Time Traveler
By Ginny Romney
By Ginny Romney
"I should have listened to Steve," I say aloud, my truthful words echoing into the cold, dank cell. "It's too late now and I have to face the impending doom, now or never." I peer through my long, brown hair as my mind drifts back to a time that seems ages ago; a time that in reality happened a mere week ago.
I was sitting on my atrocious teal couch, an apparent cast off of my mother's seeing as I would never purchase a couch of such a hideous hue. My apartment was warm and toasty, mostly from the blazing fireplace in the middle of the room but also from the on-going argument between Steve and I.
"I'm telling you, Leslie, you're going to wind up hurting someone, this is not a good idea!" Steve exclaimed, pounding his fist into the poor ugly arm of the couch.
I replied just as passionately. "I don't see what you have against it! This vaccine will save hundreds, no millions of lives!"
"Time travel is so risky and even if you save the smallpox victims have you though of what all these extra people will do? Like you said, the vaccine will save thousands of lives but who can really tell how much longer they'll live? With so many extra people living there could be an increase in famine, additional diseases and crime. In actuality more people could die because of the vaccine."
I wasn't convinced. Stubborn fool that I was, I just laughed at him. "Now you're just looking for things to worry about. I've made up my mind and there's no way you can change it!"
Steve heaved a giant sigh. "I better be on my way then if you're sure there's no way I can talk you out of this one," he stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his khaki slacks. "Good luck on your trip, Les, I hope everything will go how you planned. ‘Bye," he promptly left, grabbing his coat and scarf without saying a word.
"See you later!" I called after him as he slammed the front door and walked out into the frigid winter air. I shivered from the cold blast of air that Steve had let in and the excitement of my oncoming adventure. Nothing could dampen my spirits, not even Steve. I knew he meant well but his often pessimistic attitude left a bit to be desired.
What I would give to have his negative self her now. I smile, knowing that he would just lecture me, telling me what I could have done to stay out of this mess but even his scolding voice would be welcome. Nothing could be worse than the villagers that frequently stand outside my cell, yelling and screaming as they hold flaming torches. They are out there now, calling me names and telling me that it won't be long before I'm with my supposed maker, the Devil.
Shortly after Steve left I gathered my supplies for my journey. I was leaving early in the morning and I didn't want to be searching for misplaced shoes and missing bags. Everything, from the sterilized needles that were the foundation of my mission to the three changes of clothing for myself, lay next to the door, waiting for the rush of the upcoming day.
The next morning went as smoothly as I had planned. Traffic was going to be light since most time traveling took place later in the day. My family was there to see me off, even my Great Aunt Lena who always said that I would never amount to much.
I interrupt my own musings as a tear slides down my cheek. My family had been so supportive and almost as positive as I had been. They wouldn't have a clue about what happened to me. Maybe it's just as well, Aunt Lena would be ecstatic to know she was right. I'm not going to amount to anything. I'm just a blip in history, a character with noble notions but nothing more than that. I know I have grown a lot since last week because I've excepted the fact that I'm not anyone special. If only I'd learned that sooner.
After I arrived at my destination, early 18th Century England, I began my quest. Admiring the lush countryside, my first couple of days were joyful. I was still enthusiastic and thrilled the difference I would make. It was absolutely bliss until day three, that's when the bad luck struck.
It had drizzled a few times since I had arrived but on Wednesday it POURED. My sneakers soaked and my provisions ruined, I found it hard to laugh it off as I had before. Luckily wasn't far from a village. The welcoming that I received wasn't far from hostile.
"Mama who is that lady?" A child no older than seven asked her mother.
"Just gather the eggs," the woman replied as she nervously continued her work.
"Excuse me," I approached her. "Please, may I vaccinate you and your child? It won't take long, I promise. It may save your life."
The woman just looked at me, horrified. Tucking the last egg into her skirt, she hastily grabbed her child and fled into the run-down hut before her.
I sighed, sad for her but not discouraged, or at least not yet.
What if I had given up then? I wish I had, for if I had I would be home right now, watching Steve gloat. It would be worth the chagrin, just to be safe, warm and carefree.
I plodded along, approaching villagers as I had before. Very few of them actually took me up on my offer and those that did ran away once they saw the needle.
I had been through several tiny villages before I finally reached the whole cause of my mission. This town was only slightly larger than other villages I had gone through but, if my research was correct, in a few short months it would be completely annihilated by smallpox.
As before not many people heeded my frantic warnings.
"Please," I begged a young mother who was several years younger than I. "Think of your children! Think of their future!"
She looked at me fearfully, eyes bright with terror. "May God have mercy on your soul," she whispered to me before she took off.
I was stunned. She thought me a witch? No one could seriously believe I was a witch, that was just unfathomable. I sat down on a wooden fence, my head reeling with unbelief.
Several men approached me, their eyes full of hate.
"This is the one!" A burly man roared. "This is the witch that threatened my family with her instruments from the Devil!"
More people had gathered around, drawn in by the yelling of their fellow neighbors. Darkness began to cloak the sky, casting ominous shadows on the faces of the angry mob.
Understandably, I began to panic, realizing the dire consequences to come. "Please, let me go!" I shook free of the red bearded man that had accused me of witchcraft. "I have just come to help!" I can save your children from the smallpox epidemic! Just let me vaccinate them, it will only help them!" My pleas were drowned out by the furious townspeople.
"Don't listen to her, she will take the souls of your children!"
"She was sent to kill our crops!"
"Why? Why are we being punished so?"
"How can we keep her from cursing us? We haven't done any wrong. We are a God fearing people!"
"Burn her!" The shout came from multiple people. It grew louder and louder until everyone was shouting it.
"No!" A dark-haired man bellowed loud enough to silence the crowd. My heart rose. Maybe someone understood that I was just trying to help. "We must give her a trial first."
My heart sank. I was as good as dead.
What if Steve had come to save me? The thought is ridiculous but it keeps praying on my mind, even now that all hope has been lost. Imagination gone wild, I can't help but visualize him, pulling up in a time machine, as picturesque as a knight on a white steed. I haven't been aware of it, but just yesterday I realized that I love him. He isn't just the boy from next door, he's the man who has always been my intellectual equal, the only person that corrects me when I'm wrong. Now he'll never know it, but it's just as well. I was always just the little girl with the braided hair and the skinned knees. We were best friends but that's where it ended, at least on his side.
"Order!" The black robed judge yelled, his grimy white wig askew. The room grew no quieter; it still rung with the shouting of angry souls.
"Burn her! Kill her!" I covered my ears, trying to block out the crowd's blood thirsty chanting.
"Silence! We haven't even heard the case so there can be no verdict . . . yet. May the witness please take the stand."
The young mother that I had spoken to before took the stand. Face pale and thin body shaking, she frightfully waited for the rook to become silent. "She tried to gouge me children with her silver instrument of the Devil! An' when I snatched them up and ran from her she cursed me, telling me I would die and me children would die with me, of smallpox!" The delicate girl's voice quivered and her eyes were brimming with tears. "I've done no wrong. I don't want my children to die."
I found myself touched by her frank testimonial, even though I knew it was untrue. I knew there was no hope for me but I still clung to my innocent plea.
Witness upon witness testified against me, some frightened and pathetic, some furious and vengeful. I cringed each time a new villager took the stand, wishing I could free myself from this terrible mess I had gotten myself into. Finally, I was called to the stand.
"I was just trying to save you. I meant no harm, I swear. This vaccine would save you, not kill you. I'm sorry, just let me go and I'll never come back, I promise. Please, just let me go!" I pleaded, not ashamed of the tears that fell from my eyes.
"Lies!" Spat the large red-bearded accuser. "You hear her voice, you see her clothing, she can only be a witch! She babbles on of this "vaccine" that will save us but it will really steal your soul! She wishes to take our souls to her master, the Devil!"
"No!" I cry, fearing the loss of the little sympathy I had just won. "That's not true! Just let me leave in peace., I beg of you!"
The room was filled with a terrible ruckus once again.
"Can we take a witch's word?" He said, malice emanating from his countenance. "If we let her go she may comeback disguised as another person. Or worse yet, she may bring more demons and witches with her the second time around!"
"The only true way we can save ourselves is if we kill her!" Screamed a portly good wife, her face flushed and eyes bulging.
"I have made my decision," the judge stood up, banging his gavel across the stand. "The witch dies."
Cheers were heard as two men clamped their rough hands onto my arms and led me back to my cell. Tears fell down my sorrowful eyes. How could everyone hate me so?
I sadly smile now, knowing my moments still alive are very short. The villagers have spent the last few days building a pyre for me and they scream to me that I will be where I belong today. I accept that I will die for death doesn't scare me anymore. There's no sense in crying anymore, I have cried enough and not a thing has changed.
The lock has just turned; they have come to burn me. None of what I did mattered, it was all for naught. For as the flames lick my body I will be forgotten. As the smoke climbs on high I will disappear. When my shrieks fill the air my memory will die. I shall be no more.
I was sitting on my atrocious teal couch, an apparent cast off of my mother's seeing as I would never purchase a couch of such a hideous hue. My apartment was warm and toasty, mostly from the blazing fireplace in the middle of the room but also from the on-going argument between Steve and I.
"I'm telling you, Leslie, you're going to wind up hurting someone, this is not a good idea!" Steve exclaimed, pounding his fist into the poor ugly arm of the couch.
I replied just as passionately. "I don't see what you have against it! This vaccine will save hundreds, no millions of lives!"
"Time travel is so risky and even if you save the smallpox victims have you though of what all these extra people will do? Like you said, the vaccine will save thousands of lives but who can really tell how much longer they'll live? With so many extra people living there could be an increase in famine, additional diseases and crime. In actuality more people could die because of the vaccine."
I wasn't convinced. Stubborn fool that I was, I just laughed at him. "Now you're just looking for things to worry about. I've made up my mind and there's no way you can change it!"
Steve heaved a giant sigh. "I better be on my way then if you're sure there's no way I can talk you out of this one," he stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his khaki slacks. "Good luck on your trip, Les, I hope everything will go how you planned. ‘Bye," he promptly left, grabbing his coat and scarf without saying a word.
"See you later!" I called after him as he slammed the front door and walked out into the frigid winter air. I shivered from the cold blast of air that Steve had let in and the excitement of my oncoming adventure. Nothing could dampen my spirits, not even Steve. I knew he meant well but his often pessimistic attitude left a bit to be desired.
What I would give to have his negative self her now. I smile, knowing that he would just lecture me, telling me what I could have done to stay out of this mess but even his scolding voice would be welcome. Nothing could be worse than the villagers that frequently stand outside my cell, yelling and screaming as they hold flaming torches. They are out there now, calling me names and telling me that it won't be long before I'm with my supposed maker, the Devil.
Shortly after Steve left I gathered my supplies for my journey. I was leaving early in the morning and I didn't want to be searching for misplaced shoes and missing bags. Everything, from the sterilized needles that were the foundation of my mission to the three changes of clothing for myself, lay next to the door, waiting for the rush of the upcoming day.
The next morning went as smoothly as I had planned. Traffic was going to be light since most time traveling took place later in the day. My family was there to see me off, even my Great Aunt Lena who always said that I would never amount to much.
I interrupt my own musings as a tear slides down my cheek. My family had been so supportive and almost as positive as I had been. They wouldn't have a clue about what happened to me. Maybe it's just as well, Aunt Lena would be ecstatic to know she was right. I'm not going to amount to anything. I'm just a blip in history, a character with noble notions but nothing more than that. I know I have grown a lot since last week because I've excepted the fact that I'm not anyone special. If only I'd learned that sooner.
After I arrived at my destination, early 18th Century England, I began my quest. Admiring the lush countryside, my first couple of days were joyful. I was still enthusiastic and thrilled the difference I would make. It was absolutely bliss until day three, that's when the bad luck struck.
It had drizzled a few times since I had arrived but on Wednesday it POURED. My sneakers soaked and my provisions ruined, I found it hard to laugh it off as I had before. Luckily wasn't far from a village. The welcoming that I received wasn't far from hostile.
"Mama who is that lady?" A child no older than seven asked her mother.
"Just gather the eggs," the woman replied as she nervously continued her work.
"Excuse me," I approached her. "Please, may I vaccinate you and your child? It won't take long, I promise. It may save your life."
The woman just looked at me, horrified. Tucking the last egg into her skirt, she hastily grabbed her child and fled into the run-down hut before her.
I sighed, sad for her but not discouraged, or at least not yet.
What if I had given up then? I wish I had, for if I had I would be home right now, watching Steve gloat. It would be worth the chagrin, just to be safe, warm and carefree.
I plodded along, approaching villagers as I had before. Very few of them actually took me up on my offer and those that did ran away once they saw the needle.
I had been through several tiny villages before I finally reached the whole cause of my mission. This town was only slightly larger than other villages I had gone through but, if my research was correct, in a few short months it would be completely annihilated by smallpox.
As before not many people heeded my frantic warnings.
"Please," I begged a young mother who was several years younger than I. "Think of your children! Think of their future!"
She looked at me fearfully, eyes bright with terror. "May God have mercy on your soul," she whispered to me before she took off.
I was stunned. She thought me a witch? No one could seriously believe I was a witch, that was just unfathomable. I sat down on a wooden fence, my head reeling with unbelief.
Several men approached me, their eyes full of hate.
"This is the one!" A burly man roared. "This is the witch that threatened my family with her instruments from the Devil!"
More people had gathered around, drawn in by the yelling of their fellow neighbors. Darkness began to cloak the sky, casting ominous shadows on the faces of the angry mob.
Understandably, I began to panic, realizing the dire consequences to come. "Please, let me go!" I shook free of the red bearded man that had accused me of witchcraft. "I have just come to help!" I can save your children from the smallpox epidemic! Just let me vaccinate them, it will only help them!" My pleas were drowned out by the furious townspeople.
"Don't listen to her, she will take the souls of your children!"
"She was sent to kill our crops!"
"Why? Why are we being punished so?"
"How can we keep her from cursing us? We haven't done any wrong. We are a God fearing people!"
"Burn her!" The shout came from multiple people. It grew louder and louder until everyone was shouting it.
"No!" A dark-haired man bellowed loud enough to silence the crowd. My heart rose. Maybe someone understood that I was just trying to help. "We must give her a trial first."
My heart sank. I was as good as dead.
What if Steve had come to save me? The thought is ridiculous but it keeps praying on my mind, even now that all hope has been lost. Imagination gone wild, I can't help but visualize him, pulling up in a time machine, as picturesque as a knight on a white steed. I haven't been aware of it, but just yesterday I realized that I love him. He isn't just the boy from next door, he's the man who has always been my intellectual equal, the only person that corrects me when I'm wrong. Now he'll never know it, but it's just as well. I was always just the little girl with the braided hair and the skinned knees. We were best friends but that's where it ended, at least on his side.
"Order!" The black robed judge yelled, his grimy white wig askew. The room grew no quieter; it still rung with the shouting of angry souls.
"Burn her! Kill her!" I covered my ears, trying to block out the crowd's blood thirsty chanting.
"Silence! We haven't even heard the case so there can be no verdict . . . yet. May the witness please take the stand."
The young mother that I had spoken to before took the stand. Face pale and thin body shaking, she frightfully waited for the rook to become silent. "She tried to gouge me children with her silver instrument of the Devil! An' when I snatched them up and ran from her she cursed me, telling me I would die and me children would die with me, of smallpox!" The delicate girl's voice quivered and her eyes were brimming with tears. "I've done no wrong. I don't want my children to die."
I found myself touched by her frank testimonial, even though I knew it was untrue. I knew there was no hope for me but I still clung to my innocent plea.
Witness upon witness testified against me, some frightened and pathetic, some furious and vengeful. I cringed each time a new villager took the stand, wishing I could free myself from this terrible mess I had gotten myself into. Finally, I was called to the stand.
"I was just trying to save you. I meant no harm, I swear. This vaccine would save you, not kill you. I'm sorry, just let me go and I'll never come back, I promise. Please, just let me go!" I pleaded, not ashamed of the tears that fell from my eyes.
"Lies!" Spat the large red-bearded accuser. "You hear her voice, you see her clothing, she can only be a witch! She babbles on of this "vaccine" that will save us but it will really steal your soul! She wishes to take our souls to her master, the Devil!"
"No!" I cry, fearing the loss of the little sympathy I had just won. "That's not true! Just let me leave in peace., I beg of you!"
The room was filled with a terrible ruckus once again.
"Can we take a witch's word?" He said, malice emanating from his countenance. "If we let her go she may comeback disguised as another person. Or worse yet, she may bring more demons and witches with her the second time around!"
"The only true way we can save ourselves is if we kill her!" Screamed a portly good wife, her face flushed and eyes bulging.
"I have made my decision," the judge stood up, banging his gavel across the stand. "The witch dies."
Cheers were heard as two men clamped their rough hands onto my arms and led me back to my cell. Tears fell down my sorrowful eyes. How could everyone hate me so?
I sadly smile now, knowing my moments still alive are very short. The villagers have spent the last few days building a pyre for me and they scream to me that I will be where I belong today. I accept that I will die for death doesn't scare me anymore. There's no sense in crying anymore, I have cried enough and not a thing has changed.
The lock has just turned; they have come to burn me. None of what I did mattered, it was all for naught. For as the flames lick my body I will be forgotten. As the smoke climbs on high I will disappear. When my shrieks fill the air my memory will die. I shall be no more.
The End
3 comments:
I'm torn between thinking it was absolutly brilliant and terribly depressing. Very well written, and I really did like the plot (teach us to mess about with time-travel). I did hold out for a happy ending, but I think the one it recieved was well-placed as well. I suppose I'm one to talk of happy endings seeing as Anna and Kyle and Mason and Emily and... and, well, a lot of other people, have been killed by my pen.
I must say it was excellent (though I like to think Steve walked through the door with a cocky look on his face, shaking his head, and saying "I told you so." I suppose that isn't what happened?) :D
Thanks so much! I think that the ending is sort of left up to the reader's disgression. Did someone save her? Did she die a horrible, unjust death? It's mostly up to you. I, like you, kind of wanted her to be saved but how would Steve know that she was in danger? Or why would anyone else risk their own lives for hers? It's a bleak outcome but I kind of like the last four sentences. I imagine that this is a sort of a diary entry for Leslie, that she's telling her story moments before her death. Once the last word is penned she is brought to the pyre and burned.
Did you see anything that I should fix? It's weird for me to finish a story, now I don't really know what to do with it.
I know how you feel, finishing a story. I'm compiling a book of short stories, and then I don't know what I'll do with them. Perhaps I'll eat them...
Sorry, I'm REALLY tired!
I didn't notice anything that needed fixed besides a few gramatical errors that weren't a very big deal.
I think Steve saved her, and he knew she was in danger because he knew something like this would go wrong and he was planning on going back for her all the time because he knew she wouldn't listen to his advice. There, that's my happy ending formulating, but I agree - the last four sentances are on the brink of poetry - my favorite (though the least discriptive, the others make wonderful images) is this: None of what I did mattered, it was all for naught.
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