Portals of Time

by Vicky McCracken

  “Justin,” Mr. Kelling was calling from the top of the stairs.

  “Yes,” Justin answered.

  “Your Grandfather’s journals are in the cabinet over the desk.”

  Justin looked at the desk on the right side of the room.

  “Okay, I’ll find them. Thanks.” He walked across the room to the cabinet and opened one of the doors. The inside was full of small notebooks. As he pulled them out onto the desk, he noticed they were all numbered; the first one was numbered to twenty-five. When he opened the other door, he pulled down twenty-five more. Fifty journals! What in the world had Grandpa been doing down here? He took the journal numbered one and sat down in the chair in the corner. Opening it up he saw the date on the first page was the day Grandpa had retired from the hospital. Justin knew that date well. Aunt Helen said it was after he retired that he started acting strange. He began to read:

  Today I cleaned a room. A young woman and man had a baby girl and they went home today. I thought the few times I saw the young man, he was somehow different. As I swept, I found pieces of a pocket watch. My first thought was to try to fix it, because I have always loved fixing watches and clocks. This young man must have crushed it under his feet.

  As Justin read on, the date changed with each new insert of added writing, and after a few pages Justin began to read on:

  This watch is harder to work on than I thought. It’s not just a plain watch as I see the parts more closely. It has a tiny race track on the outside. I think it does something. I have to get it all working to find out what.

  Justin stopped reading again. A pocket watch. “Where was it,” he wondered as he began to look for the watch. He looked everywhere he could think of but couldn’t find any watch. He stopped looking and sat down to think. “Where would grandpa put something he wanted to keep and for only Justin to find?” He had searched the basement everywhere and couldn’t find anything to even give him a clue.

  “Justin, come up to dinner,” he heard his mother call from upstairs.

  “Coming mom,” he said. He left everything as it was and walked upstairs, closing the door behind him.

  His mother and Helen had cooked a good dinner and he hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he smelled the food and began to eat.

  “Well, Justin, are you staying in the basement,” his father asked.

  “You know I can’t tell you yet but I’m getting interested in what Grandpa was doing. I’m not sure yet what it was but he has fifty journals and I’m sure they will tell me.”

  “So, he really was working on a project,” Aunt Helen asked.

  “Yes, Aunt Helen, he was working on a project,” Justin watched as she drew a sigh of relief as he had reassured her and his mother that their father wasn’t crazy.

  Helen said, as she took her plate to the sink, “Did you know, Bev, that daddy opened up the store again?”

  “The Clock Shop,” Bev asked. “No I didn’t.”

  “Is this the shop he was working in when he first met grandma,” Justin asked.

  “Yes, the same one. He kind of left the name out there maybe planning to reopen it one day,” Helen returned to the table.

  “When did he reopen it,” Bev asked.

  “It was after he retired,” Helen answered. “I guess he had to have something to keep him busy. At the end, he was either in the basement or at the shop.”

  “I would like to see this clock shop,” Justin said.

  “Tomorrow we will go down there,” Helen said.

  “We better okay it with Mr. Kelling first,” Justin said.

  “Oh yeah, I’ll call him,” Bev stood up to get the phone.

  A few minutes later she returned. “It won’t be for two days. You must stay in the house in the basement most of the time. Are you alright with this Justin?”

  “Yes mom. It’s a good thing I like to read. It looks like I’ll be doing a lot of it,” Justin answered.

  After dinner Justin went back to the basement and began to read again. After beginning to work on the watch, his Grandpa then decided to reopen The Clock Shop. He wrote some about the clock shop, how his business had taken off at once, and within two weeks he had hired a young man to help him.

  The young man, Grandpa called only Dex, had reminded him of himself as a young man and Dex loved working on clocks and watches just as Mason himself used to do. Soon after just one year, Mason had made Dex his partner in the business.

  Meanwhile, Mason was having a hard time finding a part for the watch he had found. Some sort of spring. Then one day he saw another watch almost like the one he found. It had come into the shop, but the owner couldn’t pay for it after it was fixed so he left it at the shop.

  Mason ended up taking it home for parts. He used the spring in it to fix the watch he had found. Justin yawned. He laid the journal aside and covered up on the twin bed and fell asleep. His dreams were about what he had read, jumping from one thing to another but none making any sense. Finally, he fell into a peaceful sleep about four in the morning and was sleeping soundly when he heard Aunt Helen call him from the top of the stairs.

  “Justin, you better get up. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.”

  “Okay, Aunt Helen,” Justin said sleepily. He stretched and stood up feeling as if he hadn’t slept but a few hours. He walked upstairs to the room where his clothes still were and gathered some clean ones from his suitcase and proceeded to take a shower.

  Afterwards, he felt a lot better and entered the kitchen for breakfast. This would be his first full day in the basement, but one night was already under his belt. He was interested in his Grandpa’s journals. He knew now he would read them all to find out what it was his Grandpa wanted him to know. After breakfast, Bev and Helen were going into town to shop. Bev told Helen she was going to buy her some new clothes. Perry decided he was going fishing and Justin was left home alone.

  He made his way back down to the basement to read more: I realize you must stay down here for two nights and days so I won’t go into much about the watch until you can get to it. I’m sure you have found out by now that it is not in the basement. I have discovered the watch is much too valuable to leave here in the basement. I have to lock it up when I’m not using it. If it were to fall into the hands of someone other than you, it could be very dangerous. You will understand once you find the watch and read the important writing in these journals.

  Justin stopped reading. He knew he could jump ahead and read more of what was going on. But he also knew he wouldn’t fully understand all he needed to. The journals were written to be read in order and that was what Justin was going to do. He began to think. Grandpa had written that he had to lock up the watch. Then there had to be a safe somewhere within the house. He left the basement. Where would Grandpa put a safe? In the library maybe? Justin entered the room which was full of books. He searched everywhere but found no safe.

  He got a drink from the kitchen and went back to the basement. He laid down on the bed to think. Where else would Grandpa put a safe to store the watch? Justin awoke and looked at his watch. It was two o’clock. He was hungry. He went upstairs and found something to make a sandwich with. Then figuring he would be here longer than he had planned, he called his work, telling them he needed to take a family leave.

  After he explained, he told them he would be back to work as soon as he could. He hung up the phone and went back to the basement. He read a little more, but didn’t find out anything special about the watch. Then it dawned on him. Grandpa might have put a safe in his bedroom. He ran upstairs to his Grandpa’s room and searched everywhere. He had torn the whole room apart and there was no safe. He was tired. He sat down on the bed. He gave up. He had no idea where Grandpa had hidden the watch. He was sure it was in a safe because of Grandpa saying it was locked up.

  He heard his Aunt Helen and his mother talking down stairs. By the time he got down stairs his father came in also. He walked into the kitchen.

  “Justin, where have you bee
n,” his mother asked.

  “I have been looking for something important Grandpa was talking about in his journal. I have to find it but I don’t know where else to look. I can’t go on in the journals without it.”

  “You will find it Justin,” Aunt Helen said. “He may even tell you where it is if you don’t find it.”

  “Maybe. Tonight is the last night I have to sleep in the basement. Tomorrow I’m going to search the tool shed and that will make my third day and I can leave the house and grounds.” Justin said.

  “Are you going back to Tennessee then,” Aunt Helen asked.

  “Not until this is solved,” said Justin.

  After dinner Justin retired to the basement for more reading and his last night in the basement. He began to read again:

  By now, Justin, you have realized the watch is not in the house. You should be on the last night by now and after tomorrow you are on your own. You may then decide if you want to pursue this or go back to Tennessee to your own life. I would like to think you will stay and enjoy all the things I have enjoyed over the past few years.

  Justin put down the journal numbered one as he read the last page of it. So whatever Grandpa had done and found out about the watch, he had totally enjoyed it. Justin now knew he would pursue this more. He had to know what was so important to his Grandpa. Whatever it was, it had been a secret and Grandpa had told no one. Maybe it was something he couldn’t tell anyone for some reason. “What if it was against the law?” No. Grandpa wouldn’t do anything like that. It had to be something else. Aunt Helen thought he was losing his mind. Maybe that was it. Maybe whatever it was would make anyone he told think he had lost his mind. He couldn’t imagine what it could be.

  He looked at his watch. It was eleven o’clock. He got ready for bed and was asleep at once. He dreamed of Grandpa telling everyone something and then he was in the mental hospital. Justin’s dream only lasted minutes and he heard a dog outside barking. Then he went back to sleep and it was daylight when he awoke once more.

  After seeing his mom and dad off as they were on their way back home for a while, he went out to the shed. It was full of his Grandpa’s things. He found some old wrist watches Grandpa had tried to fix or tore up to fix others; he didn’t know which. None of the watches he found was a pocket watch or had a race track on it.

  He found a box of old pictures from when Grandpa and Grandma were young with Aunt Helen as a baby and his mom as a baby also. There were some pictures of himself taken when he was a child and he had come here to visit. He smiled as he looked at the pictures of him graduating high school and college. It seemed a little silly, but he could all but feel the love of his Grandpa here in this small building as he looked at these pictures.

  When his aunt Helen found him hours later, he was still looking at pictures and papers. “Come look Aunt Helen,” he said and she joined him. Together they laughed and cried too at some of the pictures they saw. When they stopped, it was getting dark and they couldn’t see any more.

  “I will have to give Bev some of these when she comes back and you may have what you want of them also Justin,” Aunt Helen said as they put the pictures up and headed toward the house.

  Aunt Helen didn’t make a big dinner. They called and ordered a pizza and watched some movies on television until they were ready for bed. Justin was ready to sleep in the bed upstairs. The one in the basement didn’t sleep well at all.

  It was about eleven thirty when he got ready for bed. He could hardly wait until the next day when he would be able to drive into town. Once in bed he slept well. If he dreamed, he didn’t remember them at all.

  Later, when Justin got ready to go into town, he asked,

  “Aunt Helen, do you want to go into town with me?”

  “No thank you Justin. I really need to do some things around here and I have to do the store’s payroll later,” she said.

  “Can I bring you back anything?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  Justin could tell something was bothering his aunt.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Justin, will you promise me something?”

  “Sure Aunt Helen. What is it?”

  When you find out what it was daddy was doing, would you please let me know?”

  “Sure I will,” Justin said surprised. “I don’t know anything yet except that it’s about a pocket watch.”

  “The one he found at the hospital? Yes, I know about that, even though I’m not supposed to know,” Aunt Helen said.

  “Yes, have you ever seen it?”’

  “One time I went down to the basement. Daddy was asleep on the bed and the watch was on the desk. I didn’t touch it or anything.”

  “What did it look like,” Justin asked. “I need to find it.”

  “It was an old pocket watch and it had some sort of cars on the outside. Not just pictures of cars, real little cars. I was wondering how someone had made such small cars.”

  “Thanks Aunt Helen. You have helped me a lot. I promise when I find out what’s going on, I will let you know.”

  “That’s all I ask Justin.”

  “I’ll see you later then.”

  “Alright.”

  As he walked to the car, he thought about his Aunt Helen. All she had wanted from Grandpa was to be included and he had kept it all a secret from her. There had to be a reason. He got into the rented car and started it. The weather was still warm for September. The sun was bright and felt good coming through the glass. He drove out of the driveway toward town. It wasn’t far but gave him enough time to think about where he wanted to go.

  Justin knew just where The Clock Shop was because Grandpa had showed him the building. He had never sold it and now Justin knew why. The shop had been remodeled with fresh paint and a new sign.

  He stepped out of the car and after a minute he walked inside. A young man, probably close to his own age, was working on a watch at the front desk. He looked up and smiled as Justin walked in. “Can I help you sir?”

  “I hope so. You must be Dex. I am Justin, Mason’s grandson.”

  The young man stood. “Of course. I should have known. You look a lot like him. I came to the funeral but I didn’t want to bother the family. I figured you would be coming by. Mason left something for you. I’ll go get it.” Dex came ‘round the desk and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Justin. Mason spoke of you a lot.”

  Justin shook hands and smiled. “I have only read about you. I wish I had made more trips out here in the last few years.”

  “If you had, you probably wouldn’t have seen him. He was gone a lot sometimes. I never knew where he went. He wouldn’t talk about it to anyone. I’ll be right back.”

  Justin waited until Dex returned with a small locked box. His heart began to thump loudly with excitement. The watch. This had to be it. It was locked up, but where was the key? He was about to ask Dex when Dex handed him a key.

  “Here, you will need this to get into the box.”

  “Thank you,” Justin said. “Thank you a lot.”

  There were watches and clocks for sale. Dex told him their owners didn’t want them anymore or didn’t have the money to fix them so they would sell them or give them to the shop. He did a good business here. Several people came in while he was looking. One man picked up a watch he had brought in to be fixed. The cost was eighty dollars but the man paid and shook Dex’s hand.

  “Mr. Poe,” Dex told Justin. “His first wife got him the watch years ago and it is hard to find parts for it. He doesn’t care, though, as long as it runs.”

  Another customer, a woman, came and was looking for a gift for a household shower. She bought a beautiful old grandfather clock which Dex promised would be delivered to the shower at the time she wanted it. She paid for the clock and delivery. In only a few minutes, Dex had made over five hundred dollars. Justin was impressed.

  He left the shop and drove back to the house. Once he arrived, he went to the basement. He couldn’t find Aunt He
len anywhere and thought she had went to lay down or something. He pulled out the second journal and began to read more. He discovered his grandfather had finally fixed the watch and got it running. The date in the journal was two months after he had first found the watch:

  Today the watch finally began to run. I have always known it was no ordinary watch and yesterday I realized there was a magnetic part on one of the cars. This morning, after getting it to run, I was looking at the cars and one moved. I was instantly in another time.

  I was sitting beside a big tree stump on a huge ranch. I walked about half a mile when this young man named Adam picked me up. I was on a ranch called The Lazy Cross. When I met the owner, I was surprised to find out it was the lady who had the baby in the hospital and left the day I retired.

  The baby was now a beautiful four year old girl. To make a long story short, Justin, I had time traveled into the future. I began to realize the little car had moved forward and to get back home, I would have to move it back but I would have to be at the tree stump. I had the same young man take me back out to the stump. It took a while, but I figured it out and ended up back in my basement.

  I don’t want you to be in the dark if you decide to try this. Moving the little car forward is forward in time and moving it backward is going back in time. Of course, it is hard to know how far you will go each way. The rest of the journals are my time travels. You may or may not want to read them. It is up to you. I hope you will at least give this a try.

  Justin had somehow made his way through the second journal. Time travel was why Aunt Helen hadn’t found Grandpa that day. He really hadn’t been here. He sat there trying to take in all that he had read. He was going to try it. “What about Aunt Helen?” He knew now why Grandpa had kept it secret from everybody and wondered why he had chosen to tell him.