by Georgina Lee
Waneeta pressed the journal to her chest. Doris knew Waneeta had it. It would be read. With words like 'Teevee' and 'Skidoo' in it, even Waneeta's name, its authenticity would be questioned. Poor Doris would be crushed. It was to be the highlight of her museum. All the artifacts she’d collected would now be considered fakes. Her lifelong dream would be over before it started.
And Waneeta would face accusations she could never deny.
She looked down at the journal. It must never be read.
Her knuckles whitened around the bend and mouldy book. Thomas, what have you done? How could it be undone?
It couldn't. Abruptly, a shaky inhalation put her on the verge of tears again. Thomas was dead. Wasn't he? But a few hours ago, he was alive, falling in love. So was she. Indeed, she'd never felt so alive as when she was with him. That's love.
Love could transcend death, Thomas had believed.
And if it could transcend death, it could transcend time.
Without thinking, Waneeta threw off the bedclothes and pulled on her leggings. There wasn't any question of what to do, just a sense of conviction so strong it rivaled her love for Thomas.
She grabbed the journal, but when she reached for the bedroom door, she stopped. She could change the past. She could stop Thomas from writing those words that would put Doris’ dream in jeopardy.
With shoulders straight and jaw tight, she set the journal back on the bed. If she was quiet, she could slip out the back door without Doris even hearing her.
The outside air was crisp, her breath streaming out in front of her. As she quietly closed the front door behind her, she looked up. The moon had risen enough to light her way. It would be a long walk, but Waneeta knew what would pull her along the crusty snow toward the site where the meteorite had hit. Love. Her dream to be with Thomas. Getting rained on by meteorite dust had somehow sent her into the past. Swiping the dust off had returned her to the future. Yes, she knew what to do. She couldn't explain why time had chose to bend to touch her with Thomas. Perhaps love did it.
She glanced down at the snowy trail half an hour later. Only her footprints and the snowmobile trail could be seen. No meteorite hunters had come this way. Yet.
Urgency hurried her on. That and the desire to stop any of those relic hunters from returning to the past, too. She plowed along, always searching, until finally, out of breath, she found the nugget. It had sunk deep into untouched snow. Its crater was wide and crusted with ice. After grabbing it, she wiped off the ice still clinging to it.
Here she and Thomas had lost each other. Despite the crisp night, she could still feel the heat of his love within her. Waneeta closed her eyes, allowing that warmth to wash over her and the barriers of death and time. She held the meteorite close to her chest. Held it tight to take it back with her.
That same peculiar feeling started, but this time, Waneeta welcomed it, encouraging it to carry her back to him. When the nausea faded away, Waneeta slumped to the ground.
In an instant, she was on her feet again.
"Thomas!" she called.
Silence. Only silence. She glanced around. This was the woods Thomas had known. But they no longer frightened her. The smaller forked tree, unsullied path, the hint of wood smoke, all embraced her.
It wasn't hard to follow the scent of Thomas' fire, and the moon was bright enough to light the way they'd forged only hours ago.
"Thomas!" she cried when she reached the cabin.
Its door swung open, and Waneeta recognized the figure silhouetted in the doorway, warm firelight bathing his back in yellow.
"Waneeta?"
She rushed into his arms, his woodsy male scent comforting her. "Thomas, it's you! Oh, it's you!" She couldn't find the words she needed to describe how she felt. All she could think of was one simple phrase.
"I love you, Thomas."
His arms tightened around her, and he lowered his mouth onto hers. "Waneeta, I was afraid you were a dream! Stay with me, please. I love you. I didn't tell you that before. And I have so much to say to you."
"So do I! I love you, too, Thomas. What day is this? How long have I been gone?"
"Two days. I searched for you, but when I couldn’t find you, I returned. I’ve just started to write in my journal about you. Come in where it’s warm."
She laughed and they hurried inside, each clinging to the other. "Don't write in that journal. Because I've got the most incredible story to tell you," she whispered, stopping to drop the meteorite on the washstand and reaching up to stroke his cheek. "You were right. Love is powerful enough for anything."
She smiled, shakily. "Even powerful enough to transcend time itself."
Kissing her, Thomas kicked the door shut behind them.
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Author’s note:
Thank you for buying this novella. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please review it at the website from which you purchased it. I hope to have other fantasy and time travel books available under the name of Georgina Lee. Have a good day!
Check out Georgina Lee's fantasy romance blog.
http://thetwinplanets.blogspot.com/
