JULIUS AND THE TITANIC
By
Barry Hunt
Smashwords edition
Copyright © 2012 Barry Hunt
ISBN – 978-1-4657-3974
This book is available in print at www.juliusandthetitanic.co.uk
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CHAPTER ONE
JULIUS: AUGUST, THE PRESENT YEAR.
One moment the man was there and the next he was gone. Josh stopped in surprise and stared about him as the light in the clearing seemed to ripple. He turned round quickly to see if Vicky had seen the same thing but she was still stumbling around in the bushes behind him. Cautiously taking a few steps forward to where the man had been standing, Josh paused to look about. He shaded his eyes with his hand and peered into the trees on the other side of the glade.
“Did you see that?” he cried as he heard Vicky enter the clearing.
“See what?” asked Vicky, rubbing her leg which had just been stung by some nettles.
“That man,” said Josh, “he was standing here a moment ago and then he just …” he paused a moment, wondering what word he could use to describe what he had seen without sounding foolish. “He just … well he sort of disappeared.”
“Don’t be stupid, people don’t just disappear,” Vicky said irritably. “It must have been a shadow or something.” She licked her fingers and started to rub her leg again.
They were both a bit fed up. They had been in the forest for over an hour and Vicky was beginning to regret that she had ever suggested they go for a walk. She had only said it to get Josh out of the bad mood he had been in all day. Now she was bad-tempered herself and her arms were scratched by the bracken and her bare legs had been stung by nettles as she and Josh had clambered through the undergrowth.
“It wasn’t a shadow,” Josh insisted. “I know what I saw.”
“Oh yeah,” said Vicky, “like the wolf you said you saw yesterday?”
“That was a wolf,” Josh muttered. He bent down to pick up a stick and started whipping the long grass with it as he walked away.
“In England? In the twenty-first century?” snapped Vicky at his retreating back. “Very likely, I’m sure.”
“It could have escaped from a zoo,” he muttered just loudly enough for her to hear.
“I told you, it was probably a large dog that had got lost or something.”
“I think I know the difference between a dog and a wolf,” said Josh scathingly.
“Huh, like you’re an expert.”
“Anyway,” he said, giving up on his attempt to convince her, “I know I just saw a man standing there a moment ago and now he’s gone.” He turned round to face his sister.
“It could have been someone out for a walk,” she said.
“He wasn’t walking. He was just standing there and then he sort of …” Josh waved his hand vaguely in the air.
“Yeah, vanished, just like people do all the time.”
“That’s right!” Josh was getting more annoyed.
Vicky could see that there was no point in arguing with him in his present mood. As twins, she and Josh normally got along very well, generally better than most brothers and sisters. However, since they had moved down to the New Forest to live with their Aunt Minnie, Josh had become increasingly irritable.
“We should be getting back,” she said, making an effort now to be pleasant. “It’s gone five already and Aunt Minnie will be wondering what’s happened to us.” She turned and started walking away. “Come on, I’ll race you!” she shouted as she approached the edge of the clearing.
She broke into a brief run and then stopped when she realised he wasn’t following. Standing still, she became aware of the silence. Even the wind that had occasionally rustled the leaves had ceased. The air itself seemed heavier, almost thick. She turned to look where Josh had been standing, but he wasn’t there. She walked back into the sunlight and looked around.
“OK, you can come out now, that’s enough. We need to be getting back.”
She waited. The silence felt even more profound now. “Josh!”
There was no reply.
“Josh, stop playing about, we need to get back.”
Vicky frowned. She strode over to where he had been standing and looked around again. She couldn’t see him.
“If you’re trying to frighten me, it isn’t working. I’m just getting annoyed. Now come out and let’s get back.”
The silence still shrouded the clearing and Vicky suddenly felt a chill despite the warmth of the sun.
“Josh! I’m not joking. Come out at once.”
Silence.
“Josh!”
And then it happened.
The trees started to shimmer. She heard a rushing sound and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. She thought she felt a light touch on her shoulder as a cold wind blew around her. Everything turned a deep blue and then the forest clearing was empty.
Vicky had disappeared.
------------------------------------------
Her head was swirling and Vicky had the same feeling in the pit of her stomach that she had when she looked down at the beach from the top of the cliff path.
“What happened?” she managed to stutter. She was still in the clearing but it somehow seemed to be brighter, the colours more vivid. She closed her eyes.
“Vicky? Are you there?” Josh’s voice sounded weak and a little distant.
“Just stay still for a moment and keep your eyes closed. It helps.” This was a new voice that Vicky didn’t recognise.
“Who’s that? Josh, who’s there?” she said a little startled, but kept her eyes closed as the voice had suggested. She started to feel a little better; the swirling sensation slowed down and she began to get her balance back. She opened her eyes and the swirling started up once more. She closed them again quickly.
“Keep your eyes closed. It’ll pass in a minute.” That voice again.
“Who’s that?” Now it was Josh’s turn to ask.
“Just give it a minute and then we can talk. The first time is always a little strange.”
Josh felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes in alarm as he took a step forward to shrug it off.
“Feeling better?”
Josh turned and saw the man who had been in the clearing. He was now standing only a few feet away, his hand still outstretched as if ready to catch Josh should he stumble.
“Who are you?” Josh asked. “What happened?”
“I’m going to open my eyes now,” said Vicky.
Josh ran over to where Vicky was standing and put his hand out to her as she opened her eyes slowly and blinked.
“I’m alright now. It’s OK. What was that? Did I faint? Where did you go?”
Instead of answering, Josh took Vicky by the elbow and turned her round slowly.
“That’s the man I saw,” he said as if it would explain everything and then realised he was still just as confused as she was. “What happened?”
The man was looking at them with an expression of mild concern that turned into relief when he saw they were able to stand up without falling over. He was about the same height as Josh but slightly built and with a little podginess about his middle as if he didn’t do any exercise. He seemed to be about forty or forty-five. His black hair was long and swept back from a high forehead with touches of white streaks at the side where it flowed around his ears.
“Are you both alright now?” the man asked, and they nodded. “Good, it can make you a bit dizzy until you’re used to it. I’m sorry about that. You see you took me by surprise. I wasn’t quite sure what to do and I had to act quickly.” He plunged his hands into the pockets of the long coat he was wearing.
Josh looked at him. “I don’t understand.”
“Come on, Josh, let’s go home. I don’t like this,” said Vicky quietly.
“Ah, that might be a problem,” said the man and turned away to peer through the trees as if he was searching for someone.
“You can’t keep us here,” said Josh, suddenly feeling anxious.
“I didn’t mean that.” The man smiled at them as if to reassure them and there was a slight twinkle in his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything, but I think we should move out of here quickly.”
“Why?” said Vicky. “What’s going to happen?”
“It’s a little difficult to explain right now, but take it from me, we really should be leaving.” He took a few steps toward the edge of the clearing and then turned as if prompting them to follow him.
“Or what?” said Josh nervously but standing his ground.
“Now that’s what’s difficult to explain and we don’t have the time. But if you just come with me for a minute then you’ll be able to see for yourselves. That would probably be the best thing anyway.” The man paused for a moment. “Please?” he added and there was something about the way he asked that was reassuring.
Josh and Vicky looked at each other. After a moment’s hesitation she nodded her head.
“OK, but you go first and we’ll follow,” said Josh. He was still a little suspicious, but the man really seemed to think it was important they should move out of the clearing.
“That’s fine, whatever you like,” the man said. “We’re not going far, just over there. I’ll lead the way, but whatever happens, please keep very quiet.” The man turned his back on them and set off walking quickly to the edge of the clearing before stepping into the shadows of the tree line.
“We could make a run for it if you like,” said Josh, glancing at Vicky.
“Do you want to?” asked Vicky.
“Not really,” Josh replied slowly, “I’m sort of curious now.”
“Me too.” Vicky looked at where the man had disappeared among the trees and then turned back to Josh. “Let’s just go along with him for the moment.”
The two of them walked cautiously forward, following the path the man had taken. In a moment, the shadow of the trees fell over them and they had left the clearing. They could see the man now, crouching behind a bush and peering into the open space they had just left. He beckoned them toward him and then put a finger to his lips. They crept forward until they were about ten feet away. Josh stopped and knelt behind a large shrub, facing the clearing. Vicky bent down beside him.
“What now?” he muttered, feeling a little foolish.
The man quickly put his finger to his lips again and then pointed it at the clearing. They both looked to where he was pointing and Josh gasped as Vicky clutched his arm.
There was the shadowy shape of a man moving around the edge of the clearing furthest from them. The shadow stopped for a moment and then stepped into the light. Vicky stifled a scream as she recognised the man on the other side of the clearing as the same man who was now crouching just ten feet away from them.
“What …” Josh gasped, but the man behind the bush waved his hand at them urgently, put his finger to his lips again and then pointed to the figure of himself that was standing thirty yards in front of them.
At that moment they could hear more figures approaching. There was the snap of a branch breaking underfoot and Josh saw himself run into the clearing. Several things then happened in quick succession. First, quite suddenly, the standing figure of the man just disappeared. Then Vicky saw herself break through the tree line, rubbing her leg as she did so.
“Did you see that?” cried the Josh in the clearing.
“See what?” asked the Vicky who was rubbing her leg.
“That man,” said Josh. “He was standing here a moment ago and then he just … he just … well he sort of disappeared.”
------------------------------------------
Behind the bush, Josh turned and looked at Vicky. She was grabbing his arm so tightly that her fingernails were leaving dents in his skin but he didn’t seem to notice. Together they turned back to look at the clearing. The other Josh and Vicky seemed to be arguing about something and then the other Vicky started to walk away. As she did so, there was a shimmer in the light and the other Josh vanished. The other Vicky turned back and walked to where he had been standing and looked around. There was another shimmer in the air and then she disappeared too. A ripple seemed to spread out from the clearing and swept over them. They both felt a little giddy for a moment and then it passed. They turned and looked at the man who was now standing and brushing off some dead leaves from his long coat.
“It’s alright now,” he said.
“What was that all about?” demanded Josh.
“What just happened?” said Vicky, standing up too and pulling Josh to his feet. She sounded scared.
“That’s what I couldn’t tell you before, but now you’ve seen it for yourselves,” the man said. “We had to move fast or else it could have become very confusing.” He smiled briefly to himself. “Just imagine what you would have thought if you had actually met yourselves.”
“Was that us?” Josh asked slowly.
“Of course it was,” the man said, still brushing the last twigs from the bottom of his coat, “who else could it have been?”
“But how could that have been us?” said Vicky, still sounding a little frightened and holding on to Josh. “I mean, we were here, weren’t we? How could we have been there?”
“Was it hypnosis?” asked Josh suspiciously. “Did you hypnotise us for a moment? Are we still hypnotised?”
“No,” said the man and gave a brief laugh, “nothing like that. I can’t hypnotise people. If you really must know, it was a short time-shift.”
“A what?” they both said together and stared at the man.
“A time-shift,” the man said. “Look, if you keep asking me questions, this will take forever. I don’t suppose that would matter really,” he gave another laugh and continued, “but if you really want to know what happened it would be much simpler if you just let me tell you about it in my own way.”
They both nodded.
“Perhaps we should start properly then,” said the man. “I believe an introduction is the polite thing to do first. I am Julius,” he paused expectantly.
“How do you do,” said Josh automatically and stretched out his hand toward the man. “I am …”
“Josh,” said Julius, “and you are Vicky, I know.” He smiled and paused a moment to look at their confused faces before adding, “I do realise this must be very strange for you both, I’m sorry about that but it can’t be helped. I can explain everything if you want, but …” he hesitated a moment before adding, “if you prefer, you can leave now and I promise you will never see me again.”
Although he couldn’t explain why, Josh no longer felt scared. He didn’t think this man was dangerous; the eyes were gentle and there was clearly a touch of humour behind them as if he found the situation rather amusing. Josh found himself smiling back. He realised that he wanted to know more about what had just happened to them. He looked at Vicky again. She was still a little wary, but a quick glance between them reassured him that she wanted to know what had happened as well.
“We’ll stay,” he said.
“Good,” said Julius, “I was hoping you would say that. However, it’s not very comfortable here, is it? How about we go back to my caravan and I’ll make a cup of tea whilst we talk. It’s not far.”
“Perhaps we might,” said Vicky, still feeling a little cautious, “but we need to be getting back soon or we’ll be missed.”
“Of course,” said Julius. “You can leave whenever you want.”
He smiled at them both again then turned away and started to walk through the trees. Vicky looked at Josh, nodded and they started to follow him. He didn’t walk fast, but they found it a little difficult to keep up with him as they stumbled together through the undergrowth. They walked in silence for a few minutes and then Vicky whispered, “Are you sure about this?”
“Not completely,” Josh whispered back, “but I don’t think anything bad will happen. If it does I’m sure I can handle it. I want to find out more and, well, even though it’s all rather strange, there’s something about him, I mean, I don’t find him scary.”
“I know what you mean,” said Vicky in a low voice. “When he smiled at us it was like,” she paused a moment and looked slightly uncertain, “well it reminded me of dad.”
Josh stopped and looked at Vicky. “That’s it, you’re right. I couldn’t place it before but his smile was just like dad’s.” He started walking again, looking at his feet as he carefully picked his way through the long grass.
“Look, over there,” Vicky whispered pointing through the trees.
Josh raised his head and looked at where Vicky was pointing. Tucked in amongst the trees and partly hidden by some bushes was a small gypsy caravan, the sort that they had both seen in books of fairytales when they were young. It was barrel-shaped and had a small ladder placed in front that led up to a wide door that appeared to be cut in two. The top half was opened outwards but the bottom half remained closed. In front of the caravan and surrounded by bricks and earth was a small fire that was smoking slightly.
“Yes, we’re here now,” Julius called back, quickening his stride. He ran the last few yards and then turned and stood on the steps, beckoning them forward. Josh and Vicky reached the caravan and saw that there were two stools by the side of the fire and several pots and jugs on the bricks. Julius gestured to the stools and they sat down.
“This is rather quaint,” said Vicky and then blushed as she wondered whether it was rude to say such a thing. Feeling a little embarrassed, she started to fiddle with the silver bracelet she was wearing.
Julius looked pleased. “A humble place, but home. I’m glad you like it.” He paused to grin at her and Vicky found herself smiling back. “Now then, tea,” Julius continued and picked up a jug, pouring the contents into a pan and placing it on a hook that dangled from a spit which was suspended over the fire. He settled himself down on one of the steps and looked at them.
“You have both been very patient, and I must say that you are dealing with all of this far better than I could have expected. However, you must still be wondering what happened and now is the time for explanations, as I promised.”
“I know you told us your name, but, well, who exactly are you?” said Josh.
Julius paused for a moment as if to gather his thoughts.
“Well?” said Josh as the silence grew. “It’s a simple question.”
“The problem with simple questions,” said Julius taking a deep breath, “is that the answers are often a little more complicated. You see, the fact is I am a time-shifter.”
Josh and Vicky quickly exchanged a glance. Vicky felt a laugh start in her throat but quickly turned it into a cough.
“No that’s quite alright,” said Julius not at all embarrassed, “I understand completely. It does sound silly, I know, but you did ask and after all, that is the answer to your question. Now, if it had been me, I would probably have started differently.”
“And what would you have asked?” said Josh.
“I think I might have asked where I came from and when.”
“So, where are you from then?” asked Vicky.
“Well,” said Julius, picking up an iron poker, “I was born in England, but from the age of six I moved about quite a bit, so I suppose I come from a lot of places. As to time, it depends on which measurement you use and when you decide to start counting.”
“When were you born?” said Josh, a little irritated that having prompted the question Julius was now making it complicated.
“Well, counting back in your years if that’s what you want me to do, then I was born forty-three years ago.”
“And when have you just come from, then?” asked Josh.
“That would be a lot longer,” said Julius, prodding at the fire with the poker.
“I thought you were going to explain things, but all you’re doing is making it more confusing,” said Vicky. “Why don’t you just tell us what happened?”
“What do you think happened?” asked Julius.
“We don’t know,” said Josh, “that’s the point.”
“I’ve heard of déjà vu,” said Vicky hesitantly. “Is that something to do with it?”
“In a manner of speaking, that’s right,” said Julius, brightening. He took the pan off the spit and poured the boiling water into a large teapot. “Déjà vu means something which has already been seen. Sometimes, people get a feeling that what’s happening to them now is something that has already happened in the past. Sometimes, it can even be a place which looks familiar, even though you’ve never been there before. It’s as if you have jumped back in time and just caught up with it again. Well, you did jump back in time and for a short while you were in the past, but then you caught up with the present again. Time doesn’t stop, you know.” Julius picked up the tea-pot and swirled the contents around. “Milk and sugar?”
“But that’s ridiculous!” said Vicky.
“Is it? Can you think of a better explanation?” replied Julius as he poured out three mugs of tea.
“No,” said Josh, “but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”
“That’s very true,” Julius agreed, handing each of them a mug. “I have often thought there is more than one explanation for things. However, I have seldom found that there is more than one good reason for them.” He took a large gulp of tea from his mug and swallowed it. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation now and sat back on the step to make himself more comfortable.
“Even if we were able to jump back in time, I still don’t see how we could have been in two places at once. That’s impossible!” said Vicky. She was starting to think that she was being made a fool of and wanted to put an end to this nonsense.
“Not at all impossible,” said Julius and he took another sip from his mug of tea. “You can move around in time like you can move around in space, but time and space are not the same thing.” He paused to check that they were following him. “You see, there is only one time but you can be anywhere in it, so if you go back in time that doesn’t mean space has to change.”
“I still don’t understand how we could be in two different places at the same time,” said Vicky.
“Because that’s how it works,” said Julius. “The space you occupy in this universe didn’t change, only time did. When you saw yourselves in the clearing, you were seeing the Josh and Vicky that had been there at that moment. The space you were occupying in the forest when you saw them was simply another space at the same time.” Julius put down his mug on the step beside him. “I could have moved us to a different space, I suppose, but there was no need.”
“My head hurts,” said Vicky. “That’s too many ‘spaces’ for me.” She looked at Josh and saw that he appeared to be completely engrossed in what Julius had been telling them. “What do you make of all this?”
“I’m not sure,” said Josh. “I mean, it makes sense in a way and it does explain what happened, even if it does sound impossible.”
Vicky gave him a scathing look and put down the mug of tea on the ground beside her. She started fiddling with the silver bracelet around her wrist again. It was a habit she had developed whenever she wanted to think about things. Although Julius talked persuasively, she now had the feeling that he must be playing some sort of joke. He had sounded so matter of fact, even reasonable as he had explained what had happened that she had started to believe it. But then her own logic had clicked in and she realised how impossible it all was. She told herself that she was too sensible to believe what Julius had told them and she was a little surprised that Josh seemed to be taken in by it.
“What I don’t understand though,” Josh continued, “is how it happened. I can’t see anything like a time machine around here.” He took a deep breath. “So how did you do it?”
“I don’t need a machine or anything like that,” said Julius. “That’s the stuff of science-fiction. This is different. You see, there are some people, and I am one of them, who are born with the ability to shift in time. I can’t tell you why it happens, it just does,” he paused before adding, “I’m sorry that I can’t explain it better.”
“Then perhaps you can explain what you are doing here now,” said Josh. “I mean, what are you doing in the middle of the New Forest, and why did you make Vicky and me move back in time?”
“Oh, that I can explain easily enough,” said Julius smiling. “You see, I need your help to save the Titanic!”
------------------------------------------
There was a long pause as Vicky looked first at Julius and then at Josh.
“That’s it,” she said, standing up. “I’ve had enough. All this talk of moving about in time and stuff and now you come up with saving the Titanic!”
“I’m sorry,” said Julius and he chuckled, “perhaps that was a little sudden, but I couldn’t resist it. My mother always said I had a tendency to be over-dramatic.” He smiled at her apologetically.
“Come on, Josh, let’s be getting back,” said Vicky. She looked down at her brother but he remained where he was.
“I think I would like to hear more if you don’t mind,” he said and turned to Julius. “What do you mean, save the Titanic?”
“Josh!” said Vicky. She looked at him and pushed her chin forward, staring at him with wide eyes. It was a look Josh knew well.
“Could you just wait here a minute,” he said to Julius, “I want a quick word with Vicky if you don’t mind.” He put his mug down and stood up.
“That’s alright,” said Julius. “Take all the time you want. I’ll just wait here and finish my tea.”
Josh took Vicky by the elbow and together they walked a short way from the caravan before stopping just out of earshot from Julius.
“What’s up with you?” he demanded.
“With me?” Vicky gasped in surprise. “I’m not the one who thinks they just travelled back in time or whatever. What’s up with you?”
“I told you, I’m not sure about it all, but I would like to find out more.”
“He called himself a time-shifter. He’s a nutter!” Vicky was getting exasperated and couldn’t understand why Josh wanted to stay.
“But what if it’s true?” said Josh eagerly. “Just imagine what it would be like to travel around in time.”
“True?” said Vicky. “Are you mad? Travel around in time? You’re as bad as he is,” she nodded her head toward Julius.
“Then how do you explain what just happened to us?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know,” said Vicky in frustration. “Perhaps we imagined it, perhaps this is just a dream and we’ll wake up soon, I don’t know.”
Josh leant forward and pinched Vicky’s arm.
“Ouch!” she cried. “What was that for?”
“Well,” said Josh, “are you dreaming now?”
“No,” Vicky muttered, rubbing her arm. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“I’m sorry,” said Josh gently, “but this isn’t a dream, Vicky, it’s actually happening and I want to find out why, don’t you?”
Vicky turned away, still rubbing her arm. She waited a few moments before turning round again to face Josh.
“OK,” she muttered, “I was beginning to understand what he said, but that doesn’t mean I believe it all. This has to be a joke. Time travel is impossible.” She raised both hands and gave an exasperated shrug of her shoulders.
“As he said, can you come up with a better explanation?” Josh looked meaningfully at his sister. “I can’t, and it does sort of make sense, doesn’t it? Just because we’ve been taught that time travel is impossible doesn’t mean that it can’t happen. People used to believe that the sun revolved around the earth but now we know they were wrong. Why can’t they be wrong about time travel?”
Vicky wondered if it could be possible. She didn’t have a scientific mind, but she knew that science still had a lot of things to discover. What if Julius was the real thing? She could see that Josh desperately wanted to stay and more than wanting to leave, she didn’t want to upset him.
“Alright,” she said, “what do you want to do?”
“I want to hear more,” said Josh. “I want to find out what happened.” He smiled at his sister. “I’m sorry I pinched you.”
Vicky returned his smile. “You really want to stay and hear more?”
“Yes, I do.”
“But what if he really is a nutter? What if he’s just having a joke on us?””
“Then we can laugh about it later.”
“Alright,” Vicky agreed a little reluctantly, “but if he starts getting weird again then can we go?”
“Agreed,” said Josh. “Now let’s go back and finish our tea.”
He turned and started to walk back to the caravan, Vicky following a few steps behind him. Julius looked up as they approached. He was bending over the small fire and placing the pot on the spit again.
“Your tea has gone cold, so I put the pot on for some more. I do hope you’re both staying.”
“Yes,” said Josh.
“For the moment,” added Vicky as she sat back down again on her stool. She turned to give Josh a meaningful look.
“Good,” said Julius. “I’m sorry if I alarmed you. It’s just that I’m not used to any of this myself. I usually travel alone and I’ve never had to explain this sort of thing to anyone else before. How am I doing?” He sat back down again on the step and Josh was reminded of someone sitting at a school desk waiting for test results to be announced.
“You were doing alright,” said Josh as he sat down opposite Vicky.
“At least, you were until you mentioned the Titanic,” added Vicky.
“Yes,” Julius looked a little abashed. “That was a bit sudden I suppose. I can see now it was a little too much to take in all at once. I should have led up to it more slowly. Would you like to talk about something else? Perhaps you could tell me about yourselves.”
Vicky looked at Josh. She did not really want to be the one to begin but she did want to change the subject.
“We’re twins,” she said after a moment. She had usually found that to be a good opener when stuck for something to say. “I’m the eldest.”
“I expect you could tell that,” said Josh with a grin. “She’s the bossy one. We’ve only just moved to the New Forest to live with our aunt.”
“Aunt Minnie does pottery,” Vicky said quickly. “She’s very good at it. She makes jewellery too. Look, she made this.” Vicky held out her arm to show Julius the bracelet that Aunt Minnie had given her when they moved in.
“That’s pretty,” said Julius, smiling to himself. “She’s very good.”
“Oh yes, she is,” continued Vicky, “she makes all sorts of things.”
There was an awkward pause as Vicky tried to think of something else to say. She didn’t want to explain why they had to live with Aunt Minnie. Neither Josh nor Vicky had seen much of her until that day when their parents’ car had skidded off the road. It was only seven weeks since their parents had both died in an accident just outside Bristol, but Vicky had already discovered that when people found out she and Josh were orphans they sometimes felt embarrassed and didn’t know what to say. Aunt Minnie had been the only relative they knew, but they hadn’t seen her since they were very young. Years before there had been a family rift when Aunt Minnie had argued with their father. He had called her weird; she had called him a loser and they had simply stopped seeing each other after that. Now, with her brother dead, Aunt Minnie had perhaps felt some remorse and agreed that the children could live with her until they were eighteen. With no other relatives in the country, Josh and Vicky had not really had a choice. It was only going to be for two years whilst they attended the local Sixth Form College and then hopefully they would be going to University.
Josh seemed to sense what Vicky was thinking and gave a quiet cough.
“We’re starting A levels next term,” he said, “and then…” his voice trailed off. There was another long pause. “Look,” Josh continued, “there’s not much else to say about us really, I would much rather hear more about you.”
“Well,” began Julius, “I’ve already told you, I’m a time- …” Josh coughed again, a little more loudly this time and Julius paused. He looked at Vicky who had taken a deep breath and was staring at Josh, “an historian,” he corrected himself.
“What, like a professor or something?” asked Josh.
“Oh no,” said Julius quickly. “I’m not a professor. I just like history. I’m more of a student really. I enjoy doing the research, finding out what the past was like, what people did and why things happened, that sort of thing.”
“What’s the point of that?” interrupted Vicky a little rudely, and Josh stared at her. “I mean, it’s already happened, hasn’t it? You can’t do anything about it.”
“The past often has something to tell us about the present,” said Julius, “and as for not being able to do anything about it, well-“
“I think the water’s boiling,” interrupted Josh, “and I would rather like that other cup of tea now. How about you, Vicky?”
He thought he knew what Julius was going to say and felt that Vicky was not quite ready yet to hear it. Josh was beginning to understand Julius. He might be strange, but Josh thought that was partly because he didn’t seem to appreciate the effect of what he said on other people. Josh realised he was starting to like him.
“Would you like another cup of tea?” Julius asked Vicky.
“If it’s not too much trouble, thank you.”
Josh began to relax a little. He wanted to stay and hear more from Julius but knew that if Vicky really wanted to leave then he would have to go too. However, he could see now that she was still intrigued by Julius, even if she didn’t believe him. Julius started to pour tea from the pot into the mugs. Josh glanced across at Vicky and started to give her a reassuring smile but it froze on his lips and his eyes opened wide as he looked past her.
“Keep very still, both of you,” he said quietly. “Don’t turn around, but there’s a wolf sitting next to a tree about ten yards behind you,”
“Now don’t start that again,” said Vicky impatiently. “We’ve been through this already. You don’t get wolves in England.”
“Keep quiet!” Josh said urgently. “If you don’t believe me then turn your head very slowly and look over there.” He kept his hand still but pointed with a finger to a spot behind Vicky.
Julius continued pouring the tea as Vicky slowly turned her head. She looked over her shoulder and took a deep breath. There was a wolf, and it was sitting, just as Josh had said, about ten yards away. She quickly turned back to look at Josh, wide-eyed with alarm.
“It’s alright, there’s no need to be scared,” said Julius, putting down the pot and passing a mug of tea to Vicky. She made no move to take it so Julius placed it carefully on the ground beside her. “She won’t harm you.”
“I told you I saw a wolf yesterday,” Josh muttered. “Now do you believe me?”
“Oh, you’ve already met Cassandra?” said Julius pouring tea into Josh’s mug.
“Cassandra?” whispered Josh, remaining as still as he could.
“Actually, I think she prefers to be called Cassie. She keeps me company,” said Julius in a matter-of-fact way. “Here’s your tea.” He held out the mug to Josh.
“She’s a wolf,” Josh said, making no attempt to take the mug.
“But quite harmless as long as you’re with me,” said Julius, placing Josh’s mug of tea on the ground beside him. “Seriously, she’s quite gentle really and very loyal.”
“She’s huge!” said Vicky.
“But still quite gentle,” said Julius. “Let me show you.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” said Vicky quickly.
“Why don’t you wait inside the caravan if you’re nervous,” said Julius, standing up. He went up the steps leading to the doors and opened the bottom one.
Josh got up slowly and stretched out his hand to Vicky. She stood up and Josh put his arm around her as they made their way slowly up the steps and past Julius who closed the bottom door behind them before going down to stand next to the fire. He gave a soft, short whistle.
“Come on, Cassie,” Julius called.
Cassie took a few bounds forward and stood next to Julius. He put his hand out and stroked her head. “It’s alright,” he said reassuringly.
“It’s not alright,” said Vicky nervously from the caravan.
“I was talking to Cassie,” said Julius. “She’s not actually a wolf, you know, she’s a Czechoslovakian Vlčák, though some people do call them wolf-dogs.”
“That doesn’t make it any better,” said Vicky. “She still looks as if she could bite your arm off.”
“Cassie would never harm me,” said Julius fondly. He put an arm around Cassie’s neck and pulled her close to him, using his other hand to rub the top of her head. Cassie seemed to enjoy it for she leant against Julius and her tail which had been sweeping the ground now rose to wag from side to side in the air.
“I think we should go now,” said Vicky.
“Of course,” said Julius, “if that’s what you want.”
“Oh,” said Josh. He sounded disappointed. “Must we?”
“Yes,” replied Vicky firmly. “It’s starting to get late and Aunt Minnie will be worried if we’re not back soon.”
“Can we come back tomorrow?” asked Josh. “Will you still be here?”
“Oh yes,” said Julius, “I’ll still be here.” He smiled at Vicky who was looking at Cassie and did not smile back.
“Can you do something with Cassie, please, so we can come out?” she asked. “Chain her up or something.”
Julius moved round to the back of the caravan and Cassie followed him. Josh slid back the bolt which held the bottom door and opened it.
“Is it safe now?” Vicky called out.
“It was always safe,” Julius replied as he came round to the front of the caravan, “but if you mean is Cassie tied up, then yes, she is quite secure now.”
“Thank you,” Vicky said as she walked nervously down the steps to the ground. Josh followed her and held out his hand to Julius.
“Nice to have met you,” he said rather formally as Julius took the outstretched hand and shook it. “What time should we come tomorrow?”
“Any time,” said Julius, “I won’t be going anywhere.”
“Come on, Josh, let’s go.” Vicky was still nervous and had started walking back to the clearing where they had first met Julius.
“Tomorrow then,” said Josh, “but perhaps it would be best if Cassie wasn’t around.” He looked at Vicky’s retreating back.
“Of course,” said Julius, “I understand. It will just be the three of us.”
Josh caught up with Vicky and turned round to give a wave to Julius.
“Come on,” said Vicky breaking into a run. “I’ll race you!”
She wanted to put as much distance between herself and Cassie as she could.
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CHAPTER TWO
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES: THE PRESENT DAY
Vicky only slowed down when the path to Aunt Minnie’s small cottage came into sight. It wasn’t so much a path as a well-trodden track that led between two wooden gate-posts to the back door. The front of the cottage had a small, well-tended garden that bordered the narrow road along which very little traffic travelled, but the back had been allowed to go a bit wild and was quite overgrown. The cottage had obviously once been thatched, but now had a tiled roof covered with moss and lichen that made a patchwork of green over the grey slates. It was pretty in a way that would have appealed to people who liked postcards of old buildings, and both Vicky and Josh had been surprised at how neatly it had been kept inside.
Aunt Minnie did not seem the sort of person who would have cared about being tidy but in fact she was very ordered. The first day they moved in she had told them, “There is a place for everything and everything should be in its place.” It was a sentiment that every morning she insisted on checking was being observed. This had not been difficult for Vicky who was naturally tidy, but Josh had received several warnings that his books and clothes which had somehow found their way onto the floor were going to be thrown out unless they were put away by the time Aunt Minnie returned.
As Vicky approached the back door she stopped and turned to Josh who was striding behind her, slashing at the long grass with a stick he had picked up.
“What’s the matter?” he asked as he caught up with her.
“I’m not sure,” Vicky said. “It’s just that I don’t want to go inside yet.”
“Why not?” said Josh. “We’re in plenty of time for dinner, Aunt Minnie won’t be cross.”
“It’s not that, it’s…” she took a deep breath, “it’s just that after what’s happened I don’t know who might be there.”
“What do you mean? Nobody ever comes to see Aunt Minnie, she chases them all away,” Josh could see that Vicky was genuinely worried about going in. “You don’t think Julius could be in there, do you?”
“Not him. Us!” Vicky blurted out. “I was just thinking. We saw ourselves in the clearing, didn’t we?”
“Yes,” said Josh, “what about it? I thought you believed it was all a dream anyway.”
“Well, not a dream, I know that. I don’t know what it was, but I do know that we did see ourselves.”
“So you do believe Julius!” cried Josh. “You believe we went back in time. I knew you would eventually.”
“I don’t know yet, I haven’t quite made up my mind,” Vicky turned to face Josh. “But what if it is all true, what if we did go back in time and see ourselves?”
“I believe it,” said Josh simply.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Vicky was sounding frustrated. “What happened to the ourselves we saw?”
“What do you mean?” asked Josh. “We saw ourselves go back in time.” He stopped swiping at the grass with his stick and looked inquisitively at Vicky. It was unlike her to be nervous; she was normally the one who liked to face things head on.
“But for a moment there were two lots of us and the next there was only us.”
“So?” asked Josh, not quite understanding where this was leading.
“So what happened to the other us, the ones we saw in the clearing?” She paused a moment trying to find the right words to express herself. “What if they sort of carried on and came back here. What if they’re inside? What if we see them again?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Josh laughed. “There’s only one lot of us,” and then his face changed as he understood what Vicky meant. “Oh, I see what you mean.”
“How can we find out if we’re in there?” She pointed to the cottage.
It hadn’t occurred to Josh that they could still be somewhere else. Even now he didn’t really think they could be, but that didn’t stop him from suddenly feeling a little bit nervous too. For one quick moment he thought what fun it might be to surprise themselves in the cottage, but then he dismissed the idea as he realised what a shock it would be for them. He stood still for a moment, frowning with concentration.
“I know,” said Josh, moving quickly to stand next to Vicky. “What’s the time?”
Vicky looked at her wristwatch. “It’s five to six. But I don’t see how that helps us.”
“If you were inside what would you be doing at six o’ clock?”
“Watching the news, of course. Oh, I see!” she exclaimed.
“Just be thankful you’re a creature of habit,” said Josh. “All we have to do now is wait until six and then look through the windows of the lounge to see whether you’re in there watching television.” He felt a little foolish as he said it.
“But I might not be, I could be doing something else.”
“Like what? You never miss the news if you can help it. Anyway, have you got a better idea?”
“Vicky shook her head. “No, but you go and look by yourself. If I am in there, I don’t want to see myself again.”
Josh left Vicky standing by the gate-posts and made his way carefully along the path, crouching down slightly as he went. He reached the outside of the cottage and turned to look back at Vicky. She too was now crouching down and looking at him nervously. He moved along the wall, keeping as low as he could until he reached a wooden window-sill. He placed his fingers on the ledge and slowly raised his head so that he could just peer into the room. It was empty. He turned back to look at Vicky and smiled.
Suddenly his eye was caught by a movement in the room. He ducked and then slowly raised his head again to look through the window. The door was opening.
“Josh! What do you think you’re doing down there? Come in at once, please.” Aunt Minnie’s voice was quite shrill even though it was the other side of the window.
“I, uh, I dropped a fifty-pence piece. I’m just looking for it,” he stuttered.
“Well as soon as you’ve found it, come in and tell Vicky to come in too.”
Aunt Minnie was now standing the other side of the window and she could see Vicky by the gate-posts. “I’ve been waiting for you to get back for ages. I’ve some important news.” She walked away from the window and left the lounge.
Josh stood up. If she had been waiting for ages then they couldn’t have already returned. It was safe. “Come on, Vicky, it’s alright. We can go in.”
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The table in the small kitchen was made of pine and had been scrubbed so much that the top was worn down in some places and the grain stood proud, making little ridges in the skin where you rested your hand. It was pushed against a wall under the window so that the evening light streaming in made it glow a soft gold. Two of the walls were covered in a mix of shelves and cupboards but the one opposite the table had a tiled nook with a large Aga cooker. A kettle now whistled loudly on one of the hotplates.
“Sit down and I’ll make some tea,” Aunt Minnie said, lifting the kettle off and pouring a stream of boiling water into the tea pot. “Did you have a nice afternoon?”
“Well,” began Vicky, pulling out a chair and sitting down, “it was sort of strange.”
“Good,” said Aunt Minnie absent-mindedly, stirring the contents of the pot with a wooden spoon she kept for the purpose. “That’s lovely.”
“We met someone,” continued Vicky. “Ouch! What was that for?”
Josh was standing behind her and had tweaked her hair.
“They were just out walking their dog,” he said and glared at Vicky. He somehow felt that they shouldn’t tell Aunt Minnie of their encounter with Julius. He needn’t have worried, though, Aunt Minnie was not only preoccupied with stirring the tea-leaves, she also obviously had something else on her mind and was not paying any attention to what Vicky had said.
“Very nice,” said Aunt Minnie as she started pouring the tea into three bone-china cups that sat on a small tray beside the Aga. “Now, whilst you were out I had a telephone call from Bristol.” She carried the tray over to the table and placed a cup in front of each of them.
“Has anything happened?” asked Vicky as Aunt Minnie sat down.
“Just some confusion about the dates on one of the wills. Nothing at all for you to worry about,” Aunt Minnie said, “but I will have to go up to Bristol tomorrow. There are some papers that need signing and a few details that have to be sorted out.” She took a sip of tea. “I might have to stay overnight, so I thought we should probably all go.”
“Do we have to?” asked Josh. “I mean, if you’re going to be busy all day perhaps we could stay here.”
“But I thought you would like to come,” said Aunt Minnie, a little surprised.
“It’s just that being back in Bristol, all the memories and things…” Josh looked down at his cup, partly because he was a little ashamed of using that as an excuse and partly because he wanted to avoid looking at Vicky.
“Oh, how thoughtless of me,” said Aunt Minnie quickly. “I should have realised it might be a little too soon.”
“I would much rather stay here, if that’s alright,” said Josh.
“Of course, dear, whatever you think is best.”
“Anyway, I had plans for tomorrow as well,” added Josh.
“I didn’t,” said Vicky, now looking pointedly at Josh. “Can I come with you?”
“Well dear,” Aunt Minnie smiled at Vicky and reaching across the table she placed her hand over Vicky’s, “of course I should like it if you were there, but it sounds as if I’m going to be in several meetings that are likely to take all day. If Josh isn’t coming, I really think you should stay here and keep him company. You’re far better off being together, that is if you’re sure you’ll both be alright.”
“That’s OK,” said Josh. “We can look after ourselves here until you get back. You don’t have to worry about us.”
“I know I don’t,” sighed Aunt Minnie, “you’re both so grown up now. But it’s still a bit soon after, well, after everything.”
Josh looked down at his cup again and Vicky glared at him.
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Later that night, before going to bed, Josh was scanning the bookshelves that lined one wall of his room. He had hundreds of books and not being able to decide which, if any, he should throw away, he had brought them all down from home. Vicky was still annoyed with him for wanting to stay whilst Aunt Minnie was in Bristol, but Josh knew that she would be alright in the morning. It wasn’t as if she had really wanted to go with Aunt Minnie; he thought she had just wanted an excuse not to go and see Julius the next day.
They had talked about it after dinner while doing the washing-up and Aunt Minnie was watching television in the lounge. Now they had had some time to think about it, Josh had admitted that however mad it might seem, he had decided to believe Julius and thought it was exciting. Although Vicky still had serious doubts about the idea of time travel, she had finally agreed to go with Josh to see Julius the following day. She couldn’t explain it, but there was something about Julius that intrigued her. He might be a bit of a nutter, but she had decided that he was harmless and his conversation, although perhaps fanciful, was interesting. She had been frightened by the sudden appearance of Cassie, but when Josh reassured her that Cassie would not be there the next day, the last bit of her resistance had crumbled and she told Josh that she would go, but that it was just in order to keep an eye on him.
Josh’s fingers tapped the spines of books as his hand trailed across the shelf until he finally found the one he was looking for: ‘Memories of the Titanic’. Julius had mentioned the Titanic and Josh wanted to find out more. He pulled the book from the shelf and blew some dust from the top before tossing it onto his bed. He put on his pyjamas and then turned off the room’s main light before settling himself under the duvet. Twisting to one side, he propped himself up against the pillow on one arm so he could read the book by the light of his bedside lamp.
The large, hard-cover book had been a birthday present when he was fourteen. On the cover was a painting of the Titanic, the stern raised out of the water so you could see the propellers. The sea around it was swarming with life boats and the heads and shoulders of people clinging to bits of wreckage.
It was a dramatic picture of the last moments of a great ship, made all the more powerful by the terrified expressions on the faces of the people who had managed to escape. In the foreground was a woman clutching a small child to her as she sat in one of the life-boats. She was looking back at the doomed ship and one hand was pressing the child’s face into her shoulder. Josh opened the book and flicked through the pages.
There were a lot of black and white photographs, mostly of people but some were of the ship itself. Josh stopped turning the pages to look at one. The ship appeared enormous, dwarfing the people crowded on the dockside. There were four large funnels and a mast at each end. A flag fluttered from the forward mast and Josh recognised it as the Stars and Stripes of America. The caption read: ‘The Titanic in Southampton Docks, April 10th 1912’.
Josh started reading the passage that was underneath the photograph.
‘The White Star Line ship Titanic was constructed at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. She was the most luxurious liner of the age and set sail for New York City from Southampton on 10 April 1912, calling first at Cherbourg and then Queenstown where more passengers boarded. Four days into the crossing, with 2,224 people on board, on a clear night, the ship hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm and sank at 2:20 am the following morning when 1513 passengers and crew perished.’
Josh yawned. He wanted to keep on reading but his eyelids felt heavy. It had been an exciting but tiring day. He blinked and then continued reading.
The Titanic was the latest flagship of the White Star Line and new ideas in her design had led to her being called “unsinkable”. The First Class passenger list included some of the wealthiest and most prominent people of the day, but also on board travelling in Third Class were many poor Europeans making their way to America to seek a new life for themselves. Most of these were to die in the icy waters of the Atlantic.
Josh closed his eyes for a moment. He tried to imagine what it was like to be on the ship. One moment to be staring at the night sky, feeling a cold breeze on your face, and the next to feel the shudder as the great ship hit the iceberg; to feel the deck tilt slowly under your feet as the ship slid beneath the waves; to feel the icy water surround you; to hear the screams of your loved ones calling to you – “Josh! Josh!”
“Wake up, Josh, You fell asleep and left your light on all night again!” Aunt Minnie was poking her head around the door. “I’ve told you before about reading in bed.”
“Uh, I’m sorry, Aunt Minnie. What time is it?”
“It’s seven o’ clock and time to get up. I have to be off to the station for the eighty-thirty train to Bristol and the taxi will be here at eight.”
Josh would normally have grumbled at having to get up so early in the holidays, but as soon as he had opened his eyes he remembered that this day they were going back to see Julius and, despite what Vicky might think, he was hoping to find out some more about time-shifting.
The taxi was on time and Aunt Minnie had kissed them both goodbye, given them a hug and left before they had finished their breakfast.
“I suppose now you want to leave as soon as possible,” said Vicky, scooping up the last bit of marmalade on her plate and scraping it over the toast.