I had no idea how long I was with Harriet in the library as there are no clocks and my wrist watch stopped at two minutes past midnight once I came through the door. But by my recogning, I can only have been in there just over an hour. However, when I acompaned Harriet out of the library. It seemed that years had passed.

The library had materialised on Horsell Common in Harriets home town of Woking, England. The year was 1898. I'm not sure if she saw the significant of the libraries location. In her future this is where she would place the Martian invasion of Earth in her book, War of the Worlds.

The orange glow from the library illuminated our path down the stone steps and onto the common. Beyond was pitch black.

"Why here!" Exclaimed Harriet. "We are in the middle of nowhere!"

I reached inside my jacket pocket and retrieved my cell phone. There were still enough battery life left to switch on my flashlight.

Harriet looked at me and said. "You'd had better hide that before we get to the road".

I gave a nod and we both set off leaving the library behind. With it's door now shut and the orange glow extinguished. The library was perfectly safe.

As soon as we saw the gas lights in the distance, I turned off my flashlight and pocketed my cell.

Harriet had the library furnish me with period clothing so I didn't draw attention to myself. Once we left the common, Harriet turned right and headed towards her home. Women seen out at night alone were considered to be immoral in Victorian times we had to have a good excuse ready if we encountered anyone. And sure enough, not long into our walk Harriet spotted a tall man smoking a cigar, given away by its orange glowing tip, coming towards us. When we became level with each other, the man raised his top hat and addressed Harriet.

"Evening Miss Wells, is it not too late in the evening for you to be abroad alone?"

"Why, good evening Mr Sumner. My cousin, Mary and I have just came from the Society dinner party. We thought we take the air inside of hailing a Hansom cab."

Mr Sumner smiled. "You modern girls are so full of spirit." He tipped his hat again and carried on walking. Harriet watched him go then turned to me and said, "Come on, we don't have far to go."
We turned a corner to see a typical Victorian terrace house with a light shining in the downstairs window.
"Father is in." Said Harriet. "Which means we'll have to go around the back to the conservatory."

Harriet led me through the waist high garden gate, being careful that the hinges didn't squeak or the latch made no sound. Any sound made in the still night of the 19th Century would have amplified. Once outside the conservatory, Harriet retrieved a key from underneath a flower pot and opened the door.

Inside, were pot plants dotted across the floor as well as some on shelves. Two leather armchairs and a small table with an oil lamp sat in the middle. The effect was like a living room in the middle of a jungle.

Both Harriet and me carefully walked through the conservatory and back into the house. We could see along the hallway a door that was ajar with the same warm light coming out of it, that we saw outside. "We now need to quietly move across the hallway to the door to the basement". We tip toed over the hallway rug and reached the basement door. Harriet turned the handle and both of us walked down the wooden steps onto the basement floor.

Ahead of us was a large object covered with a large brown sheet. Harriet rather dramatically pulled the sheet off to expose what I could only describe as I leather chair in a cage.

"This is the time machine!" Harriet proudly announced.

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed. I know it could not be a DeLorean but I thought it might have been better than a chair!

Harriet sat herself in the time machine and beckoned me forward. Up close I could see there were some kind of control panel with flashing green and red lights. Harriet moved a few dials and looking at one of the two basement clocks, she advanced the time on one of the dials in the time machine a few minutes from now. Then reaching out, took one of basement clocks in the cage with her. She gave me instructions to stand back and pushed forward a lever. The cage took on a blue glow, then there was a flash of light and Harriet and the time machine disappeared.

In the few moments it took for my brain to register what just happened, there was another blinding light and Harriet reappeared! My mouth opened and closed looking like a gaping fish!

"Where, where did you go?" I asked.

Harriet laughed at the expression on my face. "I didn't go anywhere. It's you who moved. The machine freezes time and I wait until time around me catches up. Look, my clock is the same as when I left. Your one is slightly ahead."

I compared the two and yes, before Harriet took the second clock with her, they were both identical.

Then, we heard a noise above us. "It's father, he must have heard the machine. Quickly, go back to the library. He mustn't see you, we don't know what effect it will have on all our timelines!"

"Will I see you again Harriet?"

"I have no doubt Sam. Now go!"

To be continued...


© Alice White