Twisted Time Read online

Chapter 6

  Whmmp, whmmp, whmmp. “Ouch!” P and I hit the ground so hard that we each rolled for a few feet after landing. We were on a rough dirt road, and as I came to a rest I felt pain in both my arms. I reached across to feel two large abrasions on my elbows and I rubbed the aching areas.

  I looked up just in time to see P roll into the legs of a man standing on the opposite side of the street. The force knocked his legs out from under him. I could see his arms flailing ion the air then stretching outward as he tried to brace his fall.

  “Oh, ouch, that hurts!” the man cried. As he arose, I could see he was holding his wrist. It was swollen to the size of a lemon on one side.

  “I am so sorry!” P exclaimed with tears in his eyes. “I, um, lost my balance and fell. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. I am so sorry!” he apologized again.

  As I was hurrying over to them, the man forced a smile through the pain. “It’s all right son. Accidents happen.”

  I approached them both. “Uh, sir, let’s get you something cold to put on that arm.” Thank goodness I remembered a little bit from my first aid class last year. I looked around for a shop or vendor with ice then realized that they would probably not be selling any ice around here.

  We were in an old town. The streets were made if dirt and some hay. The buildings were small and made of wood and mud-like bricks. Many had straw roofs and some had wooden shingles. The man that had fallen wore an unbuttoned grey woolen coat that flared slightly as it came to his knees. He wore white woolen socks that stopped underneath his brown woolen pants that tapered just below his knees. His feet were covered by pointed black leather shoes with large buckles adorning the toes. On his head, sat a round hat with an upward turning brim that came to a point over the middle of his forehead. Other men were dressed similarly. The few women that passed by wore long woolen dresses that dragged across the ground. The colors were mostly grey and brown. The collars were high on their necks and the sleeves covered their entire arms.

  As I was assimilating the era I noticed that the edge of the road bordered on a waterway. In the distance I could see wooden ships with large white sails and men loading wooden crates onto a pier. I quickly grabbed the man’s good arm and gently dragged him to the water.

  “If you put your hand in here, the coolness may reduce some of the swelling,” I insisted.

  The man obeyed, squatted down next to the water then swirled his hand in the wetness for a few minutes. He then stood up next to us and offered me his non-injured hand to shake. At that moment Zack strolled up to us shackle free. He had landed a little ways down the street from where we had dropped from the abyss.

  “Hi guys.” said Zack.

  “Oh Zack!” I ran up and hugged him. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  P raised his eyebrows at the hug. Zack pulled back gently and turned to the man with the cold swollen hand. “Hi, my name is Zack.”

  I took a deep breath, “Hi. I’m Emma and this is James, but we call him P for Peanut because he is so small.

  “Ahh,” said the man. “I guess I could be called P for short also. My name is Paul, Paul Revere. It is nice to meet all of you.”

  I turned to Zack, “THE Paul Revere? The one that made the midnight run to alert he troops that the British were coming?”

  Zack replied with a smile and a wink, “Well he is wearing HIS hat!”

  P spoke up, “I am so sorry. Is there anything we can do to help you?”

  “Oh no, young man, I am sure it will be fine. I am off to the doctor to have it looked at.” He tipped his hat and he was gone.

  We were in awe. “Oh my goodness,” Zack exclaimed. “Are we at the time of the American Revolution?”

  “Wow!” I nodded.

  P interrupted, “We learned about the Revolutionary War in school. I wonder if we’ll see any battles.”

  “Hopefully not!” I added quickly and rolled my eyes. “I wonder why we’re here. Let’s just look around quietly and learn what we can. And… stay out of trouble. Let’s not make anyone mad this time either.”

  We wondered around the streets for a while. As we were taking in the sights, we ran into Mr. Revere again. “Hello my friends. I have been to the doctor and I may need your help.”

  “Anything!” exclaimed P.

  “Well it depends,” replied Paul. “Young man, where do your loyalties lie? Are you an American or a redcoat sympathizer?”

  P stood up straight. “I am an American!” and he started to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, “I pledge allegiance to the flag…”

  I grabbed his shoulder. “Paul Revere would not have any idea about the pledge at this time in history!”

  P stopped as Mr. Revere looked confused. I interjected, “We are all Americans!”

  Paul replied, “Then I may need your help. Can any of you ride a horse?”

  P spoke up, “I can ride! I used to ride all the time at my grandmother’s farm.”

  Zack’s eyes grew wide and my mouth dropped open. What is P getting us into? Zack just escaped the guillotine. But…we gave in and nodded simultaneously. “We can also ride horses.” We couldn’t abandon P.

  “Well, may I take you into my confidence?” and Paul took us aside away from the crowd. “I need your help. There is a chance that the British will invade soon. We have been waiting for them. I am one of the lookouts for the city. It is my job to sound an alarm when I get the word that they are marching. I must ride to the next town and warn them. They in turn will warn others. But, my hand is too injured to hold the reins as I ride. The doctor thinks it is broken. I cannot hold a gun in one hand and hold onto the reins in the other.”

  P looked guiltily at the ground.

  Paul continued, “So I need someone to ride for me and carry the information so our armies can be ready. We have received word that it will happen soon.”

  P held his head high. “Of course we will help. Anything for our country!”

  I cut my eyes toward Zack and he rolled his, but what could be worse than what we had already been through?

  Zack pulled me aside. “You know, we have to help him. The fate of our country could be in our hands… or P’s. What if this changes the world? What if we all end up speaking English?”

  I laughed at his joke. “You’re right. It would be our fault if the Americans don’t win the Revolutionary War and we end up being ruled by an unjust monarchy.” I turned to Paul and replied, “We would be happy to help.”

  “Okay. Where can I find you when the time comes?”

  “Well, sir, we are travelers to this area and have no place to stay. Can you direct us to a nearby inn?”

  “Ahh, young lady, I can set you up at the Smith’s Inn. The innkeeper is a friend of mine. Do not worry. I will take care of everything.”

  It had become dusk and evening was approaching. Paul directed us to the inn and let us settle in for the night. We had just gotten comfortable when we heard a rap on the door. Cautiously Zack opened the door. It was Mr. Revere and his eyes were wide.

  “I may need your help tonight!” he exclaimed excitedly. “One of my allies has overheard a conversation between two British officers. He thinks they may start their attack tonight. I need you to come and sit with me while I take the lookout. Meet me by the water where we were today as soon as the sun goes down.” And he was gone.

  When the time came, we gathered our things together and met Paul at the water. As we left the entrance to the inn we passed some British soldiers. They all wore swords in sheaths attached to their uniforms. They were dressed in tight white pants that were partially covered by the tails of red woolen coats. The coats were adorned with thick yellow material along the breast and golden buttons that ran along both sides. The soldiers wore silken black hats that turned up in the front and the back and looked a little like tacos.

  One soldier carried a musket under his arm. We overheard him say, “If any of these men start another fight against King George I will not hesitate to shoot them.” r />
  They seemed to stare at us as we left the building. It was late for us to be out, but we may have just felt like they were staring at us. We moved quickly along. We didn’t want to cause any more problems like we had in Italy.

  We met Paul at the side of the river. We could see the moon rising in the sky and lighting up the water. We stayed in the shadows as well as we could so we would not be seen.

  “What do we do now?’ whispered P.

  Mr. Revere turned towards the little boy, “We wait… I must await the signal from across the river. My friend on the other side is now waiting for his information about the British troops. We have spies that have been watching their movements. We are afraid that the British has found out that we are keeping our weapons at Concord. If their troops are marching tonight we need to warn the town that they are coming. My friend will alert me if they are coming. He will shine a light once if they are coming from the neighboring town on foot or shine it twice if they are coming down the river.”

  Zack looked at me and muttered under his breath, “One if by land, two if by sea.” And he raised his right eyebrow as if he was proud of himself. I rolled my eyes.

  Paul continued, “There is a small rowboat secured down near the water. Once we get the signal I need the three of you to ride across the river. I would do it myself if my wrist was not injured.”

  P looked dejectedly towards the ground.

  “Oh, do not worry young man. I think you all can help me. After you row the boat across the river, you will meet a man at a dock. He will have three horses there tied to trees. Then you must ride like the wind to the next towns. The second will be where the arsenal is held. You must alert people on the way!”

  We all nodded. We were sure we could do it.

  Paul paused to think then turned towards P. “Whatever you do, don’t say the word British. They have some spies in the woods and they will know we are on to them.”

  Just then we heard a rustling coming from the street above us and saw two redcoats strolling along the street, guns and swords at their side.

  “Shhh,” whispered Paul and put his finger to his lips.

  The soldiers passed by and we sat in silence waiting for the beacon across the water. I think a few hours passed by and it felt close to midnight. Just as I started to fall asleep we saw it. One bright flash…. We waited what seemed an eternity but it was only about thirty seconds. Then we saw a second bright flash from across the water.

  “Aha, they are coming down the river. Are you ready children? We must put the plan into action!”

  We all took deep breaths. P looked so eager and excited. Zack looked a little more leery. As did I. We had to remember that British soldiers lurked everywhere and we could be in danger. We started to sneak down closer to the shore to find the rowboat.

  “Good luck children.” Paul whispered loudly and walked away quickly so as not to be caught.

  The three of us carefully climbed into the small dingy, trying not to tip it over. We each grabbed an oar from the bottom of the boat and placed it into the water. Small splashes from the river moistened my face. It was cold and it only added to the goose bumps on my arms that fear had already created.

  The plan was to travel until we came to another small dock. There would be a man there waiting for us to lead us to the horses. We hugged the shore as we paddled. Occasionally we heard soldiers standing guard on the shore, but they could not see us through the brush.

  It was slow going, but finally we neared a small dock. We saw a man sitting quietly on the edge with a hat pulled down over his eyes. P’s eyes lit up. He was in charge of the code words that Mr. Revere gave us to show that we were allies.

  We pulled up to the dock and tied off the boat. The man nodded his head slightly but remained still. We approached him cautiously.

  P tapped him on the shoulder. “Excuse me sir.”

  The man continued to stare at the water.

  P cleared his throat and spoke again, “The lights shine bright. The moon is at its height. The time has come for us to fight.”

  The man jumped up enthusiastically. “I have been waiting for you. My, you are all much smaller than I imagined! Please follow me!”

  We followed him up the wooden planks and then along a dusty path through a wooded area. We came to a grouping of three trees that bordered on a clearing. A horse was tied to each tree.

  “Here you go.” said the man with the hat. “Just keep the open area to your left and the forest to your right. Good luck. May God be with you.”

  Zack chose the large brown stallion with the ebony mane and tail. I chose the tan spotted mare. That left the smallest young rusty colored male for P to ride. Each one of us grabbed the reins and jumped onto our chosen horse. We rode as fast as we could. We travelled along beside the trees, carefully avoiding rocks in the path and jumping over narrow streams in our way. Finally, in the distance, we could see thatched roofs and we neared the first small village on our way.

  Zack shouted loudly over the sound of the hoof beats. “P, are you ready? You’re in charge of alerting these people. Go for it!”

  P took a deep breath as we neared the houses. As we passed by, he yelled at the top of his lungs, “They are coming, they are coming, they are coming. Prepare yourselves!”

  Townspeople started coming out of their houses to see what the commotion was. A few of the men suddenly understood P’s meaning and began to search for their weapons. More and more men emerged carrying muskets.

  One man spoke up, “We thank you kind sir for your warning. We will be ready!”

  “You’re welcome!” replied P, always polite. We are continuing on to Concord to warn the others.” And we were off again.

  It seemed like we were riding forever, but finally we neared our destination. The town was calm and quiet in the dark. P once again cleared his throat and was ready to shout the news. Concord was larger than the previous town and we passed businesses in addition to homes as we neared the center of town.

  P started to yell, “They are coming. They are coming!”

  Windows lit up with candlelight and people began to emerge from their homes. Men were armed with muskets or swords. A tall man at the center of the crowd neared us.

  He looked at P, “Who has sent you? Who started the alarm?”

  “Sir, it was Mr. Paul Revere that sent us. He was injured unexpectedly.” P stared at his own feet guiltily as he spoke. “He sent us to warn you that the British troops are coming by way of the Charles River. They will be on their way soon. You must prepare to defend yourselves and keep them away from the arsenal!”

  “Thank you dear boy,” spoke the man. “We will prepare for their coming, but I need you to continue on to warn some of the towns to the south of us. Please continue your trek.”

  Zack and I looked at each other. How far do we have to go? What is in store for us?

  “I’m not sure we can go on.” I spoke up.

  “Aww Emma, we need to help these people. Please let’s just keep on riding!” begged P.

  “Okay, P. So far we have been safe. Let’s keep riding.” I readied my horse.

  The three of us took off again toward the next town. The moon was almost full and its light guided us. As we rode, we caught sight of a plume of smoke ahead in the distance. At first we thought it was the next town, but as we rounded the corner we saw some horses tied to trees and a few haphazard tents on the ground.

  “Slow down!” shouted Zack. “I think this is an army camp.”

  We slowed the horses down to a trot as more of the scene came into view. There were three men sitting on stumps around a campfire. At first I thought they were colonists but as we neared I saw their dark red coats. British soldiers!

  “Stop!” I ordered and the boys brought their horses to a standstill. “I think we are on the edge of a British camp. I only see a few men though. I wonder if they are just lookouts.”

  P spoke up. “There are only three horses. I don’t see the rest
of the army but they mustn’t be far away. We can’t let them see us.”

  Just then a twig snapped in the woods beside us and Zack’s horse neighed.

  “Who goes there?” a short heavy soldier spoke sharply and stood up. As he rose, he grabbed the musket that had been lying beside him on the ground. He readied it for firing. The other two officers grabbed their guns and joined him.

  The three of us stood still like statues, frozen in fear. The soldiers walked away from the fire and approached. They could see us now.

  This time the taller man spoke, “Come down off your horses or we’ll shoot!”

  We didn’t know what to do. He could shoot us even if we did jump down, and if he suspected what we were doing, he would surely shoot us.

  Zack started, “Okay, okay. We mean you no harm. Let us get down. See, we are unarmed.”

  We each jumped off our horse. My legs were shaking. The soldiers neared, guns pointed.

  The tall one that seemed to be in charge spoke. “What are you kids doing out here so late?”

  I thought quickly and then spoke up. “Um, we were coming home from our grandmother’s house and we got lost in the woods. We are so sorry to disturb your camp. We know you are busy keeping things under control for the king,” and I smiled.

  The soldier seemed concerned. “So what town are you headed to? We could escort you home.”

  Then I got nervous. I didn’t know the name of the next town and I didn’t want British soldiers following me there. “Oh, no thank you sir. We are almost home now and we would not want to bother you. We will be fine.”

  He paused and looked a little suspicious as he drew his mouth to the side. Then he shook his head from side to side as he tried to convince himself that we were not a threat. “I guess you are just children. What could you possibly do? Off you go!” and he nodded his head in the direction we were going as if to give us permission.

  “Oh thank you sir!” I exclaimed and we climbed back onto our horses and we were off again.

  We had begun to saunter away when the tall soldier’s mouth dropped open as if he had just remembered something. He pulled the heavy soldier aside and whispered spoke into his ear.

  “You saw what?” the lead soldier yelled. “Where? These kids have been talking with Paul Revere? Our intelligence has been watching him. He may be a rebel! Stop them!”

  At this the three officers turned their horses around and began to raise their muskets. “Stop traitors!” they shouted as the rode.

  I beckoned to the boys, “Ride fast! Don’t look back!”

  We rode as fast as the horses could carry us, heads down against the wind. We heard the hoof beats of the soldiers’ horses getting louder and louder as they neared. Suddenly, musket balls began to whiz past our heads. Thummp. One shot hit a tree to the right of Zack. I tried to stay behind P. I would rather the bullets hit me than him. My only hope as we raced was that the muskets were very hard to aim and their bullets rarely hit their target exactly. Zack lowered his head more and hunkered down on his horse. P and I followed his lead and dropped our heads even lower, grabbing the reins tighter.

  At this point we were outrunning the soldiers. If we kept going we would soon be in the clear. I felt a small rush of relief and relaxed a little.

  Suddenly, Zack yelled from up in front, “Whoa!” He slowed his horse.

  P and I did the same and soon saw the obstacle too. We were on the edge of a rocky hill overlooking a valley filled with evergreen trees. The sides were too steep for our horses to travel down. We would have to continue our escape on foot down the steep weed covered slope. We jumped down off our horses, but as we began to attempt scaling the side a shot rang out.

  The stallion neighed wildly and ran off back through the woods. The other two followed.

  “We have to hurry!” I shouted, but it was too late. The British soldiers were coming into view. They would surely shoot as they came closer.

  P turned to me, “Emma we have to use the book. It’s our only chance!”

  I had forgotten again that it was draped over my back, snug in its carrying bag. I was so used to carrying it, I felt as if it had become a part of me. I yanked the bag off my shoulder and pulled it open. It seemed like I had ten thumbs as I pulled out the book and clumsily dropped it to the ground.

  We all stared at the book as it rested there motionless. Nothing happened. The cover remained bare. How could this not be the time for the book to work? Zack groaned and rolled his eyes.

  A few minutes later we heard the soldiers yelling “Stop traitors!” And they began to come into view.

  I grabbed Zack’s arm. “I think I feel a breeze…”

  I was right. Air began to blow at the pages of the book. It opened slightly as pages rustled in the wind then closed with a snap. Letters began to come into view on the cover. This time they were shining silver in color and seemed to rise off the page with a three dimensional property. It read “COURAGE”. The letters tempted me to reach down and touch them but my fingers slipped right through like passing through a hologram.

  As I ran my fingers over the book’s face, it flapped open. The sudden movement scared me and I pulled my hand back quickly. The inner pages began to flutter in the air then fell and rested open. We all huddled around the book watching the transformation. Very small ink blots appeared on a page. At first they appeared faint, but quickly became darker and grew in size. They appeared randomly and sparsely at first but increased in number until they almost covered the sheet. It reminded me of freckles as if they were on the paper’s face.

  Suddenly, the dots began to move and create tiny swirls on the page. They wiggled all over the paper like little worms until they finally met at the center of the page. “Have courage in your travels. This courage will carry you through more adventures and help you learn about yourself. This knowledge will lead you home.”

  I spoke to P and Zack. “Do you think this means we’re going home? I am getting a little tired of being chased all the time.”

  “I don’t know Emma. I hope so.” replied Zack. “But only the book knows where we will end up next.”

  At that, the wind began to howl through the trees below us. A thick mist began to rise from the valley to the tree tops. It swirled around until it formed a cone shape with its point hovering above the trees. It looked like a small tornado but it remained stationary in front of us. We stared in awe, not moving or speaking.

  “Aha, we caught you!” came bellowing through the air and broke the silence. We knew it came from one of the British soldiers. We all turned around to meet our pursuers.

  They were two feet in front of us with their guns pointed at our heads. Just then the conical mist moved closer to the hillside. It began to twist around so that the wide base of the cone turned downward toward us and we saw the familiar circular rim of mist beckoning us to pass through. The mouth of the abyss was hovering about 3 feet away from the hillside. We would have to jump farther to get to the opening this time.

  The guns remained aimed at us. The book was still lying on the ground in front of us, and I quickly tried to shove it back into the bag with my foot. I could see the corner still hanging out.

  “Don’t move!” the tall officer shouted as he moved the gun closer to me. “We have you now.”

  Zack leaned ever so slightly towards me and whispered, “We have to go. I’ll get P. You get the book. I’ll meet you on the other side.”

  I nodded slowly so as not to draw more attention to myself, not taking my eyes off the soldiers and the guns. I saw Zack out of the corner of my eye inch toward P, then he was off!

  Zack grabbed P tightly and ran towards the edge of the hillside. I saw his muscles tighten as he leapt off the rocky ground, into the air and through the misty circle. I couldn’t reach down to get the book fast enough so I passed my foot through the straps on the bag and twisted it around my ankle. I dragged it along with me as I ran after Zack and P. As I leapt from the hillside, I heard musket bal
ls whiz past my head and I prayed that none of them would hit me. I finally passed through the swirling vapors and felt safe in the silence. I floated alone through the void wondering where it would take us this time.