Chapter 7
That Boy Glows Funny!
Saturday 13 November 2010
Austin sat in the waiting room, engrossed in a book about time travel. He’d borrowed it from the adult section of the local library, and had received some odd looks from the elderly librarian upon checking it out. She had attempted to tell him to put it back, as he wasn’t old enough to borrow from the adult section yet, but then Mrs. Morris had intervened. She was the head librarian, and had long held a soft spot for Austin, who always borrowed the maximum amount of books possible, and unfailingly returned them on time. She frowned when she saw that he was only borrowing the one book this time around.
‘Only the one, Austin?’ she enquired. ‘What is it?’
‘It’s called Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe,’ said Austin, matter-of-factly.
‘Is it now?’ said Mrs. Morris. ‘Sounds complicated.’
‘I’ve been studying it at school,’ said Austin. ‘Did you know that time travel has actually happened?’
Mrs. Morris laughed. ‘Really, dear? How extraordinary!’
‘It’s true!’ said Austin. ‘It even says so in here!’
‘Well now, I don’t know about that,’ she said, sliding the book over the electronic checkout facility, ‘but I can see into the future, you know.’
Austin frowned. ‘Really?’ he said.
Mrs. Morris nodded. She put her hand up to her forehead and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she said, ‘I can see a young lad bringing a science book into this library in exactly three weeks time!’
Austin smiled sheepishly. I must have gullible written all over my forehead, he thought. ‘Very funny, Mrs. Morris!’ he said, as she laughed silently, in the way that only librarians can.
But all that was five days ago, and Austin was now waiting to see his tutor’s sister, a psychologist, and was two thirds of the way through the book. If he was honest with himself, he hadn’t understood that much of it, but he had enjoyed the part about time travel fiction, especially the section called All You Zombies. It was about a short story by a writer called Robert Heinlein, in which a man travels back in time and becomes his own parents. It sounded bizarre, but Austin was fascinated by the fact that it all added up at the end.
‘Are you okay, Austin?’ said his Mum, who was sitting patiently next to him, reading an old copy of Woman magazine.
He looked up and smiled at her. ‘I’m fine, Mum, really.’
‘Only you haven’t said a word since you got here, love.’
‘Sorry, I’m just really into this book at the moment.’
‘You’re not nervous about seeing Dr. Jones, are you?’
‘Of course not,’ said Austin, ‘why would I be?’
‘Oh, no reason.’ said his Mum, a bit too quickly.
You’re nervous, thought Austin, not me.
At that moment, the door to Dr. Jones’s consulting room opened and out came a woman and her young daughter. She’s only about five, thought Austin. Why’s she here?
Austin’s mum smiled at the woman, who smiled back politely. ‘What a pretty little girl you’ve got there!’ she said to her.
Austin shivered, and looked back at the little girl, who was standing absolutely still and staring intently at him. She had long black hair, large crystal-blue eyes, and was wearing a flowery dress. A strange sensation went through Austin, as if the girl was seeing right through him into his soul.
‘Mummy,’ said the girl, tugging on the woman’s skirt, but never once taking her eyes off Austin.
The mother was busy discussing when her next appointment would be, and wasn’t too pleased at being interrupted. ‘Not now, Amy,’ she said, ‘mummy’s talking.’
‘But Mum,’ said Amy, tugging at her mother’s skirt again, and pointing with her other hand at Austin, ‘that boy glows funny!’
‘Don’t point, Amy, it’s rude!’ scolded her mother, ‘now come on,’ she continued, and pulled the little girl away by the hand.
I glow funny? thought Austin. What does she mean, glow funny?
Dr. Jones turned to him at that moment, and smiled. She came forward and stretched out her hand to Austin, who quickly closed his book and stood up from his chair. He held out his hand and shook hers. Her palms radiated warmth, and it gave Austin a feeling of reassurance.
‘You must be Austin,’ she said, and then turned to his mum. ‘Hello, Mrs. Baker,’ she said, ‘would you both like to come in?’
Once inside, and seated on a plush, comfortable settee, Austin took in his surroundings. It was a pleasant office, and managed to tread that fine line between child-friendly and adult-appropriate. There were no sharp edges to any of the furniture, and nothing that a young child could potentially grab, knock or break. There was a box of toys in one corner, and a few feet away, there stood a polished oak desk that seemed to Austin to be unnaturally tidy and clear, even by his standards.
Dr. Jones sat down in the upright swivel chair next to the settee, and leant back into it slowly. Austin’s mum fidgeted nervously in her seat, but Austin just curled up and leant back. Dr. Jones smiled at this, and said, ‘I want you to feel at ease here, Mrs. Baker. Most parents who enter my office for the first time, do so as a last resort, or at the very least, unsure as to the wisdom of their actions.’
‘Well,’ said Austin’s mum, and Austin could see her hands shaking, ‘I don’t really know why we’re here at all. Your brother, I believe, set this up, after he made some sort of agreement with my son. I thought it a little bit inappropriate, to say the least.’
‘And yet he called to your house personally to ask your permission,’ replied Dr. Jones.
‘Well, yes,’ Austin’s mum conceded, ‘but we could scarcely say no, after our son had already agreed.’
‘Mmmm,’ said Dr. Jones, and placed her hands together. ‘Well now, this first appointment is really to get to know you both a little. Then, after Austin and I are better acquainted, he may feel it’s okay to talk to me on his own.’
‘Well, I’m not sure…’
‘Mum,’ said Austin, bravely, ‘it’s all right, really.’ He looked up at Dr. Jones and smiled. ‘I’m quite happy to talk to you now, if you like.’
‘That’s okay, Austin, it’ll be good to have your mum here for the first ten minutes or so. Is that all right with you?’
‘Sure,’ said Austin, and shrugged. ‘Whatever.’
‘Now, Indy briefed me on what happened with Jordan,’ began Dr. Jones, but paused when she saw Austin’s face crinkle into a smile. ‘What is it, Austin?’
‘Mr Jones’s first name is Indy?’ he said.
Dr. Jones put her hand over her mouth to stifle the laugh. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘that’s just a nickname. I’ve called him that for years! Don’t let him know I said that, will you?’
‘Your secret’s safe with me,’ said Austin, and saluted the psychologist. ‘Isn’t it mum?’
‘Yes, Austin,’ she said, ‘now perhaps we can get on with it?’
Dr. Jones sat forward in her chair. ‘You seem opposed to this meeting, Mrs. Baker,’ she said, ‘and I can see why you may think it unnecessary, giving Austin’s demeanour, but I can assure you that a shock like he’s had can manifest itself in odd ways.’
‘Oh, it’s manifested very oddly, thank-you very much,’ said Austin’s mum, ‘why don’t you tell the Doctor about your imaginary time machine whatsit?’
‘Mum,’ said Austin, ‘I told you before, it’s not a time machine.’
‘Well, whatever it is, it’s the cause of all this nonsense.’
‘And it’s not imaginary either.’
Austin’s mum glanced at Dr. Jones and raised her eyebrows at her, as if to say see what I’m up against? Austin glared at her, furious that she would embarrass him in front of the psychologist. He folded his arms defensively, and looked down at the floor, trying to remain calm. This is a waste of time with her here, he thought, I knew this would be a mistake.
‘Perhaps
it would be better if Austin and I spoke alone, Mrs. Baker?’ said Dr. Jones, ‘if that’s okay with you? Sometimes, the parent is just too emotionally involved to cope with something outside the realm of their experience, and it takes someone removed from the action, so to speak, to understand what’s really going on.’
‘Well. if you insist,’ replied Austin’s mum, and rose from the settee. Austin looked up and unfolded his arms. Suddenly, he was a little nervous.
‘I’ll be outside if you need me, Austin,’ she said, and touched his head gently. Austin could not look her in the eye, but looked surreptitiously at her feet as she walked to the consulting room door.
When the door closed, he looked down at his hands, clasped together now in his lap. For a few moments, he could not bring himself to look up, and Dr. Jones made no attempt to say anything. Austin could hear her breathing in and out in tempo with the quiet tick-tock of a clock on the wall, and this brought Austin’s focus back to time.
‘Why don’t you tell me exactly what happened, from the very beginning,’ she said suddenly.
Austin looked up at her, and saw a gentle, reassuring smile on her face.
‘Okay,’ he said, and began.
Ground Zero Farm
Monday 3rd November 2036
Jordan felt sick. When he’d woken up this morning, the most he thought he’d have to contend with was a black look from his English teacher for forgetting his homework. Suddenly, Jordan yearned for a thousand of those black looks; they were infinitely better than the black look he was getting from the rifle barrel shoved in his face.
‘Could you not do that?’ asked Austin, ‘he’s only 13.’
The soldier pointing a rifle at Austin’s face poked him in the eye with it. Austin cried out in surprise, cupping a palm to his injured orb.
‘Stop it!’ cried Jordan, before he could stop himself, ‘he ain’t doing no harm!’
‘It’s all right, Jordan,’ said Austin, ‘leave it.’ He took his palm away and blinked rapidly. He tried to open his eyelid, and winced with pain.
The other soldiers laughed, and then Jordan heard the outboard motor starting back up. The boat jerked to a start, and everyone on board lurched the same way. Jordan lost his balance and fell against another soldier, who shoved him upright again. He watched as they sped away from the little rowing boat. A shower of filthy water sprayed over it as it rocked violently to and fro from the backwash. He panicked when he saw Austin, who was still rubbing his eye, getting further and further away. Austin had been taken into the other boat. One of the soldiers was still busy at the stern, trying to re-start the motor and turning the air blue as he did so. I don’t want to be on my own, he thought, I want to be with Austin.
It was then that Jordan realised the irony of his situation. Austin had been his enemy, his nemesis, only a few hours ago. Now, he was his only friend. He came back for me, Jordan thought. He came back for me twice. The loyalty Austin had shown him was above and beyond the call of duty, as far as he was concerned. He didn’t understand what motivated Austin to return to this place and risk capture. He must’ve known this might happen. Why did he do it? Jordan’s mind raced with thoughts. They all vied for attention and lost focus in the cacophony of images that presented themselves to him. He felt like crying again, but found that he had no tears left to shed.
His legs felt tired, but there was nowhere on the boat to sit down. Instead, he was tossed from one soldier to the other as the boat turned and swerved to avoid trees and other debris as they sped onwards towards their destination. The soldiers stank of stale sweat and dirt. One of them belched loudly, and the others laughed. He reeked of alcohol and reminded Jordan of his Uncle Rick. The soldier reached into his pocket and tried to bring something out of it. He tugged and tugged at the pocket, his elbow nudging perilously close to Jordan’s face. The other soldiers sniggered encouragingly. Eventually, he managed to extricate the contents of his pocket. Free of its confines, his hand lurched towards Jordan, but he was ready for it, and ducked. The soldier’s fist connected instead with the next soldier’s stomach. The others laughed even more, and the soldier who had been hit shoved him back.
‘That’s enough!’ a voice barked from a loudspeaker across the water.
Both Jordan and the soldiers looked round to see the other boat catching them up. At the bow was a soldier who stood apart from the others in the boat. He must be a Colonel or Major something, thought Jordan. Then he caught sight of Austin, who smiled and put his thumb up. Jordan did the same.
The other boat overtook them and then turned sharply to the left. Jordan’s boat did the same, and they sped through a large gap in what was left of a hedge and headed out over an open expanse. This must’ve been a field, thought Jordan, until the floods came. He wondered what it must have been like for the inhabitants of his home town, having to leave their houses and head for higher ground, knowing that life would never be the same again.
Abruptly, the off-board motor cut out, and Jordan’s boat started to slow down. He peered out from behind the soldier in front of him, who was now blocking his view. In front of him was the shoreline, and rising up beyond it was a hill. Whatever grass had graced this mound had long been trampled by army-regulation boots into mud. Jordan could see more soldiers coming over the crest of the hill, waving to their comrades in the boats. A cheer went up from the soldiers around him as the boat came to rest with a bump. Everybody jumped off, and Jordan nearly lost his balance as he was pushed and shoved up the hill. He tried to see where Austin was, but he couldn’t find him anywhere. He figured that the other boat had been about a minute ahead of them by the time they reached the shore, so Austin was probably already at the top.
As he neared the summit, he saw a plume of smoke dissipating into the cloudy sky above, and the smell of roasting meat wafted over to them.
‘Jesus, I’m bloody starving,’ said the soldier next to him.
‘Yeah,’ agreed the next, ‘d’ya think we’ve got cat again?’
‘Miaow,’ said a third, and they all laughed, except Jordan, who felt sick.
They’re kidding, ain’t they? They must be, ‘cos I ain’t eating cat.
Finally, they reached the top of the hill and Jordan could see where the smoke was emanating from. In front of him stood a farmhouse, and there were several large army tents pitched around it. The farmhouse was in much better condition than the buildings he had left behind in town, and yet it still had a grimy, dingy look about it. It looked as if it didn’t care anymore. C.B.A, thought Jordan, like everyone else.
‘Hey, kid,’ said the soldier who had nearly punched him earlier, ‘welcome to Ground Zero Farm.’
‘Ground zero?’ said Jordan, ‘what, like 9/11?’
‘Worse,’ the soldier replied.
‘Don’t wind the kid up,’ said another. ‘It’s just what we named it. Its ‘cos...’ and here they all joined in, ‘...there’s zero ground around!’
Why’ve they all cheered up? There ain’t nothing to be happy about, thought Jordan.
The Colonel or Major something now came towards them and the soldiers stopped their banter and stood to attention, giving him a salute. He returned the salute, somewhat half-heartedly Jordan felt.
‘What’s your name, boy?’
‘Jordan, Sir.’
‘Right. Would you care to tell me what the bloody hell you were doing back there? You and your dad could’ve gotten yourselves killed.’
‘My dad?’ said Jordan, before he could stop himself. He meant Austin. Austin’s old enough to be my dad now! ‘Oh, right, yeah. My dad.’
The soldier narrowed his eyes at Jordan and stared at him for a few moments. His eyes looked black, and he had several weeks’ growth of beard. Soldiers ain’t supposed to be unshaved, thought Jordan, or smell of drink. Presently, he looked up and addressed the soldier next to him.
‘Put him with the others,’ he said, and walked off.
The soldiers all relaxed, and Jordan was led into
the farmhouse. It was warm inside, and Jordan almost cried with relief. His hands and feet had become numb, and he was sure he was coming down with something. As he walked along the corridor, the sleeve of his blazer brushed a radiator and he felt the warmth immediately. Then, he passed through into the kitchen where the smell of roasting meat was strongest. The cook, a round-faced chubby man with red cheeks and a sweaty brow looked up from chopping vegetables with a cleaver and frowned when he saw Jordan.
‘Not another one!’ he exclaimed. ‘Where’re they all coming from?’
The soldier escorting Jordan shrugged. ‘Beats me, Jiffy,’ he said, ‘but this one’s a short-arse, so he won’t take much feeding.’
‘Yeah, right,’ said Jiffy, ‘pull the other one, Mildew. Looks like he ain’t ate for days.’
Try twenty-six years, thought Jordan, but whatever you’re cookin’, I ain’t hungry enough to eat a cat.
Mildew prodded him on the shoulder. ‘Move along, Jordan,’ he said, ‘through the door. Keep moving.’
Jordan did as he was told, and went through the door into another corridor that led to a flight of stairs. The beige carpet was muddy and threadbare, and Jordan could see nails sticking out of it at the edges. There was nowhere to go but up, so Jordan began climbing. He could hear muffled voices coming from upstairs, and he was sure that one of them was Austin.
‘Wait there,’ said Mildew, as Jordan reached the landing. The soldier opened a door on Jordan’s right, and ushered him in. Jordan did as he was told, and found himself in a bathroom.
‘Get those wet clothes off,’ he ordered, ‘and take a quick shower. I ain’t supposed to be lettin’ you do this, but I got a brother at home your age, so… well, you know…’
Jordan smiled gratefully, and began to peel his clothes off. They smelt horrible. Mildew went out of the room, and Jordan heard the door lock being slid across. He took the rest of his clothes off and then stepped into the shower and turned it on. He was immediately enveloped in hot, steamy water. Jordan stood under the shower head and began to feel human again. Then, he heard the door being opened and Mildew returned with a towel and some clothes.
‘I don’t know if they’re your size or not, but I found them in the airing cupboard,’ he said, as he dropped the clothes on the floor and opened the towel out for Jordan. ‘They were left by the people that used to live here, before The Big Melt…’
Jordan turned off the shower and grabbed the towel. He wrapped it round him. Mildew opened the bathroom door. ‘I’ll be out here when you’re ready. Don’t be long.’
Jordan quickly dried himself and put on the clothes. The sweatshirt was a little small, and the jogging bottoms were too long, but they were better than nothing. He quickly put his school uniform on the bathroom radiator to dry, then picked up his socks and shoes and opened the bathroom door.
Mildew opened the door opposite the bathroom and steered him through into a small, carpeted room. The soldier closed the door and bolted it from outside. Jordan could see that it had, in happier times, been a child’s bedroom. Tattered posters of Fairy tale characters still hung on the walls, and there was a bed in one corner and an old armchair in the other. But what Jordan had not expected to see were the people inside the room.
Austin was there. His eye had swollen shut, but he had a smile on his face, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Holding his hand was Zoë, his wife. She smiled at Jordan, and Jordan smiled back. Her hair was shorter than he remembered it, but she was still just as pretty. Holding her hand was a girl with shoulder-length jet-black hair. She was the image of Zoë, and Jordan guessed she was her daughter. Sitting on the bed was another girl with jet-black hair, and she was identical to the first girl, apart from one thing; her left arm was in a sling. They had twins, thought Jordan. Austin and Zoë had twins.
But the thing that surprised Jordan most of all was the old man sitting in the armchair. He had white hair and a beard, and cradled his chin on his hands, which were supported by a walking cane. Jordan knew immediately who it was. His heart hammered in his chest.
It was his father.
Dr. Jones, or: How Mum learned to stop worrying and love the explanation
Saturday 13 November 2010
Dr. Jones listened intently throughout Austin’s recounting of the past few weeks’ events. She nodded her head occasionally, and mmmed and aha-ed in all the right places. She never once interrupted, or made any expression or noise that made Austin think she didn’t believe what he was saying. She was the only adult to take what he had to say completely seriously. When he had finished, she offered him a glass of water, which he drank gratefully, draining every last drop.
‘You’ve been through a lot Austin,’ she said, ‘and I think you’ve coped remarkably well under the circumstances. Time travelling aside, Jordan going missing like that is a big thing to cope with. You’re a very brave and resourceful boy, and I think you’ll come out of this a better and wiser young man.’
Austin smiled bashfully. ‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘But what about the time travel? Did Mr Jones tell you what happened?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘and I thought he was winding me up at first, I must admit. He does like his jokes.’
Austin groaned inwardly. Here it comes, he thought.
‘But one of the things I’m quite good at, Austin, is being able to tell when people are lying, even people I’ve not known for long. Now I’ve known my brother all my life, and he wasn’t lying. So, even though I’ve not witnessed it myself, I do believe you. The question is, what do we do about it?’
Austin was stunned into silence by her reaction. I didn’t expect her to say that, he thought. He breathed in deeply, then sighed. ‘I don’t know,’ he said, shrugging. ‘I thought you might tell me.’
Dr. Jones smiled. ‘Okay, let’s think. So, you went through the time hole and went back in time 13 minutes.’
Austin nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Every time was the same?’
‘Yes.’
‘Always back in time?’
‘Yup.’
‘Never forwards?’
‘Nope.’
‘Okay.’ Dr. Jones leant back in her chair and clasped her hands together. She gazed out of the window, and Austin watched her keenly. He could feel a solution just moments away; it was almost unbearable. Then he began to think about what he’d just confirmed. Always back in time, never forward. Never forward. Never forward.
‘I’ve got it!’ he said, and Dr. Jones immediately looked at him, a knowing smile on her face. She wasn’t thinking at all, thought Austin, she was just waiting for me!
‘Well?’ she asked.
‘Jordan did go through the time hole,’ he said, ‘but he went forward in time, not back!’
‘Okay,’ said Dr. Jones, ‘but by how far?’
‘Oh,’ said Austin, ‘I hadn’t thought about that.’
Dr. Jones leant forward in her chair. ‘Think, Austin,’ she said. ‘Think about your life. Why did you go back in time? Why 13 minutes?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Yes, you do, Austin. Think! What does 13 mean to you?’
‘It’s how old I am?’
‘Okay. Go on.’
‘It’s how long it takes me to get to school in the morning?’
‘Good. Go on.’
‘It’s the number of the house where I live.’
‘And?’
‘It’s the date I was born.’
‘Anything else?’
‘Loads of things,’ he said. ‘My library card number adds up to 13.’
‘There’s something you missed.’
‘Is there?’ he asked, then thought for a moment before realising. ‘Of course! It was the number of the abandoned house I went into!’
‘Exactly,’ said Dr. Jones triumphantly. ‘Now why did you go back in time, Austin? And why only 13 minutes, and not 13 hours or 13 days?’
Austin shrugged again.
‘Come on, Austin,’ said Dr. Jones,
‘you’re doing so well. Think! What had happened at school the day before your first visit to number 13?’
‘I’d had a talk with the Head… about being late.’
Dr. Jones just raised her eyebrows at Austin this time. It was all she needed to do to make Austin understand.
‘And I was going to be excluded if I was late again, so… so I went back in time just far enough to avoid being late.’
‘Good. Now… Jordan. Did he go back in time, too?’
‘No,’ said Austin immediately. ‘He couldn’t have, or he’d still be…’
Dr. Jones nodded. ‘Yes. He’d still be here, wouldn’t he?’
‘Mmmm,’ said Austin, quietly nodding. ‘So he must have gone forward in time, into the future.’
‘But by how far? And why?’
‘I don’t -’ began Austin, then stopped himself. I know Dr. Jones’s answer to that one already, he thought. ‘Well, it couldn’t have been 13 minutes, or 13 hours, or even 13 days -’ Austin stopped for a moment, mentally calculating how long it had been since Jordan’s disappearance. Fifteen days, he thought, fifteen days of hell. Fifteen days of being ignored at school. Fifteen days of suspicious stares.
‘So how long, then?’ she asked him.
‘13 years,’ he said, and surprised himself.
‘Why not 13 months?’
‘Not far enough,’ he said, and looked down at his feet.
‘Not far enough?’ said Dr. Jones. ‘Don’t you mean, not long enough?’
Austin had a glazed look in his eye. Everything suddenly felt quite out of focus. ‘Not far enough away from me!’
‘Is that what you were thinking? Back there in that toilet, hiding from him?’
‘Yes!’ said Austin, vehemently. ‘I’d had enough. Always picking on me, always following me and calling me names. I just wanted him far away. As far away as possible!’
‘And then he was.’
‘Yes,’ said Austin, ‘and then he was.’
‘But why 13 years, and not seven or four or fifty?’
Austin could suddenly see everything clearly, as if he was looking in a bathroom mirror after taking a bath, and had wiped away the condensation. He didn’t like what he saw. ‘Because we were in number 13, and we were both 13 years old, and…’
‘And..?’
‘And maybe Jordan was born on the 13, and lived at number 13, too?’
‘Maybe.’
‘So he’s not disappeared at all. He’s just 13 years into the future. Like in The Time Machine…’
‘The film?’
‘No, the book. And the film, I suppose.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s the bit where the time traveller explains to his friends about his experiment. He shows them a model of the time machine and then makes it go into the future. To them, it disappears, but the time traveller tells them it hasn’t moved. It’s still in the same space, just not in the same time.’
‘So what are you saying?’
‘That’s what’s happened to Jordan,’ said Austin. ‘He’s moved 13 years into the future, but he’ll still be in the same place.’
‘But how does that help you, now?’
‘Well, I know where he is now!’
‘Don’t you mean when he is now?’
‘Oh, yes,’ said Austin, and laughed. ‘But he won’t know, will he? He won’t know that he’s in the future.’
‘Won’t he?’
‘Well, not straight away.’
‘What if they’ve built a new house there, and someone’s living in it?’
Austin’s eyes bulged open and his mouth dropped, then he put his hand up to his mouth to stop a laugh. ‘Oh!’ he said, through his fingers, ‘that would be weird!’
‘Jordan will be scared,’ said Dr. Jones. ‘He’ll panic. He’s not like you, you know.’
‘So?’ said Austin, ‘serves him right.’
‘Does it?’
Austin paused for a moment. Does it serve him right? he thought. Maybe not. ‘Well, okay, maybe it doesn’t, but what can I do? I’m stuck here.’
‘Only now,’ said Dr. Jones. ‘Only this moment. Remember, we’re travelling in time, too. Just at a different speed.’
‘Are you saying I should be there to meet him in 13 years time?’
‘At least you’d know for sure what happened to him.’
‘I suppose.’
‘Then it would all be finally over.’
‘Yes.’
‘I think it’s time to call your mum back in,’ said Dr. Jones. ‘Now, remember; she doesn’t believe in this time travel. I don’t think she can, Austin, so I’m going to tell her something she will understand, okay? You just have to trust me on this.’
‘Okay,’ he shrugged, ‘I suppose.’
Dr. Jones went over to the door and opened it. Austin turned to look, and watched as she beckoned for his mum to come back in. His mum rose from her seat and walked stiffly into the consulting room. She sat down next to him and ruffled his hair. Dr. Jones returned to her swivel chair and sat down.
‘Mrs. Baker,’ she began, ‘Austin and I have had a very good chat, and we’ve come to understand what’s happened to him over the past few weeks.’
Austin looked at his mum. He watched her expression change from concern to relief. It didn’t matter how angry he’d been with her for not believing him; she was still his mum, and this would put things back to normal.
‘Good,’ she said. ‘What’s all this time travel stuff been about then?’
‘It’s merely Austin’s way of understanding and coping with a trauma that most of us never have to go through,’ said Dr. Jones. ‘Austin’s an intelligent, creative chap. He loves his stories, and is reading books that are beyond his age range. Consequently, when Jordan disappeared, he tried to piece together an explanation that fitted his world.’
‘But time travel?’ said his mum, ‘surely he’d have known…’
‘…the difference between fiction and fact?’ said Dr. Jones, completing his mum’s sentence for her. ‘It’s not that simple. Fiction and fact are not as black and white to a child as they are to an adult. Besides, just because we don’t have time travel, doesn’t mean it’s not possible.’
‘I suppose so,’ said Austin’s mum, glancing at Austin.
‘And in any case,’ said Dr. Jones, ‘it’s easy to get things confused in a traumatic time. So, what we’ve been able to do, is come up with a solution to all this. In 13 years time, Austin will be twenty-six years old. I’ve told him to go back to the place where it all happened then, if he still needs to. By then, of course, Austin will have grown up and matured enough to make sense of all this in an adult fashion. Until then, it will help him if he keeps that appointment in his head.’
Austin watched his mum intently. At first, it was hard for him to understand her expression, but then she turned to him, and gave him a hug. ‘Mum!’ he said, and wriggled out from her clutches. Always embarrassing me, he thought, but couldn’t help grinning all the same.
Revelations
Monday 3rd November 2036
Jordan’s dad was staring into space. He seemed to be in a world of his own, so at first he didn’t acknowledge that anyone had entered the room. Jordan stood transfixed at the sight of his elderly father. He looks like grandpa did in the photo album, he thought. Seeing Austin at twenty-six years old, and then thirty-nine years old, was bad enough. But seeing his father looking so old, with his white wispy hair and his furrowed brow; it was almost more than Jordan could cope with.
‘Dad?’ he said at last, breaking the silence that had lain over the room like cling-film. The others turned to look in his father’s direction. Austin looked back and forth at the two of them, but for Jordan there was nobody else in the room apart from his dad. He scrutinised his features, trying to work out what the old man was thinking. His eyes were slightly glazed, and his lips had become thin and wrinkled. His nose was a slightly different shape, and Jordan thought it must have
become broken at some point.
Slowly, Jordan’s dad turned his head towards him. He lifted his chin off his hands, and his fingers uncurled from the walking cane like a waking spider. His red-rimmed eyes focused on Jordan, and then he recognised him.
‘Jordie?’ he said. ‘Is that you, Jordie?’
‘Dad!’ exclaimed Jordan, and rushed to his side, dropping his shoes and socks as he did so. He knelt down beside him and hugged him tightly. His dad let go of the cane, which stood upright on its own for a second before falling to the carpet. The old man wrapped his spindly arms around Jordan, returning the hug.
Jordan had considered himself to be pretty brave in the face of adversity, but this reunion with his dad brought forth all his pent-up emotion, and he sobbed his heart out.
‘There, there,’ said his father, rubbing Jordan’s back with his palm, ‘it’s okay now. Daddy’s here.’
‘I’m sorry, daddy,’ replied Jordan, between sobs, ‘I didn’t know.’
‘Ssh. Ssh. It’s all right.’
‘It wasn’t my fault.’
‘No,’ said Austin, and the two of them turned towards him. ‘It wasn’t your fault. It was mine.’
Jordan wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffed loudly. The black-haired girl giggled and Jordan glared at her. She ducked behind her mum quickly to avoid his stare. The other girl was still sitting on the bed, staring into space. She hadn’t moved at all since Jordan entered the room, but Jordan had other things to concern him right now.
‘What d’you mean?’ asked Jordan.
‘It was my fault you went into number 13,’ said Austin. ‘It was my fault you went through the time hole, too.’
‘Austin, we talked about this,’ said Zoë. ‘It’s not anyone’s fault.’
Austin let go of his wife’s hand. ‘I’ve lived with this for twenty-six years,’ he said, ‘and I’ve just got to let go of it.’
‘Get it off your chest, then,’ said Jordan’s dad. ‘I find it’s the best way.’
‘I haven’t told anyone this before,’ said Austin, glancing at Zoë, ‘not even you, darling.’
Zoë frowned, but said nothing.
‘The morning you went through the time hole, Jordan... well, I sort of knew you would...’
‘Knew?’ said Jordan, ‘how?’
‘It was the third time I’d gone through it, you see, but I wasn’t quite sure what was happening. I thought maybe my watch was playing up.’
‘So?’
‘So I thought the best way to check it out would be to do an experiment.’
Jordan frowned. ‘What sort of experiment?’
‘I phoned myself.’
‘You phoned yourself?’
‘Yeah. To my home phone, of course. Not my mobile.’
‘And it worked?’
‘Yeah. It worked. It was weird, but it worked.’
‘But... why does that make it your fault I went through the time hole?’
‘Because I knew you had, and I told myself so.’
There was stunned silence in the room for a few moments, whilst this revelation sank in. Then, Zoë sniggered. Austin glared at her, but this just made her burst out laughing. Zoë’s laugh was infectious, and even Austin had to crack a smile. In the middle of this damp, dreary bedroom, with its peeling posters and stained ceiling, with the knowledge that they were all prisoners and probably in deep trouble, Zoë was laughing.
‘It’s not funny,’ he said. ‘I told myself that Jordan had followed me in. Don’t you see? I was hiding in the toilet when he went past...’
Zoë laughed even more, and Jordan grinned. Her laugh made him feel good. She reminded him of his mum.
‘Stop it Zoë,’ said Austin. ‘It’s not funny! This is serious.’
Now the little girl holding Zoë’s hand began to laugh. It was like a miniature version of her mum’s laugh, but the identical girl on the bed remained still, as if she wasn’t aware of anything around her.
‘What I’m saying is...’
‘It don’t matter no more,’ said Jordan. ‘None of that matters. We can’t undo what’s happened or nothing.’
‘Stop it!’
Everybody turned to the little girl sitting on the bed. Austin and Zoë gasped and the identical girl shrieked and clutched at Zoë’s leg.
‘I don’t like her, Mummy,’ she wailed, ‘make her go away.’
‘I can’t, Aurie,’ said Zoë. ‘I can’t. Don’t be scared, love. It’s okay.’ She picked the little girl up in her arms and rocked her gently, then looked pleadingly at Austin, as if to say ‘do something!’
Austin went over to the girl with the sling and crouched beside her. He put a hand out to stroke her hair, but the little girl flinched and he withdrew his hand quickly. He looked back at Zoë, raising his eyebrows to her.
‘What’s the matter with Aurie’s sister?’ asked Jordan.
‘She’s not Aurie’s sister,’ said Zoë.
‘But she looks exactly like her!’
‘We can see that,’ said Austin, ‘but you’re wrong.’
‘What d’you mean?’ asked Jordan.
‘I mean, she’s not exactly like her. She is her!’
The Black Van
Wednesday 17th November 2010
The first few days after Austin’s appointment with Dr. Jones were almost idyllic for him. His parents were ecstatic at having the old Austin back, instead of the gloomy, introverted Austin that had moped around their house since Jordan’s disappearance. Austin’s general demeanour had taken a turn for the better. He felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and it was all thanks to Dr. Jones and her brother.
Life at school had started to return to something approaching normal. Austin’s peers still ignored him, but at least they didn’t stare any more. At the end of science class one Thursday lunchtime, Mr Jones beckoned for Austin to remain behind for a moment.
‘How are things?’ he asked.
‘Much better, thanks,’ said Austin.
‘Good,’ replied his tutor. ‘I’ve got something to tell you that could be important. I went to see if I could find your time hole, but when I got there, I found the place fenced off, and a big construction site sign erected outside it.’
‘I know,’ replied Austin, ‘they’re building some new houses there.’
‘Aren’t you concerned that someone else will go through the time hole?’
Austin shook his head. ‘Not really. No. I don’t think other people can.’
‘Really? What gave you that idea?’
‘Just a feeling.’
‘That’s not very scientific, Austin,’ said Mr Jones.
I’m not a scientist, thought Austin, but smiled politely at his tutor.
‘Are you not interested in this any more, Austin?’
Austin shrugged. ‘I just don’t see the point, really. I can’t do anything until November 3rd, 2023 anyway.’
Mr Jones frowned. ‘I’m sorry, have I missed something?’
It was Austin’s turn to frown now. ‘Didn’t your sister tell you?’
His tutor smiled. ‘My sister can’t tell me anything about your meeting with her, Austin. It’s called confidentiality.’
‘Oh, right. Yes, of course,’ said Austin, feeling slightly stupid. You idiot! You knew that already, he thought. ‘Well, we worked out that Jordan must’ve gone forward in time by 13 years, so I’ve got to wait ‘til then, and then go there to meet him when he comes out.’
‘I see,’ said Mr Jones. ‘But why 13 years?’
Austin took a sharp intake of breath. I can check our theory out now, he thought. ‘Can I look up Jordan’s details on your laptop?’
‘Why?’
‘It’s a theory I’ve got…’
‘Well, since its you,’ said Mr Jones, ‘but I’m not supposed to do this, you know.’
‘I won’t tell anyone.’
‘I know,’ said Mr Jones, and returned to his desk where his laptop sat, still
attached to the overhead projector. Austin watched as the School’s Information Monitoring System, or SIMS, came onto the screen, and he heard the plastic tap-tapping of Mr Jones’s fingers on the keyboard as they typed in Baxter, then Jordan. There was a moment’s delay, then Jordan’s smiling face came up on the screen, and Austin quickly scanned for his date of birth and address.
‘Ohmygod,’ said Austin, and put his hand up over his mouth.
‘What is it?’ said Mr Jones. ‘What have you seen?’
‘His birthdate,’ said Austin, ‘it’s the same date as mine. We’re, like, twins!’
‘Interesting. You were both born on March 13. Same day as me.’
‘You’re kidding!’ said Austin. ‘You were born on March 13 too?’
‘I was indeed, although not quite the same year! And it looks like he lived at No.13 Poplar Crescent. Is the number 13 as prevalent in your life, Austin?’
‘Yes. What does it mean, Sir?’
‘I’m not sure, to be honest with you, Austin. But I will find out, one way or the other.’
On his way home, Austin took a slight detour to the building site where the abandoned number 13 had once stood. Mr Jones was right. There was indeed a tall, wooden-slatted fence around the property, and in front of it was a large sign which read: COMING FOR AUTUMN 2011 - PLOT 13 CONSTRUCTION are building 13 brand-new contemporary two and three bedroom houses. For more information, visit www.plot13.org.uk. At the end of the fencing was a wooden gate which had a NO ENTRY sign on it, and parked partly on the pavement and partly on the road was a shiny black van, with the small insignia of the Plot 13 Construction company on it’s side door.
Austin stood there for a few moments, listening. He could hear something whining from inside the fence boundary, but couldn’t yet make out what it might be. It was a high-pitched oscillating sound, not something he would have expected from a construction site. It made him tingle, like his whole body was having pins and needles. He shivered involuntarily. As the sound became louder, so the sensation grew stronger. Then the continuous whine changed suddenly to an intermittent beep, which felt like someone was pricking his skin with nails. Austin flinched, and knocked into a woman walking her dog.
‘Mind where you’re going, young man!’ she barked.
Austin hadn’t even heard her walking towards him, so mesmerised was he by the sound.
‘Sorry!’ he said, through clenched teeth.
‘Really!’ she said, steering her yapping dog away from Austin and promptly crossing the road to get away from him.
The intermittent beeps grew closer together, until Austin could stand it no more. He ran across the road as fast as he could manage, still flinching from the pins and needles on his skin. Once across the road, the sensation grew less severe, and Austin shivered once again. Rubbing his hands on his coat sleeves, Austin started to walk off towards home, when he heard a door slam, and turned instinctively to see who it was. A man in overalls had stepped from the driver’s seat of the black van, and was staring right at him. He appeared to be talking to himself, but then another man in overalls opened the gate and walked out to meet his colleague. He had what looked like a large mobile phone in his hand. The driver pointed towards Austin and the other man looked his way, too. There’s something wrong with these builders, thought Austin, and I’m not sticking around to find out what.
Without another glance behind him, he walked towards the turning into Blackberry Crescent. Fighting the urge to run, he turned left, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the men getting back into the van. When he was sure he was out of sight, he began to run, just as he heard the sound of an engine starting. Running was not Austin’s forte, but the adrenalin pumping through his system at that moment did him credit. In just three minutes, he had run all the way home. He collapsed at his front door, gasping for breath, and reached up to the letterbox and used the brass knocker on it.
‘Austin!’ cried his mum, as she opened the door. ‘Come inside at once! What are you doing?’
Austin scrambled to his feet and lurched through the door. ‘Shut it, Mum, quick!’
‘I’ll shut it when I’m good and ready!’ said his mum, ‘now get up off the floor please. I’ve just vacuumed!’
Austin clambered to his feet, still breathing deeply, and looked out through the door to see the black van cruising past slowly. The passenger window rolled down and Austin caught a glance of the man who had the metal detector. The man smiled when he saw Austin, and then the window rolled up again and the van sped away.
‘Bloody hell!’ said Austin.
‘Stop swearing!’ shouted his mum, as she closed the front door. ‘I don’t know what’s gotten into you these days, I really don’t!’
Count to ten, Austin, he thought, count to ten.
‘Now get your coat and shoes off and go and change. It’s nearly time for dinner!’
‘Okay, mum,’ he said, through gritted teeth. ‘Sorry about before.’ He removed his coat and hung it up on the hook beside the front door, then took his shoes off and put them on the shoe rack beneath. As he climbed the stairs, he suddenly realised something. Those overalls they wore; they were crisp and new. Far too clean, he thought. They can’t have been builders. So, who were they?
As he went into his room and started to change out of his school uniform, a feeling of unease spread through him, and he realised that whatever he’d started by going through the time hole, was only going to get worse.
Alice
Monday 3rd November 2036
‘You what?’ said Jordan. ‘What d’you mean, she is her?’
‘What I said,’ replied Austin, rising to his feet.
‘I thought they were twins.’
‘Well they’re not.’
Jordan’s dad cleared his throat, and Jordan turned to look at him.
‘Sorry, dad, I...’
‘I know,’ said the old man, ‘I know. It’s a lot to deal with all at once. But she was here when we arrived, and until she said those words just now, we couldn’t get anything out of her. I think she’s traumatised.’
‘What’s traumatised?’ said a little voice. Everyone looked at the girl in Zoë’s arms. Jordan was glad that Aurie had asked the question. He’d been too embarrassed to ask himself, although he could guess what it meant.
‘She’s just upset, dear,’ said Zoë.
‘Is she my Alice?’ asked the girl.
‘Your Alice?’ said Zoë.
‘Like through the mirror.’
‘I think she means looking-glass,’ said Jordan’s dad. ‘Alice through the looking-glass.’
‘Clever girl!’ said Austin. ‘That’s just who she is!’
Aurie seemed satisfied with that, and felt confident enough to be put down. Zoë placed her gently onto the carpet and she immediately went over to the little girl on the bed. The little girl looked at her doppelgänger, and smiled. She held out a hand to touch Aurie’s face, and Jordan could feel the tension in the room. Everyone held their breath, as they realised that they were witnessing an impossible event. Two of the same person shouldn’t exist in the same space, should they? thought Jordan. He remembered seeing a film in which this was the case. But Aurie’s double touched her face anyway. Jordan felt his arm hairs stand on end for a moment, but neither of them died, or disappeared. No explosions happened. Aurie gave her ‘sister’ a hug.
‘It’s all right,’ she said to her, ‘you’re my Alice. You’re like my resection.’
‘That’s reflection, Aurie love,’ said Zoë.
‘At least that solves what to call her,’ said Austin. ‘Calling them both Aurora would’ve been problematic to say the least.’
‘What’s the plural for Aurora?’ asked Jordan’s dad.
‘It’s Aurorae, I think,’ said Austin.
Jordan suddenly felt a bit lost and more than a little dizzy. How can they just talk about stuff that’s not important? The euphoria over seeing his dad again had worn off slightly, and now he was feeling
the effects of the past few hours. He sat down quickly next to the armchair and his dad looked down at him.
‘You okay, Jordie?’
Jordan held his head in his hands. ‘Just dizzy,’ he murmured.
‘Come on then,’ said his dad, and patted his hands on his lap, ‘I’m not too decrepit to have you sit on my lap.’
‘Nah, it’s all right, dad,’ said Jordan, ‘honest.’
Jordan looked over at the two girls, sitting next to each other on the bed. They stared into each other’s eyes, and Jordan wondered what it must be like.
‘What are they doing?’ asked Zoë.
Aurie looked at her mum and said, ‘we’re thinking to each other of course.’
‘Ha!’ cried Austin. ‘They can hear each other’s thoughts!’
‘Rubbish!’ said Jordan’s dad. ‘They’re just playing.’
‘No they’re not,’ argued Jordan. He turned to his dad. ‘They’re the same person, so of course they’d know each other’s thoughts!’
‘But knowing each other’s thoughts isn’t the same as hearing them,’ said Zoë, ‘so perhaps it’s not telepathy. Perhaps it’s something else. Something nobody else can do but them.’
‘Whatever it is,’ said Austin, ‘it’s very cool. So what are you thinking about Aurie?’
Jordan watched as Aurie looked at Alice. Their expressions changed every few moments, as if they were speaking. It was like watching television with the sound off. Aurie finally turned to her dad and answered him.
‘We want to know why you and Jordan glow funny.’
Jordan didn’t know what to say to that, but as he looked at Austin, he saw that the man was speechless. ‘What do they mean, glow funny?’ he asked.
‘I’m not sure, Jordan,’ he replied, ‘but it’s not the first time I’ve heard that.’
‘When d’ya hear it?’
‘Twenty-six years ago, in Dr. Jones’s waiting room.’
‘Who’s Dr. Jones?’
‘Our tutor’s sister,’ replied Austin. ‘She’s a child psychologist.’
‘Mr Jones has a sister?’
‘Yes,’ said Austin, ‘I went to see her because of your disappearance.’
‘Oh, I see,’ said Jordan. ‘Why did she say that?’
‘It wasn’t her,’ Austin laughed. ‘It was one of her patients. She came out of her consulting room and asked her mum why I was glowing funny. I never did find out why she said that. So many unanswered questions…’
Jordan’s mind raced. ‘Aurie said both of us were glowing. It’s got to have something to do with the time hole.’
‘Yes! That’s it!’ exclaimed Austin. He went forward to kneel at the bed, and Alice moved away from him, sudden panic on her face. Aurie turned to her and said, ‘Don’t worry, Alice, it’s just daddy.’
Alice turned to her and looked her in the eyes. What she thought shocked Aurie, and she turned to Austin and said, ‘Daddy? Why is Alice saying you broke her arm?’
‘I didn’t,’ said Austin. ‘Her arm was already broken when we came in here. I thought she…’ then his voice trailed off, and Jordan guessed what he was thinking.
‘This is Aurie from the future, ain’t it?’ he said. ‘She must’ve gone through a time hole, too, or she will soon.’
Austin nodded, too stunned to speak. Zoë glared at her husband, then went to the bed and picked up Alice, who hugged her mum tightly. She gently rocked her to and fro, then turned back to her husband.
‘What?’ said Austin. ‘I haven’t done anything! I would never do anything to hurt our daughter. You know that, Zoë!’
‘But you will,’ she said. ‘As you can see.’
Jordan’s dad cleared his throat. Everyone turned to him. ‘Can I just make an observation?’
‘Go on then, Ron,’ said Austin.
‘A child’s view on the world can be rather… black and white. It could be that whatever circumstances allow her arm to be broken, are through no fault of your own. It may just seem to her that it’s your fault.’
Jordan beamed with pride. Good old dad, he thought, he always has a different way of thinking things. He rose to his feet again and stretched. Then an odd thought occurred to him.
‘Austin?’
‘Yes, Jordan?’
‘How come Zoë and Aurie and my dad were here, but you came to get me?’
‘That’s a good point,’ said Austin, glad that the conversation had moved on. ‘I’d been travelling for several days to get to you. I’d left your dad and Zoë and Aurie behind.’
‘We’d finally made contact with your dad a few weeks before,’ said Zoë, still cradling Alice in her arms. Aurie was now sitting on the bed in Alice’s place. She was looking up at Alice in her mum’s arms, and Jordan thought it looked as if she was trying not to be jealous of herself.
‘As you can imagine,’ continued Austin, ‘a lot has happened since we last met. I guess I owe it to you to fill in the blanks.’
Finally, thought Jordan, some answers! He walked over to the bed. ‘Can I sit here with you, Aurie?’ he asked.
Aurie nodded. Jordan sat down on the bed and leant back against the wall. It felt cold and damp, and it reminded him that they were still prisoners here. Zoë put Alice down. She ran back to the bed, sitting next to Aurie. Then Zoë went up to Austin and put her arm around him. He watched Austin intently as he smiled at her and kissed her forehead gently. It reassured him to see their tenderness.
‘Are we all sitting comfortably?’ said Jordan’s dad from his armchair.
‘Then I’ll begin,’ said Austin. But as he opened his mouth to begin, the door was unbolted and a soldier came into the bedroom followed by three men in white coats.
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