***** Something Big *****

There was a rainbow around the sun, the day the raft floated in.  In fact, there 
were two rainbows, each of them a perfect circle with the sun at its center.  It 
looked like an enormous shining target, and the boy almost laughed out loud as 
he released an imaginary arrow streaking toward the sky.

He had been restless and excited all morning.  It was now almost a week since 
school let out for summer, and his eleventh birthday was coming up in just a few 
days.  Still, this was not the cause of his excitement--he just felt like Something 
Big was going to happen, and he certainly hoped it would.  

He had been miserable since moving to the farm on the River over a year ago, 
and he wished he was back in the city.  He longed for the games at the 
neighborhood basketball court, and for the corner store where he used to hang 
out with his buddies.  He missed the ice cream truck which cruised his street twice 
a day in summer.  He wanted to be back with the noise and excitement of city life.  
He was bored and angry.

³It will be fine, Kelvin.² Father had said. ³You will meet new friends and discover 
new ways to have fun.  You just have to try.²  Well, he had tried.  True, he  made a 
few new friends, but they all lived on farms scattered over many miles, too far 
away.  And the things these new friends liked to do, skipping stones on the River 
or running up and down its muddy banks with fishing poles, raising baby pigs and 
calves --  these were not things he considered fun.

It was all his fatherıs fault, for deciding to move to Aunt Mayıs farm when his 
mother died.  They could have stayed where they were, but no -- his father 
wanted to come live in the country, where life was better.  ³Better for who?² 
Kelvin wondered.  

He missed his mother tremendously, and even though he knew it was wrong, he 
blamed his father for letting her die.  His unhappiness made him so bitter at his 
father that he kept away from him, but that separation made him even more 
unhappy.  He was in a terrible bind, and did not know what to do about it.

He was thinking thoughts like these as he walked across the yard on his way 
down to the River.  The one thing which seemed to bring him any satisfaction was 
to sit on the bank, under the giant willow tree, and watch the River and its 
endless parade of boats.  He would try to imagine where they had been and 
where they were going.  He would picture himself on board, having great 
adventures with wonderful people in unknown places.  These fantasies could 
occupy him for hours at a time, and they had become his chief entertainment since 
the end of school.

³Are you on your way to the River again?² Aunt May asked. ³Donıt be late for 
dinner.²  He nodded as he turned the corner by the front porch and started across 
the great green lawn.  As he passed the flag pole with the eagle on top, he paused, 
as he often did, to look up at the eagle and pretend it was real.  It was then, with 
the sun momentarily blocked by the wooden eagle, that he saw the rainbows in 
the cloudless summer sky.

He had seen fuzzy white circles around the sun before, of course, but never 
anything like this.  The sheer, unexpected beauty of it startled him.  It had to be a 
sign.  He ran down the hill on his way to the riverbank path, and soon he was at 
the edge of the small woods which separated the house from the River.  The path 
was well worn by now, because he had been going this way two or three times a 
day for the last week.  He was becoming very familiar  with his stretch of 
riverbank, and as he skipped down the path he greeted this tree, that vine and 
those large blue flowers as if they were old friends.  The buzz of the insects played 
like rock music in his head and he stopped to play drums on a hollow stump.  He 
felt happier than he had since his life changed, and he whistled back at a bird 
singing over his head. 

The path rounded a corner and he could now see the River glistening through the 
trees.  The River.  It had begun to seem like a living thing to him, as he sat for 
hours, watching the boats come and go on its swirling surface.  Sometimes, when 
the still afternoons became hazy with heat, it seemed to talk to him with a 
wordless voice, spinning tales of times and places gone and yet to come.  ³I have 
always been here,² it would say to him ³all else is just floating by.²

The path dropped sharply now, cutting down the bluff bank to the sand bar 
below.  This was the place which had become the hub of Kelvinıs world.  

Although there was a bend about a half mile downstream, the River ran straight 
and swift here.   There was a cove in the high bank, and the sand bar was in this 
cove.  It was covered with grass and wildflowers, and with cottonwood and 
willow trees, whose broken tops reminded him of the power the River could 
deliver.  On a normal day, however, the cove was sheltered from the swift flow 
of the main current, providing a calm refuge of lazy eddy currents.  At the 
upsteam end of the sand bar, overlooking the eddy pool, under the very largest 
willow he had ever seen, was his special place.  And this is where the path led.

Kelvin jumped, as usual, the last few feet down the bluff bank to the grassy bar, 
and as he landed he noticed something different in his cove.  There was a raft 
gently nudging the roots of the old willow.

A raft!  He ran the rest of the way to the waterıs edge to get a better look.  It was 
not a large raft, but it was just the right size for him.  It had four bright blue, 55-
gallon drums as floats, and the deck was tied to these floats with strong, yellow 
nylon ropes.  The knots looked like they were tied by a sailor.  It was a very well 
made raft.  The deck itself seemed to be constructed from pieces of heavy wooden 
packing crates which had once held machinery of some kind.  He could still read 
some of the markings, ³Windsor Equipment Company; Cincinnati, Ohio -- This 
end up.² and "Peters Tool and Die, Framgingham, Mass."  He tried to imagine 
the kinds of machines that would require such heavy crates; probably some kind of 
construction equipment, he decided.

 Most fascinating of all, however, was  the fact that the raft had oar locks, with 
two long, sturdy oars tied to the deck, and a life jacket tied to them.  This raft did 
not simply depend on the whims of current and wind, but could actually be rowed 
and maneuvered.  It was the raft of a boyıs dreams.

But how had it arrived here in his cove?  Perhaps someone had floated here on it 
and they were right now out in the woods exploring this part of the valley.  
Perhaps (and he hoped this was the case) it had simply drifted on its own after 
floating away from whoever had made it up the River.  He scrambled back up to 
the top of the bluff bank and looked all around.  He could see no sign of anyone.  

³Hello,² he cried ³anyone leave a raft in the cove?².  The only reply was the 
excited flurry of some birds, startled by his loud voice.  He yelled a few more times 
and climbed back down to the cove, relieved that no one had answered to claim 
the raft.

As he sat under the willow again, he tingled with excitement over the possibilities 
such a raft provided.  He imagined rowing far out to see the long barge trains, 
loaded with coal, grain or scrap metal.  He would visit with the tugboat captains, 
and they would let him tie the raft to their barges.  He imagined the faces of the 
people on the fast power boats, as he bobbed over their wakes.  ³Would you like to 
water ski?² they would shout over the noise of their motors.  He pictured himself 
drifting far down the River until he came at last to the city he knew had to be 
somewhere beyond the next bend.

There was a long yellow rope dangling in the water from one end of the deck, and 
this he snagged with a stick and tied securely to the big tree.  He thanked the 
unknown person who made the raft and made a silent promise to take good care 
of it. He knew his summer had only just now begun, but he had no way to know 
just how amazing it would turn out to be.

Now that the raft was tied to the tree, Kelvin jumped from the sand bar onto its 
wooden planks--and almost fell off in surprise!  He could not explain it, but he 
was sure the raft had hummed and glowed, ever so briefly, as his feet touched 
down on the deck.  The experience was over almost before he had time to feel it, 
but he was sure it was real.  The raft had made a high-pitched sound like a turbine 
winding up, and it had glowed like a green neon sign.  He leaped back to the 
riverbank and stared in astonishment.  What could this mean?

His first thought was to run home and tell Father what had happened and get 
him to explain the strange raft's behavior.  They barely spoke these days, though, 
he remembered with a twinge of regret.

He realized, also, that for some reason he did not want to tell anyone about this; 
at least not yet, not until he knew more about what he had discovered here in his 
cove.  The raft bobbed in the eddy currents and tugged slightly at the yellow rope.  
It looked so ordinary now, it was hard to believe that anything unusual had 
happened at all.

Kelvin sat down on a large willow root and gazed at the raft.  Could it be 
radioactive, or haunted, or had it escaped from from some powerful upstream 
magician?  He had read a few books lately about UFOs and little men from outer 
space.  Those UFOs hummed and glowed, just like what he had seen, but this was 
just a raft, not some product of a superior alien civilization.  And he saw no sign 
of space aliens, or anyone else.

Suddenly , he jumped, startled by the ringing of the big bell.  ³Kelvin, itıs time for  
for dinner.² Aunt May was yelling, as she yanked the bell rope.  That bell made 
enough noise to wake the dead, according to his father, and it certainly could not 
be ignored. ³Iım coming.² he shouted back, as he stood up.  Only then did he 
realize that the sun had already set, and the evening star was shining like an 
incoming plane in the twilit sky.

He checked that the rope was tied fast to the tree.  Enchanted or not, he wanted 
to make sure the raft was still in the cove when he returned the next day.  He 
walked very slowly back up the riverbank path, pausing several times to catch a 
glimpse of the raft, until it was hidden from view.

***

That night, Kelvin slept a very deep and dreamless sleep, and he woke up the next 
morning feeling even more excited than he had the day before.  He somehow felt 
that this strange raft was the Something Big that he had been hoping for, and 
that in some way he did not yet understand, his summer was going to be the best 
ever.

He dressed quickly and hurried downstairs to breakfast.  Aunt May laughed, 
because he ate so quickly. ³You could at least chew every other bite!² she said.  He 
smiled and waved, as he ran out the door to the River path.  He did not want to 
waste a single minute.

It was a bright, sunny morning and the usual birds serenaded him on his way 
down the path, but their songs sounded cheerier today, and their colors looked 
brighter.  He ran so fast he felt like he was flying, and his final leap down the bluff 
bank was so high that it almost scared him.  He landed with a thump on the sand 
bar, and there it was.  The raft!

Now that he had it in sight, he slowed to a deliberate walk and kept his eyes fixed 
on it.  The bright morning sun glinting off the River seemed to wash away some 
of the enchantment the raft had possesed the evening before, and he found 
himself wondering again if he had just imagined the hum and the glow.  But the 
morning sun also made him feel happy and brave, so he gave a brief whistle and 
jumped from the sand bar right to the center of the deck.  He landed in a crouch, 
ready to spring back to shore at the slightest hint of anything unusual.

Nothing, nothing at all.  That was what happened.  The raft rocked in the water 
from the force of his landing, the oars rattled against the oar locks, and then all 
was quiet.

Kelvin slowly stood up, straining to hear or see anything unusual.  He stood very 
still for a few minutes, and then he walked over to the edge of the deck to look 
down at his reflection in the water.  The yellow ropes creaked as he walked, but 
there was no hum and no green glow.  He sat on the edge, dangling his feet just 
above the water.   Then he looked out across the River and saw a tugboat pushing 
a long barge train up toward the next bend.  He would go visit!

³Here I come!² he shouted, as he untied the rope from the willow.  Now the raft 
was floating freely, and he began to remove the ropes that held the oars to the 
deck.  They were tied very securely, and he made a point to study the knots he was 
untying, so that he could hopefully  use those knots himself when it was time to 
store the oars again.  They were not really complicated knots, but they were 
unusual, and very strong.  There was no way the oars could come loose from the 
raft if they were always retied this way, he noted with satisfaction.

Finally, the oars were free, and he removed the life jacket that was tied with 
them.  It was a bit large for him, but not so large that it would not work.  He put it 
on, even though he was a very good swimmer.  No need to take chances.

 The oars were really long and heavy, but they were easier to manage, once he 
mounted them in the oar locks.  He tried rowing. but the raft just went around in 
circles.  ³This is harder than I thought.² he muttered to himself, but he kept at it, 
and after a while he was able to make the raft go in a zig-zag, rather than a 
circle.  It was good enough for a start, he decided, and he rowed out of the cove, 
headed for the middle of the River. 

After leaving the protection of the cove, Kelvin encountered the full force of the 
current, and he was surprised at how hard it was to row across it.  He had to 
point the raft upstream and row mightily, or the raft would just drift toward the 
downstream bend, along with the other stuff floating on the muddy water.  He 
rowed and rowed, and he was making progress getting to the middle, but the 
barge train was fast disappearing around the upstream bend.  He realized he was 
not going to catch it.

He knew there would be other barge trains to meet, so he put down the oars and 
drifted.  It was wonderful just to be out on the River at last. 

He tried to see his house up on the bluff bank, but it was hidden by the woods, 
except for the very top of the chimney.  He spotted the giant willow in his cove, 
and noted with satisfaction that it made a good landmark for returning from his 
travels.  The far bank of the River was much lower than the side he lived on, and 
it had very few trees, being mostly crop fields and pastureland.  Down at the 
bend, the bluff bank seemed to become even higher and the far bank flattened out 
into a series of beaches and sand bars, where the current moved lazily.  He had 
never seen what was around that bend, so he decided he would drift down and 
then row back up in the slack water on the far side.

After drifting a while, he was now approaching the bend, so he picked up the oars 
again and began to row toward the slow-moving currents on the inside of the 
curve.  He could see a couple of nice sand bars there, and he thought he would 
beach the raft on one and explore the far bank on foot for a while.  He was really 
getting excited now about seeing places that were completely new to him.  This 
was fun!  He put his back into the oars and rowed as hard as he was able.

He had almost reached the shallow bank when it happened.  The raft seemed to 
tremble slightly, and then began to hum like a giant generator about to spin itself 
to pieces-- louder and louder, and higher and higher.  Kelvin covered his ears, 
and then shut his eyes, as well.  The entire raft was now glowing with an eerie 
green light, which seemed to come from deep within its wood, rope and steel.  
Even with his eyes shut tight, he could still see the light, and now it and the hum 
seemed to be coming in waves, and the waves were crashing over him. 

He was just about to jump into the water, when suddenly it stopped.  In the 
silence, he could hear the River lapping at the raftıs hollow floats, making a 
sound like muffled drums.  Behind his tightly clenched eyelids, there was now only 
darkness.  Slowly he opened them.

The raft looked the same, but something very weird had happened to the River.  It 
was no longer the color of chocolate milk, but was instead a clear blue, like a 
mountain stream.   Also. the beach he was planing to land on was gone, and in its 
place there was a  shiny metal mesh surface, that stretched from underneath the 
water all the way to the top of the bank.  And the top of the bank was much higher 
as well; he could no longer see over it from the level of the river. Kelvin gaped in 
astonishment, then turned to look at the bank he had rowed over from.  It was 
covered with the same shiny mesh, but he could see the top of that bank, and what 
he saw made his heart skip a beat.  

There were no  longer any trees, and in their place were rows of what appeared 
to be large,white, ball-shaped buildings with tall, metal towers.  He could see no 
trace of his house or of the big willow.  He sat down and shivered, even though it 
was a warm summer day.  

So the raft really was magical!  He was just not sure what kind of magic it had 
worked on him, or if there was any way to undo the spell, so that he could be back 
home again.   He was excited about the possibilities, and scared out of his mind, 
all at the same time.  This was Something Big for sure.


***** The Time Gate *****

Kelvin had stopped rowing in his surprise, and now the current was carrying him 
slowly around the bend.  His momentum brought him ever closer to the shiny 
metal shore.  As he rounded the bend, he saw a set of stairs leading from the top 
of the bank down to the water, and he decided to beach the raft there.  It slid to a 
halt with a sharp, scraping sound, and he tied his rope to the metal railing of the 
stairs.  He looked up at the top of those stairs and listened intently.

At first he heard nothing, but then he could just make out a faint whirring sound, 
like the sound of the fan in Aunt Mayıs kitchen.  It was getting louder now, and he 
spun around as he realized it was coming from behind him, from the direction of 
the River.  Although he was by now expecting to see amazing things, he was still 
startled to see a car or plane of some sort gliding toward him, just above the 
surface of the water.  It stopped about 30 feet from him, still hovering, and the 
noise hushed to a whisper.

The top of the air car was a sort of  smoke-colored bubble, and now it began to  
lift open. Kelvin held his breath.  The bubble top was now completely open and he 
could see two people inside, one a tall thin man, the other a shorter woman.  They 
were looking at him through some kind of instruments, binoculars he figured, and 
they were talking and pointing at him.  He noticed that the clothes they wore 
seemed to be made of rainbows, they way they shimmered in the sunlight, and 
scared as he was, the thought of rainbow clothes made him smile.

³Who are you?  Where did you come from?  Why are you here?² The tall rainbow 
person was talking  to him now, and Kelvinıs smile vanished.

³My name is Kelvin Butler, and I came from just around the bend.  Or at least I 
think I did.  Everything looks different now, and I think I might be under some sort 
of magic spell.²

³You are not from around here.  That much I know.  Why are you lying to me 
about it?²

Kelvin did not like the turn the conversation was taking.  Were they guards of 
some sort, or police?  Was he in trouble?  ³Please, I am very confused about what 
has just happened to me.  Can you tell me where I am?²

³You are in District 5 of the Second Partition.  I repeat: Where did you come 
from?²

³If this is District 5, then I am from District 5.  I told you, I came from just around 
the bend here, not more than a half mile upstream.  Things look really different 
now, though.  Are you magicians?  I want out of this spell.²  He was beginning to 
panic, as he had no idea what was going on, or who these people were.

The air car was moving closer now, and it stopped no more than five feet away.   
He could now see the ³binoculars² were really something else, as the instruments 
had no lenses.  Maybe they were for X-ray vision.  The guards, or whoever they 
were, now seemed very interested in his raft.

³You are a Shunnist.² the woman spoke now, ³Did you float down from District 
17 on this craft?  Are you alone?  What is in the blue containers?²

Kelvin was startled to see some sort of small, flying  probe, looking for all the 
world like a metal turtle, slide from a hatch in the air car and glide right up to the 
raft, where it attached itself to one of the float barrels with a hollow click.

³Hey, what are you doing to my raft?² 

The two guards did not reply, but another metal turtle left the air car and quickly 
circled the raft, wrapping it as it went with some kind of thin, but strong, tape.  
Before he even had time to react, the raft looked like an insect cocooned by a 
spider.  That thought gave him the creeps, but he noted with relief that the tape 
had not wrapped him, just the raft.  He jumped.

He jumped, but he never hit the water.  Instead, he ended up hanging in mid air, 
with a feeling like he was swimming in honey.  He could move, but with difficulty, 
and something invisible was keeping him suspended.  Now he was really scared!  
³Put me down!² he shouted.

³You will be coming with us.² said the thin guard, ³We want to show you to the 
Captain.²   With that, his captors moved the air car underneath him and 
somehow lowered him into a seat behind them.  The bubble top closed with a faint 
hiss.

Kelvin looked around.  The inside of the vehicle, at least the part he was in, was 
covered with a padded blue material, plastic he figured.  The seats were of the 
same material.  He realized with a shock that he was unable to move from his 
seat, even though he could see no restraining device of any kind.  Evidently these 
people, whoever they were, had harnessed some kind of force field.  He struggled 
briefly, then gave it up as useless.  He went back to examing his surroundings.

The compartment was bare except for four padded seats.  There was a dark 
window between him and the guards in the front.  From his experience of TV 
police shows, he assumed it was a one-way window, and they could see him just 
fine.  He was able to see out the side window, however, so he leaned over as far 
as his invisible restraints would allow.

The air car had left the level of the River, and they were now high above it.  
Kelvin could see his poor cocooned raft below; there were two more guard cars 
just now approaching it.  He looked forward, in the direction they were heading.  
The white ball-shaped buildings he had seen from the water were just the edge of 
what appeared to be a rather large city of similarly odd-shaped structures.   
There were shiny pyramids and cylinders, and others which looked like enormous 
crystals in colors that changed as they flew by.  His mind reeled.  Where was he?  
Who was this Captain they were taking him to see?  He bit his lip hard, hoping to 
wake up, but he only succeded in making it bleed.

They were losing altitude now and seemed to be heading toward a large emerald 
crystal at the base of a low hill.  The emerald began to look more like sapphire as 
they approached, and by the time the car slipped through a door halfway up the 
side, it was glowing red as any ruby.  The ruby door closed behind them, the car 
slowed to a stop, and then it gently settled to the floor.  The dark window 
lowered in front, allowing him to again see his captors, and then the bubble top 
lifted completely from the car, disapearing somewhere above. 

 ³So you must be the young Shunnist my officers have been telling me about.²  
Kelvin turned to face the voice, and was confronted with a tall, sharp-faced man 
with yellow eyes and long, silver hair.  He was wearing the same kind of loose-
fitting suit as the people in the car, but instead of being a rainbow, it was so black 
that it actually seemed to suck up light and color around it.  He stood beside a 
table, in the middle of a large, shimmering room, looking for all the world like 
some kind of exotic bird of prey.

³Bring him to me now.² the dark figure commanded, and at once his invisible 
restraints were released.  The two guards opened a door in the car and lifted him 
out through it, motioning for him to walk.

Kelvin slowly approached the man.  ³Are, are you the Captain?² he asked, 
stammering in fright.

³I am.  And tell me, what is a Shunnist boy doing here in District 5?²

³Sir, I donıt know what a Shunnist is, and I have never before even heard of 
District 5.  I just floated down the River today, from just around the bend, and 
then everything got really weird and I donıt know what is happening.   I only 
want to get out of this spell, or whatever it is, and go back home.²

³So, you just today floated down from the liquid oxygen factory, did you?² The 
yellow eyes seemed to glow.  ³That is what is around the bend from here, though 
I would not expect such a young Shunnist to have such detailed knowledge.  
Where are the others?²

Kelvin now realized that these people thought he was part of some kind of gang 
or rebel group, and they did not believe a word he said.  He felt suddenly very 
tired.

The Captain was talking again.  ³If you will be telling me the whereabouts of 
those who are with you, I will be sending you safely back to District 17.  
Otherwise, I must be keeping you here.  The choice is yours.²

³Mister Captain,² Kelvin spoke slowly, ³ you seem to think I am a Shunnist, 
whatever that is.  I am not.  I am just a kid caught in some sort of nightmare 
world, and I want to go home.²  He was beginning to cry now, and the tears 
burned his cheeks.  Why did they not believe him?

³Very well,² The Captain was walking away as he spoke. ³ you are being taken to 
the guest quarters.  You will remain there until such time as you decide to 
cooperate.²  A door opened and shut quickly, and Kelvin was left with his original 
captors.  They nudged him to come with them, and he followed through an open 
door in the opposite wall.

They walked down a long, featureless hall.  It was lit with the same shimmering 
light as the room they were just in, but he could find no source for it.  Actually, it 
seemed to him that the walls themselves were glowing.  There were no doors 
visible, but he noticed that sometimes a part of the wall would glow with a 
different color as they passed.  After a rather long time, or so it seemed, they 
stopped in front of one of these colored patches and the woman touched it. 
Instantly, part of the wall slid open, and they walked through.  

³These are the guest quarters.²the thin man told him, ³You will stay in here until 
you decide to tell us where the whereabouts of those you came with.  The Captain 
will see you later.²  With that, both guards left the room and the door slid shut 
again.

Kelvin sat down on a padded bench that seemed to grow from the floor.  He 
looked around at his alien surroundings and shivered.  The evil magicians had put 
him in a small, featureless room that shimmered like all the other spaces he had 
seen.  Besides the bench, there was a larger, raised platform, probably a bed, and 
an open door leading to a smaller room, which he assumed to be a bathroom.  He 
was too tired to go look.  He stretched out on the bench and considered his 
situation.

³I wonder who or what the Shunnists are?² he thought to himself.  That seemed 
to be the key to his predicament; as long as they thought he was one of those, they 
would not set him free.  And the Captain!  It gave him the creeps just to think 
about those menacing yellow eyes.

He never wanted to see the Captain again, but he knew that he would have to.

He thought back to the morning, when he set off on the raft, and it seemed 
somehow like such a very long time ago.  He went over the details of the trip in 
his mind, to try and discover any clue about what happened.   He could recall 
nothing at all unusual, until the raft began to glow and hum, just as he rounded 
the downstream bend.  What caused it to do that?   Was it really magic?  His idea 
of magic, if such a thing even existed, was that it required some kind of special 
words or gestures, a formula to create a spell.  He could certainly not remember 
doing anything like that, so someone else must have.  But who?

³Thatıs it!  The Captain left the raft in the cove.² Kelvin spoke his thoughts out 
loud, ³He left it there for me to find, and then when I went out on it, he cast his 
magic spell and put me in this strange world.  But why?  Who is he?  What does he 
want from me?²

He suddenly felt weak and tired; all he wanted to do was sleep.  He shuffled over 
to the sleeping platform and fell face-down on it.  It was amazingly comfortable; 
it just seemed to conform perfectly to his body.  He curled up, put his arm over his 
eyes to block the light, and dozed off. 

***

He dreamed he was floating down a river on a raft, when suddenly the whole 
river swept over a roaring waterfall.  It seemed like the raft fell for an eternity, 
through clouds of mist and the most beautiful rainbows he had ever seen.  Then 
he could see huge, sharp rocks at the bottom of the waterfall, and there was a 
giant black vulture with a silver head, laughing loudly as the raft hurtled toward 
its fate.  As he got closer, he could see that the vulture had yellow eyes and was 
wearing a necklace of skulls.  It spread its wings and flew up through the mist, 
making a sound like screeching tires and gunfire.

He jerked awake, just before the raft hit the rocks, with his heart pounding.  He 
sat up and stared at his alien surroundings, at first thinking that he was still 
dreaming.  Then he remembered his encounter with the evil magicians and 
realized with a sinking feeling that it was no dream at all.  He was in some kind of 
magic prison and had no idea why, or if he would ever get out.  All in all, it did not 
seem a much better situation than his nightmare. 

He was sitting on the bed, considering his fate, when the door slid open.  He 
jumped to the floor and watched apprehensively to see who would enter.  ³Please 
donıt let it be the Captain,² he whispered to himself.

Two rainbow-uniformed people entered and the door slid shut again.  Kelvin 
sighed in relief that neither of them was the Captain, but his relief was short-
lived.  ³The Captain wants to see you now,² one of them said, motioning for him 
to follow.

Once again he was led down long, featureless, shimmering halls, until finally his 
guards stopped to open a sliding door.   It led to a room very different from any 
he had been in since his arrival in this strange place, or indeed any room in his 
entire experience.  All surfaces in it seemed to be covered with the same ultra-
black material that he had first noticed on the Captainıs uniform, giving it a 
darkness like he imagined deep space to possess.  The black void was so 
overwhelming that he hesitated at the door, but  one of his escorts pushed him 
from behind, and he reluctantly entered.

His eyes were still adjusting to the oppressive darkness when he heard the voice 
he dreaded.  ³I hope you are enjoying your stay in the guest quarters.  Our guests 
always have the loveliest dreams there; they are so vivid, would you not say?²  
The Captain was standing in front of him, and his black suit caused him to 
disappear into the room, except for his head, which seemed to be floating in 
space.  The effect was  quite unnerving.

³I just want to go home.² Kelvin replied ³I donıt know what you  want from me, 
but I donıt have it, whatever it is.  You must have me confused with somebody 
else, one of those Shunnists you keep going on about.²

³You are trying my patience.² The floating head moved closer, and the silver hair 
seemed to glow in the darkness.  ³I am not interested in you; such a one as you 
will not be of much danger.  I want the ones you came here with.  Where are 
they?²  The yellow eyes bored into Kelvinıs.  ³If you do not tell me, then you will 
spend more dream time in the guest quarters.²

³Youıre crazy!² Kelvin was shouting at the disembodied head ³Youıre crazy and 
youıre mean, and I donıt want be here anymore.  I want to go back home, do you 
hear?  And I donıt want to hear about your Shunnists, or anything else.  Just get 
me back where I belong.² 

 He fell to the floor, sobbing.  He had never in his whole life felt so frightened and 
alone, and he wanted his mother.  He remembered that he would never see her 
and his pain became unbearable.  Blinded with anger and grief, he jumped to his 
feet and lunged at his tormentor, swinging wildly through his tears.

The Captain stepped aside, and Kelvinıs blows landed on thin air.  ³You will do 
well to consider my words carefully.²  The dark figure spoke sharply and then left 
the room, or at least his face was no longer visible.  Kelvin once again fell in a 
heap on the floor, and did not even struggle when his guards pulled him up and 
led him away.

Once back in the ³guest quarters², he tried to concentrate on his predicament and 
see if he could find anyway out of it, but he began to feel very tired, almost from 
the moment he walked through the door.  He was as tired as if he had stayed up 
all night, and all he wanted to do was sleep.  He sat on the edge of the sleeping 
platform, and was just about to stretch out on it, when he remembered the 
Captainıs words, ³I hope you are enjoying your stay in the guest quarters.  Our 
guests always have the loveliest dreams there; they are so vivid.²  He recalled his 
tiredness and the nightmare he had before his trip to the Captain, and he 
shuddered.  Could it be that this room was somehow designed to make him sleep 
and dream frightful dreams?  It was a horrifying thought.

Kelvin jumped off the platform and sat in the middle of the floor, hoping that it 
was the platform and not the room, which was causing his drowsiness.  He felt 
better briefly, but soon he was fighting to hold his head up and his eyelids open.  
He dug his fingernails into the skin of his arm, but even that pain could not keep 
him from sliding into the inky well of sleep.  

He was standing at the seashore,  with waves washing over his feet.  There was a 
golden boat sailing toward him, with sails like rainbows.  Dolphins were leaping 
in the foam from its bow and seabirds circled in a wreath over its mast.  Someone 
was waving at him from the deck -- it was his mother!  She smiled and waved, 
mouthing words that he could not hear over the sound of the surf.  He started to 
run into the waves to meet the golden boat, but discovered that he could not 
move.  Then, as he watched in horror, the water around the boat seemed to 
explode, and a giant black shark the size of a school bus lunged out of the sea and 
crashed onto the boat, shattering it to pieces.

He tried to run to the wreck, but the sand under his feet began to turn soft and he 
sank into it; he could not pull himself out.  It was up to his knees and still he was 
sinking, although he was struggling furiously.  Now the sand covered him to his 
chest, and the waves were beginning to break over his face, stuffing his screams 
with seaweed and sand.  As he began his final descent into the sucking sand, he 
saw the black shark charging at him through the waves, throwing pieces of the 
boat into the air in its wake.  His motherıs dress was wrapped around its fin.   As 
it closed in, he could see its yellow eyes glowing like rotten embers, and rows of 
sharp silver teeth, flecked with blood. 

Just before those teeth sank into his neck, he awoke, panting and sweating.  What 
a terrible dream!  He was certain now that he was being tortured with 
nightmares, and that the Captain would not stop it, until he got whatever 
information he wanted.  That evil creature problably enjoyed his suffering.

What could he do?  He decided his only option was make up a story about where 
³the others² were hiding.  At least that would buy him a bit of time, and perhaps 
something would happen to save him before they discovered his lie.  He banged 
on the wall, shouting  ³I want to see the Captain now.²

This time, he was not taken to the black hole of his previous visit, but instead to 
another of the shimmering rooms.  It was the largest room he had yet seen, with 
tables around three of the four walls, and behind the tables at least a dozen or 
more people.  The Captain was not among them, but Kelvin did not get his hopes 
up; he figured the sinister magician would show up soon enough. There was a 
single chair in the middle of the room, and his escort motioned for him to sit in it. 
Everyone stopped talking and stared at him.  He sat down and kept his eyes on 
the floor.

He was beginning to get really uncomfortable from all those eyes, when the 
Captain walked in and pulled a chair up right in front of him.  He was smiling, but 
his smile was scary.  It reminded Kelvin of some large spider, gloating over the 
insect it had just trapped.  The spider spoke to him.  ³So, now you are ready to 
talk to us.  This is a wise decision that you will not regret.  Where did you come 
from?²

³I came from District 17.² Kelvin replied, with what he hoped was a convincing 
face.

³And how many came here with you from District 17?²

³There were two others, Sir, besides myself -- a man and a woman.²

³And what would be the purpose of your visit here in District 5?²

³Sir, I donıt know.  They didnıt tell me about their plans.²

³Indeed, and why did they take one as young as you along on this little visit, 
anyway?²

³I begged and pleaded to go with them.  And besides, itıs my raft, so they let me 
come.  What have you done with my raft?²

The Captain ignored his question.  ³Where did the others get off your crude 
vessel?²

³I let them off at the stairs where your guards picked me up.  They climbed to the 
top, and I donıt know where they went from there.²  He could hear a murmur of 
voices around the room as he delivered this news.  The Captain held up a hand 
and the voices stopped.

³Were you friends carrying weapons?²

³No, Sir.  They are unarmed like me.²

³Then what are they doing here?²

³I told you, they never let me know their plans.  I guess they thought if I didnıt 
know, then I couldnıt tell in a situation like this.²  He got some small satisfaction 
out of this reply, but it did not last.

The Captain leaned over until his face was close to Kelvinıs.  He looked so much 
like the shark from his dream, that Kelvin began to shake in fright.  ³Perhaps you 
will remember their plans after a few more dream sessions.  Would you like that?²

A voice from the back of the room spoke, quietly, but with great authority.  ³That 
will be enough; I do not believe he knows any more.²

Kelvin turned away from the shark-faced Captain to see who had spoken.  He 
saw a small man, with smooth features, black hair and eyes the colors of the 
sunset.  He noted with astonishment that the manıs clothes were even more 
unusual than the Captainıs.  Whatever they were made of, they looked exactly 
like whatever was behind the man, so they appeared invisible.  The manıs head 
and hands seemed to be hanging in space, just as the Captainıs had, but here in 
this brightly lit room the effect was even creepier than in that dark chamber.

³Take him to Area 31.² the invisible man said to Kelvinıs guards, ³He looks like he 
could use some real sleep.  And see that he gets food.²

Kelvin could see the Captain give this man a threatening look, but he said 
nothing, and the man acted as if he did not even notice the black-suited figure.  As 
his guards led him away, he could hear the man giving orders to search the far 
bank for the fugitives.

So the Captain was bad news, but he was not the most important person around.  
This thought gave him hope that perhaps he could convince someone in this crazy 
world that he was telling the truth, and to please send him back home.  He felt 
better than he had since the air car picked him up. 

***

His escorts put him in another air car, and they left the building.  He noted the 
building no longer looked like a ruby, but instead had returned to the emerald 
appearance of his first sighting.  The car was heading away from the River, 
toward the distant mountains, and accelerating to what felt like a very great 
speed.  Soon they left the city and were flying over the countryside, with large 
fields alternating with strips of forest land.  After a while, the land became quite 
hilly, and there were no more fields, just dense forest. 

The air car started to slow for landing, even though he could see no sign of any 
sort of building.  They approached  a rock wall on the side of a large hill, and a 
door quickly opened to let them in, and then shut just as quickly.  He expected to 
find himself in some kind of cave, but it looked just like the inside of the last 
building he was in, with the same shimmering walls.

He was led down a series of halls, until at last his guards opened a door to a room 
that looked very similar to the ³guest quarters² he had previously occupied.

³It is all right,² one of the guards reassured him, catching the look of fear on his 
face, ³this is not one of the dream chambers, and you have nothing to fear.  Please 
enter.  I will bring you something to eat.²

Kelvin entered the room cautiously and remained standing.  The door was still 
open, and he was planning to bolt and run at the slightest sign of drowsiness.  All 
he felt, however, was hunger.  

It had been a long time since breakfast at Aunt Mayıs house.  Standing there in 
that strange room, and remembering his life at home, he had the feeling that he 
was caught up between two worlds, and it was not a feeling that was completely 
unpleasant.  He wished with all his might that he could get the ³Shunnist² thing 
cleared up.  This world, or spell, or whatever it was, seemed completely real and 
infinitely fascinating.  He wanted to be free to experience its magic, without 
people trying to hurt and mistreat him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the guard returning with a large, white box in 
his hands.  He set the box on a table, which had somehow extended itself from the 
wall, and opened the lid.  Whatever was in it sure smelled good, and Kelvin 
started to reach in, but then he stopped.  What if they were trying to drug him, or 
poison him?  He would not put anything past the Captain, but he seemed to be out 
of the Captainıs hands now.  Still, he was not sure, and he thought he should be 
careful.

The guard seemed to read his thoughts, as he lifted a plate out of the box.  ³Do 
not worry,² he said ³the food is fine.²  With that, he took a large bite of what 
seemed to be some kind of pie, and followed it with a drink from a silvery bottle.  
³See?  I am not dead or anything.²

Kelvin smiled for the first time since he was taken prisoner.  He really was 
hungry, so he took the rest of the plates out of the box and started eating.  The pie 
was peach, and there was a rice dish, but he was unsure what the rest of it was.  It 
tasted good, anyway, and made him feel much better.  When he was finished, the 
guards took away the remains, but they left the door to his chamber open.  
Perhaps they wanted him to feel more at ease.  If so, it was working.  At the very 
least, he no longer felt the sheer terror which the dream chamber had caused.

He began to feel drowsy, which frightened him at first, but he did feel better about 
his situation and he really was sleepy.  He finally stretched out on the floor and 
fell into a dreamlees sleep.

He awoke some time later, and noted with surprise that he was no longer on the 
floor, but instead lying on the sleeping platform.  His sneakers had been removed 
and were on the floor by the platform.  He had no idea how long he was asleep, 
but he felt rested.  And no nightmares; things were improving.

The guards were talking to someone just outside the open door, but  it was not the 
Captain.  He heard his name mentioned, and then some further discussion, which 
he could not make out.  After a few minutes, the discussion ceased and the man 
with the invisible clothes walked into the room.  Only his face and hands were 
visible.  As before, it was still a startling sight.  Kelvin noted uneasily that the door 
slid shut behind him.

³Well, you seem in a better state.  I think some real sleep is what you needed.²  
The manıs voice was kind, and his face had none of the hardness of the Captainıs.  
He saw Kelvin looking at the closed door.  ³It is all right; I just want our 
conversation to remain private.  My name is Mister Erg.  Is there anything you 
need?²

³I just need to get out of here and go back home, where I  belong.  Can you please 
tell me where I am and what has happened to me? None of this makes any sense 
at all.²  Kelvin hoped he had finally found someone who would tell him what was 
going on.

The man picked up one of Kelvinıs shoes and examined it.  ³I will see what I can  
do.  Tell me please, what year is it?²

³Itıs 1995, or at least it was when I set out this morning.²

³An excellent answer, my young friend!  You are getting at the heart of the matter 
now.  You are no longer in the same year that you were, when you left your home.  
You have travelled in time to the year 2132.²

Kelvinıs jaw dropped in astonishment.  It seemed impossible, but it was a better 
explanation for all he had seen and experienced, than his previous theory about 
evil magicians.  He thought about the sights he had seen since the raft hummed 
and glowed: the change in the River, the strange buildings, the air cars, the weird 
clothes.  It all made sense if he had been somehow transported far into the future.  
³But how did this happen?² he asked ³What brought me here, and how can I get 
back to my own time again?²

Mr. Erg sat down on the bench.  ³You are what we call an Œaccidental time 
travellerı.  This makes you very confused, because you have no understanding of 
what you are doing.  I will be trying to help you understand, but it will be difficult.  
I want to start by saying that I know you are not a Shunnist, and...²

Kelvin interrupted, ³But what is a Shunnist?  Are they some kind of gang?²

³There is so much to tell you,² Mr. Erg continued, ³ it is hard to know where to 
begin.  As you can see, our technologies have evolved greatly since the end of the 
twentieth century, and our culture as well.  There are, however, those who do not 
think that this is such a good thing.  These people Œshunı, or keep away from, all 
the advances we have made since your time, so we call them Shunnists.  

³These Shunnists are trying their best to live like they are still back in the 
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  They use steam and gasoline engines; they 
send messages through wires; they wear clothes made of such primitive materials 
as nylon or even cotton.  So you see, this is why some people here mistake you for 
a Shunnist.  Your clothes are exactly what some Shunnist might be wearing; these 
nylon and rubber shoes are a perfect example of Shunnist footwear.   Only a 
Shunnist would turn up floating on a primitive raft.²

³But why are you afraid of them?  If they are using such funky old stuff, how could 
they possibly hurt you?²

³Not everyone is afraid of the Shunnists, as you put it, or even concerned about 
them.  The Captain, however, has made it his life mission to destroy them, for 
some personal reason, and he is very determined.²

³The Captain gives me the creeps.   Who is he?²

³The Captain is in charge of security for District 5, and he takes himself far too 
seriously.  He has accumulated a lot of power, though, and people are afraid of 
him.²

³You donıt seem too afraid,² Kelvin replied, hoping to find out more about this 
mysterious Mr. Erg.

³No.  I am not afraid of the likes of the Captain.  Please tell me in your own words 
how you arrived here.²

Kelvin figured he was not going to discover much more about this man in the 
invisible suit, so he told the entire story of the raft.  Mr. Erg listened intently, 
asking him to repeat a few of the details.

When the story was finished, Mr. Erg got up and started pacing the floor as he 
talked.  ³We have been examining your raft.  It is the most primitive time machine 
that has ever come to our attention, and we really are not sure how it works.  We 
think that...²

³Can I get back?² Kelvin blurted out.  This was the thing that worried him the 
most.

³Yes, I think so, but I will need to train you in the art of time travel.  Otherwise, 
you may very well go back to some time before you were born.  Also, the Captain 
has not forgotten about you.²

These last words made Kelvinıs heart sink.

³The Captain is not aware of time travel.² Mr. Erg continued ³Very few people 
are, and we are keeping it a closely guarded secret.  You are a Shunnist renegade 
to the Captain, and he is trying to go over my head, to have you placed once more 
in his custody.  I must teach you time travel and help you escape, before that can 
happen.²

³You want to help me escape from the Captain?²  Kelvin could not believe his 
ears.

³I have no desire to see you harmed by that evil man.  You have done nothing 
wrong.²

³Who are you?² Kelvin decided to just be blunt.  He really wanted to know more 
about the invisible man.

³I am the Chief Ambassador to Other Worlds; only we Ambassadors can wear the 
uniform that you see, or do not see, as might be the case.²  Mr. Erg smiled as he 
said this.

³What other worlds?  What are you saying?²

³In the year 2067, beings from a distant star system contacted us.  They introduced 
us to a whole family of such advanced civilizations, and we have since been 
learning much from them.²

³Such as time travel?²

³That is correct.  We Ambassadors maintain contact with these civilizations, and 
it often requires us to travel in time, as well as space.  I understand just how 
amazed you are at what you see here, because I see things on my journeys which 
amaze me just as much.  Others in the Galaxy have reached levels far beyond 
what we can even imagine.²

³My head is spinning.² Kelvin replied.  ³First I find out that IŒve been travelling to 
the future, and then you tell me that you future people are talking with space 
aliens.  Can you show me an alien?²

Mr. Erg laughed.  ³No, they do not visit here often.  They usually make me come 
to them.²  Now he got serious again.  ³I must teach you time travel.  The Captain 
wants you back, and I do not trust him.  As I was saying, your raft is a sort of time 
machine, and one that is completely dependent on being close to a time gate for it 
to work.²

³What is a time gate?²  Kelvin asked.  ³How would I know if I saw one?²

³A time gate is like a door which can take you to another time.  As we understand 
it, beings from very far in the future placed these gates for their own purposes.  
We are just using them.  You would never see one, as you do not know how to 
look.  Your raft, however, is somehow designed to find time gates and use them.  
There is such a gate just at the bend in the River, and you fell through it; that is 
how you arrived here in the year 2132.  Now let us go look at your time machine² 

Kelvin and Mr. Erg left the room.  The two guards snapped to attention as they 
saw the Ambassador, but he signalled them to stand at ease, saying,  ³See that 
Mr. Butler here has plenty to eat.  We do not want him to lose weight while he is 
with us.²  With that, they turned a corner and set off down the corridor.

***** A River of Time *****

Kelvin walked beside the Ambassdor, Mr, Erg, and as he walked he thought how 
strange it was to be accompanied by what seemed only a head and pair of hands.  
He remembered something he once heard or read, that any sufficiently advanced 
technology would appear to be magic.  Well, this sure looked like magic to him.  
He wondered what other marvels he would see.

It seemed like they had walked a really long way, down long shimmering halls 
and through empty rooms.  ³Mr. Erg,² he said, ³I have to ask you something.  If 
you future people can make cars that fly and hover, why do you spend so much 
time and energy walking through these big buildings?  Couldnıt you have moving 
sidewalks or little flying shuttles or something?²

Mr. Erg laughed, ³Back in the 21st century we did have those things, but people 
just got fat and lazy.  We know the value of exercise now, and all official buildings 
are designed to actually require lots of walking.  Of course, if there is a real 
emergency, we hop on scooters and move very quickly indeed.²

³So whatıs a scooter?²

³It is a small, one-person version of the flying vehicle which you have been 
transported in.  They are very handy, and as you can imagine, boys and girls have 
a great deal of somewhat dangerous fun with them.²

³Sounds like an air skateboard.  Cool.²

They stopped now, and Kelvin noticed uneasily that the guards at the door were 
dressed in the same ultra black uniform as the Captain.  He realized that even 
though he seemed to have a powerful friend in Mr. Erg, he wasnıt out of danger 
yet.  The black guards snapped to attention and opened the door.

They entered a room which seemed to be some kind of laboratory, and sitting in 
the very middle of it was his raft, looking as out of place as a fish on the sidewalk.  
The walls and ceiling of the lab were covered with long, grey pyramids, like 
geometrical stalactites, and the floor was a dull silver color.  There were strange 
machines and instruments scattered about the floor, a couple of which were 
attached to his raft by wires or hoses.

³Well here is your time machine.² Mr. Erg said, ³It may look like a simple raft, but 
there is something going on in it that we do not yet completely understand.²

Kelvin felt proud.  ³You mean that with all your high tech future stuff, my little 
raft is something more advanced than what you have?²

³Well, it is different, that is sure.  Our time machines are very precise and no 
longer depend exclusively on time gates, but your raft has a certain elegant 
simplicity in its functioning.  It will be harder to use, but you can learn.²

Mr. Erg walked over to the raft and motioned for Kelvin to follow.  ³Look at 
this,² he said, ³the blue float barrels are the key to how it works.  See where we 
have removed the end of this barrel?²

Kelvin looked inside, and saw that what he had thought was an empty blue oil 
drum was actually filled with some sort of three-dimensional maze constructed 
from a very thin rainbow-colored material, very similar in appearance to the 
uniforms some his guards had worn.  Wires snaked through the maze, and at the 
very back of the drum a soft green light was faintly pulsing.  He stepped back, 
amazed at the sight.  ³So what is this?² he asked.

³Like I said, we are not quite sure.² Mr. Erg was now kneeling on the floor beside 
the open barrel.  ³This is difficult, but let me see if I can explain.  You can think of 
time as a kind of dimension, like height or width, or as a force pushing on the 
world the way a river pushes on a boat; it is really both.  Time travel involves 
going through holes in the dimensional aspect aspect of time. Just like you might 
go through a door in a wall and be in different room, you can go through a hole in 
time and be in the future or the past.²

³Think of it like this,² he continued, ³time is like Swiss cheese, full of holes, and 
we travel through those holes to get to different sides of the cheese. Those sides 
are periods in the past and future.  A time machine is able to harness the force of 
the flow of time, much like a dam harnesses the force of a river, and use that force 
to push us through the holes.²

³So whatıs a time gate?² Kelvin asked.  ³You said my raft needed that in order to 
work.²

³A time gate is a lowered energy threshold in the fabric of time.  Less energy is 
required at a time gate to tunnel through to a different side of the cheese, as it 
were.  If a gate is strong enough, it would be possible to fall through to a different 
time without even using a time machine at all.  This happens, in fact, and is the 
origin of many Œmiraclesı and strange events that people have reported over the 
centuries.  Like I said earlier, these gates seem to have been placed by people from 
the very distant future, probably so they would not need time machines.  For some 
reason, we have never encountered these people or an era of time which seems to 
be theirs.  It is a mystery.

³The energy collectors on your time machine are not strong enough to push 
through a normal time field, and so are only able to work where a time gate has 
weakened that field.  A further interesting feature of your machine is that it is 
somehow tuned to your thoughts and wishes, much like a radio can be tuned to a 
station.  We believe that you can use this feature to guide yourself to specific 
points in time, although we will need to test this.²

³You mean I can just think of a time and be there?²

³Something like that.²

³So whatıs the deal with the green glow and that horrible noise it makes?²

³As I said, we are not quite sure exactly how it works, but the collector makes that 
sound and color while it is charging up with time energy.  The time machines we 
have developed cause no such commotion.²

³Why did it glow and hum that first time I jumped on it? I wasnıt anywhere near 
the time gate at the bend.²

³We think it was setting itself to pick up your specific thought patterns, and it 
needed to capture a bit of time energy to accompish that.² 

Mr. Erg stood up and walked to the other side of the raft, where he removed a 
wire that was attached to another of the blue drums.

³What does the Captain know about all this?²





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