Winds of Time

by Zoe Matthews

  Justin heard some movement in the hallway and knew Garrett was coming. He quickly slipped the keys into his pocket. “Why don’t you keep the letters and write back to Nicky and Kimberly? The next time I come over, we can send the letters off to them. You can see how it works.”

  He was relieved when both of his parents nodded.

  Garrett ran into the kitchen. “I’m done, Dad. Can we go home? I’m hungry.”

  Justin laughed. “We sure can. And then after dinner, I want to make sure your homework is completed.”

  “I already did it,” Garrett complained.

  “All of it?”

  Garrett’s shoulders fell. “Almost.”

  Justin stood to give his parents a hug. “Give Grandma and Grandpa a hug, then let’s get going.”

  Once Justin’s and Garrett’s goodbyes were said, they were soon on their way to their townhouse. As Justin drove, he half listened to Garrett give him a play-by-play of the game he had just won. Justin thought about Nicky’s townhouse and knew it was time to clean it out and cancel the lease. He had been holding onto it, just in case she returned. But even though he hadn’t had a chance to read Nicky’s letters yet, he knew she would not be returning.

  Chapter 6

  The Future, Fall 2006

  Golin watched as the dark blue car left the driveway of Victoria’s home, or what her home looked like in 2006. He chuckled to himself as he slowly and carefully made his way to the house. He had no idea who the man was who just left the house, but his gut was telling him that the two keys he was looking for were in this house. He briefly thought back to a few days before when he’d tested his key. It had taken a few weeks, but it was finally working again.

  After taking a few test trips, he traveled again to 1893, spending a few days hiding on Victoria’s property. It was surprisingly easy to hide this time around since Victoria had married her butler, Collins. The small cottage Collins had lived in was now empty, so Golin hid out there. The day before, he had been frustrated with the lack of clues he was getting. There were times when Victoria and Collins were in their yard, but they never talked about the keys, and he eventually concluded that they were not on the property. He had finally sat down and thought about what he would do if he wanted to hide the keys. He would definitely hide them in a different time period from his own. After trying to figure out which time period Victoria might take them to, he thought his best bet would be to look further into the future, the time period the two women who married the Callaghan brothers had come from; around 2006 to be precise.

  After Golin figured this out, he immediately transported himself to 2006, hoping that he would end up at least on her property. Luck was with him for he did appear on the same property, and the house looked very much like it had in 1893. He watched it for a full day and saw that no one left or came to the house until the man showed up. He only stayed a few minutes and then left again. When the man left the house, Golin felt his key vibrate slightly in his pocket. He just knew the other two keys were in the house.

  He slipped inside, trying not to be surprised that everything looked the same as it had when he’d broken into the exact home months prior, except he had been in 1893. He did a quick search but came up empty, his anger growing as he went from room to room. He wanted to trash the place, just out of principle, but he talked himself down, knowing that making a mess just to make a statement would let everyone in 2006 know he had been there. He knew he needed to lay low in order to make everyone think he had given up the search.

  One of the last rooms he entered was a room that had a large wooden desk. It was covered with a thin layer of dust, just like all the other furniture was, except for one spot. Golin moved closer to study the area, and he could faintly see the outline of a key, the same size as his own key. He growled in frustration, banging the desk with his fist in anger.

  Instantly, he knew who had the keys. When the man had left the house just a short time earlier, his key had vibrated in response as he walked passed him to his car. That man had both keys in his possession. Golin had no idea who the man was, but he knew he was connected, somehow, to Victoria, Collins, and all of the Callaghan's. He just needed to figure out how to find him.

  ****

  March, 1894

  The winter had been a mild one. They’d received a few heavy snowstorms, but it was warmer than usual, and the amount of snow they received usually melted quickly.

  Nicky and Shaun had spent the winter making plans for the cabin they wanted to build in the spring. It was going to be located behind Patrick’s and Kimberly’s cabin. It was going to be larger than the cabin that was built for Patrick and Kimberly, for Shaun and Nicky planned to have a large family.

  Richard and Katherine rapidly grew like babies tend to do, and soon they were crawling all over the place. The babies added a lot to Bridget’s life and she enjoyed helping to care for them. But it also made her more determined to follow through with her decision she had made the previous fall to move to Denver in the spring.

  Bridget still hadn’t told anyone in her family about her plans, except for Nicky. She decided to wait until the end of March before she broached the subject. She figured Patrick would understand, especially because he had suggested she do that very thing right before Kimberly arrived.

  Because of the warm winter, Bridget was able to make the trip to the cave three times with Nicky and Shaun. She didn’t know why she was surprised that Justin had written back to her, but he had. There was always a letter for her tucked in between a few letters to Nicky and Kimberly. The first letter was very short as if Justin didn’t really know what to say, but after she had started asking questions about what his life was like, they’d gotten longer and more detailed. It was amazing to Bridget that she could get to know a man in just a few letters. She knew Justin was looking at the situation the same as she was, that they were writing to each other just for fun.

  It was now the beginning of March, and Bridget decided to take a walk around the ranch one morning. Her fingers itched to start planting the garden, but she knew it was too early. They would more than likely receive another few snowstorms before the weather started to warm up. It wouldn’t do any good to plant anything until May and by then she would be gone.

  She continued her walk, slowly moving around the barn where Shaun’s horses were kept and the fenced area he used to train them. She saw the large fields Patrick used to keep all the cows in for the winter. She knew he was busy with spring calving.

  Bridget turned around when she heard a sound behind her and saw Nicky coming towards her. She smiled a greeting while wishing she could continue her walk on her own.

  “Planning the garden?” Nicky asked as she came within speaking distance.

  Bridget shrugged. “It’s a bit early to plant the garden.”

  Nicky nodded at her words and started to walk beside her. “Can I ask you a question?” she finally asked after a few moments.

  “Sure,” Bridget agreed, resigning herself to the fact she now had company.

  “Did Justin say anything… weird in his last letter?”

  Bridget glanced at Nicky sharply. “What do you mean?”

  Nicky sighed. “I’m just worried about him. Last fall he told our parents about the keys and where I am, and they haven’t taken it well at all. It seems our mom is accusing him of hiding me somewhere. She is wondering if I’m pregnant and I am hiding until I have the baby or if I’ve gotten involved in something illegal or worse.”

  Bridget reached her hand out to touch Nicky’s arm. “I’m sorry. Justin hasn’t told me anything about this. He just talks about what he does every day and a little bit about Garrett.”

  “I wish I could do something about it. I’ve been writing our parents and I know Justin gives them my letters, but they aren’t believing any of this.”

  “You have to admit; the entire time travel idea is hard to believe. It’s almost one of those scenarios that you have to see to believe.”

  Nicky n
odded her head in agreement and then tried to change the subject. “When are you going to start planting the garden?”

  “I will be leaving at the end of March, so I don’t think I will be able to plant it this year.”

  “So you are still planning on going to town in the spring then?” Nicky asked.

  Bridget was surprised when she saw that Nicky looked a little sad. “Yes. I’ve been thinking about it all winter, and I know this is what I need to do. I used to think I needed to wait for someone to come find me, but I know now that I need to do my part. I need to make an effort to meet more people if I am going to get what you and Shaun have… a family,” Bridget trailed off wistfully.

  “Well, I totally understand why you want to start a family. Meeting and marrying Shaun was the best thing that ever happened to me, even if I had to travel into the past to do it,” Nicky grinned.

  Bridget nodded but didn’t say anything. How could she explain or even admit that while she wanted a family, there was still something more she was looking for? Everyone else was happy just having a family, and she was ashamed to admit that it wasn’t enough for her. Nicky took her silence as a sign she wanted to change the topic, so she started to talk about her excitement for the cabin that Shaun was going to build for her.

  But Nicky triggered an idea for Bridget. She wanted an adventure. Kimberly, Nicky, and Shaun had all been able to use the keys in order to meet each other. On cold winter evenings, she had listened to Nicky and Kimberly talk about some strange things that were found in the future. Even Shaun had talked about what he had seen when he traveled into the future to bring Nicky back. Every time Bridget had a conversation about the future with one of them, she ended up with more questions than she’d had before she started. Both of her older brothers had been able to have adventures, and even her younger brother was doing what he loved most, going to school, and working to become a doctor. It was her turn.

  Chapter 7

  The following afternoon, Bridget smiled her thanks as Shaun gave her another letter from Justin. She slipped the letter into her apron pocket, trying to ignore the quick beating of her heart. She tried to keep her emotions from her face, the excitement she felt when she realized Justin had written to her once again.

  She turned to the stove and stirred the stew that really didn’t need stirring. She sighed with relief when Shaun left the cabin without saying anything, letting the door slam behind him. She cringed at the sound, knowing it was Shaun’s way of letting her know he didn’t approve of her writing to Nicky’s brother.

  She wanted to stop right then and read the letter, but she knew it would be best to wait until she retired for the night. She didn’t want any interruptions and she wanted time to write Justin back.

  Over the last few weeks, she had been asking Nicky and Kimberly quite a few questions about the future, trying to act like she was just curious. She loved to hear about the technology of their time period. Kimberly had gone into great detail about a machine called a microwave and how it could boil water in just a few minutes, along with heating up other foods. Bridget was amazed when Kimberly laughingly admitted it was the way she had made most of her meals. She purchased food that was already prepared and frozen and then heated it up in the microwave. Bridget spent the majority of her day at the stove making meals. Having food ready to eat in just minutes was hard to believe.

  Kimberly told her about horseless wagons called cars and trucks. Shaun even told her about airplanes, a type of machine that flew in the air. Nicky told her how a person could travel from one state to the next in only a few hours. It was hard to imagine.

  Nicky and Kimberly had also talked about negative things about their time. Murder and other crimes were high. Powerful guns and bombs were used in war. Both commented on the busyness of the future compared to the past. Bridget came to the conclusion that there were positive and negative aspects of both time periods. She was very careful when questioning them to not seem overly interested. But as she learned more and more about the future, she knew she wanted to experience it, even if it was only for a few days, like Shaun had been able to do.

  She knew she wouldn’t want to stay in the future indefinitely and she didn’t think she could even if she wanted to. For one thing, how would she support herself? She didn’t have any college education, for one thing, and she didn’t think anyone would hire her just because she could keep a house clean and could cook. For a while, she had thought that would be enough. However, in one of Justin’s letters, he had mentioned that it was probably best that Nicky had gone back in time to live, as Shaun didn’t have any of the identification paperwork needed to get a job or purchase a house. Bridget hadn’t realized that would have been necessary, but knew that having no identification would make it difficult for herself to earn her keep in the future. As the days passed, she knew that despite the hurdles she would need to overcome, she wanted to try to visit the future, even if it was only for a short adventure.

  Just the day before, she had nonchalantly quizzed Kimberly about how the keys actually worked. Bridget had been asking a lot of questions about the future, so she hoped that this one wouldn’t get any extra attention. Luckily, Kimberly had innocently explained exactly what to do, using the townhouse they lived in as a location. After that conversation, Bridget had gone into her room and had written down the instructions exactly as she had heard them. She didn’t want to forget them.

  She wished that the keys were still hidden on the ranch, but she understood the wisdom of hiding them in the cave. They hadn’t seen any sign of Golin since her brothers had forced him back to his own time the summer before, but she also knew that didn’t mean he had lost interest in acquiring the keys for himself. Because the keys were in the cave, she knew she would need to wait until the snow almost completely melted before she could make the trip on her own.

  That evening, after the dinner dishes were washed, Bridget was finally able to go to her room and read the letter from Justin. Usually, the family gathered together in the evenings to talk and just enjoy being together, but that evening, her brothers chose to spend time in their own cabins with their families. Again, Bridget was left to spend a long evening alone, but this time she didn’t care.

  As she sat down on a comfortable chair that was in her room, she quickly opened Justin’s letter, and started to read.

  Bridget,

  It was good to hear from you. I enjoy getting these letters from you, and I am so glad Nicky and Kimberly are doing well.

  You asked about Garrett in your last letter. He just turned eleven years old. His mother isn’t in his life. When Garrett was born, she wanted to give him up for adoption, but I was able to convince her to let me raise our son. Even though I was only 18 years old, I couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. She eventually agreed. I stayed in touch with her until Garrett was about four years old and then we lost touch. I’m assuming she doesn’t want to be part of Garrett’s life until he’s grown. The first few years of his life were difficult, but I had my parents help, along with the help of Nicky and Kimberly. I did go to college for a few semesters, but quit school when I created my first video game. I started to make quite a bit of money off the sales of this game and have been able to support Garrett on my own since then.

  Garrett loves soccer and does well in school. Since my games are geared to the preteen age group, he does quite a bit of testing of my games. He is a typical mischievous and happy boy.

  Bridget stopped reading at this point. One of the obstacles to understanding Justin’s letters was that he used a lot of words she wasn’t familiar with. With his first letter, she had asked Nicky what they meant. She was especially curious about what video games were. Nicky explained that Justin made games that people could play on large screens or small hand-held devices. Bridget remembered a drawing that Kimberly had shown them when she first decided to stay with Patrick. It was a picture of a young boy sitting in front of a large box, looking very intently at it.

  Bridget contin
ued to read the rest of the letter and her heart skipped a beat at the ending.

  Even though I will likely never meet you, I enjoy your letters and I hope you will continue writing for as long as the keys keep working. It has been fun to get to know a lady who lives in 1894.

  Justin Foster

  Chapter 8

  Late May, 1894

  Bridget wiped down the last dish and put it away on the shelf with the other plates. Colleen was helping her as she used a washcloth and wiped the crumbs off the table.

  “I’m done, Aunt Bridget,” Colleen announced as she gave the rag to her. “Did you want me to sweep the floor?”

  Bridget hesitated. She enjoyed having Colleen’s help after meals, but this morning she wanted to be alone. “No, dear. Thanks for your help. You can go find your father.”

  “What about my schoolwork?”

  “I’m going to the cave this morning, remember? Why don’t we take the day off?”