The Reluctant Time Traveller Read Online Free PDF Page A

playing around here,” he said, looking taken aback at seeing us. He stood up tall and waved us away like we were annoying insects. “This is a demolition site. Off you go.”
    I stepped forward. Actually Robbie pushed me forward. “No, it’s not. This is our gang hut,” I said. My heart was racing. “We don’t go near the demolition site.” That was a whopper. We had just come from there. I nodded to the shed. “That’s our den. We’ve had it for three years.”
    “It’s the best,” Will added.
    “Totally,” chipped in Robbie. “It’s called ‘Pisa’.”
    The man looked at him like he was crazy.
    “Please don’t take it away from us,” Agnes said.
    The man was already fishing gadgets out of his pocket. “We’ve to measure up this dump. So kiddies, it’s time to say bye-bye to your playpen. Work starts here in a week. We’ll get this mess sorted.”
    “It’s not a playpen, it’s a den. And you don’t know who owns this land,” Agnes piped up.
    “Well little madam, I know one thing,” the man said, “you don’t! Now scoot!”
    Then he marched past us. I couldn’t believe he was striding into our garden like it was just anywhere.
    “But – you can’t!” Agnes shouted after him.
    The man stopped and looked back at us over his shoulder. “I’m not saying I don’t feel sorry for you, kiddies, but the law is the law.” He strode on through the garden. Agnes pulled my sleeve.
    “We really have to go back in time now, Saul. Even if we’re scared. Even if it’s dangerous. We have to.”
    “She’s right,” Robbie said, “you’re the gang leader, Saul. You can’t let them just march in here and wreck everything.”
    I didn’t like leaving the den with a stranger snooping around. The four of us walked back across the field, down the lane and into the town. We were all silent and you could feel this sadness sitting over us. It was Will who broke the silence. “A week is a week.” He was trying to sound upbeat. “I mean, maybe we’ve got time to save the den.”
    “Yeah, all the time in history,” I said, sarcastically. “And what if we disappear to 1914 for more than a week? We might be too late: even if we can find out who owns this land – which is unlikely – what difference will it make? It will all be bulldozed when we get back.”
    “I think what happens,” Will said, still trying to sound all positive, “is that you go into a time warp. So even if days go by in the other time, only seconds have passed in your normal time.” Will was the most scientific in the gang. He thought about these things. And when he came up with these wee lectures, we usually listened.
    “That would come in handy,” I said. “To be away for a week and back in a minute. Best of both worlds: go and not go! Or is that best of both times?”
    We were coming to the corner in town where we usually split and go our separate ways home. We slowed down andwaited for Will to come up with more lecture. He did. “It’s like, you’ve got this ancient formula that cracks open time and lets you slip through. The time you go back to has already been, so you can visit it. But the future hasn’t. You don’t lose time. Get it?” Robbie looked perplexed. Agnes looked curious. I was beginning to look hopeful. “It’s like,” Will went on, looking excited now, “you could be gone into history for ages, except it won’t be ages. It’ll feel like it, but it won’t be any time at all! You’ll be there and back in no time,” he grinned. “We won’t even miss you!”
     
    The next morning I gave Mum a hug and she looked at me strangely because I don’t usually go round giving her hugs. Then she laughed and kissed me on the nose. I stood waving to Dad for ages when he went off in his taxi. Then I wanted to help feed the twins, but Mum said why didn’t I run off and enjoy myself. “Have a good time,” that’s what she actually said, “it’s the longest day of the year – make the most of