The Former Days

Chapter 3 - Sixty-five million years

It has been several weeks since I found out about time travel. The scientists have been preparing the machine for a human to go through it, they have used fruit and rats and those have been successful, so I’m hopeful. They have also been preparing me for time travel, even though they have sent other things, but they don’t know how the machine will affect humans.

“The machine is ready!” Dr. Chidubem has been very excited to get me through the machine. “Here is a walkie-talkie so that you can contact us from a different time. When you go through the machine you will also be transported to a different place.” “You won’t be in present time, Miami, Florida. But the past, in an unfamiliar place.”

I am expected to go to the middle ages, specifically 1142, Aquitaine, France. They made the machine so you can choose where, and when to go. “When we built the time machine, we were expecting the randomized person to go to different places in time, so we made it so it automatically translates the language the people are speaking.” Dr. Chidubem explained.

“Ok, enough explaining, let's get into traveling!” Now I’m the one excited about getting me through the time machine. I was nervous in the beginning, but now I am just plain excited.

“It’s the time! Let’s get time-traveling” One of the other scientists, Dr. Stevenson, also seems excited. I went through the time machine, and landed 65 million years in the past! I took my walkie-talkie out of my pocket and called in. “There might have been a teensy weensy mistake”

“What?” Dr. Chidubem was concerned.

“I’m back in prehistoric times, notably the Cretaceous period.” Dr. Chidubem asked how I knew what period it was, and I said that that wasn’t important and I could see a T-rex. But, I loved dinosaurs when I was small, I still remember some things.

“Ok just click on the purple glowing button on the walkie talkie” Dr. Chidubem explained. Once I was back in the present time, the scientists started fixing the machine. “We fixed it” I went back into the machine.

But, before I said, “oh, by the way, are we just going to call it the machine?”

“What about the TM?”

“The TM?” I asked Dr. Chidubem what kind of name is TM?

“Time machine, TM.” That makes more sense, pretty basic.

I finally went into the time machine and I was finally in the right place. I was welcomed by a bustling old brick road. Carriages galloping right and left. Multiple people yelling from their kiosks. Some people were selling fruits, and others were selling linen and other fabrics. I asked someone if they knew where a hotel was, and they seemed confused. Then I changed it to an inn and they understood.

“Over there” This random person pointed towards a building that was blatantly falling apart, this person also was talking in french, and I knew that they would but it’s still weird. I also understood them which is doubly weird.

I went over to the inn and found out that there were these special coins I would need. Medieval coins in fact. I should probably check in at present time. “Hello this is firebird, from the past”

“Firebird?” Dr. Chidubem was stupefied.

“Yes, that is my code name.”

“We don’t code names, you are the only person who has a walkie-talkie, and we are the only laboratory that has the other walkie-talkie”

“Okay, maybe we don’t, but still it’s fun”

“Whatever, what do you need?” The doctor questioned.

“I need coins for an inn, and clothes and I need to be able to speak old-timey,” I explained, these are very serious concerns. “Maybe I should go back and prepare more.”

“You are already prepared, remember what we talked about, and get a job” How am I supposed to get a job in 1142? How am I supposed to do anything in 1142? I am 26 years old, well now I don’t exist, but I am 26 years old and I know how to get a job. I can do this, no freaking out!

I got this all I have to do is milk a cow, or two and I got this. Good thing I grew up on a farm, so I know how to milk cows. So, I started advertising my skills, on the side of the street. I finally struck gold, this man that was wearing a weird dress-looking thing. He was looking at me strangely because I have been wearing modern clothes.

“I have a farm that you could work on,” The strange man said, “My name is Richard”