River of Time

by Zoe Matthews

  “Okay, but don’t do anything to him until I get back,” Colleen said, as she ran towards the house.

  “Now, are you going to tell us or are we going to have to beat it out of you?” Patrick asked the man, as he stood close to him. Patrick was almost a foot taller than the man, and Shaun could tell he was intimidated by Patrick’s size.

  “I don’t have to tell you anything,” the man retorted trying to sound belligerent, but the shake in his voice gave away his nervousness.

  “We invited you into our home and fed you a meal, and you think you don’t have to tell us anything? I bet everything you told us was a lie,” Shaun scoffed, frowning at the man darkly.

  “I wonder if this was the man who paid us a visit awhile back and trashed Victoria’s house,” Collins said, as he shook the man.

  Shaun could see Collins’ words were true, as the man turned even redder. “I don’t know anything about that.”

  “You obviously know we have some keys like yours,” Patrick told him. “Why are you really here? What time period are you from? Did you time travel here? Is that why you don’t have a horse?”

  “Answer the man,” Collins thundered, as he shook the man again.

  “My name is Golin,” the man finally said, giving into the demands. “I live in a small village in Ireland in 1570. I found the key a long time ago and have used it to travel to many time periods.”

  “So you are now going to tell us the truth,” Shaun said with a frown.

  He heard a door slam and saw Colleen running back towards them. Victoria and Bridget were right behind her.

  The moment the women arrived, Collins brought Victoria up to date about who the man really was. Victoria gasped, when she realized Golin was the man who had trashed her home.

  “Why do you want another key?” Shaun asked him.

  Golin clamped his mouth shut tightly, and Shaun knew they weren’t going to get much information out of him.

  “I think we need to make sure he doesn’t have anything else in his pockets,” Keegan suggested.

  Collins roughly pulled Golin to his feet and quickly searched the man. He found a large knife and some dried jerky. Collins took the knife and handed it to Victoria who quickly set it point first into the ground.

  “What should we do with him?” Shaun asked.

  “I don’t want him on our land,” Patrick said. “I think we should escort him back to Denver.”

  “I think we should keep him here until he decides to tell us why he is looking for our keys,” Victoria said.

  “We should send him back to his time,” Keegan suggested.

  For a moment, everyone looked at each other. Shaun kept an eye on Patrick who nodded his head slightly. He turned to Golin.

  “Here is what we are going to do. We are going to send you back to your time, in good faith. I have no idea why you want our keys, but you aren’t going to get them. If we ever see you again, anywhere around our ranch or even in any part of our time, we will remove your key from you. Do you understand?”

  Shaun could tell that Golin was very nervous, and he was glad that the man realized he couldn’t fight against all of them. Golin swallowed and nodded his head.

  Collins shook him again. “We want a promise from you. We are sending you back in good faith. I strongly advise you to not take advantage of us.”

  Golin gulped and nodded his head vigorously. “If you promise to give me back my key, I promise to leave you alone.”

  Shaun noticed Victoria shaking her head, and he knew she didn’t approve of letting him go. Shaun wasn’t sure what to think, but he did feel as Patrick did; he wanted Golin off of their land as soon as possible.

  Patrick gave the key to Collins who placed it back in Golin’s hand, forcing his fingers to close around it, keeping the ropes tied around his wrists.

  “Aren’t you going to untie me first?” Golin whined.

  “I think you can figure out how to get yourself loose when you’re back in your time,” Patrick retorted.

  “What about my knife?”

  “Think of it this way. You just paid for the meal we gave you with that knife of yours,” Shaun told him.

  Collins turned Golin, so he was facing him. “Go!”

  Golin closed his eyes and instantly he was gone.

  After Golin left, Shaun exchanged glances with Patrick and Collins. “How do we know if he really went back to his time?”

  Collins shrugged. “We don’t.” He approached Victoria and placed an arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay, dear?”

  Victoria took a deep breath and nodded. “I don’t think we should have let him go, though. How do we know he won’t come back and try to get the keys again?”

  “We don’t,” Patrick retorted. “But hopefully he knows we mean business.”

  Shaun felt a hand slide into his own. “That man just disappeared, Pa,” she said in awe. “Where did he go?”

  “He had a key like the ones we used to send letters to Nicky. He used it to come from his time to ours. We just sent him back to his time.”

  “Will he come back?”

  “No, he won’t,” Shaun reassured her firmly, hoping he was telling the truth.

  “He was scary,” she said, her voice shaking, tears in her eyes.

  “It’s okay,” Shaun reassured her. “Why don’t you go back and help with the babies. Tell Nicky I sent you.” He knew if Colleen said those words to Nicky, she would keep Colleen with her for awhile.

  After Colleen left, Shaun turned to Keegan. “Go get the box from the living room with the keys in it. We should make sure they are safe for now.” Keegan nodded and ran to the cabin. Shaun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We need to come up with a plan to keep Golin away from the ranch and the keys.”

  “Let’s go to your cabin, so we can include Kimberly in this discussion,” Victoria suggested to Patrick. “We have given you and Kimberly the keys, Patrick. She needs to have some say in this.”

  Everyone agreed, and Patrick left to let Kimberly know of the plan. Soon they had all gathered in the living room of the large cabin. Kimberly was sitting on a soft chair holding one of the babies, while Victoria held the other. Colleen sat at Victoria’s side, her small fingers stroking the baby’s head.

  Chapter 16

  For the first little while, Nicky sat quietly by Shaun, as everyone else talked, but they weren’t listening to each other.

  “I still think we shouldn’t have let him go,” Victoria shook her head.

  “Why didn’t someone tell me about him?” Kimberly wondered. “I just had twins, but I’m not dead.”

  “We need to hide those keys better,” Patrick insisted.

  “It was so weird. He just disappeared. Just like the letters do,” Colleen commented.

  Keegan came in with the box. Patrick whistled loudly, and everyone quieted, anxious to be sure the keys really were safe.

  “The keys are still here,” Keegan said, and everyone seemed to relax a little, but a few people started talking again. He gave the box to Kimberly.

  Patrick raised his voice sternly. “Let’s settle down. I know we all have an opinion on what to do, and everyone will get a chance to voice his own, but let’s do it one at a time.”

  Nicky noticed that Kimberly smiled at her husband, and Nicky knew she was letting him know she supported him.

  Patrick turned to Victoria. “I know you feel we shouldn’t have let him go, but I felt strongly I needed to get him off of our land. I don’t want anyone here who shouldn’t be.”

  “You were protecting your family,” Victoria nodded with a sigh. “I understand.”

  “The question is, do you still want the responsibility of the two keys?” Collins asked.

  Nicky watched as Patrick and Kimberly looked at each other. Neither of them said anything or even moved, but she knew they were silently communicating.

  Patrick looked at Collins. “We know that the keys are not safe in your home. We are willing to take charge of the
keys. But we need to find somewhere safe for them.”

  “What if we buried them?” Nicky suggested.

  “We need to find a place for them that is safe, but so we can still use them,” Kimberly said. “After all, Nicky needs a way to go back to her time.”

  Nicky felt sad, when she noticed Kimberly no longer called the time they were both from as “our time.” Patrick’s time was now her time. But she also understood. Kimberly had married Patrick, and she needed to totally commit herself to her new life.

  “I want to go with Nicky, when she goes back. I want to see the future,” Colleen announced loudly.

  Shaun turned to her. “You are to never use those keys; is that understood, Colleen?” he said firmly.

  Colleen sat back in her chair with a small sigh. “Yes, Pa.”

  Shaun looked at Patrick. “I don’t think we should bury them, but we definitely need to find a better place to store the keys rather than the living room.”

  Nicky glanced at the box sitting on Kimberly’s lap. She knew both keys were nestled in between small scraps of fabric. Those keys were powerful. They were changing lives, but they were also causing problems. Would she be glad if Kimberly and her new family decided to get rid of them for good? She wouldn’t blame them, if they did.

  Victoria cleared her throat. “I have something to say. I feel I need to tell everyone how I acquired these keys. I know some of you have heard the story, but please bear with me.”

  Everyone nodded. “That’s a good idea, my dear,” Collins told Victoria, as he slid his arm around her shoulders.

  “I found the key in a store in a nearby city. An oddly dressed man owned it. He wore black pants and a bright green vest with a white shirt. He looked out of place in our time, but he acted like he owned the store I was in. He saw that I had picked it up out of curiosity. I felt the vibration, and it startled me, so I dropped it. He told me the key wasn’t for sale, but that it was a special key, and it had found its new owner. I knew he meant I was the new owner. He told me, if I decided to take it, I was to only tell one person about it.

  “Some customers came into the store, and he left me to help them. I decided to take the key and slipped it into my pocket. I told my first husband, Charles, that evening, but he dismissed my story. He held the key but he didn’t feel the vibration like I did. I tucked it away in my bag.”

  Victoria turned and smiled at Collins, as she continued her story. “After Charles and I returned to Denver, Collins unpacked our things, and he found the key. I could tell he did feel the vibration, but, because the man said I was to only tell one person, I just put it away.”

  “So you didn’t know that it was a time-travel device?” Nicky asked.

  Victoria shook her head. “Not then. A few weeks later, I had taken the key out of its hiding place and was looking at it, when I received news that my father had passed away in England. I was heartbroken that I would never see my father again in this life, and I also knew I would likely never visit England again. As I held the key, I pictured my childhood home, especially my room. How I loved that room. I remember mother had allowed me to decorate it to my taste when I was 13-years-old. When it was finished, my father had given me a beautiful painting of the sea. I hung it up above my bed.

  “On that day when I heard my father had died, I pictured my room and that painting. Suddenly, the key vibrated, and I was there in my bedroom in England. I was shocked to say the least. But that was how I discovered the key’s power.

  “After that, whenever Charles went on a business trip, and I couldn’t accompany him, I went on a trip myself. I tested the key many times. I was very careful to not be gone long and to not let anyone see me.”

  “How did you get the second key?” Colleen asked curiously.

  Victoria smiled at Colleen. “One day, I decided I wanted to meet my grandmother. She grew up in Ireland, and my mother left that country to marry my father in England. I never knew my grandparents. I figured out the best date to travel to and used my key to go there. I found out that my grandparents had owned a small shop. When I went inside, I saw a woman who looked quite a bit like my mother, and I knew she was my grandmother. I had to pretend that I didn’t know who she was, so I just wandered around her store. After a few minutes, I started to leave, when I saw a large basket on a counter full of odds and ends. Sitting on top of the basket was the second key.

  “I picked it up, and it vibrated, just like the other one had, when I first held it. I had the first key in my dress pocket, and it also vibrated, and I knew that I needed to have that key. I asked my grandmother how much the key was. She told me a penny. Obviously, she didn’t know of its power. Luckily, I had a few Irish coins in my pocket and was able to pay for it.”

  Victoria chuckled. “I know my grandmother thought it was odd that I wanted that key. She told me it had been sitting in that basket for a long time. After I purchased the key, I traveled back to my time.

  “Over the years, I used both keys. They worked together and by themselves. A few years after Charles died, I told Collins about the keys and my trips, although I think he already suspected.”

  “Did you ever feel that someone else knew about the keys and wanted them?” Patrick asked. “Did you ever go anywhere where you were threatened?”

  Victoria shook her head. “I had no idea that there could be other keys. And, like I said, I was very careful to not let anyone see me and to dress appropriately for the time period and blend in with the people.”

  “She has a room in her house that is full of clothing and items from different, time periods,” Kimberly explained to everyone.

  “Why did you tell Kimberly, if you were told to only tell one person about the keys? I can understand why you told Collins after Charles’ death. Why did you involve Kimberly?” Patrick asked.

  “To be honest, I had kind of forgotten that the man had given me that instruction. I mean, I remembered, but over the years felt it wasn’t that big of a deal. If the keys are used carefully, and the person is careful, I figured no harm would be done.”

  “Well, Golin somehow found out about the keys you have,” Shaun commented. “Even though we sent him back to his time, I doubt we’ve seen the last of him.”

  Victoria’s eyes filled with tears. “I feel like this is all my fault. I should have listened to what the man told me. I… Just didn’t think it mattered anymore.”

  “I, for one, am glad you didn’t,” Kimberly smiled, as she squeezed Victoria’s hands. “I wouldn’t have met Patrick. I am very happy here.”

  Victoria smiled softly, but her tears continued to fall.

  “What’s done is done,” Shaun spoke up. “Have you told anyone else about the keys?” he asked Victoria.

  The woman shook her head and accepted a handkerchief from Collins.

  “So only nine people know about the keys. Just our family, and Nicky.”

  Nicky spoke up, after she quickly counted in her head. “My brother, Justin, knows.”

  “What about your parents?” Kimberly asked.

  Nicky shook her head. “I asked Justin not to tell them.”

  “So ten people,” Shaun said. “We need to do everything we can to keep the keys hidden.” He turned to Collins. “I don’t think they should be used, at least for awhile.”

  Collins nodded his head in agreement. “We will need to send Nicky back, when she’s ready to leave. I will accompany her.” He looked at Victoria. “It will be my last trip.”

  Nicky’s heart fell when she heard Collins’ words. She knew she probably should plan on leaving soon, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay as long as she had planned, until the beginning of August. But she also didn’t want to put Kimberly’s family in danger. She also knew she most likely would never see Kimberly again after she left.

  “I know where we can hide the keys,” Keegan spoke up.

  “What do you have in mind?” Patrick asked his younger brother with interest.

  “There is a cave a few miles
from here. We can hide them there. The cave is far enough away to keep them safe from people like Golin, but it is close enough to use them if we wish.”

  “I think we need to stop using them,” Bridget spoke up for the first time. “I think they are dangerous.”

  Everyone started to talk at the same time again, voicing their opinion loudly. Nicky would have found it humorous, if the subject was about something else other than the keys. She had to laugh, when Patrick gave a loud whistle.