Writing Prompt Apr 25 WC: 636

She stumbled and pitched into the open manhole. What the...what? She didn't know how but she was sitting rumpled on the other side of the manhole in the street. She frowned. Surely she had seen the blackness of the hole open right up and admit her a moment before. She frowned deeply when she realized she was dirtying her favorite pair of black skinny jeans. Unbelievable, those jeans cost more than her car. "Excuse me, miss, are you alright?," a young looking guy with big round glasses and hair to his shoulders was asking her. "Uh, yeah, sure, I'm fine." She tried to stand but extreme dizziness overtook her. "Maybe I should help you up? You don't look so hot. Come on, I'll sit you down over here, it's Earth's cushy couch." Reluctantly, she took his hand and pulled upwards. Glancing at his outfit, she grimaced a little. That's way too retro, she thought; he wore wide bell bottoms and a loose button-up with a bandanna wrapped around his head.

The guy led her to a grassy lawn past the sidewalk. She didn't remember a park being down 35th, but maybe she'd just missed it. "I'm Barry, how are you feeling now?" "Hi, um, a little better, I guess. My name is Sarah," she replied. Looking around, Sarah gaped as the scenery unfolded. More bell bottoms, prairie dresses, bandannas, and bare feet! It must be some kind of retro festival, but all the buildings were gone. Where was the city? Sarah blinked rapidly and swiveled around looking for the familiar garbage and grey dirty sidewalks, but there was none to be found. She was sitting in a park with colorful houses and a bookstore across the street. There were trees and people everywhere. This wasn't New York. She caught a glimpse of a few cars parked down the street. Some were colorfully painted but they all had the same plates---California cars.

"Barry," Someone shouted from the crowd. "What a cosmic coincidence, man! I've been lookin' for you, it's about to start." The man waved and trotted over.
"What's about to start?," Sarah asked.
"You don't know? Man, I thought anybody here would have to know. This is big news, girl.," Barry said enthusiastically, "We're protesting the war. Vietnam has gotta stop. It's the time for love, not war."
"What? Vietnam? That can't be right. That was, like, 50 years ago." 
"You must be on something good. The war's still fresh."
"It's 2015, you've got to be kidding. Is this a reenactment or something? Where's my iPhone, I'm looking this up."
"Your what? I'm jiving with you later, kid, I want some of that, but come on, it's time to get out there and get heard by the people."

Barry pulled at her hand but Sarah sat like rock and stared up at him without any intention of moving. "Suit yourself, peace man." Barry and his friend joined the milling crowd and it started to move with waves of purpose. Sarah was dumbfounded. This was impossible. But the clothes, and she wasn't getting a signal from her phone either. She jumped up and pushed her way towards the manhole she'd tripped over. It was mostly covered, but there was enough space for her to leverage it off and stare down. Suddenly, all the noise from the march around her faded as static seemed to echo through the manhole. "....zzzzt...imbecile!...zzzt...interuppted the core commands...zzzzzt...reverse immediately before I...zzzzt." The voice disappeared but the static increased to an unbearable level. The manhole started swirling and Sarah felt as though she tipped forward into it. The dizziness hit her and she threw herself back. Gasping, Sarah looked up and saw a familiar skyline. Oh thank God, she was back. What a nightmare that was, terrible fashion and no cell connection.