felt the Hexad almost come alive in her hands, like it was connected to her, and her to it. There was something about it, something that linked her to the machine. What could it be? "Ready?" she asked.
"No, but—"
Amanda grabbed Dale's hand and pushed the dome against her chest. A 5 flashed a split-second before they blinked out of existence.
Just as they disappeared, Amanda noted that the leftover sausages that were in an open Tupperware container on the counter top had gone. They were there a moment ago, she was sure. Weird.
Sausages? Really?
Time Unknown
"Dale, did you eat the leftover sausages?" asked Amanda, putting a hand out, feeling comforted and steadied by the rough bark of a tree.
"What? Seriously, we jump through time to who knows where and when and you are asking about sausages?"
"It's just, well..."
"No, I didn't eat the sausages. Oh, wow!"
Amanda looked up to see what Dale was excited about. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Tellan had explained it to the other Dale, who'd told her, and Tellan had told her and this Dale too what to expect, as well as it being in the notebook he'd left them, but still, when you actually saw it... It was the difference between having food explained to you and then eating a burger: no comparison.
"It's real, look at it." Amanda craned her neck back to stare up through the canopy of the trees at a world that carried on right above their heads, making a mockery of gravity and all the mind had learned to accept as truth. This was too awe-inspiring to get your head around.
"Big, isn't it?" said Dale, making the understatement of the century.
"You could say that. It's hot, too. Really humid." Amanda couldn't take her eyes off the topsy-turvy world. She could see it through the trees above them and curving up on all sides whatever direction she turned and managed to get a glimpse. It hurt her head; it shouldn't be possible. She put the Hexad down and pulled her hair back behind her — she was already sweating and her locks hung limp.
"I think we should just do this and get the hell out of here," said Dale, face red and sweaty.
"Me too. God, can you imagine us being in here for days at a time? How did we cope?"
"I think that's the problem, honey, we didn't cope very well and you heard what Tellan said about all the madness. Let's just do this and get the other part over with. I'm freaking out big time."
; "Okay, so what do we do?" Amanda thought about it; how were they supposed to get the book that the other them read to appear in mid-air.
"Not sure. What did Tellan say? That the other me said the book just thumped to the ground?"
"Ah, yes. But he didn't say they, we, saw it in the air, just that we heard it land. Come on, I have an idea." Amanda grabbed Dale and pulled him to the tree they were now a few paces away from. She began to climb, then said, "Oops," and dropped back down and picked up the Hexad, knowing her face was redder than Dale's. "Best not to forget this."
"What you up to?"
"You'll see." Amanda smiled, then winked at Dale. Ignoring the inside-out world they were in she began to climb once more. "Come on, we have to get up."
With a shrug of the shoulders Dale followed Amanda into the canopy.
Halfway up, Amanda crawled out onto a thick branch and waited for Dale to clamber along beside her. "Okay, we just have to drop the book. It will land below on the floor and the other us will see it."
"Haha, good idea. But, erm, don't we have to wait until we are here then? I mean them."
"Look," whispered Amanda, pointing down.
"Oh my god, it's us!"
"Ssh. Don't let them hear." This is the craziest thing ever. It's us, a future us. Amanda watched as she and Dale talked, then she made some careful adjustments to the Hexad, the 5 flashing, giving her comfort. She whispered, "Ready?" to Dale, who nodded then lowered his arm, clutching the book tightly, holding onto Amanda with his other hand.
"Ready?"
Amanda nodded and Dale dropped the book. She pushed the dome against Dale's shoulder. They jumped.
~~~
2900 Years Future
"I think this is weirder than seeing us in The Chamber," said Dale, as they waved at themselves high on a gantry in a space so large it defied the senses.
"I know. That's us up there and they'll be jumping down any moment. Wow, that was so strange in that place, I feel weird."
"Me too. Kind of makes you all dizzy, like nothing makes sense. Oh, here we go."
The Dale and Amanda that they just saw take the book, sometime after this very meeting, appeared a little over fifty meters away. Amanda looked at Dale nervously then straightened her back. She tried to look confident but almost freaked out as she couldn't remember her lines. And come to think of it, how did The Caretaker know exactly what had been said? No time to think about it now, they had to get this right.
"Don't come any closer," warned Amanda, finally remembering the words. This is ridiculous.
Two minutes later and the conversation was almost over. The other Dale was holding the other Amanda, who was struggling to get away, fear almost making Amanda not do what she knew they had to. Was there a choice? Could she decide not to send herself and the Dale to that awful place? No, as who knew what the consequences were? If they did this then it would all be over, right? Life would go back to normal.
Dale and Amanda rushed toward a future/alternate version of themselves. They got closer and closer. The other them blinked out of existence.
"We did it," said Dale, with a nervous smile, clearly feeling as unsure of what they'd just done as Amanda.
"We sure did. Poor us, we have to go through so much now, in there."
Silence descended. Amanda and Dale shuffled about, expecting the world to change, to find themselves back home, maybe waking up in the morning like none of it had happened.
Nothing.
"What do we do now? I thought this was it? We filled in the gaps we missed when we did this before and then everything makes sense. Haha, makes sense indeed!"
"Think it's because we still have that?" asked Dale, pointing at the Hexad.
"Damn, of course. If there is a Hexad then there is a chance of time travel, and now it won't all be over with. How do we get rid of it? How do we go home? Tellan didn't say anything about this."
"Well, I know how we get home. May I?" Dale held out a hand for the Hexad; Amanda give it to him gladly. Dale spent a few minutes looking it over, then adjusted the dials, checked his watch and made a few more adjustments, then said, "Ready?"
Amanda nodded and held out her hand, feeling somehow terribly exposed now she wasn't the one controlling jumps. "Just make sure you don't land us in the middle of the floor or anything," she warned.
Dale looked panicky: he hadn't even thought of such things. "Damn, what did you say that for? Now I'm freaked out."
"Just focus on where you want us to be," said Amanda, hopefully calming his nerves.
"Okay." Dale clutched Amanda tightly, then held out the Hexad. He stared at the dome, the 4 flashed. He pushed it against his chest. "Whooooooooooooooooooosh."
"Dale, what are—"
They jumped.
Chillaxin
Present Day
"Geddof me. Ugh." Dale pushed at Amanda, trying to move her off his head.
Amanda managed to get a little poke up his nostril with her index finger before she clambered off and brushed herself down. "I told you to think properly about where we jumped to," she said, unable to stop herself from laughing.
"Hey, it was only a few centimeters above the ground," Dale protested. "You freaked me out talking about landing in the floor. I think my way is much more exciting anyway. Did you poke your finger up my nose?" Dale put a hand to his face, rubbing his nose like it tickled.
"Moi?"
"Hmm. Well, um, what now? Is that it? Did we do it? Did we save the world?"
Amanda wasn't sure. Had they done what they needed to, so that what the other them had carried on to do would have been a total success? Was everything right in the world? "I don't know. I feel okay though, what about you?" Actually, now that Amanda thought about it, she felt pretty amazing. Her head didn't hurt where she'd bumped it on the wardrobe and knocked herself out cold, and she felt sort of energized. Maybe the jumping put you back together even better than you were before?
Dale stared at her funny. "Your cut's nearly gone." It almost sounded like an accusation.
Amanda put her hand to where she'd got quite the nasty gash and the skin had swollen badly; it didn't hurt at all. "Weird. Anyway, I'm going to feed the birds."
"What!? Um, okay. You want a cuppa?"
"Sure, that would be great." Amanda walked over to the apple tree, trying to avoid staring at the grass where she had wanted to dig earlier. She felt calm, like what they'd just done hadn't happened, except, of course, it had. Hadn't it?
She whistled tunelessly as she tried to vibe the squirrel she could see poking its head out from the conifer hedge. It stared right back at her as if telling her to hurry as he wanted a snack.
With the feeders collected, she walked across the lawn to the shed that was nestled back into an awkward corner of their garden, and after opening the door, cursing again because she hadn't oiled the bolt as Dale would never get around to it, until finally she slid it free. She scooped the mixed seed into the feeders.
A little mouse darted out and snatched up a few fallen grains before making a run for it back into a corner, the private domain of spiders and nasty creepy-crawlies.
Now I'm feeding the mice too!
Amanda manhandled the bolt closed and almost knocked over the freshly filled feeders balanced on the step, but caught them just in time. She smiled as the resident robin took the opportunity to get in first and landed on the step, pecking seed before flying off in a flurry of red.
That robin is more cheeky than Dale.
After the feeders were hung, Amanda walked down the slight slope of the rear garden and slumped into one of the new garden chairs they'd picked up for a steal at a store that was closing down. She watched as the blue tits and the sparrows fought for supremacy, the sparrows coming out victorious — they always seemed to appear together, easily crowding out the blue tits that usually came in ones or twos.
The day was still warm and it couldn't be later than early afternoon, maybe she should use her watch again? She'd taken it off at the b
eginning of the summer as she always did so she didn't get a strap line from her sunbathing, but maybe she should start wearing it if they were going to be time traveling all over the place.
She caught herself and shook her head at the madness. What was she thinking? Who said anything about any more jumps? They'd done what was asked of them, hadn't they? Why did she take it for granted that they'd be doing it again?
Of course, because they still had jumps left on the Hexad. How many? Amanda added up the jumps. They'd done three so had three left. What could they do? Where could they go? Should they do something to help people? Jump and stop wars? Could she see her parents again?
Now she was upset. It was silly, to think about them in that way. They were gone; her present life was all down to them — they'd left enough money to help her and Dale buy their first home, no mortgage. It was a great home, a great life. A large wraparound garden on three sides, working from home, getting up when they wanted. Just them, together. But could she? Could she jump back and keep her parents alive? What kind of repercussions would it have?
"Hey, you okay, Amanda?" asked Dale, looking worried as he put the coffee mugs down on the already damaged wooden table. Amanda had caught him using it to rest a piece of wood he was sawing, and boy was he in trouble when she told him off then realized that he'd cut through the plank and the table too. Muppet!
"I'm okay, thanks for the coffee. Just thinking about Mum and Dad is all, because of the Hexad."
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey, I know you miss them. I've been thinking about it too. We have three jumps, shouldn't we do something or do you think it will be a big no-no? Maybe we'd affect the future if we jump into the past and go see people, or try to kill the inventor of the gun?"
"Where'd that come from?"
"What?"
"The inventor of the gun? I'd never thought of that. Who did invent it?" That was a good idea, wasn't it? Although I've never even hit anyone, let alone killed someone.
Dale shrugged. "I have no idea." He slurped his coffee and scowled at the apple tree as tiny fruits fell onto the lawn, disturbed by the squirrel as it crept along the branches as if it thought they couldn't see him.