The Time Travellers User Guide

Chapter Four

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Author's Note: Understanding the Non-Linear Journey
Welcome, dear readers! As you embark on this journey through "The Time Traveller's User Guide," you may notice something unique about the structure of this novel: the chapters are not presented in numerical order. This creative choice reflects the very essence of time travel itself—non-linear, unpredictable, and full of surprises.

Why Non-Linear?
In the world of time travel, events don't unfold in a straightforward sequence. Our protagonist's adventures span different eras and moments, creating a tapestry of experiences that can be best appreciated in a non-traditional format. By presenting the story in this way, I hope to immerse you more deeply into the unpredictable nature of time travel.

How to Navigate the Chapters
Chapter Numbers: The chapters retain their original numbering to help you keep track of the sequence in which events are meant to be read.

Chronological Order: While the chapter numbers provide a framework, the narrative itself will guide you through the story's natural flow, revealing connections and twists as they unfold.

Interconnected Stories: Each chapter stands on its own but is part of a larger narrative. Pay attention to the details, as they will help you piece together the overarching story.

Starting Point
This note accompanies the release of Chapter 4, which is the second chapter in the published sequence. If you haven't read Chapter One yet, I recommend starting there to understand the foundation of Charlie's journey.

Enjoy the Ride
Embrace the unexpected and enjoy the ride through different times and places. I am thrilled to share this adventure with you and look forward to your thoughts and reactions as the story progresses.
Happy reading!

Andrew G. Gibson

Chapter 4

This is the story of how I first met Naomi. Dave and I had decided it would be good if we spent a bit of time apart after spending so long living in each other's pockets. Dave expressed an interest in traveling to the future, as he wanted to see if the human race ever got its act together and made it into space. He was also very interested to find out if we ever made contact with aliens and what they were like if we had.

I, on the other hand, had decided that I would very much like to catch up with my childhood fascination with dinosaurs. I can remember being given a fairly decent set of painted plastic dinosaurs by some foster parents when I was five or six. It had inspired a great fascination in me, which got me reading books about them. I simply wanted to absorb as much information as I could about them, and this interest helped improve my reading ability dramatically. Needs must, after all. Anyway, I had cooked up a plan, which involved a camping trip down to Dorset. Given that I couldn't travel in space with the watch, only through time, what I was going to do was amble along the Jurassic coast (in and around the Weymouth and Portland area), then jump back in time 170 million years. That is, once I plucked up the courage to jump this far back in time. I had seen enough of what the device could do to have some confidence that it would do its best to keep me safe. But even so, it was a big step to take. So far, the longest jump back in time I had made was 24 hours...

In terms of the gear I took with me, it was the best that money could buy, now that money was no object. I was kitted out from head to toe in lightweight Gore-tex with a low-profile nanotech fabric backpack stuffed with provisions sufficient to last five days. I had a tiny self-assembling tent and cooking equipment, a selection of hunting knives, a machete, a medical kit, and water purification tablets. I'd also packed a fully charged Kindle Voyager with a couple of books loaded to keep myself entertained and provide bedtime reading. I had some crazy expensive digital binoculars and a pretty decent Bluetooth speaker. I'd also brought along my smartphone, mainly so I could take some photos and listen to some music. And beer. I had packed a gift box of craft beers nearly as an afterthought. These were ones that Dave had brought back from the off-license one evening. There were three different types in a cardboard presentation case. I also had a medium-sized bottle of vodka.