heavily perfumed air.
Yet he knew it was wrong, understood that this was not a place he should be, for it was no where and no when. This was the home of The Caretaker.
He'd made a bad error of judgment. More: a terrible one.
Dale saw The Caretaker, Tellan, walking toward him angrily from out of a large bed of ruby-red ripe tomato plants over two meters tall, lined up like soldiers, the canes they were staked to as straight as the backs of the perfect sentry.
"Shit, shit, shit. This is bad."
Dale fiddled nervously with the Hexad and mouthed a silent whoosh before pressing the dome and vanishing.
~~~
47 Years Future
"Ugh."
"You okay?" asked Amanda, staring at Dale suspiciously.
"Yeah, I think so. You were right, that place is weird. Well, weird and not weird, if you know what I mean?"
"I know exactly what you mean. It's like you are somewhere and nowhere, right? It just doesn't feel... normal."
"I bottled it, sorry. I jumped straight back from there, but he saw me, and he didn't look happy. I'm amazed I got there actually, I set everything on the Hexad to zero and just thought about him really hard, and the ground, of course."
"Um, Dale, you actually didn't look like you went anywhere, all that happened was that one second you were you, the next you were, well, older."
"Haha, I bet. I feel like it scared me into old age."
"I think it did. Sorry, look, you shouldn't have done that. It's his place. It's not for us. When I was there I felt wrong the entire time, like I was going against everything that was normal. But look..."
Dale opened the compact that Amanda held up for him, staring at his face like he was looking at it for the first time. He looked different. She was right, he did look older. There were the beginnings of faint lines around the corners of his eyes, nothing noticeable unless you really looked, and his stubble had grown a little. What was more worrying, as he really did like his dark shoulder length curly locks, was that he was now streaked gray at the temples.
"Damn. I got old."
"Not as old as me," said Amanda, eyes crinkling slightly as she smiled.
"Well, I won't be doing that again." Dale sank back into the chair, trying to calm himself, his heart racing like he'd been running hard.
"Damn, that looks weird." Dale studied himself from each side — the gray seemed to just be beginning. He wasn't looking too bad, not really.
"It's kind of distinguished. I like it." Amanda studied him some more as he handed back the compact.
"Really? Well, that's something. Nothing like that happened to you while you were there then?"
"No, but I had an invitation, it was different. You didn't."
"Yeah, well, I had to do something. It's all tied up with him, I just know it is."
"I guess you can just ask him," said Amanda, looking extremely worried.
Dale turned in the direction she was looking and watched as a rather angry looking Tellan walked towards them down the empty road.
He doesn't look happy, not one bit.
"How did you get there?" asked Tellan without preamble. "That's my private home, you aren't supposed to be there. It's my home."
"I'm sorry, I really am," said Dale, hands up in supplication. "But I wanted to talk to you, and as you weren't here I figured I would come to you."
"Well don't. I come to you when I need to, you never, ever come to me. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" barked Dale, saluting smartly.
"Don't try to be clever, it really doesn't suit you Dale."
"Well why don't you tell us what's really going on then? All this nonsense about us causing the end of the world, it happening over again, but just here, and everywhere else is fine, that's all nonsense, I know it is. Amanda coming back, coming back because you let her, it's just started the whole thing again from scratch, except it will happen in a different way, that's all. What's really going on? And more to the point, what have you done so that somebody, somewhere, has been draining out the life force of countless Amandas
Yet he knew it was wrong, understood that this was not a place he should be, for it was no where and no when. This was the home of The Caretaker.
He'd made a bad error of judgment. More: a terrible one.
Dale saw The Caretaker, Tellan, walking toward him angrily from out of a large bed of ruby-red ripe tomato plants over two meters tall, lined up like soldiers, the canes they were staked to as straight as the backs of the perfect sentry.
"Shit, shit, shit. This is bad."
Dale fiddled nervously with the Hexad and mouthed a silent whoosh before pressing the dome and vanishing.
~~~
47 Years Future
"Ugh."
"You okay?" asked Amanda, staring at Dale suspiciously.
"Yeah, I think so. You were right, that place is weird. Well, weird and not weird, if you know what I mean?"
"I know exactly what you mean. It's like you are somewhere and nowhere, right? It just doesn't feel... normal."
"I bottled it, sorry. I jumped straight back from there, but he saw me, and he didn't look happy. I'm amazed I got there actually, I set everything on the Hexad to zero and just thought about him really hard, and the ground, of course."
"Um, Dale, you actually didn't look like you went anywhere, all that happened was that one second you were you, the next you were, well, older."
"Haha, I bet. I feel like it scared me into old age."
"I think it did. Sorry, look, you shouldn't have done that. It's his place. It's not for us. When I was there I felt wrong the entire time, like I was going against everything that was normal. But look..."
Dale opened the compact that Amanda held up for him, staring at his face like he was looking at it for the first time. He looked different. She was right, he did look older. There were the beginnings of faint lines around the corners of his eyes, nothing noticeable unless you really looked, and his stubble had grown a little. What was more worrying, as he really did like his dark shoulder length curly locks, was that he was now streaked gray at the temples.
"Damn. I got old."
"Not as old as me," said Amanda, eyes crinkling slightly as she smiled.
"Well, I won't be doing that again." Dale sank back into the chair, trying to calm himself, his heart racing like he'd been running hard.
"Damn, that looks weird." Dale studied himself from each side — the gray seemed to just be beginning. He wasn't looking too bad, not really.
"It's kind of distinguished. I like it." Amanda studied him some more as he handed back the compact.
"Really? Well, that's something. Nothing like that happened to you while you were there then?"
"No, but I had an invitation, it was different. You didn't."
"Yeah, well, I had to do something. It's all tied up with him, I just know it is."
"I guess you can just ask him," said Amanda, looking extremely worried.
Dale turned in the direction she was looking and watched as a rather angry looking Tellan walked towards them down the empty road.
He doesn't look happy, not one bit.
"How did you get there?" asked Tellan without preamble. "That's my private home, you aren't supposed to be there. It's my home."
"I'm sorry, I really am," said Dale, hands up in supplication. "But I wanted to talk to you, and as you weren't here I figured I would come to you."
"Well don't. I come to you when I need to, you never, ever come to me. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" barked Dale, saluting smartly.
"Don't try to be clever, it really doesn't suit you Dale."
"Well why don't you tell us what's really going on then? All this nonsense about us causing the end of the world, it happening over again, but just here, and everywhere else is fine, that's all nonsense, I know it is. Amanda coming back, coming back because you let her, it's just started the whole thing again from scratch, except it will happen in a different way, that's all. What's really going on? And more to the point, what have you done so that somebody, somewhere, has been draining out the life force of countless Amandas
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