Time Lost: A Time Travel Novel, page 16
StrallVoss seemed to float closer to them, but his energy was calm and non-threatening. Kara took an instinctive step back, but Ayita held her ground, her hands at her sides.
“In 1953, one of our pilots observed the one you call Sally Mason. I will use words to describe him, although they are not entirely the way we think of these things. This pilot was a being of great strength and ability, and a being of compassion. We have the ability to view the future, but only the immediate future, because the future is not set. It is not deterministic or materialistic. It is based on choice and intention and focus. This pilot felt a pull toward Sally Mason. He had observed her for many days. It is not usual for us to feel this kind of pull.”
Kara jumped in. “By pull, do you mean he was romantically attracted to her?”
“Those words are not words we use. We do not carry emotions like your people do. Is that clear? By pull, I mean, he could see her life played out before him on a viewer screen inside the craft. He saw her partner, who was often violent to her. He observed it was a life she believed had trapped her. She was living her life in sacrifice for her children. In our world and culture, sacrifice is highly prized, admired, and sought. That is, to surrender oneself for the sake of a higher purpose, for the good of another or for a group. This was one more reason our pilot felt a pull toward Sally Mason. When she was driving on that night road, our pilot saw her immediate future. Ahead, on that road, was a driver who was drunk. He was driving fast, and he was weaving over the center line of that road. Sally Mason was about to collide head-on with this drunken driver. Our pilot saw that Sally Mason would survive the accident, but she would never walk again, and her mind would be seriously impaired.”
Ayita and Kara exchanged a glance of wonder.
StrallVoss continued. “Our pilot had but seconds to decide and act. At random, he engaged a time device that we developed only for emergencies, for training of our minds and our characters, and for what you would call religious and philosophical purposes. This time device is sacred, and it is never to be employed on any other being or race without the consent of our most esteemed and wise commanders. Without consent, our pilot activated the device. As I stated, no precise time was set, so the device was engaged at random, and Sally Mason was transported seventy years into your future.”
Ayita shut her eyes, and Kara felt the hair on the back of her neck rise.
A long hanging moment later, StrallVoss said, “Our pilot was removed from his command, but because his intention was positive, he was deployed back to our world, where he has done penance for his choice. He is getting long on years now, and he will transition soon. I have spoken with him, and he is sincere in wishing Sally Mason a good new life.”
Ayita opened her eyes and narrowed them on StrallVoss. “StrallVoss, if we tell Sally Mason the truth, and if she says she wants to return to 1953, do you have the ability to send her back? That is, with your device, can you set it for a minute or two before the accident occurs, so that when Sally returns, she can pull her car to the side of the road and wait for the drunk driver to pass?”
“It is forbidden, Ayita Wells, as you heard me state.”
Kara said, “But surely, StrallVoss, you could correct the mistake, if that’s what you want to call it. Do you understand that? If a mistake was made, then can’t it be corrected?”
StrallVoss radiated a vibrant rippling orange, as if his energy had shifted. “Kara Gonne, time is, let us say, plastic. It is malleable, not so precise. A clock truly measures nothing, but only what is agreed upon by those watching it. Time shifts, and flows, according to person, event, and perception. Even if we could send Sally Mason back to 1953, and even if she knows the drunk driver is racing toward her, minutes could actually be seconds, or seconds could shift into minutes. And, in your world, time does not like to be manipulated. We have learned this after many years, and after many experiments. It is entirely possible that if we took Sally Mason back to 1953, the accident would occur nonetheless, and it is also possible that Sally Mason could be killed. Do you understand StrallVoss?”
Kara said, “But StrallVoss, if Sally knows what’s going to happen to her, then she won’t leave the house that night, and go to that night school course. She can stay home.”
StrallVoss’s aura transformed from orange to a royal purple. “Sally Mason must be sent back to the approximate time from whence she time traveled, and not earlier or later. Also, Sally will be confused, just as she was confused when she arrived in 2023. And if she is sent back in time, she will have only seconds to respond, and with a confused mind. As I have stated, time is not fixed. It is not predictable. Time is a play of seconds and minutes and years. And time can be long or it can be short, depending on one’s choice, perception, or experience. Despite Sally Mason’s having knowledge of the past, as I have said, she will be sent back to within seconds of the accident, with only seconds to respond.”
Ayita looked at StrallVoss with deep meaning. “If Sally Mason agrees to the risk, would your commanders consider sending her back to 1953?”
StrallVoss’s aura turned a lovely golden red. “It has not been done in my time, but this has happened before on your Earth, hundreds of years ago. But since that time, your world and its cultures have changed greatly. Many aspects of this issue must be considered.”
“But it could be done?”
“Perhaps. For your information, I visited Sally Mason one night soon after her time travel journey. She did not seem as frightened, and I could feel her emotion, but we did not successfully communicate. Sally Mason is confused and predictably distraught. So I do understand your concern for her.”
Kara said, “We may choose against Sally returning, StrallVoss, but it would be useful to know your decision, so that we have the option.”
Ayita’s gaze was troubled. She didn’t like Kara’s choice of words, that they might choose against Sally returning.
StrallVoss’s color faded into vibrant yellow and then into a shimmering white. “I will propose this issue to my superiors. But first, I must meet Sally Mason and receive her consent to this time travel reversal. She must be made aware that by returning to 1953, she might avoid the accident, or she might not avoid it, and she could become tragically infirmed. Her choice might even result in her death. Before I bring this issue to my superiors, I must speak to Sally Mason and gain her consent. Do you understand?”
CHAPTER 33
The two-story Florida beach house owned by Bert’s brother was the color of sunbaked sand, and trimmed with sea-foam green and light blue accents. The front lawn had a green shine. Red hibiscus plants covered the front windows, and swaying palm trees were languid under the warm afternoon sun.
At the rear of the house, rugged wooden stairs led up to a deck, which offered grand views of a wide beach and infinite blue ocean. Sally Mason was reclined on a chaise under the baking sun, sunglasses glinting, her hair damp from a recent swim. Bert and she had gone to a nearby surf shop to buy her a one-piece aqua swimsuit, a floral pattern cover-up and some sunscreen.
Bert, dressed in his new Bermuda shorts, a straw hat and yellow t-shirt, exited the downstairs sliding doors, carrying two glasses of iced tea. He mounted the stairs and joined Sally on the upper deck, offering her a glass.
“You’re an angel, Bert,” she said, sitting up, accepting it. “I was just dreaming about a glass of iced tea. You must be a mind reader.”
Bert stepped to a patio chair and eased down with a sigh, squinting up into the sun. “Well, who doesn’t want a glass of iced tea on a hot Florida afternoon? But this coconut-smelling sunscreen makes me want a Piña Colada.”
Sally took a long drink and gazed out at the sea, at the deep warm blue. “How is the painting going?”
“I’ve painted two watercolors, both sunsets. I can sell sunset paintings. Who doesn’t love a good Florida sunset? How was your swim?”
“It was wonderful. It’s so beautiful here. It’s only been a little over a week, but it seems like months, and I’m feeling so relaxed.”
“Good. Yes, it has been a wonderful little vacation. I haven’t been here for five years, and Lynnie was with me the last time. It was sort of a winter family reunion.”
Sally looked at him warmly. “You miss her every day, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. I hope I’m not boring you to death. I know I talk about her too much.”
“You don’t bore me at all. I wish I could say I missed my husband, but I don’t. My kids, yes. I ache for them every day—for the kids they were—but I don’t miss Ronnie. I feel guilty about it. A wife should miss her husband, shouldn’t she, Bert?”
“I don’t like the word ‘should,’ Sally. We are who we are. It’s best to be authentic. I think you get more that way as you get older. You don’t care what people think so much. So, Sally Mason, if you don’t think of your husband, and if you don’t miss him, then so be it. You’ll get no judgement from me. From what you’ve said about him, he didn’t sound so likeable, anyway.”
Sally stared down at her glass. “I’m nervous. I mean, I’m nervous about meeting your nephew.”
“Nervous about Terry? Nah. Don’t be. He’s a nice guy. Always did live in his head too much, and work too much, but he’s okay.”
“Why did his wife divorce him?”
Bert glanced away. “Oh, I don’t know. She was a pretty gal, all right, and smart. She’s a lawyer and works for a good law firm, but I think Terry was always working, or thinking about work, or always talking about his work, and maybe she wanted more than that.”
“Do they have kids?”
“A boy, Lance, and he’s a fireplug of a kid. Rough and tumble and always on the go. Loves sports. He lives with his mother and his grandparents, and Terry sees him most weekends.”
Bert checked his watch. “He’ll be here any time now.”
“And you didn’t tell him everything?” Sally asked, gently wiping the perspiration from her upper lip.
“No, not everything. As I told you this morning, I said you were a friend, and you needed help that only his expertise could provide. I also told him you were pretty, and you have a good head on your thin shoulders. Now don’t look at me like that. There’s nothing wrong with telling a man he’s going to meet a pretty, intelligent woman. It speeds things up and moves things along.”
Sally set her glass of tea down on a plastic patio table. “Do you think they’re still looking for me? The CIA, or whoever?”
Bert slapped away an insect. “Yes, I’m sure they are, but if we work fast enough, and if Terry is as smart as I think he is, in no time at all you’ll slip away from them, begin your new life and that will be the end of it.”
Sally’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I can’t imagine what my life will be. I wake up every day, and I look around and I don’t know where I am or who I am.”
“You will. You’ve had a shock. You’ve had a shock that no one else on this Earth, as far as we know, has ever had. So, be patient with yourself, and we’ll get it all worked out.”
When the sun drifted behind a cloud, Sally watched blue shadows shimmer across the sea and a flock of pelicans wing across the tideline.
“I thank God for you, Bert. Who knows where I’d be if you hadn’t come along?”
“Yeah, well, where would I be? Back home alone in Indiana, painting some boring vase of autumn flowers and munching on a Pop Tart, wishing I was in Florida with a pretty girl like you.”
Sally laughed. “You always make me laugh.”
They heard a voice calling from the lower patio. Bert set his glass down on the wooden deck, pushed up, and called out, “Terry! Is that you?”
Sally swallowed away nerves and stood up, hearing footsteps on the stairs.
Bert met Terry as he stepped onto the deck, and they gave each other a man hug. Terry wore brown khakis, a blue-and-white striped polo shirt, deck shoes, and aviator sunglasses.
The men turned to face Sally. She stood awkwardly, with a shy smile and damp brushed back hair. Her tanned pretty face and stunning figure took Terry by surprise, and he removed his sunglasses, his eyes taking her in fully.
Bert gestured toward her. “Terry Hansel, Sally Mason. Sally Mason, Terry Hansel, my favorite nephew.”
Sally’s eyes stuck to the man. Terry didn’t fit the type she’d imagined—a skinny, serious egghead, with thinning hair. This man was tall, dark, and very good looking. In the jargon of her 1950s high school days, she would have called him “a dream.”
Terry approached her, all smiles, and stretched out a hand. “Hello, Sally. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Sally took his big hand and smiled into his eyes, feeling a hot spasm of attraction shoot through her. “It’s nice to meet you, Terry. Thank you for coming all the way from Chicago.”
They didn’t release their hands, and Bert noticed.
“I have some business in Miami, anyway, so it’s sort of on the way.”
“Sit down, Terry,” Bert said, indicating to the chair next to his. “Right here under the umbrella, so that Chicago white skin of yours doesn’t burn.”
Terry released Sally’s hand and joined Bert, sitting in a deck chair, while Sally eased back down on the chaise.
Terry kept his pleasing smile on Sally. “Wouldn’t you like an umbrella to shield you from the sun, Sally?”
“No, thank you, Terry. I love the sun, and I tan easily.”
“So, I see,” Terry said. “You should do a commercial for Coppertone.”
The compliment thrilled and embarrassed her, and she turned her face toward the sea. “Thank you… that’s nice of you to say.”
Bert rose and put his hands together. “All right, then. I’m going to leave the two of you to chat for a bit while I get back to my painting. Terry, can I get you a beer or iced tea or something?”
“No thanks, Bert. I had a late lunch. You go ahead.”
When Bert was gone, Sally watched the waves climb the beach, and the afternoon sun warm the clouds with color. She was aware that her pulse was high from the sun, from the sparkling sea, and from Terry, the attraction between them heating her skin.
Sally couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt the rushing, eager rhythms of desire. Her attraction to Ronnie, her sexual desire for him, had ceased soon after their marriage. That’s when he’d begun to curse her and call her names; when he’d slapped her or slugged her for “mouthing back”, and when he’d forced her to have sex after she’d tried to refuse. “It’s a husband’s right,” he’d said.
Here and now, so far away from her 1953 life, so far away from Ronnie, who was dead, and so far away from the reality she’d known, she looked out at the sea and then back at Terry, and a strange hunger arose. For a few seconds, she allowed herself to slip away into a dreamscape of romantic haziness, her body suddenly ripe for the tender touch of a man, and for the soft kiss of a man.
Terry brought her out of her daydream. “Sally, Bert tells me you need a new identity, but he didn’t say why. As I’m sure you know, it’s very unusual that you don’t have a digital footprint anywhere. I did a name search, and you didn’t appear on any database I have access to, governmental or otherwise. I admit, I’m baffled. Have you been involved in some underworld activities? Do you have a Mafia boyfriend out looking for you?”
“Oh, my heavens, no, nothing like that.”
Terry’s eyes showed relief. “Cool. Very cool.” He squinted at the sun. “It’s a little hot out here. Do you mind if we go inside to have our chat? I think I might have that beer after all.”
Fifteen minutes later, Sally and Terry were in the living room, with expansive windows offering views of the sea, and comfortable contemporary sofas and chairs that encircled a sleek fireplace. A portable bar with four barstools occupied a corner, under a large flat-screen TV, and the gentle hum of an air-conditioner kept the room cool and comfortable.
Sally had changed into capris and a pink top, and was barefoot, sitting on one of the sofas. Terry stood near the dormant fireplace, holding a bottle of beer by the neck.
“Bert said you were married,” Terry said.
“I was… Not now.”
“I suppose he told you I’m divorced?”
“Yes.”
Terry looked out the windows, but his gaze kept straying back to Sally, and the slightest indication of a smile passed over his face. “You’re not what I expected.”
Sally shifted her legs and folded her knees beneath her, surprised by how comfortable she felt with Terry. “I hope you’re not disappointed.”
“No, I’m not. Not at all. You are a mystery, though. Why is it that you don’t seem to exist, at least in the digital identity world?”
Sally had decided to be blunt, but she was changing her mind. What if her truth drove Terry away? Did she care? Yes, she did. Terry Hansel attracted her physically, and, after all, she was only twenty-seven-years old, and she had the wants and the needs of a woman her age. And she was single, wasn’t she?
Bert entered the room quietly, neither Terry nor Sally noticing his entry. He said, “Sally is from another time, Terry.”
Terry shot him a look, annoyed by the interruption. “What did you say?”
Sally grabbed a bracing breath. “Bert’s right, Terry. I’m from 1953. A spaceship abducted me in my car and transported me seventy years into the future. That’s why I don’t exist on any of your databases.”
Terry stared at Sally, and then his gaze shifted to Bert, then back to Sally. He searched for a joke. He waited for one or both to laugh. They didn’t.
Sally shrugged. “I’m sorry, Terry, but there’s no other way to say it. I don’t know why it happened, but it did. I time traveled.”
