Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 1

Mary laid in bed, the afternoon sun shining in through the gap in the curtains. She could hear her mum calling up the stairs.

“Can I bring you up another warm drink, love? Edna next door had some peppermint growing. She gave me some leaves. What do you think ... maybe a nice infusion?”

Mary shivered and pulled her blankets tighter. This was the second day of her having what was just a summer cold, but she was very worried about John and his mother.

She knew that she hadn’t seen either of them for several months ... not since Robert died, but she felt that Margaret looked like someone at her wits end. She had been taking sole care of John since John’s father died, and she didn’t look as though she could continue much longer without losing her own health. Mary didn’t know what could be done, but she felt a very strong sense of duty. Margaret and her husband, Ian, had treated her like family ever since she had become friends with Robert, and later on they had treated her like a daughter-in-law. She felt that she owed Margaret. She needed to help her when Margaret herself needed help.

And then there was John. She had only taken him for a walk a few times now, but when Robert was alive, John had always been with them. Robert had cared very much for his older brother and had tried to get him to come along to most things they did, even if John couldn’t really participate. At least that way, Robert had said, John would get to see what things life offered, even if he could not actively engage with them. At the time, Mary had wondered if this wasn’t being slightly unkind, showing John things that he could never personally get involved in. Now though, having seen John again (though only for a few days), he seemed to have a very strong attachment to Mary. It was difficult to see past his often-blank gaze, but she felt that he was very pleased to see her, even holding her hand as they walked. Maybe somewhere deep inside he remembered the times he had spent with her and Robert, and maybe then it brought back pleasant memories.

Mary wanted to get better. She wanted to go to see Margaret and John again.

“Mum?” Mary called out croakily, “a peppermint infusion would be very nice. Thanks mum.”