Chapter 1

 

'John I cannot believe it, your machine actually worked!' I looked out of the window of the carriage like contraption that had enabled us to travel all the way through time. I noted the open green fields and woodlands in the distance with amazement.

'I told you, Amy, it would work, and that I wasn't spending all those late nights aimlessly in a pointless pursuit when taking all that time out to build the machine!' I could see that my boyfriend was ecstatic with his achievement, and could not help gloating to me.

In all honesty I could not blame him for his smug manner, a part of me now felt guilty and remorseful as I thought about all my nagging at him over the last two years for paying me little attention in comparison to his top secret project. My excuse for my behaviour at the time was my desperation for us to take our relationship to the next level, to be like all the other normal couples I would meet who eventually got married and started a family.

I had thought John was just playing at being the mad scientist, I did not think in a million years that his time machine would ever actually work! But now I had to eat my words, I had sat in the machine pessimistic of it carrying us even a metre away from John's laboratory, let alone across time. That's why I had dared to jump into the large device with John and in an unconcerned state of mind, only to find myself now somewhere completely new and unfamiliar.

I was now fully prepared to admit that John had been right about us delaying settling down as a couple, that our sacrifice had been more than worth it. After all I was sure that John's invention would make us millionaires perhaps even billionaires, we would now have enough money to do all that we had ever dreamed of and much more!

'Come on Amy, let's get out of this thing and explore,' John sounded so terribly excited.

'Are you joking, we cannot go out there.' I was shocked at his suggestion.

'Why not?' he sounded surprised by my initial response.

'Because aren't we now in 10,000 BC or thereabouts as you mentioned to me earlier as being our destination just before I jumped into the time machine with you, the prehistoric age?'

'Yes, what of it, I don't get your point?'

'I am not saying I know a lot about history but isn't that the time when men were savages and all sorts of ferocious, deadly animals roamed the earth?' I spoke as I felt a shiver go down my back at the thought of being squashed to death by a dinosaur like creature.

'Oh come on Amy, you sacredy cat, you really aren't going to believe all those false facts you hear about around this period of time? This isn't the Jurassic Park Hollywood movie. No big creature is going to nibble on you. Just look around for yourself, the land is empty and undisturbed. And I really doubt we will be lucky enough to find another living human like ourselves.'

'Please don't mock me, John, I mean what I say, can you not see I am afraid of what is out there, and you should be too.' I spoke stubbornly.

'Ok honey at least give me a few minutes that is all I am asking, enough time outside for me to take a few pictures, I want evidence to give to my work colleagues who will find it very hard to comprehend my achievement. What do you say Amy can you spare several minutes so I can do what I need to do?'

'I suppose so, I will give you fifteen minutes tops to take the pictures that you need,' I conceded to him reluctantly, although I was still not happy to move away from inside the time machine which now felt like a safe haven for me.

'Oh that's terrific Amy, I am glad you are being such a good sport about all of this. I know it all seems a bit daunting, but I promise when we get back home we will have our own private celebration to mark my success.'

I almost jumped with surprise when I felt John's right palm slap my bum cheek firmly with enthusiasm, he then winked at me in his high humour, before opening the door to release us out into the unknown.