Time Portals of Norwich

Hot Dogs

"It always starts in Castle Mall with the gate falling," Kay said, matter-of-factly as they reached a door at the road level. "Then, at the lifts, it branches. We always come out in the early nineties but sometimes it's winter with the fireworks and other times it's late summer. Always at night, though."

Kay opened the door – it only required a key from the other side – and they slipped out and joined the crowd.

"How did we get here?" Cassie said. "And why?"

"So many questions," Kay laughed, pushing her way through the crowds watching the fireworks display.

"They don't seem to see us," Cassie said.

"No," Kay agreed. "Stand on someone's foot, though, and they will. We're out of our time. It's like it's hard for them to focus on us so, mostly, they just ignore us. I think they find that easier than dealing with it."

"How does that work?"

Cassie thought she saw Kay shrug as she led them past the Bell pub.

"Can you feel it, Cassie?"

"Feel what?"

"The next portal. Or crossing point, worm hole, gateway or whatever you want to call it. I prefer portal."

"How should I know?"

"You felt the gate coming down before it happened, didn't you? And the stuff around the Cow Tower?"

"Er, yes. How do you know about that? Just who are you?"

"Who do you think I am?" Kay stopped pushing past people and turned to stand directly in Cassie's path.

"I don't know," Cassie said, shivering and wishing she'd worn something that didn't have short sleeves. Then again, she hadn't expected to come out into nineteen-nineties November weather on the same day as experiencing a June 2018 heatwave.

But the woman was far too familiar. They stood inches apart and, as they were pretty much the same height as each other, Cassie stared directly into Kay's face and eyes. She had one of those deja vu moments. Except this was more like a looking in a mirror moment.

"Are we related?"

"Hah!" Kay shouted. "Come on. I could've sworn you were brighter this time around."

"What do you mean 'This time around'?"

A picture of her mother entered Cassie's head. She remembered that same wild hair. Her Mum had never had hers straightened. It had never been straight except, of course, near the end, just before it had all fallen out.

"Are you..."

"Your mother? Nope, close but not close enough."

"How did you know I was thinking that?"

"You always think that first. Well, when you're capable of thinking, that is. I just cut you off before you mentioned it this time."

Then Cassie noticed a small scar on Kay's right cheek. Her hand moved her own right cheek, to the identical scar caused, when she was six, by a sharp stone that had cut it deep after she'd fallen off her pushbike. So no, not a mirror – this was back to front.

"Yeah, now you get it."

"How?"

"Tell you in a while. C'mon, I'm hungry. Let's find a hot dog or burger stall or something. Then maybe something warmer for you to wear."

They stood in front of the library eating the hot dogs that Kay had bought from a stand a couple of minutes earlier. Before them the bulk of the Saint Peter Mancroft church obscured the view of the castle and fireworks. But Cassie was staring at the library.