Temporal Exploring 101 - Branch Cut

V.10 Trust issues

On Sunday afternoon James drove Nancy, her sister Liz, Natty, Mallory and me back to St. Alberts in one of Lord Kerrington's big limousines. To the left of our chauffeur, on the passenger seat, Sneakers' large cage was sitting, with the tiny white mouse inside.

Rather than driving directly to the school, we took a brief detour to a village near Arlesten. It was dark already when we arrived at the small cottage where Erin's grandmother now lived. Granny Morgan was standing at the door, looking for all the world as if she had been waiting for us there. After greeting us warmly, she readily accepted Sneakers and her cage.

We apologized that we had no time to stay and chat since we wanted to reach St. Albert's well before curfew, but we promised the old lady that we would visit her soon.

As it happened, we arrived at the school only minutes before the front door was to be locked both to students and visitors.

For the next couple of days I experienced the oddest kind of mood swings. One moment I was living in a space of nearly limitless happiness and joy, the next moment I was feeling sad and depressed.

That had to do with Mallory, of course, and with knowing that I would have to return to the 23rd century soon.

It was all so unfair.

I had never been in love before. Not like this. Having a crush on somebody did not count anymore, now that I knew what the real thing was like.

I was in love with Mallory Carmichael, and I was scheduled to leave a mere two months from now, with the prospect of never seeing her again, after that.

Not in this life.

Great Gauss, now you are waxing poetic, Cathy. Stop that.

I am trying, okay?

Try harder, then.

It was taking real effort for me not to lose myself in internal dialogue such as this, these days. I did not like that sort of thing. If nothing else, it reminded me of Gollum.

I tried to tell myself that this train of thought was leading nowhere and that I had better try and enjoy what little time I had left with Mallory. But neither did that prove helpful nor did it cheer me up all that much.

On Wednesday afternoon I approached Mallory during lunch break.

"Why don't we go and have a second date, Carmichael?"

She laughed. "That's one of the things that I love so much about you, Hart. You are always coming straight to the point. And yes, I'd love to go out with you again, anytime."

"How about today then, after classes?"

She smiled. "Sounds great. Count me in."

"It's a deal. And this time I will be treating you, Carmichael."

"That's fine with me, Hart."

We took the bus to Arlesten, immediately after last period. Those of our classmates who liked to go shopping or window shopping after classes usually went to the dorm to put on some makeup and stuff before walking to the bus stop, so we did not encounter any of them.

The weather was not as pleasant as on our first date. It was raining, as it so often did in England this time of year, and a cold wind was blowing.

"This is the perfect kind of weather to go and watch a movie together, Hart," Mallory declared.

I rather liked the prospect of sitting close to Mallory in a place where it was warm and cozy, so I readily agreed.

At the Arlesten cinema, one of the two movies that played was called 'Help!'. Mallory explained to me that it featured a well-known music group called the Beatles and that it was supposed to be a comedy of sorts. I had never heard of those Beatles. Not for the first time I regretted that in the course of preparing for my First Temporal Assignment my instructors had failed to put much emphasis on the pop, rock and folk music that everybody seemed to be talking about all the time in the 1960s.