by Ilena Holder
People probably don’t fear robbers like they do in my day.
She nudged the door with her toe and, when nothing squeaked, she pushed it farther. Even though she knew she wouldn’t be returning, she still shut it carefully behind her. Walking gingerly, she located the path to the stable. Suddenly, something cold and wet touched her hand and she jumped. It was nothing but Rex. Lilly said he usually slept in the cow shed, but he must have been patrolling his property. Just as well, he could walk with her. With Rex’s shaggy tail curled into the air, Donna found she had a rather bright guide to follow on the path. Within minutes they reached the stable. As they approached, she saw a golden glow coming out of Royce’s cottage windows. Soundlessly, the stable door opened onto the semi-dark tack room. Royce had a small oil lamp lit on the floor.
“I didn’t want to make too much light, yet I wanted a bit to show you that I was here. That way you wouldn’t be scared if I appeared out of the darkness,” he said.
“Good thinking. And old Rex led the way for me on the path with his white tail.” Donna patted the dog on the head. “Royce, please prepare the room just like it was the night you found me. Down to the last detail, every bucket and sponge as best as you remember it.”
“All right. That’s shouldn’t be too hard. There’s not that much stuff in here,” Royce said.
“I don’t know if it will matter or not but I figure it can’t hurt. While you do that, I’ll change my clothes.”
She took her bundle around the corner and turned her back to Royce. Soon, she was done and turned back to him.
“Do you think I look exactly like I did last week?”
Royce walked up to her and turned her hat around.
“The feather was on the left side, not the right. I guess you’re not used to wearing hats.” He said. “What about your brooch?”
“I’ll prick my finger after I get up in the saddle on the cleaning rack.”
“You won’t lose it?” Royce asked.
“Immediately after I do that, I’ll stuff it deep into my jacket pocket.” Donna finished buttoning up her jacket and then swung her leg over the saddle. “I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Wait, don’t go yet. I have to check on something in my cottage. Here, I’ll take your clothing with me to keep. As a remembrance of our time together. Plus no one will come upon it here and think you met with a bad end.”
“Alright.” Donna felt fidgety and wished Royce hadn’t stalled her departure. She fiddled with the stirrup straps until he returned.
With a pat on the leg from Royce, she positioned herself in the saddle. Settling herself squarely, she unfastened the end of the brooch from the clasp.
Just then Royce spoke.
“Donna, are you sure you want to go back?”
“Of course! My family and friends are there. And my job also. I can’t stay here.”
“I’ll miss you,” he said.
“Miss me?” she said, now quavering in her decision.
“Yes, miss you. I was hoping you would like this time. That you would stay. Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear enough on my feelings toward you.” He stepped forward.
“Royce, I…can’t say this isn’t sudden. But I think I have feelings for you also. I just don’t know how to make this work. Or even if we should attempt to make it work. I can’t stay with you here, can I? And I can’t live in two worlds, either.” She felt a bit nauseated at what she was about to do. And she felt heartsick if she was to cause Royce pain in any way. She leaned forward to adjust her weight in the saddle. Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable perched up high on the cleaning stand.
“Donna, please,” Royce began. “You don’t know what a happiness you have brought to me in this short time.”
Donna put her hand forward in a signal to stop his speech, if she could.
“No, don’t say it. You have to stay here and I have to go. That’s just how it will be.” She gripped the brooch tightly in her right hand. This sudden imperceptible shift in her weight caused her to slip just a half inch or so. Enough to throw off her balance on the slippery leather. “You’ll find someone else. I just know it. And…”
She began sliding off the saddle.
Royce jumped forward and attempted to grab her, to stop her fall onto the hard floor. Her long skirt started to wrap itself around her legs and get twisted up.
“Donna, be careful!”
He threw out his hands to catch her and with her forward lurch, she jabbed the open sharp end of the brooch into the palm of her right hand. She stared at it stupidly as a spot of blood quickly began forming.
“Royce, what have I done?” She could feel a cold chill pass through her body. Royce hugged her tightly, supporting her off-kilter balance. “Donna, I don’t want you to leave me. Please, perhaps this whole thing with the brooch is foolishness and nothing will…”
He paused, looking at her face as her eyes began to roll back in her head. She started shivering and shaking uncontrollably.
The last thing Donna remembered was the pin pricking her skin. It seemed that Royce grabbed her, but she couldn’t be sure. Everything seemed to turn to a grey, cold mist. She felt something happen when the pin prick brought blood to the surface of her palm. Perhaps a chemical mixture of the silver and an element in her blood? She wasn’t sure and her mind was too cloudy to understand or comprehend anything. She did know Royce’s arms felt strong around her and this made her feel safe. No matter where she ended up, she would be fine with him. She just didn’t want to drag him into this time travel thing with her.
Royce held Donna tightly. He tried to pry the brooch from her hand so she wouldn’t puncture herself any deeper than she already had. It was impossible. Her hand clutched the pin firmly. He could tell she was out of it, both mentally and physically. He pressed his cheek to her cold one. He felt a spinning sensation himself, as if he was addled. He shut his eyes to steady himself. The next thing he knew, everything around him faded to grey.
With a shudder, they both awoke at the same instant on the floor of the tack room. The oil lamp was nowhere to be seen and they were in semi-darkness. Pushing himself up on his elbows, Royce looked around.
“Donna, are you alright?” he spoke to her outline sitting on the floor.
“Yes, I’m fine. I think. And you…you traveled with me? How was that? I thought only I would travel through time.”
“I had to grab you. You started falling off the saddle stand. And the next thing you were shaking like you had the ague or malaria.” He caught his breath. “Have we really traveled into the future?”
“I hope so!” Donna rubbed her eyes.
“Did you see what I saw? We traveled through some kind of snakelike tunnel when I grabbed you.”
“I saw it too. It was a little bit different than the first time I passed through. It bent and flexed this time.”
“Forgive me. How is your hand? The blood on your palm?” He took her by the wrist.
“I don’t know. I can’t see too well. But I feel wetness, so it must be blood.” She was glad she couldn’t see it anyway.
Royce stood and pulled her gently to her feet. “Do you still have the brooch? Remember you were going to try to put it in your jacket pocket.” He felt an urgency to recover the jewelry just in case it was needed again.
“Let me see. Yes, here it is. I’ve still got it.” Donna slipped the catch together and placed it back into her pocket. She patted it firmly as if to prove it was deep and safe.
“What do we do now?
“Let me think. We need light. I had a flashlight the night I left.”
Royce wondered what a flashlight was, but Donna seemed to feel that might help them see.
“Feel around for it on the window ledge while I get my clothes.”
“What does it look like?”
“I forgot you didn’t know. It’s, um, a silver tube with glass at the end. It’s got a button that turns it on.”
“Sort of like a spy glass?” Royce
felt his way to the window and fumbled until he felt something cold and metallic. He guessed that must be the flashlight. There was a bump on one side; that must be the button. It didn’t feel like a shirt button, though. He pressed it but nothing happened. “I have it.”
“Good, shine some light over my way.”
Royce continued to press the button.
“You have to slide the button up with your thumb,” Donna said.
Now Royce was looking at the fat end of the flashlight when he slid the button. A white blaze of light blinded him and he hurriedly turned it away from his face.
“Blazes! I’m blind in my good eye!” He heard Donna laughing. “That’s not funny! This is a horrible device.”
“I can see now you’ve got the hang of it.” Donna watched as Royce waved the light around and around the room, trying to illuminate every object in there.
“You’re playing with it. I was afraid for a minute that the batteries were dead when it didn’t come on.”
“What are batteries?” Royce asked.
“Remember the chemicals I told you women dye their hair with? Sort of like that.”
“Right. I can see you now. What are we doing next? Going to Chicago?”
“We could, but that’s ninety miles away. I hate to drive in the dark.”
“We could go to my cottage until daylight,” Royce said.
“It’s not there anymore. At least I don’t think it is. It was torn down years ago. Let me think.”
“What about the Bradenton house?”
“That’s plausible, but there’s no electric or heat. I think it best that we go to the Holtzclaws. We could have food and shelter until tomorrow. Let’s go outside and see if my Cadillac is still there.”
Royce didn’t have a clue what a Cadillac was, but he was eagerly anticipating seeing it. It was probably a type of wagon or buggy.
They opened the tack room door and Donna focused the flashlight onto a huge metal box. It was the biggest blue box that Royce had ever seen. It had glass windows in it, two on each side and one in the back. The one in the front was very big. Really, it was more like a low small hay wagon. He walked around it in amazement. He ran his fingers over the outside and thought how smooth it was, almost slippery. When he got to the passenger door, he felt a crack in the metal. A hinge. So that was how you got inside, through the doors. There were knobs or handles on the doors. He wasn’t sure how to open them, he would wait until Donna unlatched one first. He saw it had rubber wheels, huge, black and thick. Inside each of the wheels was a metal cover that reminded him of a large platter. There were no wooden spokes. Perhaps the spokes were under the metal plates. He guessed that more things in the future were made out of metal. He watched Donna coming out of the building with her bundle of clothes. She nonchalantly walked up to her box on wheels and dug her fingers into the side and pulled upwards. Suddenly, the inside of the metal wagon was flooded with a golden light and some sort of church bells began pealing.
“Here, I forgot this is strange to you.” She walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle and opened his door. She waved her hand for him to get in.
Royce did as she wished, sinking into the soft leather seat. Before he knew it, she had closed the door on him. He felt a twinge of fear; perhaps this was really a large metal coffin. But he steeled his nerves for what was ahead. Bravely, he looked out the window and at all the dials and strange gadgets on the dashboard.
Donna got back in and twisted a knob on the handle. With a roar, the engine started. Royce shoved his legs forward in fear. What was next? Strange music came out of a black slot on the dash. He turned to Donna to watch the expression on her face. She seemed calm.
“It’ll take a minute or two to warm up. It’s good we’re dressed warm.”
“Yes, it’s good we did. What is this conveyance?”
“This is a horseless carriage. An automobile. We just shorten it and call it a car.”
“Horseless carriage. Amazing,” Royce said. “What makes it run? Chemicals?” Other things seemed to work off these chemicals Donna talked about, so perhaps this car did also.
“Cars run off a fossil fuel called gasoline. Man figured out how to harness the power of horses and put it under the hood.”
“How fast can this go?” Royce asked.
“Very fast,” Donna said. “Faster than the fastest race horse. We’ll just go slowly since we’re traveling to the Holtzclaws. But tomorrow when we go to Chicago, we’ll open it up on the freeway.”
Royce felt a thrill at these words. He loved to ride a good fast horse at a gallop across fields. He watched Donna pulling a knob on the dashboard in front of her and powerful shafts of light illuminated the stand of pear trees where his cottage had previously stood! Two beams of some kind of light split the darkness! While he was studying this phenomenon, Donna flicked a stick on the wheel and the lights got even brighter!
She pulled down on a thick stick with a knob that was between the seats and they began rolling forward. He was a bit frightened, but he had ridden in many a carriage that a woman drove. He hunched on the edge of the seat, closer to the big curved glass, but he settled back into the leathery softness and rested his arm on a convenient padded ledge on the side of the door. As they pulled out onto the lane, a warm poof of air flitted across his face. He didn’t know how the car generated heat; surely there wasn’t fire in the front or hot coals? He moved his hands up to the black slits to warm them.
“Feel good?” Donna asked.
“Yes, wonderful. The warmth is comforting,” he said. “Now my rump is even warming!” He palmed the seat to feel warmth emanating out of it. “The undercarriage isn’t on fire is it?”
Donna laughed. “This car has heated seats also. They’re wonderful in Chicago winters.”
“I can see that. I suppose much better than a wool blanket thrown over your cold legs.” Royce said. His bum was certainly enjoying the heat. “It smells heavenly in here. Like Lilly’s cookies or cakes baking.”
“It’s the vanilla air freshener.” Donna nodded to a little piece of paper dangling from a mirror.
Royce reached up to take it and sniff it. It was so fragrant he could almost imagine eating a chunk out of it. He sighed. It was all he could do not to.
“Does this car travel well in the snow also?”
“Of course! Just so long as it’s not too deep. I’ve got good quality snow tires on it.”
Royce thought that must be quite a sight to see, this huge metal box thundering across snow and ice. He secretly wished that would happen while he was here with Donna in the future.
“What year is it?” he asked her.
“I believe it’s the same as when I left—2010.”
Royce whistled through his teeth. Two thousand and ten. Imagine that! Never did he think he would see the future, unless he lived to a ripe old age of fifty or so. He looked at Donna, fearlessly turning the wheel as they approached the stage road. Except now it had a large red sign that her lights glared on. STOP! it said. She obediently stopped, even though there was no one around and her lights seemed to shine a far piece. She neatly turned the wheel and continued driving. Only this time, the rubber tires rolled smoothly. Royce peered out of the curved glass to see what the surface was on the road.
It was perfectly flat and grayish-black. Someone had neatly painted a nice white stripe down the center. Who on earth would have done that? It appeared the same person had painted white stripes on the side of the road also. As he stared out of the side windows at the stripes, suddenly he was startled by a loud roar and a blast from a horn that came quickly behind them. Shoving himself far into the right side of his door, Royce stared out of Donna’s driver’s side window. A huge vehicle, as big as a barn, overcame them and thundered past in the darkness. Dozens of colored lights glowed along its sides and top. Though he had thought the tires on Donna’s car large, this vehicle had even bigger tires! And there were more of them! So many he could not count as it sped on ahead.<
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“Darn semi-trailers! They think they own the road!” Donna steadied the wheel as their car shook a bit.
“What…what was that? It roared past us as loud as Mister Bradenton’s bull!” Royce’s eyes were wide with fear.
“Just a truck.”
“A truck! What is inside it?”
“It could be anything and nothing. It could have delivered its load and is heading back to a distribution center. It could be full of vegetables, or hanging meat. It could have clothing in there, or furniture. Just whatever a person wants to transport across the country.”
Royce pondered what she said. The truck was so large; he thought it could hold the harvest of three or four huge fields, all by itself.
As they neared the turnoff for the Holtzclaw’s road, Donna once again flipped a stick on the side of the steering wheel. This time, a green diagram blinked on the dashboard and chiming began. Royce thought it looked like an Indian arrowhead pointing to the left. They pulled into the Holtzclaw’s driveway and Royce noticed many cars of differing shapes parked randomly around the yard. He would have liked to have looked into all of them, but thought he would let Donna take the lead in this adventure. After all, this was her time. Donna pulled up next to a large white vehicle, not exactly shaped like her car. It was boxier and much higher off the ground. The tires were huge.
“That’s the Schroeder’s new SUV. Isn’t it beautiful?” Donna saw Royce looking the vehicle over.
“Yes, it’s wonderful. What’s an ess-you-vee?”
“Sport utility vehicle,” Donna said.
“Sports—now that’s something I can understand. And utility also. So this vehicle is for sports and working also?”
“In a sense, yes.”
They sat silently in the car. Occasionally figures could be seen passing in front of lit windows. One time someone came out on the porch. Royce saw the glow of his cigar or cigarette from where he was sitting. He smoked leisurely, then before snubbing out the butt, glanced over at Donna’s car.
“Donna?” Royce asked.
“Yes?”
“We need to go in before someone gets suspicious. I know you’re stalling.”
