by Zoe Matthews
“It’s perfect.” She smiled down at it, then turned to give Garrett another kiss. She knew they were touching more than was acceptable in this time, but she had grown so comfortable with him that it was hard to stop herself.
The rest of the day passed slowly and peacefully, with nothing to do but spend time together. They all did the few necessary farm chores together, then came back inside to play games and talk all afternoon. Colleen helped the women prepare dinner, and plenty of banter about marriage and babies was thrown around.
Once dinner was finished, the adults stayed up late again talking and laughing. Colleen could barely keep her eyes open, so Garrett suggested she head to bed. She couldn’t argue with him and trudged to her room where she instantly fell into a peaceful sleep.
Chapter 17
Early the day after Christmas, they had an unexpected visitor. When a knock sounded on the door of the main family cabin, one of Nicky’s children, Josephine, answered it. Colleen was in the kitchen helping to finish up the breakfast dishes when she heard a loud gasp. Then Josephine ran into the kitchen, her eyes wide with excitement and disbelief.
“There is a funny looking man at our door,” she announced.
Garrett had been sitting at the table with Patrick, Keegan, and her father, Shaun. All of them jumped up and ran to the door. Colleen quickly followed with Nicky, Kimberly, and Bridget. She immediately understood Josephine’s excitement. There was a small man standing on the porch. He was smaller than the average man, with a full white head of hair. He had on black pants, a white shirt, and a green velvet vest. He also had on a black top hat with a four-leaf clover tucked in the brim.
Nicky snickered softly. “He looks like a leprechaun.”
“Can I help you?” Patrick asked.
“Yes, young man, you sure can,” the man said. “Are you Patrick Callaghan?”
Patrick nodded, giving a half-laugh at being called a young man since he was over 40 years of age.
“I have something of utmost importance to discuss with you and your family. May I come in?”
Patrick hesitated before stepping aside. Colleen had to wonder if the man thought they were being very rude because of all the stares he was receiving. He knocked on the door and a child answered. That same child left him on the doorstep, and soon eight adults came into the room at once to stare at him.
Patrick invited him to sit down before asking, “You seem to know who we are. Can we ask who you are?”
“I will answer who I am momentarily,” the man said with a smile of understanding.
“You are The Irish Man,” Kimberly breathed in disbelief.
“The Irish Man?” Garrett asked with confusion.
Kimberly watched him carefully as he nodded in confirmation. She looked around the room. “He is the man who gave Victoria the first key.”
Understanding flooded Patrick’s face. “And the man who removed the two keys from the cave after our barn burned down.”
“Yes,” the man confirmed. “I have a purpose in being here. I have a story to tell if you are interested.”
After everyone nodded, he continued. “As much as I love the name The Irish Man, I do have a name I was born with. I am known as Jack McGee. I am from the year 2035.”
Colleen gasped along with everyone else. Was it actually possible to travel even further into the future?
“I understand that some of you are from the early 2000s. And some of you are from this time. We are very aware of the interconnection between you.”
“Who is the ‘we’ you are talking about?” Shaun asked curiously.
“I am the president of a government agency which collects time travel devices, although I do have superiors that I answer to.”
“Do you mean there are more devices besides the two keys Victoria owned?” Justin questioned.
“Yes. I will not get into the whys and hows, but something in the world’s history triggered devices all over the world. It also triggered portals in various locations.”
When Mr. McGee mentioned portals, Colleen grew cold. She knew this man was the one who put a stop to their time traveling trips right after their barn burned down by taking the two keys that were hidden in the cave. Was he going to put a stop to the usage of the portal too? Did he have the power to do so? She exchanged glances with Garrett, and she could tell he was thinking the same thing.
“At first, these devices and portals weren’t a threat to our society, mainly because no one even knew about them. The ones that discovered them kept the idea of time travel quiet. But now, in my time, there are evil men who desire to find these devices and portals and use them for their own use, to harm others and to drastically change history. This simply cannot be done.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Patrick asked.
“Because I have been watching you for a long time. I know that you are an honest family. You have had access to the keys and now to a portal located on your ranch; yet you have always been very careful to keep them a secret and to not let anyone else know about them. I have been sent by my superiors to discuss the future of the portal with you.”
“Why did you take the two keys?” Kimberly asked.
“Because Golin was such a danger to every one of you. Even though he was killed in the barn fire, we didn’t know if he had informed anyone else in his time about the keys. We felt it was best to take them for safekeeping.”
“This is incredible,” Nicky said.
Colleen’s mind was swimming. The world was obviously larger than she even imagined.
Mr. McGee looked directly at Megan. “Your mother is not aware of this at this time, but I have removed the locket she had used to travel to 1810.”
Megan’s eyes widened at the implication, but she nodded her understanding, she knew it was her job to inform her mother and step-father, Daniel.
“How did you come from your time to ours?” Shaun asked.
“I am not able to disclose that information. Let’s just say that in 2035 it is much easier to travel from one time-period to another.”
“So, you must want to stop our portal from working,” Patrick commented.
Mr. McGee didn’t say anything. Instead, he just looked at each one of them, confirming Patrick’s words.
“If you are here to shut down our portal, I would like to request that I be able to use it to go back to 2018, the time I was born in,” Garrett spoke up firmly.
Colleen’s heart dropped at Garrett’s words. He hadn’t included her in his request. She shook her head to clear it. Of course, she would be included. He had already proposed to her. But part of her deep down wondered. If he had to leave quickly and at the last minute before the portal was shut down, would he make sure she was at his side, or would he be so worried about returning that he’d forget his promises?
“I’m sure you are aware that Keegan and his wife, Megan, and now Garrett want to live in 2018. We all live in this time period, but we want to be able to stay in contact with each other. We are family, after all,” Shaun said.
“I’ll admit this family does have different circumstances and needs. In fact, yours is the only group that has multiple family members living in different time periods that we are aware of. Because of this, I have a proposition for you.”
When Mr. McGee didn’t continue, Patrick said, “We are listening.”
“I am willing to keep the portal on your ranch open for the time being. You all must promise me that no one will ever know about it. You must tell no one. You must do all that you can to keep your travels a secret, especially when you are in 2018. Only go to the portal when no one is around. Carefully look around and make sure no one sees you. Tell no one.”
All the adults looked at each other and nodded their heads.
“We can promise you that,” Patrick said firmly.
“If someone finds out about it, no matter who it is outside of this family, it will be immediately shut down. Only use it to travel to each other’s time; no other date will be perm
itted. We will be very firm with this, and we do have ways to regulate this issue.”
“We agree to that stipulation,” Garrett spoke up eagerly.
“How would you shut it down if you had to?” Kimberly asked curiously.
“I cannot tell you the process,” Mr. McGee said.
“How did the portal come to be in the first place?” Nicky asked.
“I’m sure you are aware that Golin had his own key. He wanted the two Victoria owned because he thought if he used the three of them together, they would be more powerful. He was actually wrong about that, but that was what he believed. I’m aware that when your barn burned down, his key disappeared. We think it was somehow buried under the rubbish in the ground. Because of rain and snow, and because of its own power, it has been pushed down further into the ground. Eventually it became a portal, connecting your time and the time Kimberly originally came from through a type of energy even we don’t quite understand in 2035.”
“So, if we dug down in that spot, we’d find the key?” Shaun asked.
Mr. McGee shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t advise it. The key may be powering the portal, but the entire area around it has power.”
“We’ll leave it alone,” Patrick said, after he gave his brother a short glare.
Mr. McGee stood. “I will prepare to leave now. Please realize we aren’t supposed to handle things in this way. I was sent to shut the portal down. But I am willing to allow it to continue, as long as all of you, including family members that don’t know about it now, but will use it in the future, use it per our agreement.”
“We will keep our promise,” Patrick said. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
Mr. McGee’s eyes suddenly twinkled as he looked around the room at each of them. “You are a top-notch family. If everyone who found a time-travel device or portal were as responsible as you are, my company wouldn’t even be in business, but there are always bad apples in every time period, and every society.”
Patrick walked him to the door, and Garrett went with him, along with Justin. The three men watched as Mr. McGee walked towards the portal. They continued watching as Mr. McGee paused at the portal, raised his hands over it for a moment, before continuing on into the nearby forest.
“I bet if one of us follows him, we’d find that he’s already gone back to his time,” Garrett commented.
Patrick nodded his agreement. He sighed as he ran a hand over his face.
Justin looked at Garrett soberly. “You need to be very careful, son. No one must see you come and go. No one.”
Garrett nodded his understanding. He glanced back in the living room through the open door before beckoning his father and uncle to follow him. After they walked a short distance from the house, Garrett turned to them.
“In 2018, no one believes time travel is real, at least as far as I know. But the subject has become pretty popular. Many fiction books have been written on the subject. I’ve read a few. Some of them are pretty realistic while others make no sense to me. There is a popular movie about time travel and a TV series.”
“All the more reason to be very careful,” Patrick said firmly.
“Here is what I want to tell you. When Colleen traveled to 2018 to find me, she went to the library, hoping there’d be a newspaper article about me. She found information about your disappearance, Dad. She was able to print it for me. After she gave it to me, I did some more research on the Internet.” Garrett looked at his father carefully. “Technology is even more advanced than when we lived there. You can find pretty much anything you want, good or bad, through the Internet in 2018. I was able to find quite a few articles about our disappearance. Grandma’s brother was even given power of attorney over their house and belongings. The company you sold your games to was extensively interviewed. Most of the articles were written and researched by a woman named Shelly Sorensen.
“She showed up on my doorstep a few days ago and started asking questions about us and how we disappeared. I suspect she believes our disappearance was more than just foul play or our choice to live off the grid.”
“Live off the grid?” Patrick asked. “What does that mean?”
“Some people don’t like all the technology that is around. They make the choice to move deep in the mountains or a small town. They essentially disappear the best they can,” Garrett explained.
Patrick nodded, so Garrett continued. “I think she might suspect we disappeared because of time travel. Even though I asked her to leave and to not bother me again, I’m sure when I return I’m going to see her again.”
“Are you asking for my advice?” Justin asked with a slight grin.
“Yes, I guess I am,” Garrett admitted as he smiled back.
“I think you need to tell her we moved out of the country for a family emergency. Some of us are still there. It really isn’t any of her business to know more than that; even if she is a journalist. Aren’t there still such things as privacy laws?”
Garrett shrugged. “In theory, there are, but you can find out quite a bit about someone else, if you are willing to put the time and money into getting the information. She found out I was still alive and living in the future, after all. I still don’t know how she tracked me down.”
Justin shook his head in disbelief.
Patrick spoke up. “I must ask you, are you certain you want to live in the future?”
Garrett looked at his father to watch his reaction as nodded his head firmly. “Yes, I am certain. I am happy there. I’ve gotten my GED, and am going to college, working towards a computer science degree. I have a good paying job and a nice apartment, even though it is a bit small.”
Justin laid a hand on Garrett’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I wasn’t upfront with you about the portal and that you felt you needed to leave in secret. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you with the truth.”
Garrett studied his father’s face and saw a great remorse and sadness. He hardly saw Patrick move discreetly away from them.
Justin continued. “I know you’ve never been very happy here. As a father, I wanted you with me. But also as a father, I want you to be happy, and if living in 2018 will make you happy, then I will support that decision.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Garrett said, his voice shaking a bit with emotion. “I also would like to apologize. I shouldn’t have gone so long without contacting Keegan. I knew he somehow was aware I was in his time. I should have at least let him know I was okay.”
Justin pulled Garrett into his arms, and they hugged for a long moment. When they finally moved away, Justin looked at Garrett carefully. “I have to ask, are you sure Colleen is willing to live in the future? She hardly seems certain of it herself.”
“We are still working that out,” Garrett admitted. “I don’t want her to agree to live in 2018 unless she is absolutely sure. Uncle Keegan adjusted fairly well to our time period, but I also know not everyone would be able to.”
“Be gentle with her, son. The future will be a big adjustment for her, and you need to accept with grace if she chooses not to stay with you.”
“I know,” Garrett said grimly.
****
For the rest of the morning, the family couldn’t stop talking about Mr. McGee’s visit. Josephine loved describing how the “small man” was dressed to her cousins. The adults talked to the older children, explaining why Mr. McGee visited and that it was important they keep the portal a secret.
After lunch, Colleen suddenly realized that Garrett was no longer in the cabin. She quickly searched each room and even knocked on the bedroom door he was using, but no one answered. Trying not to panic, she glanced at the clock that hung above the fireplace. It was a few minutes after two o’clock; almost exactly the time the portal could be triggered. Grabbing a wrap, she ran out the door, and headed directly to the portal. What if Mr. McGee had scared Garrett, and he had decided to not take any chances and had used the portal to go back to 2018? He wouldn’t have left her behind, would he?
A
ll she could see in her mind was his face as Mr. McGee threatened to shut the portal down. Tension ran off him in thick waves; she knew he would be miserable here.
Memories of him leaving without any clue as to where he was going, or when he would be back, flew through her mind. What if the fear of being stuck in the past again was enough to override his love for her?
She ran to the side of the portal. There was evidence that it had been used recently, melted snow and burned grass, but she wasn’t sure if that was from their trip two days before.
“Garrett,” she called, as she turned in a circle to look for him. She ran to the nearby barn and looked inside, but he wasn’t there. “Garrett!”
She walked back to the portal and sank into the snow beside it. She didn’t know what she was going to do if she found out he had left without her. In her mind, she knew if he had, he was telling her he didn’t trust her to be able to adjust well enough. He didn’t love her enough to let her try. If he had left without her, she wasn’t going to follow him. She would go back to Denver with Uncle Justin and Aunt Bridget and move on with her life the best she could. She would work in their art gallery and make her colorful blankets. And she would never allow herself to love again.
