Time Travel Institute (Cold Curtain)

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"A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them."—John C. Maxwell

August 15, 2148

Nobody except Alexander could touch Benjamin or stand within twenty feet of him in case he spread a disease. For a week, he would stay in an unused room in the Watts' house until he either recovered from the sickness or came down with it and recovered.

"Hey!" Benjamin said to Alexander, hands over his ears and covered in mud.

"Hey!" Alexander yelled as Herbert powered down. He took off the earmuffs. "Are you sick?"

"No, but I was for about the first three weeks. How's Claire?"

"Good! She knows what dogs say!"

"What about Chloe, Eli, Ella, and Daisy?"

"All good. How was the trip?"

"You look frazzled."

"I'll tell you about it later. How was it?"

"I wrote it all down." Benjamin gave Alexander a battered brown journal. "Just...Don't let anybody else read it."

"I won't," Alexander said. "Ella left food out for you."

While Benjamin took a shower, Alexander read the journal, written in pencil. "Your handwriting is weird here," he said as Benjamin came into the kitchen.

"I know. I learned the script people my age would've known," Benjamin said. "Mine would've stood out. I wish I learned how to fire the rifle instead."

"Your hands are shaking like Dr. Bentrup's."

"Yeah, they've been doing that."

"And Ella made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You haven't even looked at them. You wrote here, 'I miss Ella's cooking th most.'"

Benjamin walked to the dresser. "I'm getting one. See? And my hands are just shaking from bully beef overdose or something."

In the morning, Benjamin called Chloe and told her. "You were right that going to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive was a bad idea. I'm still going to be a time traveler, though."

"You should stop before you get all messed up," Chloe said.

"If I'm not messed up by now, I probably won't be."

Email from Private Joseph Watts from Alexander, August 16, 2148

Dear Uncle Joe,

Do you remember Benjamin? He interviewed you for a school assignment a few years ago because he doesn't have an uncle. He also went to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. You said that no sane person would do that. He did it. Now I'm a little worried about him.

He only ate half of one of Ella's sandwiches. The last time he did that, he had gastroenteritis.

His hands were very steady. Now they have tremors.

He limps a little. He says that is because his feet hurt.

He does not answer questions about the trip.

Do you think he is okay? What do I do?

Alexander

Uncle Joe's Response, August 17, 2148