The Reluctant Time Traveller Read Online Free PDF

it!”
    So Agnes and I were by the yew tree. The man with the high-vis yellow jacket was, thankfully, nowhere to be seen. There was a bulldozer parked up by the wall, waiting to charge in and flatten everything, but Will said by law they had to wait six days. I’m not sure how Will could know that. I wasn’t sure about anything.
    Agnes though looked sure about everything. She was really well prepared. She had a rucksack with her; an old smelly thing. Probably her dad’s for tramping the hills. Agnes, all proud, told me how she’d got up early that morning and filled it with everything we might need in 1914.
    “Like Irn Bru?” I said with a laugh. “Or bandages?” I stopped laughing, hoping we wouldn’t need bandages.
    “Bandages, definitely, and a torch and chocolate, and paper and pen and,” she giggled, “toilet paper, and a book to read, mydiary of course, because I will want to take notes, and my old teddy bear and a hair brush, and an old dress and—”
    “Great,” I interrupted her, “anyway, if we’re going to do this, we better do it.” I chewed my lip and shrugged. “Of course, we don’t have to.”
    “Oh, but we do.” Agnes was concentrating. “The earth is in place,” she announced, “and the candle is lit.”
    I smiled weakly.
    “Ok, turn the glass globe so it reflects the sun and throws off rainbows,” I said, trying to sound bossy. The glass globe hung from a branch. Agnes winked at me, reached up and gave it a push and, sure enough, the coloured rainbows started to flash. With the glass globe swinging, Agnes played an old tune on the tin whistle. Then we pressed our left hands one on top of the other. Because she was wearing the gold ring, she touched the bark of the yew tree and my hand pressed over hers. Behind us the bonfire was crackling. We had put a pan of water over the flames. “Let the steam rise up into the rainbows,” I shouted. There was a wobble in my voice. I couldn’t help it. And there was a sinking feeling in my stomach. I couldn’t help that either. Will and Robbie were in the den. That was the deal. They were to look after things in 2014.
    “It’s going to work,” Agnes said, with no wobble in her voice. She looked round at me, winked, then closed her eyes and started singing the haunting old song.
    The sun was climbing the sky on the longest day of the year. We had earth, air, fire and water, rainbows, vapours, and the antique song. We had gold. We had the ancient yew tree. We had both done this before for Agatha Black. We were trusting. Believing. Wanting this to work. At least, Agnes was, and I was trying hard. Everything was in tune, wasn’t it? We imagined the time we were going to. The start of the First World War. We were going to save the den. We had faith. Agnes did, that wasfor sure. Her face looked totally focussed. I was working hard to have faith. If I didn’t I could end up stuck in some in-between time, hovering forever. I tried to stop thinking of everything that could go wrong. Agnes, who was still singing the old song, had her time-travel kit on her back. I was pushed up against that smelly old rucksack. I kept opening my eyes, even though they were supposed to be shut. I was so close to Agnes, I could smell her shampoo. I had this random thought that last night must have been their bath night. I imagined them trouping off with their bars of soap and towels. Then I thought about going to Paris, even though I was supposed to have my mind completely full of 1914. Do French people really eat frogs’ legs? How do you say ‘No thanks!’ in French?
    “See… you… in… 1914…” Agnes murmured.
    Then she vanished.
    And I was left, touching the old bark of the yew tree murmuring, “Non… non merci.”

6
    I blinked. Maybe this was 1914? I was expecting weird sensations. But I felt fine. I blinked again and stared at the bark of the yew tree. Maybe it was a walk in the park, this time-travel romp? Maybe there was nothing to it? I swung