Seeds of Time

Chapter Three

AN: To anyone who told me that they’re enjoying this, thank you, you have no idea how inspiring your words are.

Chapter Three

Meg reached into her pocket first and handed him a watch.

“Have you ever seen a clock so small?” she asked.

“I have not,” he admitted, observing it closely enough that he could hear it tick. “The small strap and buckle?”

“To attach it to a wrist.”

He nodded. “What else have you?”

She reached into her bag and pulled out her purse, handing him a ten pound note again. “Have you ever seen printing so fine?”

“It might not be printing, it might be done by hand.”

“Compare them, then tell me they aren’t printed.” She handed him another note. “Then pour water on them and rub, the ink still won’t run.”

“Whose image is this?”

“Queen Elizabeth the second.”

“No wonder you allow women to be schooled, with a queen for a monarch.”

“Women were being schooled long before she came to the throne. But yes, we do believe in equal rights, and that given half a chance, women are just as capable as men.”

He looked from the note to Meg.

“Turn it over, you’ll see a gentleman from history, well, history to us.”

“Charles Darwin.”

“He came up with the theory of evolution. Does it have a date?”

“1809 to 1882.” He looked at the notes for a few more minutes, then placed them on the table. “What else?”

She pulled the strange, flat box out of the bag and after she pressed the top, the screen lit up. “It takes a few moments to warm up,” she explained. “This device does everything, well, it does a lot. It allows us to talk with anyone else who has a similar device, to search the internet, which is like an archive of knowledge. It stores and plays music and books, videos, all sorts. And it takes photos.”

“Photos? Videos?”

“Photographs are like electronic, instant paintings, and videos are moving paintings.”

“Show me.”

The phone beeped to say it was ready, then Meg began to navigate the menus. “We’ll start with pictures. Say cheese!”

He frowned and she took a picture, blinking as the flash blinded him for a moment.

“What the devil was that!”

“An electric light, so pictures taken in the low light are still visible.” She showed him the phone and he saw an image of himself, almost the same as that which was reflected back at him in a mirror.

“I look different.”

“Because you’ve only seen your reflection, where your features are reversed. This is how other people see you.”

She moved around the table and, putting her head next to his, took a selfie of them together, then showed him the image.

“Amazing. And the music you spoke of?” he asked as she sat back down.

Meg opted to play him something classical, presuming that he probably wouldn’t enjoy Eminem or Bruno Mars.

She turned the sound down a little, unwilling to lose any more battery than necessary. Her phone was her biggest reminder of home.