Time Travel... Or Something Like That.

1

“It's not possible! People don't wake up not knowing where they are or how they got there! So where are we?” insisted Paul. He was in a deep stage of panic.2

“The only thing I know is that we are in a forest,” said Zack, rubbing his forehead.3

“I can see that!” shouted Paul. 4

“Calm down,” Zack said and started observing the surroundings. There was nothing but trees. Zack sat down on a rock and said, “What is the last thing you remember?”5

“I remember nothing!” shouted Paul. 6

“I said calm down!” Zack said loudly, his temper climbing up.  “The last thing I remember is that we were at the haunted house, in the basement…”7

“And how will this help us?!” yelled Paul.8

“I said stop! Calm down! Or else…” shouted Zack and stood up. 9

“Or else what?” Paul asked – he was calm but felt offended.10

“Don’t start this!” threatened Zack. 11

“Oh really? And what is it that you are going to do?” said Paul with an evil smirk. 12

“You are just waiting to make other people nervous and then you’ll calm down, aren’t you?” whispered Zack with anger. “You are a devil.”13

“And you are a…” Paul released a row of swears and some words that Zack had never heard of. 14

Zack raised his hand and punched Paul in his face. Paul fell down on the ground. He wiped away the blood coming out of his nose and kicked Zack’s foot so that he fell down too. Paul jumped over him a punched him in his face. He raised his hand to punch Zack again but the hit was avoided. Instead, Zack released his hand into Paul’s stomach and they rolled over. They were on a slope so they started rolling down on a high speed.15

Finally, they landed in a wide valley with only few trees. Zack was over Paul. He raised his hand and…16

“Wait,” whispered Paul. Zack hesitated but got ready launch a puck again. Paul whispered again, “Wait! Listen…”17

They listened. There were sounds of footsteps and voices very far away… but defiantly coming closer. Zack looked back and immediately received a punch in his stomach. He literally flew away and furiously looked at Paul.18

“Now we’re gonna know where we are,” Paul said, standing up and rubbing his hands over each other. He stood up and wiped the blood that was coming out of his nose. Zack stood up too. They were looking at each other as though they were ready to kill each other. 19

Zack moved towards Paul. He was ready to punch when suddenly Paul; fell down on the ground. Zack hesitated and whispered, “Paul? Are you…” He felt a sting in his neck and everything became dark. He could not stand on his feet anymore and his knees started bending…20

He opened his eyes. He could see his seventeen-year-old friend, Paul, tied to a wall in front of him… a wall of a cave. Paul’s head was hanging down and his brown hair was covering his face and his big brown eyes. His shirt was lying by the fire torn apart, as well as Zack’s. His youthful, athletic and fierce chest was slowly moving as he breathed. 21

Zack and Paul looked like each other in every way except their personalities. They were both the same height, their hair colour and style, their eyes… simply everything. Sometimes they were taken as twin-brothers but if a person got to know them better… It would be amazing to know how different they were. Zack was always calm, polite, intelligent, serious and realistic while Paul was the opposite of that all. Maybe this was the thing that kept them so close to each other… and the thing that was the reason for their constant fights. 22

“Paul,” Zack called. He tried to move but he was tightly tied to the wall. “Paul! Wake up!”23

A minute later, Paul moved his head and hummed in pain. He raised his head and looked around. “What happened?” he hummed and looked at his friend. They smiled when they saw each other’s blooded faces. 24

“We were probably attacked by cavemen,” stated Zack.25

“Cavemen?” repeated Paul with mockery. “So in which era are we?”26

“I was just…”27

“What is this on your chest?” Paul interrupted. 28

Zack looked down and saw some strange red inscriptions on his own chest. He inquired seriously, “This is not any language we know, is it?”29

“Defiantly not,” said Paul, trying to free himself. “Not like anything I’ve seen before.”30

They heard noisy footsteps heading towards them. “What the…?!” exclaimed Paul when he saw a dozen of huge people running into the cave. They were wearing leather peaces and their hair was held up with bones. These people were dangerously waving with self-made hammers and spear.31

“Zack! Is this a dream?!” yelled Paul as the huge people started running around the fire. “Tell me this is not true! It can’t be true, can it?!”32

“Shut up Paul!”33

The group of people divided into two groups. The female group were dancing around the fire and the men were observing the inscriptions and saying something like, “Hula bula uda eh! sheto inta ak!” One of them raised the self-made spear and pointed it at Zack’s chest. 34

“NO!” chorused Paul and Zack at once. 35

Zack had already closed his eyes in preparation to feel the pain. When he did not feel the spear entering his chest, he opened one eye. The strange people were all bowing to an old woman. She just entered the cave. Her grey hair was folded up and covered with a hat. She was wearing an elegant blue dress and she had a long stick in her hand. 36

“Edu kula edu!” she said loudly and confidently. “Govano!”37

The group of huge people ran out of the cave leaving the two friends alone with the little old woman. The old woman walked towards Paul and looked at his face. Then she walked around the fire towards Zack and looked at his chest. She picked up a spear and…38

“No-no-no-no-no!” whispered Zack.39

“Calm down, son,” the old woman said. She cut the ropes tying Zack’s hands to the wall. Zack stepped down and looked at the old woman with his mouth opened wide.40

“You… You talk in English?” inquired Zack.41

“Don’t I look like an English old lady?” she smiled.42

“Wh… B… Where are we?” Zack asked.43

“Where?” she repeated. “This is a long story… but you are not going anywhere, are you? So… This place has no name yet. It does not even exist…”44

“Amm… Excuse me!” said Paul. “But can you first untie me?”45

“Uh yes, darling,” the old woman smiled and stretched the spear towards Zack. “Can you do that please, son? I am too old for reaching these heights. He-he-he-he-he-he.”46

Zack took the spear and cut the ropes holding Paul, as the old woman continued, “You better sit down because the story is very long.” Paul and Zack sat down on the cold cave floor. “It happened to me more than fifty years ago. But before that, my name is Katrina Kline.” She smiled and the boys introduced themselves. “Uh… I was a young fifteen-year-old girl. I lived with my family happily and friendly. And one day, one of my friends dared me to go to the haunted house…”47

“Haunted house?” repeated Paul. “That haunted house on the hill?”48

“Yes, my dear. The same one. Therefore, I went there. I was young and careless and I did not think of the consequences. I went into the haunted house at night… I was wondering around but there was nothing – no ghosts and no monsters.49

“The last thing I remember is an old board. A board I was holding in my hands. It had numbers on it… I don’t remember what I did, but I opened my eyes to find myself in this place.50

“Wait-wait-wait!” Paul exclaimed. “The board! You were holding that too, Zack!”51

“Yes, indeed…” mumbled Zack looking into the space. “Please continue.”52

“I was found by these people and treated like a queen, as the first time they saw fire was when I set it. In two years, I managed to learn their language. The things they told me amazed me. They said that this place has no start and no ending. They told me that I was on an island in nowhere… I didn’t believe them until I saw it by myself. 53

“They couldn’t help me in getting out of this place. I desperately tried to find a way out but it was impossible. Every day I hoped that it was just a bad dream and I would wake up to meet my family and friends again. However, it was not a dream for sure. 54

“For fifty years, I have been living here believing that it was a curse or maybe something worse. I lost all hope in getting out or seeing someone more human one more time. 55

“I can say that you are the only people I see in all these years,” Miss Klein said and her voice started shaking. It was obvious that she was trapping her tears by force inside her eyes. 56

After a long pause, Paul said, “But there has to be a way out. Every enter has an exit.”57

“Where is this logic coming from?” jeered Zack.58

They exchanged furious looks and Miss Klein said, “Maybe there is a way back but I did not manage to find it in fifty years, will you?”59

“With all my respect, but aren’t you supposed to be a little bit more optimistic?” mumbled Zack.60

“I have lost all my optimism and hope in the last fifty years,” Miss Klein said sadly. She stood up and said, “Come with me. I’ll introduce you to the tribe.”61

They went out of the cave. Around fifty people were waiting outside. Miss Klein started talking in the strange language. After a moment, she looked at the boys and said, “It is safe now. You can walk wherever you want. Nevertheless, as a personal advice – don’t get too close to them. They will show you the lake where you will be able to wash off these inscriptions. And now excuse me, I have to go.”62

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“This is extremely strange,” yawned Zack putting on his jeans. They were standing on the edge of the land (where the lake was deep) clean and fresh64

“Yeah!” exclaimed Paul. “And kinda cool too!”65

“Cool?” asked Zack. “Do you think spending a lifetime in here is cool?”66

“I was just saying that!” shouted Paul. 67

“Well watch what you say!”68

“At least I am not the one who got us into this trouble!”69

“So you are blaming me for the haunted house idea?” asked Zack with temper.70

“Yes!”71

Zack was about to raise his hand and launch a hit into Paul’s grimace but he said, “Let god bless you with the mind he took away from you.”72

“Damn you, Zack!” Paul shouted. “The only thing I meant is that I want to go back to 2006!”73

******************************************************74

Zack opened his eyes and looked around. Paul was lying on the dirty floor next to him. They were looking at each other with a combination of fear and wonder. They were back in the haunted house on the hill. They were in the same room they found the board in.75

“Zack… was this a dream?”76

“I don’t think so.”77

Paul stood up and looked at the board that was lying on an old desk. “Then we can go back there and tell the old lady that we know the way back…”78

“Which is?”79

“Don’t you get it?” Paul said with sudden joy in his voice. “I want to go back to 2006! This is what I said! This is what brought us back!”80

“Yeah… Then we can really help!” Zack said and took the board. “But are you sure these are the same numbers?”81

“Maybe! We can try and we can always come back.” 82

Zack turned the board over and pushed a small button. They opened their eyes and heard horrible noise from behind. They looked back and…83

“What era are we in now?!” yelled Paul. 84

“The Dinosaur Era!!” Zack yelled back. “Say it!”85

“I want to go back to 2006!” shouted Paul.86

*~Pause~*87

“Paul…” whispered Zack looking at the dinosaur that was running towards them. “Nothing happened! Say it again!”88

“I want to go back to 2006!” shouted Paul. And after a moment he added. “Nothing is happening! You try it!”89

“I want to go back to 2006!” shouted Zack. 90

*~Pause~*91

“RUN!!”92