Backwards in Time

 Chapter 1

The Dream

Alyx Walker stumbled through a curtain of red beads and fine silk. Five seconds ago, she’d been in her bedroom, reading a book. And now she was here, wherever here was. She paused, and took in her surroundings. Everything was a shade of red, except the wooden table in the middle of the room. Alyx shuddered. Odd place, this was. “Ahem”. Alyx jumped. She turned towards where the sound had come from. Behind the desk, sitting on a wooden chair there was a woman in a red cloak. Her hood was up, and all of her face was covered, aside from her lips, which sported dark red lipstick. She was tapping her nails against the wood of the table. They were also painted a shade of red. Crimson.  “Sit down, Alyx Walker”. She pointed to a chair, that Alyx was sure hadn’t been there before. She slowly sat down, and looked at the woman. She started to speak.

“Alyx Walker, your destiny has been decided”. She opened up a drawer in her desk, and took out a small crystal ball, no bigger than the palm of her hand, and placed it on a golden stand on the table. “I need your help. In two days’ time, the volcano will erupt. It is not my destiny to die here, nor yours.  If I die, the future will be changed. The end of Earth will come sooner. Listen, Alyx. There’s not much time. Tomorrow afternoon, at precisely 1:31, what seems impossible will happen. You will be summoned here, and you must bring me this” She held her hand above the crystal ball, and an image appeared.  It was a large, bronze, Victorian style Skeleton key. “This will return me to my time and you to yours.” Alyx had come to the conclusion that she was a fortune teller, and wanted to ask her more. “Wait, Back to my time? What? I’m in a different era? What?”  The fortune teller chuckled. “We will meet again, Alyx Walker”.