Getting Lost in the Past

Getting Lost in the Past

     “That was the greatest trip I have ever had.” Haggan says right after he gets off the old train car.

     “I’m glad you had a good time.” Randa greets him by her crossing her arms across her chest - then bowing slightly. They continue to talk as they walk down a long tunnel toward a white light at the end of it.

     “When can I take another trip into the past,” says Haggan. “Maybe I’ll go into the future this time.”

     Randa stops – and looks at Haggan with shock in her eyes. “If I member right didn’t you tell me you spent your last Unit to take this trip?”

     “I did,” says Haggan. “But I can get my hands on more if I want to.”

     “You can go any time you want,” says Randa. “I don’t think you want to go to the future though.”

     “Why not?” Haggan asks.

     “It’s a lot more Units,” says Randa. “About twice as much as a trip to the past does.”

     “You are right,” says Haggan. “I can’t go into the future.”

     The light at the end of that tunnel leads into a glass front office. Once inside Randa motions Haggan to sit down while she sits behind a desk. “So where do you want to go this time.”

     “I don’t know,” says Haggan. “My mind really wanted to go into the future.”

     “Let’s see.” Randa pulls a file out of the cabinet behind her. “You went to the 1620s – right?”

     “The Western years,” says Haggan. “That’s correct.”

     Randa looks at a paper on her desk. “For about the same amount of Units you can go to the birth of loud music.”

     “That’s the mid-1700s isn’t it?” asks Haggan. “If I have to go into the past I really want to go further than fifty years.”

     “How far into the past do you want to go?” Randa asks.

     “I’m not sure.” Haggan thinks about that for a minute. “I think maybe around two to three hundred years ago.”

     “Do you remember what I said about taking a Time Trip?” Randa asks. “You could get lost in that time.”

     “I remember,” says Haggan. “You also warned me to be careful not to get killed, or even hurt, because that can happen too.”

     Randa looks over the paper in her hand again. She scans down it with her finger one item at a time. “How about a trip to the jungle castle during the rebellion years.”

     “That may be fun,” says Haggan. “Only I have been thinking if I can do this again I wanted it to be a little bit more adventurous.”

     “What kind of an adventure do you have in mind?” Randa asks. “Do you want a mild adventure like a treasure hunt or maybe you can take a more dangerous trip.”

     “Don’t the dangerous ones cost a lot more Units.” Haggan asks.

     “They do cost a little bit more, but not that much.” Randa looks down at her paper for a minute. “It’s only about a hundred Units more.”

     “That’s not too bad,” says Haggan. “I think that’s where I want to go next.”

     “I have to warn you about a trip like this one,” says Randa. “The reason it cost more is because there’s a lot more danger of getting hurt – or even killed.”

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     Four weeks later, a month, Haggan comes back there. He gives Randa the Units she requested for that trip - in small denominations. Now he sits in a train car with others ready to take off into the past. A few minutes later that’s exactly what happens. That train speeds down the tunnel it’s in. Only a few seconds later a bright light fills that tunnel.

     Randa likes to be there when her guests take their trip – and when they return. “I’m happy that Haggan decided to go on a romantic adventure during the simpler life years instead of that dangerous one.”

     Once the train leave she returns to her office. While working on some paperwork pilling up on her desk she listens to the Voice Box on her desk too.
She barely gets it on when a male voice starts talking about a robbery of over a million Units, in small denominations, that happened during the night.

     “No, it can’t be Haggan.” Randa looks at the Unit’s Haggan has given him. They are all one number after another.

     Haggan never comes back from his latest trip. Randa doesn’t look too surprised about that as she continues to stare at the Unit in her hands. He’s not the only one who hasn’t come back, but he is the first one who gets away with a robbery by escaping into the past. It’s the perfect crime. Take that train, and get lost in time.

The Word Count, including this line, is 809