Chapter 16 — Goodbye Dreams, Hello Reality
Vespasia started to awaken when Rick cleaned her side and back so he could dress the wound. She whimpered as Alex calmed her by gently stroking her face with a damp cloth.
“You got lucky, girl,” Rick told her casually, “The arrow went through your side, but mainly through skin.”
She looked down as he attempted to clean the blood and nearly passed out again.
Rick pressed a couple strips of cloth into the wound and asked Christy to hold it there as he worked four long strips around her tiny waist and tied them to hold it in place. Kaylie was busy doing basically the same thing to his shoulder; he had packed the wound and tied some cloth around his leg, but that dressing was already showing a deep red spot. He ignored the pain as he focused on the girl, finally finishing, and tying her tunic back loosely so it wouldn’t aggravate the dressing. Kaylie completed her first aid at about the same time, tying off several bandages on his upper arm and chest. His injuries began throbbing but he thrust the pain aside, shifting Vespasia so he could attempt to stand.
He struggled to his feet and asked the girls to help lift Vespasia up so he could carry her. He quickly realized he was in no shape to carry her a couple miles. He sat her back down, grabbed the bowl of water and splashed it in her face.
The little Roman girl spat and sputtered and angrily glared at Rick, “What was that for?” she yelled.
Alex and Kaylie held the girl up on wobbly feet while Rick slumped back down to the ground, half giggling at the girl’s face, half gritting his teeth in pain. “You’ll have to walk, I can’t carry you any further, Vespasia. You’ve got a deep cut on your side, that’s all.”
Vespasia slowly collected herself. Soon, the happy, smiling face of hers resurfaced when she realized her movement was not restricted much, if at all, and she barely felt the pain when she twisted or bent. She cheerfully asked then, “When do we go?”
“Do you think you can make it?” Alex asked her dad.
Rick seriously considered the question. He wasn’t completely certain; maybe it would be best to disappear and let Vespasia get home on her own. No, that wouldn’t be right; they were responsible for the girl. He tried to remember just how far it was to her house, but they had been so busy talking on the way into Rome and been so captivated by everything, he wasn’t sure how far they had wandered. He knew it would be a much different journey in his present condition. He could not run either — what if Bergamiser would see them? Rick realized he was very easily spotted, being much taller than most of the Romans. That was one detail he had never considered; in two thousand years, humans had definitely changed considerably. In 44 BC, a six-foot-tall person was extremely tall and very rare; in 2007 AD, a seven-foot-tall man was even more common than six feet was then. The captain, by far the largest man he had seen all day, wouldn’t stand a chance in a head-on collision with a high school field goal kicker in 2007, he mused. So yeah, he thought, he would be quite an easy target to spot. All those thoughts assailed his mind at once.
“Well?” Alex asked again, impatiently.
“I have to… Vespasia, can you lead us out of here without being seen?”
“We could go through the sewers,” she answered quickly.
A trio of protesting howls came from the girls. “You don’t want to do that, you have open wounds,” Christy stated.
He agreed, “No, probably not… But how else?”
“Well, we can take alleys just about anywhere, but we’d still have to go through the gate to leave unless we use the sewers. She looked around to get her bearings and easily calculated their best route.
Kaylie went once again and bought a blanket from a merchant. The girls helped Rick to his feet. They wrapped the blanket around Rick’s body and over his head to form a hood. He slouched over like an old man, hobbling along convincingly, thanks to his injuries. They were sure the crazy man from the future would recognize Vespasia and Christy, so the two girls clung to Rick’s side, partly to steady him and partly to hide most of their faces in the folds of the blanket. Alex and Kaylie did not believe Bignose had seen them, so they tried to fit in with the other Roman children.
They traveled awkwardly through a dozen or more alleys until they reached one just a few yards from the gate. The trip was agonizingly slow, but they made it without seeing more than a few dozen people — mostly homeless children who lived in these narrow, forgotten paths. Alex, always the mother hen, a trait she inherited from her father, couldn’t pass by any of these orphans without giving them a coin or two and a portion of bread from one of the loaves she carried. She had fashioned two skirts out of their leftover cloth for girls they met while resting. She had found the two girls hiding behind piles of trash. She also gave some small boys with distended stomachs part of their fruit. These respites were welcome to Rick and he admired the way Alex cared for the homeless waifs. The breaks were even more enjoyable to Christy and Vespasia, who grew tired and weary from the exertion of supporting Rick, combined with the heat under the blanket.
It was nearing dark when they finally reached the last alleyway. The girls rested while Rick crept forward to look around. He hobbled back to the girls and sat against a wall, beckoning them to climb under the blanket.
“What is it? Do you see him?” Vespasia asked.
“No, I can’t tell who’s out there. But it’s almost dark and I feel it would be much safer after the sun has set.”
“Who was that man shooting at us, and why?” asked Vespasia.
“That’s Bignose,” Christy answered angrily for him.
“Bergamiser... Bignose… is the man who stole the necklace from us,” Rick explained further.
“Who was that woman?” Alex questioned next.
“I guess she was probably just someone he paid to deliver the necklace to Octavian.”
“So that’s why you let her go?” the little Roman girl realized.
“Yes. She probably didn’t even know it was stolen; she was just as innocent as you, dear.”
“It seems this Bignose likes hurting innocent people,” she said hotly. “Are you still mad at me for stealing it back?” she seemed to be asking for forgiveness.
“Yes, but I forgive you, and I think you were overly punished for it anyway,” said Rick, patting her side, near her wound.
“It doesn’t even hurt now!” she bragged.
“Perhaps you weren’t punished enough then!” he teased.
As night fell, the streets cleared. Rick went to check again and saw nobody but a couple drunken soldiers. He slipped back and gathered the girls, half of whom had fallen asleep, and readied them to continue home to Vespasia’s farm. The rest of the trip was uneventful. Rick’s girls were all afraid of the dark, but the native girl thought the quarter moon provided adequate illumination. Any light was a blessing for a girl who never knew electricity and was too poor to burn candles at night. When they neared her home, a light was shining through the window.
“Mother must be worried about me,” Vespasia fretted. “She never wastes candles! Is it OK if I run ahead so she knows I’m all right?”
Rick nodded, and then reconsidered, “Wait,” he said, fumbling in his pouch for something.
The girl’s wide eyes watched curiously as he pulled something out but kept it hidden in his palm. He reached out and hugged her. “Thank you for all your help, Vespasia. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
She shoved back to look at Rick’s face, “What? Aren’t you coming with me? You have no place to stay tonight, you must stay with us! You can’t leave yet! Who will tell mother I’m not lying about the whole thing? I wanted you all to meet her, too!” She looked hurt.
Rick fought back emotions, “We have to go, honey... here…” he opened his hand, showing her the enormous jewel.
Her eyes widened, “I can’t take that! It’s worth more than our entire farm!”
“We want you to have it. Keep it unless you absolutely need it,” he suggested.
She hugged him tightly, refusing to let go for over a minute, then slowly released her hold and embraced the others just as fiercely.
Alex wiped tears off her face as she handed the large basket to the girl, taking one of the smaller baskets out of it, “Here, this is for you. I want this one to remember you by. I will never forget you, Vespasia.”
“You act like you’re never going to see me again. Can’t you at least come visit when you buy...” She suddenly stopped, comprehension dawning as she turned to Rick, “You’re not buying a home in Rome, are you?” her tears flowing freely now. She wiped them on her already wet tunic.
Rick shook his head, “Probably not. But if we do, I promise we will spend an entire day with you… if you promise not to get in the way of any arrows aimed at me!”
She giggled and reached her free arm around him for another hug.
“You’re a very strong girl, Vespasia. Take care of yourself and your family, OK?” he said, kissing the top of her head. He then turned her around and nudged her gently toward her home.
“Bye!” she sputtered.
As the young girl walked away, Rick pulled out his necklace, grabbed hold of the golden ball and started to huddle the girls close to him.
“Wait!” Kaylie screamed suddenly.
“We have to get back, Kay. I’m going to bleed to death eventually,” Rick joked.
“This will just take a minute!” she said quickly and started running full speed toward Vespasia. All Rick saw was a white blur and the back of her tunic trailing behind her like a comet tail. They all heard her yelling at the girl to stop.
Half a minute passed quite anxiously before they saw a dark form approaching them, jogging. It was Kaylie, now proudly wearing Vespasia’s ruined, dingy tunic.
“OK, we can go now,” she said with a satisfied grin on her face.
Everyone stared at her. The tunic was ripped in more places than it had places, but she was happy as a pig in mud.
“What? I needed it for history class!” she claimed. “Guess I’ll have to wash it to get all the blood off. Do you think it will survive a washing?”
Rick shrugged, “I’m sure we can find a way to clean it. But right now, we gotta go. He squeezed the necklace and commanded, “Return!”
“What do you think they’re doing?” Jessica fretted after only fifteen seconds had passed.
“They’ll be fine, stop worrying,” Anna told her.
“I wonder how long they’ll be there,” Jessica continued.
“One minute,” Abby sarcastically replied, “I just hope they come back with all their fingers.”
“Please remain outside the red area,” T’s voice suddenly announced.
Rick could see Abby, flanked by Jessica and Anna, fading into view. When they fully emerged, the trio rushed over to them and immediately noticed the blood and bandages. They skidded to a stop simultaneously.
“What on earth happened to you?” Abby demanded.
“I’m OK, but you should see the lion,” Rick joked.
Anna and Jessica fell for it and gasped, “Lion!?”
Alex filled them all in while she and Kaylie helped Rick to a seat at the table. Abby rushed to the lockers and located the medical kit while the girls went to change back into their normal clothes.
“This cannot continue now, Rick. If this Bignose guy is going to try to kill you when you go near the crystal… I just won’t have it! I’m not losing you now, mister!” Abby decreed as she slowly unwrapped the bandage on Rick’s shoulder. She winced when she saw the ragged bloody hole, and could barely keep her hands from shaking as she began to clean it with disinfectant. “You’re lucky he didn’t use poison, you fool! You’re not ever going back. No way!”
Rick twitched in pain as she wiped and scrubbed with every harsh word. “We don’t have to go back,” he managed to state calmly through the abuse.
Abby taped a thick wad of gauze to the puncture holes. “You’re darn right you’re not going back, we should turn this over to the government and let them send specialists to—”
Rick fought to his feet as she finished wrapping and clasped his hands around both her arms, pinning her with his eyes, “You would suggest the government take over this machine? Do you have any idea how badly those corrupt, greedy, power-hungry jerks could screw up the whole universe if you gave them that kind of tool?”
She gently forced him back down and proceeded to work on his leg. She suddenly realized the content of his earlier words “What do you mean, you don’t have to?”
Rick grinned and pulled the crystal out of his pouch. Abby stared in amazement. Before she could comment, Kaylie walked over, carrying her new prized tunic like a priceless artifact.
Abby forgot her anger instantly. “What is that?” she asked curiously.
Kaylie proudly unfolded it and dangled it in front of her. “It’s a real authentic Roman Republic tunic that a real kid wore!” she proclaimed happily. “The very one our friend Vespasia wore. I traded her,” she grinned triumphantly.
Abby’s archaeologist persona kicked in and Rick’s wound became unimportant to her. She ran her hand over the tunic, “Wow, Kaylie, this fabric is so coarse, it must have been so uncomfortable to wear.”
“It is. It’s really itchy,” Kaylie explained, scratching for effect.
As Alex joined them, Abby turned to her, “Oh my god! Is that an actual basket made by Roman hands? Nothing like this has ever been found in any condition worth studying, these things just don’t last two thousand years! We’ve only had drawings or descriptions before now, but—” She nearly swooned as she ran her fingers around the basket, which was merely a bowl-shaped reed-woven creation, hardly remarkable. She studied every detail of the two items for several minutes, listing the properties of each and explained popular theories, right and wrong. Alex explained that there were literally hundreds of different types of baskets and Kaylie told her of all the various kinds of fabrics she had seen and felt.
Eventually, Abby remembered Rick’s leg and returned to treat his wound. While she was working on him, the girls explained the farm, streets, markets and many foods and wares for sale. They described how the people looked, how they acted, what they wore. Christy talked about Octavian and his guards for ten minutes, offering minute details. Alex told of the homeless children she tried to help, and Kaylie elaborated on their new friend, and how she recovered the crystal for them.
Despite his injuries, Rick was delighted the girls had absorbed so many amazing lessons from their trip.
“And we got one of the four crystals,” he reasoned to Abby, “It was well worth it. We just need three more—”
“While a maniac tries to kill you!”
“We didn’t expect him to be there.”
“But he was, and you know he could be setting a trap for you three more times. I can’t worry like that!”
“You only have to worry for one minute,” he teased.
“That minute can be an eternity though! Girls! Please talk some sense into your father!”
The girls all remained steadfastly silent in support.
“You’re all mad! There’s no way I will let you go back!” she vowed. “You can’t walk now, and your arm won’t be healed for weeks, and you don’t even know where the other three are!”
“I’ll be good to go in—”
“Rick?” T’s voice interrupted.
“Yes, T?” he rotated gingerly to face the time machine, as if it mattered.
“I have another message now,” she informed him.
All eyes turned to Rick as he tried to hide his dread, “Let’s have it…”
An image of Bergamiser showed. “Oh, great,” Alex sighed.
“Well, you’ve found one crystal, bet you think you’re smart. But there’s still three more, so that’s only a start. I’ll always be there, for the three you seek. And to make things worse, you have just one week!” Bergamiser’s eyes twisted with insanity as his evil laugh reverberated from the s
creen.
Kaylie gasped, “No!” She was terrified, pointing at the machine and shaking her head in disbelief.
Rick wanted to comfort her, but couldn’t manage to get up.
“Come here, Kaylie, what is it?” he asked, but she remained in place, eyes transfixed on the screen.
“T, play the last ten seconds of that again,” Kaylie instructed. Bignose appeared again. “Pause!” she yelled. Using her hand, she quickly zoomed out, moved the view around and zoomed back in. There, in mid-air, was an object he was tossing up and down in his right hand. She zoomed in further and told T to rotate the image.
As realization dawned, Alex put her hand over her mouth to cover a scream, Christy actually howled, Rick simply lowered his head into his hands. Kaylie turned, looking at them all, eyes wide with fear.
“What’s the deal?” Jessica asked, confused.
“That’s the jewel we gave to Vespasia,” Kaylie cried.
“We have to go back and help her!” Alex demanded.
“No!” Rick said firmly. He was immediately assaulted with accusing eyes.
“Well, I’m going to see what happened—” Abby started.
“NO!” he yelled louder this time. “We can’t go back. Bignose is trying to bait us into another trip to waste our time. We only have a week, remember?” he explained very coolly, calmly, betraying his own fears only by the way his hand clutched his wounded leg.
“But can’t we just see if she’s OK?” Kaylie pleaded.
Rick held up a hand to stop her. She became enraged, crying, “You don’t even care about her! You’re as mean as Bignose! How could you? What if she’s dying? Or dead? You don’t even care!” She threw the tunic in his face and stomped off to the bathroom.
“Nice going, Dad.” Alex’s words cut through him. Kaylie’s tirade had already sliced him to pieces. He held the tunic to his face for a moment, pressing it against his eyes to keep the tears from leaking out. He could smell the girl’s own tears on it; he could smell her on it. He could see her smiling face; saw her bouncing off down the street. It took all his strength to get to his feet and walk to the bathroom door and knock at the partially open door.
“I’m using the bathroom!” Kaylie shot at him angrily.
“No you’re not,” he said as he pushed the door open further. She whirled and slammed the door, catching him off balance and knocking him back a few steps.
Rick winced in pain, but fought back to swing the door open again. Kaylie slumped down on the toilet seat, sniffling, crossing her arms over her chest.
With anguish on his face, Rick knelt down in front of her. “Kay?”
“Go away!”
“Kay, we will go back for her. I swear on my aching leg…” that I shouldn’t be putting weight on right now…
She looked up at him with wet, red eyes and restrained a slight giggle, “You should be sitting, or lying down.”
“So you’re not mad at me?” he asked hopefully.
“No, I’m just mad. I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I know you care — it’s just not fair. Not fair at all!”
“No, no it’s not. But we will make it fair. Right now, we have billions of cute little girls to save, don’t we?”
She shook her head yes.
Rick worked his way to his feet, grinding the hurt away with his teeth, and held out his arms to pick her up.
“No, I’ll help you,” she said. “You can’t carry me with that hurt leg, Rick.” She stood and took as much of his weight as she could, helping him back to the table.
“OK. Let’s figure out what to do next now. All of us.”
All sitting around the table, Rick asked, “OK, let’s make a plan, what do you all think? I’m fairly sure where the second crystal is, and we—”
“No, you’re nuts! We are doing nothing tonight but go home. These girls have been up for over 24 hours and you’re in no condition to do anything!” Abby commanded, standing over him like an old-fashioned schoolteacher, ready to whack his knuckles if he didn’t obey.
“Well,” he answered evenly, “that’s what we’re doing next, but we have to be thinking of what to do after bed. I’m not moving from here until I eat and rest a bit, so… I’m thinking steak, fries and a salad please, T. Then we’re discussing Salem, Massachusetts.”
Anna picked up his meal for him.
“Thanks, hon,” he smiled at her as he began awkwardly trying to cut his steak with one hand.
Anna smiled and ordered her own meal and the others did the same.
“So, what’s in Massachusetts?” Abby asked after the long silence.
“Well, it certainly sounds like a reference to the Salem witch trials... but I don’t remember a whole lot about it, can’t even remember exactly when it happened.”
“Late seventeenth century, like 1692, but that’s all I know.” Kaylie offered.
“Yeah, that sounds about right. We’ll have to do some research. You got any books of that time?” Abby asked Rick.
“Only a couple that mention it... how the colonies and government were formed and became the United States.”
“OK, I’ll snoop through those while you search online, OK?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“What about us?” Alex asked, interrupting their exchange.
“Yeah, don’t you remember how valuable we are?” Christy fluttered her eyelashes.
“I think we’ve proven this is a bit too dangerous—” Rick tried.
Jessica rolled her eyes, “Oh, please, didn’t you just get done telling us a fourteen-year-old girl recovered the first one?”
“And you are certainly not in any condition to do anything but go to bed tonight,” Kaylie challenged.
“OK, we’re going to have to discuss this tomorrow. I know four of you are going to bed as soon as we get home,” Abby determined.
Alex leaned on her sleepily, “I like it when you call our house ‘home’. It sounds good, doesn’t it?”
Abby looked at Rick.
“I think you should tell them,” Rick said with a smile.
“Tell them what?” Alex asked expectantly.
“Well,” Abby gulped, “we — your father and I — decided—”
“You’re finally moving in? You’re finally moving in!” Jessica leapt out of her seat and bounced around her, finally stopping long enough grab Abby in a huge hug.
“Is it true?” Anna asked, holding onto her excitement until she was sure.
“Yes! Yes!” Abby screamed and all the girls attacked her at once, nearly knocking her out of her seat, all bouncing and yelling.
Rick just stabbed another piece of steak, dunked it in steak sauce and smiled at them as he stuck it in his mouth. He chewed it a while as they continued to celebrate. “You girls aren’t happy about this, are you?” he asked sarcastically.
“Dad!” was the only reply, from Alex. He knew what it meant. They all finished eating.
“How are we going to get out of here?” Abby asked Rick as they watched the girls’ fascination with the ‘bottomless pit’ — a round, foot-wide trash receptacle T provided for them. It was clear and extended a couple feet from the floor. The kids would put trash, dishes, food or anything else in it and watch it gradually disappear.
Rick asked T how the device worked. She replied, “Just like the food replicator, Rick.”
Rick asked, “You mean the opposite?”
“No, Rick, it simply changes the molecular state of the objects you place into it to air. The replicator changes the molecular state of air to objects. Same process.”
“Wow, OK. That makes sense.”
That launched a barrage of questions that made Rick forget Abby’s original inquiry.
“Where do you get your power, T?” Alex asked.
“I get power from a thermal transducer tube implanted deep into the ground, Alex.”
Christy, the little scientist, perked up, “How does that work?”
“It takes heat from a warmer layer of Earth an
d transforms it into energy as it rises through the tube, then is replaced by cooler air which falls through the tube to the bottom and is heated again, Christy.”
“Wow, how much power does that produce?”
“This particular unit is capable of producing 125 megawatts per hour, Christy.”
“How were the tunnels dug, T?” Abby asked curiously.
“They were not dug, Abby, they were created using a tool from the 2lst millennium called a force repulsor,” T explained.
“How does that work?” little Einstein questioned.
“It uses a force field to repel the earth in whatever direction desired, Christy, compressing the stone and dirt into a composite stronger than steel, and which never corrodes.”
“Whoa!” Rick commented.
“That’s neat!” Alex added.
“What about the natural cave? I have a hard time believing it formed in a spiral without some help,” Abby asked further.
“A well-founded suspicion, Abby; that cave was also created with a repulsor. They can be programmed to create any shape.”
“Why would they make it look natural, and put supports in it?”
“You’d have to ask them that, Abby, I can only speculate.”
“T,” a serious Kaylie started, “is Vespasia still alive?”
Before Rick could stop her, T answered, “That is a relative question, Kaylie. She certainly isn’t alive this day, but I need a specific date to answer that to your satisfaction.”
“No! Do not even try to ask again, Kaylie; we are better off assuming she’s OK,” Rick instructed.
“Can’t we just—”
“No!”
“Kaylie, let’s get back to the most important problems now — like how are we getting out of here?” Abby intruded.
“The same way we originally planned. I’ll swim out first and pull anyone out who can’t make it on their own. I think everyone should easily be able use the rope to get back, as long as they don’t panic,” Rick said as he stared pointedly at Anna.
“I can do it! No problem at all. I just got scared coming down because I didn’t know the way. Really!” she defended herself.
“Will you be able to make it, Daddy?” A concerned Jessica asked.
“Of course, honey, swimming will be much easier than walking, I’m sure. The rope will make it simple too. You girls go get ready so you can take the clothes—”
“Why don’t I take them, Dad? You know I’m almost as strong a swimmer as you,” Alex offered helpfully.
Rick nodded his approval.
“I’ll go change while you seal up all the stuff,” he said as he realized he was still wearing a leather tunic and was rather uncomfortable in it.
Rick limped out of the bathroom and saw all six pairs of eyes impatiently waiting for him. “Sorry, it wasn’t easy getting that thing off inside that small box with one arm,” he said, slightly embarrassed. “Here, Alex, can you hang this in a locker for me?”
Anna was closer and grabbed it. “I will,” she said.
“Thanks.”
Christy and Jessica were already playing in the water, running down the ramp as fast as they could until the weight of the water tripped them, and then they ran back out and repeated. “Daddy, when are you gonna get that other hide-a-bed for my room so Christy can sleep in there with me?” Jessica asked.
“I have one, Jess. When I move my stuff down here, it’s yours,” Abby told her.
“Why don’t you just take all the clothes off of your bed so she can sleep there, Pigpen? Then you’d have room for three more people!” Anna teased.
Rick agreed. “That sounds like a good thing for you to do when we get home,” he told Jessica.
She splashed him, “I thought we had more important things to do right now?” she whined.
“You’re lucky I’m injured or I’d dunk you mercilessly, brat,” he warned as he waded into the water.
Christy got above him on the ramp and jumped onto his back. “How are you going to pull us out if your arm hurts, Rick?”
Rick calmly lowered himself into the water until he submerged them both. He patiently sat on the bottom until she was forced to come up for air. He then surfaced, “I’m fine. I’d break both my arms to save one of you, don’t you worry a bit about that. But, let’s see who can make it back out with no help at all, OK?”
“Ooh! I can make it!”
“I can!”
“Me too!”
They all volunteered to go first.
“Right. We’ll see. Just remember I’ll be able see you once you turn the corner, and Abby can see you until then. If you can’t make it, just signal one of us and hold onto the rope and I’ll pull you out or Abby will pull you back.”
Alex interrupted, “You should leave me back here instead, Dad. I’m the best swimmer and I’m trained in lifesaving.”
“I was thinking of Abby since she’s an adult, but I think you’re right — you’d be a better choice. Thanks for the suggestion.”
Abby seemed relieved, feeling clueless about how to save someone in water.
“OK, if that’s all…”
Everyone gave a thumbs up.
He took a deep breath and submerged, pulling the rope until he was on the other side, anchored at the opening.
One by one, they all popped to the surface, with Alex bringing up the rear, pulling the bag behind her. Rick was relieved they all made it under their own power and didn’t require any assistance. His energy was fading quickly and he wasn’t sure how much longer he would last.
They quickly dried off and dressed. It was definitely cooler in the grotto and Rick was starting to shiver uncontrollably.
The trip back to the van took four times as long, nearly ninety minutes, because they had to stop several times for Rick to rest. The girls and Abby took turns supporting him. When they finally arrived at the van, Rick sprawled across the back seat while the girls loaded everything. Abby drove them home.
“Help me downstairs,” Rick ordered when they arrived. “Move the coffee table and unfold the hide-a-bed. Bring down some sheets, pillows, and blankets—“
“We’ll take care of it all,” Anna said, volunteering her cousin, Jessica. “The rest of you are probably tired…”
“That’s sweet of you’ Abby praised.
“Speak for yourself!” Jessica complained.
Anna grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the house as Abby and Alex aided Rick.
“Just take me to the computer, please.”
“You really need to go to bed, Rick, you’re exhausted—”
“Please,” he pleaded.
She thought a moment, but ultimately gave in and helped him to his chair.
“You know you can do this tomorrow,” she still insisted.
“I won’t be able to sleep right now, Abby. Really, I’m OK. The ride home gave me a chance to rest and recover some strength.”
Anna and Jessica were beginning to prepare the bed; each had an armload of linens. Kaylie, Christy and Alex came down, like zombies, to say goodnight.
“Night, Dad,” Alex said sleepily, as she gave a hug and a quick kiss.
Christy and Kaylie did the same.
“Good night? It’s only 8:30!” he teased. They each looked at him as if he were growing bunny rabbit ears.
“Seriously though, girls, you all smell like sweaty street bums, you need to take a shower—”
They groaned in unison.
“Sorry girls, you still have school tomorrow…”
The trio trudged upstairs to the showers.
“Oh, and girls?”
Alex turned as the other two staggered on.
He smiled, “Sorry. You have to get Jess and Anna up tomorrow, too. I won’t be able to.”
Alex nodded assent, too tired to speak.
“Thank you, Alex. Don’t fall asleep in the shower, OK?”
Anna and Jessica were laying on the pull-out bed twenty minutes later, watching a movie, when Abby ca
me down the stairs. “I put everything away, where are the other girls?”
“Thanks so much. I sent them to the showers.”
She wandered back over to Rick’s bookshelves and studied them a moment, Rick pointed out the two books he believed she wanted and she plucked them from the shelf and strolled back over.
“I’m going to sit and read this, but you really need to rest, Rick,” she suggested.
“I will in a minute, soon as I finish reading this.”
Abby looked at the screen, “Aah, you’ve already found it all?”
“Yeah, I think so. It appears that the first of four hangings was on June 10, 1692, when a lone woman, Bridget Bishop, was hanged at Gallows Hill. But,” he looked up at her in confusion.
“What?”
“Well, it says that both eleven-year-old Abigail Williams and nine-year-old Elizabeth Perkins had shown signs of being bewitched on January 20, but nothing states which was first. Bridget Bishop, the first to hang, was not even the one accused of bewitching the first two girls; they had accused a servant named Tituba. Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne were also accused, but of those three, only Sarah Good was hanged — on July 19. None of it makes sense with the riddle. I can’t find anything about Tituba or Sarah Osbourne, but Bridget Bishop had nothing to do with any of the first four girls mentioned to have been afflicted. I can assume Tituba was simply not hanged because she confessed — the only way to escape hanging — but I can’t make the connection. The phrase, ‘although the court thought’, must mean she was tried and convicted, doesn’t that make sense to you?”
Abby stared blankly at him. “I think maybe we’re both tired, you just confused the heck out of me too. Let’s print it all out, you go lay down and I’ll sit on the bed beside you and read it all. Sound good?”
She didn’t appear capable of accepting any answer but yes, so Rick agreed, “OK, but can you check on the girls; they’re too quiet. I can make it to the bed on my own.” He printed out all the information he had found, and grabbed it as Abby headed to check on the kids.
Rick limped and hopped toward the couch, dropped the printouts on the bed, and nudged Anna to move over so he could lie down while he studied the information.
Abby called down the stairs, “The girls are already in bed and sound asleep, so I’m gonna take a quick shower.”
That was the last sound Rick heard that night before falling into a much-needed, deep sleep.
When Abby came downstairs she smiled as she gathered the pages scattered across Rick’s chest. Settling into one of the recliners, she started reading the first few pages. The infamous witch hunts of Salem, Massachusetts — a dark and troubled era in our country’s history — a time of insanity. Why were they being led into this quagmire of madness?
Now available
Chronicles of Time: Book 2
Part III — Injustice in Salem