Chapter 3

This obviously isn’t our era back here. Backyard. Back porch. Back in time. I’m feeling faint. Faye helps me settle into a porch swing suspended by thin chains on the back porch, while she takes a seat in an old-fashioned rocking chair.

“Who are these people?” I whisper, looking around.

“Faye?”

“I’m here, dearest. Are you okay? You seem a bit ill.”

That’s me. Mal. Sicko!

“I’m suffering from vertigo. My head is spinning, but not from physical exertion. Mental stress has my senses reeling. I’m trying to reconcile the mismatched parts I can’t mentally digest.”

“Mal, this is my grandfather Earl and my grandma Nelly. Maybe they can answer some of your questions.”

“Here, drink this. You’ll feel better. Small sips are best. It’s pretty spicy.” Grandma Nelly offers me a steaming mug of pungent-smelling liquid. I accept the porcelain mug but don’t drink. The warmth of the mug is soothing to my nerves. It feels good in my hands. I’m content just to hold it. It smells good too.

“I apologize for asking, but what’s in it? I should discover early if we’re to spend much time together. My manners are deplorable. Sorry for the trouble. I don’t know what came over me. This is a novel experience I hope never to repeat. I’ve never fainted before.”

“No troubles at all. As to the drink and who we are, it’s all intertwined in ways you might not expect. You might find it hard to believe, but I’m much older than my husband Earl.”

“She’s pulling your leg, son. What she means is I’ve had more birthdays than she has, but she was born centuries before me. She’s from an earlier era than I am, and in that sense, she’s senior.”

“So you two are time travelers? Okay, this starts to make sense. Either you taught her, or Faye inherited your genetic code—either way, she acquired your abilities, so she’s a time traveler too.”

“Speculation, extrapolation, and wrong deductions add up to ERROR. I’m sorry, but you’re far from the truth,” Faye interjected, her tone sharp.

In her professional fact-check mode, I could see why people might shun her. My ears burned! I was looking for a haven and maybe a puppy to pet. Wow! Faye can be harshly critical! She squinted at me.

“Let me guess. You’re ready to tackle me if I try to run. Or shoot me down.”

“Are you leaving?”

“You don’t know me. You misjudge my stamina and my mettle. I’m staying put!”

“Good. You pass. Can you stand up without help?”

Taking a sip of the now less scalding beverage, almost propelled me to my feet. Spicy doesn’t quite capture it. Bracing? Invigorating? Supercharged? All of the above. “What’s in this elixir? My heart is hammering. My ears are ringing. My throat’s afire!”

“What isn’t in it is an easier question. But the main ingredient is ginger.”

“I believe you on the ginger. What else? Cocaine?”

“No narcotics. There’s cayenne, garlic, ginseng, epazote, feverfew, laurel, pólvora, fenugreek, and a few drops of this and that.”

“I’ve never heard of most of that stuff. Can you write it down for me?”

“Trust me. It’s good for you, and you can’t find half the ingredients, so it’s hopeless. You can’t homebrew it.”

“I’m definitely feeling better!”

“You look stronger, too.”

“Can anyone explain your backyard to me in plain words I can understand?”

“You already know the answer. Our back door is a time portal and teleporter.”

“How? Where did you get it?”

“Simple.” Grandfather Earl confessed. “I stole it.”

“How did you meet Grandma?”

“Stole her too.”

“Please explain.”

“When I was a young man, I discovered the library while researching the Wild West and the Lewis and Clark expedition. One day, I noticed a rough-hewn door I hadn’t seen before. Naturally curious, I went through it and found Nelly. I brought her home with me and also stole the book I was reading from the library. When I started reading, the screen door appeared.”

“So the book is the actual portal?”

“That’s my guess.”

“Faye? Why do you stay in the library?”

“I’m hoping my mama comes home. She was in the library when she disappeared.”

“Has anyone visited the future?” Silence fell over the group, everyone studying their feet.

“Wow, I’m stupid. You have to read a book about the future to open a portal to go there. No future books exist, huh?”

“There was one. It’s been stolen.”