Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 2

The Horseblanket was quiet at this time in the evening. The newly re-configured watch on his wrist told him it was 7:50 pm. He had already gone inside, checking if she was there yet. Then he had come back outside and sat on a low wall next to the entrance. He could hear the club’s background music playing through small speakers set up above the entrance. It wasn’t very loud, but sufficient to indicate to passers-bye what to expect when they went in.

“Your heart rate is going up quite a lot,” said Vicky.

“She might not turn up,” said Gabriel.

“Are you worried that she won’t, or are you worried that she will?” queried Vicky.

Gabriel didn’t answer.

“Here she comes now,” said Vicky, and Gabriel could see her off in the distance, coming towards him. He could see that she had a different T-shirt on. She had replaced her shorts with a pair of tight-fitting jeans. She still had on the hiking boots he had seen her in earlier. Her hair was tied up in a single ponytail. It swished from side to side as she skipped her way along the pavement.

“She never seems to just walk, does she?” Gabriel said.

“Sorry Gabriel,” said Vicky. “Was that question addressed to me, or was it just an observation that you were making?”

“I mean, she always seems to sort of skip along,” said Gabriel, not answering Vicky’s question. “It’s like she has too much energy to just walk like the rest of us.”

As she got closer, he could see that her T-shirt had the words printed

Should I be

a warning

Or

an example?

“Still staring at my chest, then?” she said, laughing.

Before Gabriel had the chance to get flustered and embarrassed, Ginny stood in front of him, raised herself up onto her toes and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him lightly on the mouth. Then she took his hand and pulled him into the doorway of the club.

. . . . . . . .

He had bought her a drink, feeling very important. She had chosen half a pint of draught lager. He had asked her if she wanted one of the club’s fancy cocktails, but she had politely declined. He thought she was quietly chuckling to herself, but he couldn’t be sure because of the noise of the music. He got himself a pint of an indifferent draught bitter and they went outside into the seating area at the back of the club. It was labelled a smoking area, but it was the only place with comfortable seating and quiet enough to talk.

She found two rattan chairs and she pulled them together around a small wooden table. They were the only ones in this seating area now, and Gabriel suddenly felt very self-conscious. He couldn’t think what to talk about.

“I see you’ve stopped wearing John’s old watch then,” she said.

“Well, er ...,” Gabriel mumbled, caught off-guard by her observation.

“It looks very expensive,” she said, “but I thought having John’s watch as a gift meant a lot to you.”

“It does,” Gabriel replied.

Ginny looked quizzically at him.

“So that’s why you’re not wearing it, then?” she said.

She took hold of his left wrist and ran her fingers over the black plasteel band.

“Just a minute ...,” she said, looking shocked. “This is the same ... it’s the same thing I felt when I touched John’s watch.”

She pulled her hand away suddenly, looking very frightened, as though she couldn’t understand what she was seeing or feeling.

She stood up, pushing her chair back as she did so. The table rocked, her drink started to topple. Gabriel grabbed it and steadied it.

“I’ve got to go ...,” Ginny said. “I’ve got to go now.”

Gabriel had no idea what to do, but he stood up with her.

“Tell her,” said Vicky urgently. “I don’t know how but she seems able to see behind the hologram. I don’t know how she is doing that, but it is frightening her.”

Gabriel stood stock-still. He seemed to have lost the power of movement, and as he stood there, he saw Ginny turn to go.

“Tell her,” repeated Vicky.

“Ginny. Ginny, stop, please,” he said.

“I’m sorry, Gabriel,” she said, “but there is something about you that frightens me. I’m really sorry, but ...”

She turned and made her way out through the bar.

Gabriel sat down again. He was too stunned to see Rebecca coming over towards him until she was standing right in front of him.

“So, you bought me a drink, eh?” Rebecca said, pointing to Ginny’s glass of lager.

Gabriel looked up and groaned inwardly. He looked around, to see who Rebecca was with. There was nobody in the immediate vicinity. At least nobody who looked like they might be with Rebecca.

“Pete’s not up and about yet,” Rebecca said.

Gabriel stared past Rebecca. Maybe Ginny would come back and ...

“He’s asked his mates to come see you,” she said.

“Yeah?” Gabriel said. At this point in time, he didn’t really care.

“Yeah. Pete’s not someone to forget things like that,” she said.

“No, I guess not,” Gabriel said.

“Yeah ... you’d better watch your ...”

“Sorry, Rebecca,” Gabriel said, “but I just can’t be arsed listening to you right now.”

He stood up and walked out.