Button in the Fabric of Time Read Online Free PDF Page A

air, and squirrels played in the trees . . . but
there was something different about these animals. Lions and wolves
were mingling with sheep and cows, and the grazing animals seemed
unafraid.
    Prepared to zap out of danger, I walked
slowly toward the animals, expecting them to run away. But they
didn’t run away, they were running toward me. As a farm boy, I
could tell when an animal intended to harm me. But there was
nothing threatening about the behavior of these animals. Even
though I knew they meant me no harm, it was still difficult to
remain calm, with an adult lion running at me. When the lion got to
me, it rubbed its head against my leg and licked my hand.
Cautiously, I scratched its ears and patted its back. The lion
emitted what sounded like a lion’s version of a purr. The other
animals gathered around wanting to be petted. These animals were
tame and in excellent health, but how were they contained? There
were no fences. How could predators and prey live together
peacefully?
    A stream of clean water about fifty feet wide
ran through the area. That was odd, because this is where my house
had sat, and there were no streams anywhere near my house. The
climate must have changed!
    I carefully searched for evidence of the
great city that had been here at the time I left. Nothing indicated
that anyone had ever lived here. While trying to understand how
such a major change could have occurred, I sat on the roots of an
old tree enjoying the gentle breeze and the fragrance of flowers. I
listened to the birds singing, and watched squirrels playing in the
branches of the tree. I strained my ears trying to hear a familiar
sound, but nothing gave me a clue as to what kind of place I had
landed in. There were no noises of any kind. The place was
peaceful, almost to the point of being ethereal. It was so
different from what I had expected that I was eager to explore.
    When I lived in Los Angeles, people were
predicting global warming, over population, and war. My first trip
into the future proved that they were right, but what I was seeing
now indicated that the people had recovered from the war, and
learned to deal with their problems. I wanted to talk to someone to
find out how they had recovered.
    I wanted to see what else had happened, so I
walked toward the distant green mountains. The land was lush, and
white clouds drifted in a blue sky. Everything was magnificent. I
saw no caretakers, but someone, or something, was maintaining this
place, and doing a good job of it.
    In the distance I saw what appeared to be a
transportation device. Curious, I walked toward it, but before I
got there, I heard laughter coming from over a knoll. I walked to
the top of the knoll and saw twelve young people—six men and six
women—swimming in a stream; their bathing suits shimmered in the
sunlight. I was surprised to see people swimming in a stream. The
streams in the twenty-first century had been polluted.
    Trees and shrubs on the knoll concealed me,
so I watched in secret. I felt like a Peeping Tom, but I wanted to
learn as much as I could before making myself known. The women were
all lovely and about five-foot-five, with light-colored skin, and
their hair was all different colors. Their lightly tanned skin
glowed with radiant health, and there was not a blemish on them.
Some of them had round eyes, and others had eyes that were
almond-shaped. No matter their shape or color, they were soft and
sparkling. The women had trim bodies with small waists and shapely
hips. The nipples on their firm, full breasts stood erect, pressing
against their bathing suits. They were so beautiful that it was
difficult to look at anything else. Two of them appeared to be
identical twins.
    The men were all about six-feet tall, lean
and muscular, with wide shoulders and narrow hips, but they were
darker than the women. Fascinated by how the men and women related
to one another, I watched before making myself known. They didn’t
seem to be pairing off. At