Chapter 21
The Great Wood, Wealdshire. 1517
'Phew! Bit warm,' gasped Josie, the temperature suddenly increasing as the twins arrived in 1517. She pulled her sweatshirt off and hung it on her back with the arms dangling over her shoulders. 'I don't know whether time travel's good for you when you get these sudden temperature changes.'
Chris removed his sweatshirt. 'It's certainly difficult to know what clothes to take with you,' he said.
'On the other hand,' Josie continued, 'Some people think it's good for you to jump out of a hot bath into a cold bath.'
'Or into the snow,' Chris added.
'I don't remember feeling good when we went to the winter of 1964. That . . . was . . . COLD!'
'Well cold,' Chris agreed. 'Next time we go there, let's make sure we're well wrapped up.'
'Easier said than done, brother of mine. You'd look a right pillock cycling to Blackfriars Wood in your snow boots on a hot summer's day.'
'Yeah, you're right. Time travel certainly poses a few problems. I wonder why they never get mentioned in sci-fi movies.'
'The problem now,' Josie said as she looked at her compass, 'is which way we go to get to Frogley Heath. If we head west we ought to find it.'
'How about going north, like we did last time, and then taking the path that we saw near the clearing where you thought a UFO had landed?'
'Sounds good. Let's go.'
Before they had taken more than a few steps, Chris called out, 'Who's a clever girl, then?'
'Me? Why — what have I done?'
Chris pointed to a tree. 'Look. There's my chalk mark. You must have brought us back to exactly the right date. I bet you're the most skilful time traveller in the whole world.'
'That's something I've been thinking about. Maybe we're the only time travellers in the whole world.'
'I wouldn't be surprised if we were.' Chris said. 'I've always thought that time travel was impossible. In fact, I've always thought it's obvious that it's impossible.'
'Why?'
'Just think about it. If time travel was possible — then people from the future would come to our time. Assuming that our world survives for a while, you could have people from millions of years ahead coming back to visit us. We'd be overrun with them. You wouldn't be able to move for time visitors. So, as no-one has ever seen a time traveller, time travel can't be possible.'
'But we're time travelling,' Josie protested.
'Exactly. So where are all the time travellers from the future?'
They walked on through the forest pondering on the enigma. Eventually, Josie stopped and said, 'There's only one explanation — well, maybe two.'
'Go on then. Tell me, O wise one.'
'You need something to move you through time — like we have this bracelet. It's not a gadget — it's a . . . well, I don't know what it. Some sort of talisman? If a machine could be made, then we would've seen lots of time travellers. So, it seems to me that time-travelling machines are impossible. This bracelet is special. Maybe magic. It's probably unique — in which case, it exists for a reason.'
'What — you think that we've been chosen to use the bracelet?' Chris couldn't help shivering. 'Wow. That's awesome. That's scary. It's enough to totally faze you.'
'The other explanation . . .' Josie hesitated. 'is that anyone can do time travel in the future but they're not allowed to.'
'What — banned, you mean? Anyone found time travelling will sent to prison?'
'It's possible, isn't it?'
'Hmmm. I guess so. This is all doing my head in. Let's just see if we can find Frogley Heath, and then think about all this heavy stuff when we get home.'
'Okay,' Josie laughed.
A short while later the twins came to the 'crossroads' and turned left. The path which they were now following twisted and turned so much between the huge trees that it was impossible to see very far ahead. Not far from the crossroads, the track curved around an enormous beech tree and then straightened out. When Chris and Josie reached the straight stretch they suddenly stopped chattering and froze. On the path in front of them — a figure stood as still as a statue.
The entity — whatever it was — slowly began to turn. A confusion of thoughts rushed through the twins' heads. Is that a ghost? Is it waiting for us? Are we trespassing? Is it going to attack us? Should we run for our lives?
But there was no time for them to do anything. They could do nothing but watch fearfully as a face slowly came into view. Rooted to the spot, they waited to be discovered.
A shrill scream suddenly shattered the silence of the forest. The figure was looking straight at them — and screaming a scream the like of which they'd never heard before. It was a scream of sheer terror.
Josie felt as if she were made of jelly.
Chris thought his hair must be standing on end.
Although the scream stopped as abruptly as it had begun, it seemed to the twins that its haunting echo would ring around the forest for ever.
Before their eyes, the figure simply collapsed to the ground as if it was nothing more than a heap of old clothes.
Sarah Cooper was making her way to the Church of St Mary in Frogley Heath. It was a melancholy maiden who trudged along the path for, although her mistress believed that Father John could offer good advice, Sarah doubted that there was anything he could do to keep her brother out of prison. Caleb had been missing for almost a whole day now, and no-one knew where he could be. The longer he stayed away, the more convinced Sir James would be that the stable lad had stolen the silver goblet.
She had covered more than half of her journey when she thought she heard voices behind her. Strange voices. Words that she did not understand. As the voices gradually became louder, Sarah became more and more concerned for her safety. When she stopped, the voices stopped. She waited.
I must not tarry long, she thought, for I wish to be home afore noon. The continuing silence encouraged her to think that the travellers had taken a different path at the crossroads. But, just to reassure herself, she forced herself to turn round and look.
The scene which confronted her was like one of the scenes from hell which she had seen painted on the wall of a church. Two naked demons were staring at her with eyes glowing like hot coals. As if that were not enough, the figures standing behind the demons were even more terrifying. Covered from head to toe in black robes, they hovered motionless amongst the trees. Sarah wanted to pray to Almighty God to protect her from Death and his Helpers — but all she could do was scream.
Without a second thought, Josie and Chris rushed along the path to where the girl had collapsed. They crouched down beside her. There was no doubt that they were in the sixteenth century for the girl was dressed in a long woollen dress and bodice, over which she wore a shawl, and her long straw-coloured hair was partially covered by a simple bonnet tied beneath the chin. On her feet she wore plain flat shoes.
'What shall we do?' asked Chris.
'Just wait a minute. She's only fainted. As long as she didn't bang her head when she fell, she should be all right when she wakes up.'
'Yeah, but Josie — we made her faint, didn't we? We scared the pants off her. When she wakes up she'll throw an even worse fit if she sees us this close.'
'We can show her that we mean her no harm. Don't worry. Trust me. You get up and stand back a bit.'
'Girl to girl stuff, eh? You think I'm more likely to terrify her than you are? Humph!'
Despite his protests, Chris followed his sister's suggestion and moved away from where the girl lay, still unconscious.
Josie watched the girl's face closely. She saw the eyelids flicker. She heard a soft moan. She wished she had some water to offer the girl. When the eyes opened wide and stared at Josie, she gently took the girl's hand and stroked it with her fingers. 'Hush,' she said. 'We are friends. We mean you no harm.'
Sarah stared at the kind face looking down at her and tried to remember what had happened. Was this girl one of the demons she had seen? What had happened to the eyes which were glowing like hot coals? Had the evil spirit disguised them, or had she simply imagined seeing demonic eyes? Whatever this creature was, it wasn't completely human. Or, if it was human, it was like no person she had ever seen before. At least it spoke in a tongue that she could comprehend. The words were a little strange, but she could understand them.
'We did not mean to frighten you. Are you feeling better?' she asked, now stroking the girl's cheek with the back of her hand. 'My name is Josie. That is my brother. His name is Chris. We are visitors. What is your name?'
Sarah found herself answering. 'I am called Sarah Cooper. What . . . who are you?' She showed a little concern when Chris began to approach her. He is a boy, she thought, but how strange he does look. Perhaps these people are friends. Is it possible that Death and his Helpers were pursuing them and not me? I will ask them. 'Who were those people?'
'What people?' Chris said. 'There was no-one else. Just us.'
'But I . . . I did see some strange creatures. They were dressed in black robes. They were like monks but they did not seem to be monks. I thought they had come for me.'
Josie and Chris exchanged glances. 'There was no-one else,' Josie assured Sarah. 'There was only us.'
'But I saw them. They stood behind you.'
The twins couldn't help glancing back to where they had been standing when Sarah had screamed. For a moment they felt as if the breeze had suddenly turned chilly.
'I think she imagined it,' Chris whispered. To the girl he said, 'How are you feeling now? Are you well enough to get up? You'll get dirty lying there.'
Josie helped Sarah to her feet. When she was standing, they could see that she was considerably shorter than either of them, barely reaching their shoulders. Sarah looked up and saw giants, half-naked giants — but friendly ones at that. She smiled. 'I thank thee for helping me.'
'That's okay,' Chris said. 'It's not every day we get the chance to help a maiden in distress. Just call me Sir Galahad.'
Sarah's mouth fell open. Although she still felt light-headed, she quickly made a curtsey. 'Thank you, sir,' she said, and kept her eyes lowered when she straightened up.
'You fool!' Josie scorned softly. 'You've made her think you're a knight now.' She gently lifted Sarah's chin with her hand and said, 'My brother is being foolish. He is not a sir anything. His name is Chris. He is just like you.'
Sarah's face brightened. 'You are a servant?'
Chris choked. 'Uh . . . well . . . not exact —'
'Where we come from,' Josie interrupted, 'we do not have servants. Everyone is the same.'
Chris turned away and had a coughing fit. 'I'll tell that to the Queen next time I see her.'
Sarah's eyes opened wide. 'The Queen? Do you have a queen in your country? And you know this queen?' Someone in her lowly position could never expect to meet someone who knew Henry VIII, so these two people must be very important.
Josie watched the confusion on Sarah's face and thought: I see we're going to have lots of confusion here, if we're not careful. She carefully considered what to say, and decided on, 'We have a queen — but we do not know her. Chris was joking — he was jesting.'
Once again, Sarah looked relieved, although this time a little disappointed, and still rather confused. She couldn't stop casting quick glances at the twins' legs.
Ah ha, thought Josie, she's puzzled by what we're wearing. We probably look only half-dressed to her. She scratched her wrist so that she had an excuse to look down at her own legs which were clearly visible below her short skirt. And then at Chris who was wearing cut-off jeans. She was fairly certain that people in Tudor England kept their arms and legs covered at all times. 'I expect you're wondering why we dress like this,' she said to Sarah, 'Where we come from, everyone dresses this way,' and threw a threatening glare at Chris, daring him to make a comment about what the Queen would have to say about that. She looked back at Sarah. 'I suppose we look rather strange to you.'
Sarah lifted her eyebrows and nodded politely but, although she didn't want to risk offending these friendly people, she couldn't stop an attack of the giggles.
'That funny, eh?' Chris muttered, and collapsed into fits of laughter himself. Josie, seeing the other two, couldn't help herself either and was soon doubled over. All three were laughing so much that they had to stagger to a tree and prop themselves against it for fear of falling over.
It was several minutes before the laughter died down. Clutching her sides, Sarah managed to push herself away from the tree and stand up. Her grin gradually disappeared to be replaced by a frown. The twins wondered what was troubling her. 'What's wrong?' asked Josie.
Sarah looked down at her long skirt and smoothed it self-consciously with her hands. 'Do I,' she asked, 'look strange to you?'
'No way!' yelled Chris with such passion that Josie stared at him with an open mouth — which gradually changed to a knowing smile.
'You'd look great at a rave just the way you are,' he continued.
Now I know what they mean when they say love is blind, thought Josie. Sure she'd look great at a rave — if she threw away that bonnet, left her shawl in the cloakroom and took a pair of scissor to that dress somewhere above the knee. But when she saw Sarah's smile she knew that she couldn't possibly say anything to contradict Chris's assessment (despite the fact that she'd love to wipe off that idiot grin which was now permanently attached to his face).
Chris was also intrigued by Sarah's smile. He thought it was one of the sweetest he'd ever seen. Remembering what Josie had said a little earlier about 1517 being a good year for nice people — he was beginning to think she was right. It certainly looked as if it was a good year for pretty girls. When he saw the smile gradually fade away to be replaced by a deep sadness, he felt a tug at his heartstrings. 'Is something worrying you?' he asked.
When Sarah began to cry, Josie wondered which of them was going to place an arm around her shoulder. She decided it might be better if she did it. There were probably strict rules about when it was appropriate for boys to touch sixteenth century maidens. 'What's wrong?' Josie asked. 'Do you want to tell us?'
'I should like to tell thee,' Sarah sobbed, 'but 'tis a long tale and I must not keep thee from thy journey'.
'We were not going far,' Josie assured her. 'We were searching for Frogley Heath. Is there such a place?'
Sarah's face lit up. 'But that is where I am bound. If we walk together I can show thee where it lies. While we journey there I can tell thee why I weep.'
'But Mistress Josie,' said Sarah, 'why do people want to save trees in your country? The world is full of trees. You could no more cut down all the trees than pick up all the stones which lie on the earth.'
Sarah had finished telling the twins about the missing goblet and Josie had started talking about the protesters who were trying to save Stumblefrith Forest. When she looked around her, she could appreciate why it was difficult for Sarah to picture a world in which The Great Wood did not exist. 'Where we live,' she said, 'there are very few trees.'
Sarah looked bewildered. 'How can this be? There would be naught but emptiness without trees.'
Josie was wondering how to explain that the 'emptiness' was filled with houses and roads and superstores and factories when Sarah announced, 'We are almost there.'
'Is that Frogley Heath?' Josie asked when they saw between the trees a tiny hamlet nestling in a clearing in the forest. When Sarah confirmed that it was, Josie wanted to say to Chris how different it looked from the village of Frogley Heath which they passed through every day on their way to school. It was so small. Instead of hundreds of houses, there were only two dozen or so but, built of red brick, they did not look as primitive as Josie had expected. The church at the centre of the village, with its distinctive four-pinnacled tower, looked little different from the present-day church. The only obvious difference was the smaller number of gravestones in the churchyard.
What Josie really wanted to shout about was the absence of double-yellow lines painted on either side of the road. How wonderful to live in a village with no parking restrictions, she mused. Then she surprised herself by thinking how lovely it would be to live in a village where there were no cars that needed to be parked.
She said nothing about how this Frogley Heath differed from the one which she knew, however, for she wasn't quite sure how Sarah would react if they told her that they lived five centuries in the future. Turning to Chris, she held a finger up to her lips, and was relieved when he nodded to show that he understood.
Sarah had stopped by a small field on the edge of the hamlet (a field which would be covered with new houses in a few centuries' time) and seemed reluctant to proceed any further. Josie guessed that she was probably a little apprehensive about being seen with the two strangely-dressed travellers. As they had already agreed to think of a way of helping Sarah, Josie decided that now might be a good opportunity to go home. 'We must go,' she said, 'but we will return as we have promised.'
'Methinks our little Sarah has taken your fancy,' teased Josie as they walked back to the time gate.
'Don't be silly,' Chris retorted. 'She's a nice girl but . . .'
'Okay. No more teasing. Yes, she does seem a nice girl, and it'll be good if we can help her. What an adventure! There's just one thing that bothers me.'
'What's that?'
'You told her we'd meet her within an hour. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pooped. This day has already had far more hours in it than God intended. I don't think I can make another trip this evening.'
'I'm feeling knackered as well. But that doesn't matter. We can go next week when we're off school. Besides, we could do with a few days to think of a plan to trap the wicked Simon.'
'Next wee—!' Josie started to exclaim, and then managed to stop herself. 'Yes, of course. We can set off next week and return to the time when we leave today. I didn't really think that we'd have to go back this evening.'
Chris smiled to himself and said nothing.