so, although this isn't proof of anything, is it? It's just a tin."
"Yeah but we put it there, in the past."
"If we did that, and we... Oh! Oh, no!" Realization swept over Amanda in a sickening wave. Her guts churned, she went hot, then cold, then hot again. She still had her coat on; it made her feel like she was buried alive. She stripped it off in a panic and rain droplets splashed all over the floor. She just stood there, staring at the tin, holding her coat, knowing they had done something terrible.
"What? What is it?" Dale looked around the kitchen frantically, wondering what had freaked Amanda out so much.
"We've messed up, we've messed up big time."
"What, the tin you mean? So what, we dug it up? It doesn't matter."
"This is why Tellan said not to go digging, to leave well alone. We've dug it up, so now we know it's there. Was there, I mean."
"Yeah, so? Look, it's just a tin." Dale picked it up and shook it. They both heard the rustling inside, the sound that had been almost imperceptible outside.
"Dale, you don't get it, do you?" Dale shook his head and began to prize the lid off. "No, wait. Look, put it down a minute will you? I need to think. I need to talk to you."
Dale put the tin down, hair dripping water. "Okay, just let me get changed. If we're gonna have a chat then I need to towel my hair and get some dry things on."
"Okay, I don't suppose it matters now anyway. It's too late, there's no hurry."
Dale stared at Amanda, clearly confused. "Hold that thought, I'll be back soon. You okay, babe?"
"Yes. No. Oh, I don't know. I think we messed up, Dale, like, really, really messed up."
"We can't have done anything worse than what we did a few months ago. What we stopped happening. Just wait, okay?"
Amanda nodded and Dale left to dry himself off. She gave the tin an evil stare and went to hang up her coat.
~~~
The tin, dry and clean, was on the Ercol coffee table. Amanda and Dale sat on the floor, staring at it as though it held the answer to everything and was also the harbinger of their doom.
"Okay, what's all this about?" asked Dale. "What do you think has gone wrong just because we dug this up?"
"I think we better open it first, just to make sure I'm right. It won't make any difference now, not now we've dug it up anyway."
"Okay," said Dale warily, looking as nervous as Amanda felt. "You know you're freaking me out, right?"
"Haha, sorry. But I am freaked out, and you will be, properly, once I tell you what I think we've done."
With a look of utter confusion, Dale picked up the tin and prized the lid off with a struggle. "Damn, why do they make these things so hard to open?"
"Chocolates are always worth a battle. It makes you feel better if it involves a little work."
"Ah, got it." The lid came off with a pop. A piece of paper fell to the carpet. Dale picked up the scrap. It looked to Amanda like it was torn from one of the notepads they kept in the kitchen drawer for making lists for groceries.
"What's it say?" Amanda tried to peer over Dale's shoulder but he got up and put the note flat to his chest.
"Before I read it, what's this all about, Amanda? Am I going to make it worse just by reading this?" Dale put a hand through his still-damp hair, brushing it away from his eyes.
I guess I may as well tell him, as long as I'm right, that is. Amanda chewed on her bottom lip, not even realizing. She looked out of the living room window, hating the depressingly low cloud, the drizzle. What she wouldn't give for the bright days of summer. She noticed that the windows needed a clean — how did they get so smudged on the inside? It was like they had a dog that slobbered all over them or something.
"Amanda? Hey, hey."
"Oh, sorry, I was miles away. Okay, look, we've dug up this tin, right?" Dale nodded, the hand holding the note moved to his side. "And there's a note. So, we've proved to ourselves that time travel exists at some point in the future, so we send a note back to
"Yeah but we put it there, in the past."
"If we did that, and we... Oh! Oh, no!" Realization swept over Amanda in a sickening wave. Her guts churned, she went hot, then cold, then hot again. She still had her coat on; it made her feel like she was buried alive. She stripped it off in a panic and rain droplets splashed all over the floor. She just stood there, staring at the tin, holding her coat, knowing they had done something terrible.
"What? What is it?" Dale looked around the kitchen frantically, wondering what had freaked Amanda out so much.
"We've messed up, we've messed up big time."
"What, the tin you mean? So what, we dug it up? It doesn't matter."
"This is why Tellan said not to go digging, to leave well alone. We've dug it up, so now we know it's there. Was there, I mean."
"Yeah, so? Look, it's just a tin." Dale picked it up and shook it. They both heard the rustling inside, the sound that had been almost imperceptible outside.
"Dale, you don't get it, do you?" Dale shook his head and began to prize the lid off. "No, wait. Look, put it down a minute will you? I need to think. I need to talk to you."
Dale put the tin down, hair dripping water. "Okay, just let me get changed. If we're gonna have a chat then I need to towel my hair and get some dry things on."
"Okay, I don't suppose it matters now anyway. It's too late, there's no hurry."
Dale stared at Amanda, clearly confused. "Hold that thought, I'll be back soon. You okay, babe?"
"Yes. No. Oh, I don't know. I think we messed up, Dale, like, really, really messed up."
"We can't have done anything worse than what we did a few months ago. What we stopped happening. Just wait, okay?"
Amanda nodded and Dale left to dry himself off. She gave the tin an evil stare and went to hang up her coat.
~~~
The tin, dry and clean, was on the Ercol coffee table. Amanda and Dale sat on the floor, staring at it as though it held the answer to everything and was also the harbinger of their doom.
"Okay, what's all this about?" asked Dale. "What do you think has gone wrong just because we dug this up?"
"I think we better open it first, just to make sure I'm right. It won't make any difference now, not now we've dug it up anyway."
"Okay," said Dale warily, looking as nervous as Amanda felt. "You know you're freaking me out, right?"
"Haha, sorry. But I am freaked out, and you will be, properly, once I tell you what I think we've done."
With a look of utter confusion, Dale picked up the tin and prized the lid off with a struggle. "Damn, why do they make these things so hard to open?"
"Chocolates are always worth a battle. It makes you feel better if it involves a little work."
"Ah, got it." The lid came off with a pop. A piece of paper fell to the carpet. Dale picked up the scrap. It looked to Amanda like it was torn from one of the notepads they kept in the kitchen drawer for making lists for groceries.
"What's it say?" Amanda tried to peer over Dale's shoulder but he got up and put the note flat to his chest.
"Before I read it, what's this all about, Amanda? Am I going to make it worse just by reading this?" Dale put a hand through his still-damp hair, brushing it away from his eyes.
I guess I may as well tell him, as long as I'm right, that is. Amanda chewed on her bottom lip, not even realizing. She looked out of the living room window, hating the depressingly low cloud, the drizzle. What she wouldn't give for the bright days of summer. She noticed that the windows needed a clean — how did they get so smudged on the inside? It was like they had a dog that slobbered all over them or something.
"Amanda? Hey, hey."
"Oh, sorry, I was miles away. Okay, look, we've dug up this tin, right?" Dale nodded, the hand holding the note moved to his side. "And there's a note. So, we've proved to ourselves that time travel exists at some point in the future, so we send a note back to
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