Suspended in Time

Chapter 4 - Something Old Hidden in the Thicket

I had been at the Edding's place for four days now, and Violet was starting to tell people that I was her second older brother, which I was more than flattered by, but that made people think that something was going on between me and Darina, which wasn't the truth whatsoever. Although, the thought of having a young woman like Darina by my side in a romantic sense left my heart fluttering like the butterflies I had seen often on explorations.

My crush on Darina had gotten pretty bad in only a few days. Intense curiosity, as David said, turned into something else. I was still curious about her, but she was just a very attractive girl in every sense.

Other than a couple little rumors, and keeping my crush a secret, my time here had been, well, swell. I had pretty much gotten used to being in 1957 with its cars, style, and the overall way of life. But the technology...

"My battery died," I complained as I was sitting on the edge of David's old bed, on the blue blankets. "And there's no way to charge it."

I had all my tech gear with me, it was just... the outlets were outdated, not modern, obviously. My plugs wouldn't work on them. It was a good thing I was able to show the whole family, including David and his wife, the whole of the video of me exploring Darina's abandoned house. The whole family was in on it now, and it would be kept a secret. As far as the town and family friends were concerned, I was a traveler staying with the Eddings for a time. How long, I had no idea. Whenever God or whatever force brought me here chose to send me back.

"Maybe the plugs would work if I didn't have the three-pronged plugs," I muttered. The outlets here had only two holes, not three like modern ones. "Oh well."

"Everything okay?"

I looked up from my camera and saw Darina standing in the doorway. Her blonde hair was down and waving a little passed her shoulders, and she had on a pink skirt that pinched at the small of her waist, and that accentuated her chest under a simple white blouse. She was so attractive, it was almost sinful. Well, my thoughts regarding her attractiveness were sinful. I needed to get my mind elsewhere.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit bummed that I can't charge my camera or phone or any of the tech that I have here. No modern plugs. I would be documenting everything."

"Like you have been since you got here."

After the motorcycle rides, I got out my camera and filmed everything that I could, and Darina wanted to ride again. I shot that as well. Of course, David was utterly fascinated with my fancy camera.

"Yeah, but not anymore," I said sadly. "But it's the way it is. My plugs won't work on the ones here."

She went to my black duffle bag, knelt and pulled out a cord and examined the end. "I can see your dilemma. Three instead of two. Interesting. This one might work, though."

I looked over and saw her holding up my phone charger chord. "I tried it. Even though it's only two, the plug won't fit."

"I see." She put the chord away. "It was nice while it lasted. Maybe we could find one here. It won't be as fancy as yours, but it'll get the job done, right?"