Christopher David Petersen [T Prisoner in Time (epub)

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.“That’s stupid,” Geoff spat.“What’s stupid?”“This time period.”David thought about Geoff’s irrational response and accepted it as the logic of a teenager.Not willing to debate the sense of his statement, he simply replied, “It’s just the reality of life in the eighteen hundreds.”With a simple nod, both turned and walked side by side along the worn path.One Hour later:As the two walked in near silence, they listened to the sounds of the birds and wind.Devoid of sounds of humanity, Geoff slowly began to become aware of his new reality.“Man, we’ve been walking for hours now.We must have walked about a hundred miles.I’m so thirsty,” he complained.“It’s only been about an hour and we’ve probably only walked three or four miles at most,” David replied matter-of-factly.“We should see signs of Chattanooga shortly.We can find water once we’re in the area.”“I’m hungry too.What can we get to eat there?”“I hate to say this Geoff, but we don’t have any money and they’ll shoot us if they catch us stealing food, so it might be a day or so before we find anything to eat,” David responded flatly.“A DAY?” he shouted back in surprise.“I can’t last a day without food.Can’t we beg someone for it?”“We can’t draw attention to ourselves.Look at our clothes.They’re modern.The minute we step into a town, we’ll be viewed with suspicion and the military will be called to investigate,” he paused a moment, then continued.“No, even before food, we need to find some clothes to change into so we don’t call attention to ourselves.”“What about trash? I know hobos go through people’s trash looking for food all the time.Can’t we wait ‘till nighttime and do that?”“People don’t have trashcans in this time period, Geoff.Very little went to waste.What was thrown out, were bones and broken or worn items, but not in any sense of order.They were simply carted to the edge of the woods and tossed,” he explained.“So what are we going to do?” Geoff responded, his tone growing desperate.“We can only wait for an opportunity to present itself.That’s it.”“That sucks,” Geoff spat in disgust.As the two continued quietly along, Geoff watched the worn road and kicked small pebbles out of his path.David ignored the actions of the teen and concentrated on his surroundings.With each sign of movement in the trees, he used his peripheral vision to scan for danger while keeping focused on the field of vision far out in front of him.It started as a shadow at first.Through the trees, in the distance, David noticed a shortened tree trunk swaying with regularity.Within several steps, the tree began to take shape… then color.Immediately, he slowed to a stop.“Why are we stopping…?” Geoff asked“Shhhh,” David blurted instantly, cutting Geoff off.He squinted hard and focused on the area in question.Geoff looked at David’s eyes and followed them out into the distant forest.“What are we looking for?” he asked aloud.“Dammit Bud, when I tell to you be quiet, you really need to listen,” David shot back.Still focusing intently on the distant forest, he held up his finger with authority, signaling Geoff’s silence.Insulted and defiant, Geoff opened his mouth to retort.Instantly, David shoved Geoff off the path toward the woods.Immediately, he understood the gesture and hurried unrestrained in the direction of his guide.Hopping over bushes and logs, both rushed deep into the forest away from the path.Sighting a small depression in the land, David hurried past Geoff and jumped into the small ditch.As Geoff approached, David quietly signaled him to crouch down beside him.“What is it?” Geoff asked nervously, his volume barely audible.David pointed.Geoff stared, but sighted no one.Pointing his finger more forcibly, Geoff sharpened his focus.Through the distant forest, the shadowy trees transformed into men.Moments later, the gray uniforms of Confederate soldiers were easily discernible.Geoff’s heart raced with the sighting of humanity.He felt both fear and excitement at the same time.As the soldiers came into full view, he stared in amazement at the sight of ancient history being revealed before his eyes.“Cool,” he said, in a nearly silent tone.David shot him an annoyed looked then brought his finger to his lips, instructing the teen to keep quiet.The small detail of soldiers hurried on by, cautiously scanning the region with nearly every footstep they took.Holding their guns low and parallel to the ground instead of mounted to their shoulders, it quickly became obvious these men were involved in more than a standard march.Moments later, as they hurried out of sight, David breathed a sigh of relief.“Phew… that was really close,” he said, his tone barely above a whisper.“Guess we’re close to the right year,” Geoff responded.“Those were Confederates.”“Yeah and I’m guessing we’re in Union territory,” David replied.“Why would you say that? If those are Confederates, wouldn’t this be Confederate territory?”“Did you study their movements? They weren’t out on a casual march.They were sneaking through, with their rifles at the ready,” David answered.“I guess I didn’t see that,” he replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.David stared into Geoff’s eyes.Geoff could see intensity staring back at him.“If I hadn’t seen them when I did, we’d be dead right now,” he said in an ominous tone.Geoff swallowed hard as he thought about David’s words.Downplaying the impact of the message, he replied casually, “Naw, they’d probably just question us and keep moving.”“Geoff, if you’re going to survive this, you’re going to have to change your perception of reality.This isn’t a game we’re playing with your friends.There’s no teachers acting as referees like you have in school and there’s no ‘do-overs’ when things go wrong.We’re in the middle of a war and one misstep could spell our deaths.Do you understand what I’m saying to you?” he said in a grave tone.Geoff didn’t answer.David’s words found meaning deep within his mind.Staring back at David, he nodded simply in understanding.“Ok, let’s keep moving.Keep your eyes peeled.We need to get to Chattanooga before darkness sets in.”Geoff nodded, then asked, “Why before darkness?”“Look around you.Do you see any street lights?”Geoff scanned the area and instantly understood.No further words were required.The hours passed and soon the worn path expanded into a large dirt road.As they neared the city of Chattanooga, small farms began to appear.With each residence they spotted, the two moved into the woods and skirted its perimeter, avoiding detection by the cover of trees.Farmers in their fields worked their plows unsuspecting.As the two crossed over a large hill and worked their way down into the valley, the small city of Chattanooga appeared.Geoff viewed it with amazement.“Wow! So that’s what Chattanooga looked like a hundred and fifty years ago,” he said aloud.“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” David asked [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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