Lost People in Hidden Places

Chapter 17: Time & Space

The silence was thick as curdled milk. I couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, okay, I'll say it—I traveled through time and space. There. Pretty crazy, huh?"

Freck mumbled something like, ". . . what? . . . joke?" I couldn't make out most of it because of the blood thumpin' against my ear drums. I knew they would think I was squirrel food. What made it especially hard to take, I wasn't sure they was wrong. I gotta be out of my ever lovin' mind.

Gee softly mind-spoke, "Well it is either true, or we have a giant problem on our hands. As for me, I hope it is true."

Freck cleared her throat then said, "I want it to be true too, but there's sumpin'  botherin' me. On your first two journeys, pulling up to the hangar, and Gee's repeat of what he had just said, you were right there with us. We didn't see ya disappear. If ya was travelin' through space and time wouldn't ya vanish for a bit?"

"Hmm . . . not if he left and returned to the exact same instant," Gee mused.

Now that was somethin' ta chew on. When I went back to the Old West, I was alone in my room. They couldn't have seen me come and go. That trip didn't count. The other two trips happened with Freck right beside me. Gee is on to sumpin'. This may be the way time travel works. Maybe it's like stretchin' a rubber band tight, let go, and snap, it's back. It was cool to think that I could leave and return and no one would ever be wiser.

I was struck with a disturbin' thought, though. Since I didn't plan any of these trips, what if it was totally  out of my control? What if I go zipping here and there without ever knowing where or when I was going? My life would never be mine again. I turned to Gee, "This is a pretty strange conversation. Suppose someone overhears us?"

"Good point Wishes, let us not speak about it again out loud. Do we all agree? Furthermore, any time the topic comes up I will shield us from anyone who can mind-speak or mind-read. Since neither of you can make a shield yet, I suggest that we be together any time we want to discuss it."

Freck said, "It's a good idea to be careful. I'm all in."

"Me too," I replied. "I have to tell ya, I'm kinda scared." I decided to bring them in on what I was thinking. "Ya both know that I didn't make any of this happen, right? What if I cain't control it? If I ain't already out of my mind, I will be if I'm jerked here, and there for no good reason."

Gee nodded his big rounded head, "Power out of control would scare anyone. Going insane even more so. As for me, the more I think about it the more I believe it actually happened. Why? Because I know you. We know you. You have never shown any signs of mental instability. After all we have been through, if you had some kind of a problem, it would be apparent by now."

Freck agreed.

"Since we can both vouch for your sanity, we need to think about it objectively. What do we know? Hmm...we have zero experience with this cigam ability. Neither has anyone else or I would have heard about it. There is no one to consult because it is unexplored territory. So what can we do? Wait and watch for now. Wishes, would you report every incident to us?"

"Sure thing." I was relieved to have the team in on it.

"Even though we lack understanding we can make some guesses. It is possible that the first three trips only served to alert you, and us, to your gift. Future trips, and I am certain that there are many more to come, will certainly have a purpose. You may not immediately understand why, but I think that between the three of us we can figure it out. Cigam's gifts always come when needed and for definite reasons."