Parallel [ONC 2020] // Shortlisted

Chapter Six

After dinner, Ricky wanted to have one more search on what she called the Internet to try and find something that might help. Once again, she came up empty. Although they both claimed the internet was every single book in the world combined, I didn't believe them since we hadn't been able to find anything that may have helped me get back home. There didn't appear to be any other instances of people appearing in different timelines or how they ended up going back home.

That night I ended up sleeping in the spare bed in Ricky's room. With everyone else on half-term, it was just the two of us, but it didn't put my mind any more at ease then it would have been were I on my own. For one, the bed was far too uncomfortable to sleep, and I missed my old feather pillows and the warming pans that would be put between my sheets at night. I wanted to sleep and hoped I would wake up back home with none of the previous events having happened, only I couldn't sleep.

For the entire night, I tossed and turned and tried to make sense of my situation, but I couldn't do it. How could I have gone from my own time to the future simply by walking through my bedroom door? I had done the same thing countless times in the past, including earlier that day and it didn't make the slightest bit of difference. What had changed between my going downstairs and then being forced to return to my room for my shawl?

All I remember was the gust of wind that at the time didn't appear all that out of place, but perhaps it was. If my hope on returning home relied solely on a gust of wind, then so be it. Stranger things had happened to me and all I needed to do was figure out how to get home if that gust of wind was all I needed.

The next morning Ricky once again forced me to dress in something immodest and the two of us met Mitch in the dining hall where we had breakfast. I didn't feel all that hungry after barely sleeping the night before, but I did manage two bites of jam on toast before they pulled me away from the table to continue our search in the village library. First, we had to check out, though Ricky did it for me and then we made our way down the path, through a side gate and across a field to the village.

"Usually we'd take the bus, but since you struggled to wrap your head around a burger, it's probably better we walk," Ricky said.

"We had buses in Victorian times."

"Yes, but they were drawn by horses until the 1890s when a law about motorised vehicles was lifted. Our buses all run on engines with no horses to pull them and they're a lot bigger than the buses you're used to."

"How do you know so much about bus transport, Rick?"

"You'd be surprised at what I know."

Mitch raised his eyebrow at me and shook his head, smiling slightly. He said nothing and the three of us continued through the field until we came to another gate that led into the village. Much like everything else I had seen over the past two days; the village had changed drastically. The path was much smoother than I remember and there were more shops and people. Some people walked down the road seemingly talking to themselves until Ricky pointed out the small device in their hands.

I also saw my first bus and what Ricky called a car. Both were made of metal and made an awful lot of noise just by turning a corner. They appeared rather unsafe and I wondered why anyone would want to travel in such a thing when a horse-drawn carriage was so much easier, and one didn't have to drive it themselves if they had the money. Everyone appeared to want to do things for themselves.

We walked a little further through the village until we came to a large, square brick building with large windows and a wooden door. Ricky pushed open the door and the three of us stepped into the building which was full of books and people. Some of them were people I recognised from dinner the previous day, but most were not. Almost everyone wore something I would consider immodest. I even saw someone wearing a skirt that stopped at their mid-thigh and the entire leg was on display for the world to see.

"You go check the ghosts and time travel stuff, Rick. You'll have better luck than me. We'll go pull any history books on the house and family," Mitch said.

"Okay, I'll meet you back here in half an hour and we can go through everything."

"See you then." Mitch turned to me. "Come on.

He nudged his head towards a shelf of books not too far away from us and we headed towards them whilst Ricky went in another direction. Mitch lead me over the bookshelf and pulled out a thick, leather-bound book that looked far too heavy to hold. He placed it onto a table in the corner and sat down, thumbing his way through its contents to try and find something.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Go ahead, though I don't know if I'll be able to answer it as well as someone else could."

"Don't worry, it's something you'll know about."

"Then ask away."

"Your family must have had a family bible, right?"

"We did, I remember signing it."

"When the house was renovated and turned into the school, the bible was never been found. Your direct descendants, the people who gave the go-ahead for the renovation said it had been lost since your father died. Do you know where he may have kept it?"

"He always kept it hidden in a panel in his office. It was hidden behind a stack of books on his shelf, the brick could be taken out and the bible placed in there. He did it so no one would steal it."

"Do you think it could still be there?"

"Possibly, why do you ask?"

"It might offer some help."

~~~

A/N - Chapter Six is here! WOOO!!!