BACK AND FORTH-I

CHAPTER 10

                                                                          Chapter Ten

                                                                THE DEMONSTRATION

   Paul had a wicked sense of humour, and would pull your leg at the slightest provocation. We sat telling jokes into the wee hours, until we were so tired we all fell asleep where we sat.

  Breakfast was at about 11:30, as I recall. Lunch was skipped for the lateness of the previous meal. No-one dared touch alcohol, so fierce were some of the hangovers, but, nonetheless, we made plans to retrieve the weapons surrendered from the Argentines the next morning. We were to go in batches of three, and, fill the truck with all we could handle. Boxes of grenades, guns, rifles, ammunition of all kinds and tools. We had a selection of chainsaws too, though just why we decided to bring these along is long forgotten.

        "By the way. I've looked at the Sun's weather," said Bill, matter-of-factly. "We need to keep our eyes peeled for a CME, a Coronal Mass Ejection, from the Sun's surface. If that happens, and it clashes with our movements, we could be lost in time and space. We would have to lay low for a couple of days, until the seriousness of the electron stream has passed."

        "Bugger! I'd not considered that, Bill. I take it we're safe for the moment?" Bill nodded.

  But that is all talk. Paul wanted his demonstration, and it's decided that he and Bill would accompany me to the same moment in time to meet Harold and Brithnoth at the same exact spot. For some inexplicable reason, Paul became somewhat skeptical about the reality of this time machine. Nonetheless, he sat in the front seat, with Bill in the back seat.

       "Don't bother strapping yourself in, Paul." I said, looking across at him, smiling.

       "Well," he replied, "get on with it."

  I energised the system, hit enter, and, in a trillionth of a second, we were there, in the yard, back in January, 1066. I opened the door and revealed ourselves to the two men, who, to them, I had left but a moment earlier.

      "Uh!?"

  Brithnoth took a step back, so much is his surprise, but Harold held onto his arm. "Wizardry! Harold, wizardry!"

  Three of us stepped out of the vehicle and stood before Harold and Brithnoth. I must admit that both Paul and Bill carried a slight look of bewilderment at their surroundings, and, at actually seeing Harold, let alone the giant, Brithnoth.

       "Great Earl, Harold. My companions are Bill and Paul."

  My introduction is, perhaps a might too light, for Harold is not impressed, or he didn't seem to be. He appeared to take my recurrence in his stride. Brithnoth, on the other-hand is mightily imprinted with our presence.

  I need to make you, the reader, aware that Paul is endowed with a good deal of knowledge of Anglo Saxon that is far superior than my own attempts, so I nudged him, and managed to get him to speak our ancient tongue.

       "Err, hello," he stuttered. "I am Paul. I'm pleased to meet you, Harold. You too, Brithnoth."

  Harold laughed. No doubt at hearing Paul's accent, then stepped forward to shake his hand. Harold pulled back, recalling the not so pleasant tingle from his last experience, and advised Brithnoth against any such physicality, lest he experienced the same unpleasant fate. Harold gazed at Bill and smiled, greeted him cordially and asked us to accompany them inside, to partake of his hospitality. We did, of course, and followed the two men into the palace and into Harold's private rooms.