Sinking Through Time - Future Past

Chapter 3 - An ancestral greeting

John wasn’t sure what to do. He’d searched the quicksand pool for Lucy to no avail and then he’d sat and waited for another half an hour but she hadn’t come through. The only thing that made any sense was that the singing lights had freaked out when two people tried to come through the quicksand and had sent Lucy back to 2014. If that was the case, John didn’t know what he should do. He was sad that Lucy wouldn’t be coming back to 1877 with him to see his ancestors again but he also desperately wanted to meet them himself. He decided to go on by himself anyway. He knew that Lucy would have to face their parents about their decision to travel back through the quicksand alone and he felt bad about it but he also knew she was a tough cookie and would want him to go on. “Well I may as well make the most of it,” he said out loud to himself and stood up, took a deep breath and prepared to start his 1877 adventure alone.

John had forgotten to bring clothes that would help him fit in with this time period so he made sure to keep an ear out for anyone coming down the track. He’d decided to hide if he heard anything. John took the short track and headed for his house, which in this time would still belong to his great, great grandfather William.

As he walked, John admired the flora and fauna. The bush was thick and lush and the native flowers were in full swing. Scents of honey suckle and native orchids mingled with eucalyptus filled his nostrils and he breathed them in deeply. He wished it smelt this good in 2014. Dragon flies buzzed and different types of frogs croaked across each other’s tunes. John stopped momentarily to listen to the symphony of the bush. Water gurgled, birds sang and insects hummed. Temporarily mesmerized by the natural orchestra, John let his mind wander.

He was abruptly brought back to the present by a loud noise in the bush. He quickly squatted down behind a tree. The noise got closer to him and then seemed to pass by the tree he was hiding behind. He took a tentative look out from behind the tree to see what had caused the noise and was relieved to see a mother echidna and her baby puggle meandering down the track. They seemed to be in a rotating pattern where the puggle would get in front of its mother and then roll over, seeking attention. The mother would nudge it and then keep walking, leaving the puggle behind to once again catch up and then run to get back in front of its mother again. John wished Lucy was with him to see this funny spectacle. The echidnas were so cute and his heart melted momentarily at the scene.

Once again John continued along the track. He wondered what his ancestors would think about him coming back through time to visit them. From what he had seen when he and Lucy had found the treasure chest and what he’d been told by Lucy from her travels, they were good people. His excitement at meeting them grew as he got closer to the house he called home.

As John came to the end of the track he realized Lucy had been spot on with her description of his street in 1877. It seemed so surreal to be standing on a dirt track that John knew to be a tarred road in 2014. It seemed like he was in the middle of nowhere, not in the place he’d grown up in. He was grateful he knew where he was and once again took his hat off to Lucy. When she found herself here, she didn’t know what time period she was in and must have thought she was losing her mind. John wasn’t sure he would’ve kept his sanity like Lucy did. It only made him love her more.

John couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to meet his relatives. He ran the last hundred metres to their house. As he approached it, John was amazed at how good it looked. He recognized his home but it looked so much better in 1877 than it did in 2014. The garden was abundant and the house was in such great shape. It looked very homely, not sparse like the house he was familiar with.

As John walked up the dirt driveway he heard a noise. It sounded like someone was digging.

“Hello?” he called out, and waited for a response. Nothing. The digging continued.

“Hello?” he called out louder. The digging stopped momentarily. John imagined someone stopping to listen so called out again. “Hello. Is anyone around?” he yelled again.

“Is someone there?” a faint, echoing voice called out.

“Yes. It’s John. Where are you?” John answered.

“Down here,” the voice responded.

“Down where?” John asked.

“I’m in the well,” the voice answered.

By this time John had located the direction the voice was coming from and had started making his way over to it. He looked around for a well. As he got past the corn he noticed a well in the middle of the garden. John walked over to it and looked over the edge.

“Hello?”

“Oh, you finally found me. What can I do for you? Are you lost?” the voice questioned.

“No. No, I’m not lost. Are you by chance William?” John asked.

“Did you say your name was John?” the voice questioned.

“Yes. That’s me. John Pickett.”

“John Pickett?” the voice asked bewildered.

“Yes. John Pickett. And you are?” John asked again.

“You were right. I’m William Pickett. But how do you know who I am? And why don’t I know who you are? Hang on. I’m coming up,” William said, scratching his head before making his way up the ladder and out of the well.

John knew William hadn’t clicked to who he was and was glad he could now see his great, great grandfather’s face so he could check out his reaction when he finally realized.

“So, good day to you John,” William said as he held out his hand to shake.

“G’day. I’m so happy to meet you sir,” John said, taking his great, great grandfather’s hand and shaking it with enthusiasm.

“That’s a strong handshake you have for a young man,” William observed.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Now, you obviously know who I am, and I’m assuming we’re related, but I can’t for the life of me figure out who you belong to,” William said, obviously still confused.

“I’m John. Your great, great grandson,” John stated.

“My what?” William asked.

“I’m Lucy’s John. Your great, great grandson from 2014,” John answered.

It was then that William finally understood who John was and his reaction was far, far greater than John had anticipated. William fainted.