Time's Echo: A CHRONOS Files Novella Read Online Free PDF Page B

many scrapes as the boys. I think I know what I'm doing.
You've got gravel or glass or something in there. It's hard to see for all that
hair. And you might as well take off those britches and let me see if I can
salvage them. They're likely ruined, but I'll do what I can about that tear
tomorrow and try to get the blood out."
    Ten long, torturous minutes later, the cut on my head is
clean and Amelia has bandaged it, along with one I didn't even realize I had on
my knee, where the pants were torn. I'm dressed in some of Jess's old clothes—a
bit too loose at the waist, but a pair of suspenders takes care of that. I'm
still barefoot, because my feet won't fit into any shoes Jess owns. And even
though I lied and said I'd already eaten, I've been fed a thick sandwich of
leftover bacon and cheese, along with a glass of milk and an oatmeal cookie.
Amelia tried to talk me into staying overnight in the storeroom, but finally
threw her hands up and huffed off to bed when I insisted that I needed to get
home.
    "Are you sure you can walk back, son?" Jess asks
in a low voice after she's closed the bedroom door behind her.
    Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure, even though I'm feeling
much better. I plan on taking the same shortcut Kate did, however, now that I'm
clear-headed enough to use the CHRONOS key without the risk of landing God knows
where.
    "I'm okay," I say, glancing at the clock on the
mantel. "And I need to get going. Kate will be worried."
    I slide the wooden chair back from the table and take two
steps toward the door. A wave of dizziness and nausea passes through me, nearly
driving me to my knees.
    "Whoa there, boy." Jess
reaches out and grabs me, holding me steady, his gnarled hands surprisingly
firm on my shoulders. "I don't think you're going any further than the
couch."
    It's not the head injury. At least, I don't think it is.
I've felt this sensation several times before, but never this strong.
    I stagger backward and Jess eases me onto the sofa as the
room shifts. The changes are tiny, almost imperceptible. A doily on the table
near the door seems to evaporate. The clock in the middle of the mantel is the
same and the hands still say it's nine twenty-seven.
One of the photographs to the right of the clock, however—a picture of a girl
maybe seven or eight years old—disappears. All of the other pictures slide an
inch or so to the right. Some of the photos have small changes, too—a girl who
wears braids instead of curls, a boy who's lost his coat.
    Someone is mucking about with the timeline. And this doesn't
feel like a minor adjustment.
    Jess sucks in his breath and now it's my turn to grab him.
    "What's wrong? Are you okay? Jess?"
    He doesn't answer, just sinks down into a chair, his face
pale.
    "Jess?" He still doesn't
respond. My voice rises, panic seeping in. "Jess!" He looks like he's
having a stroke or something. I'm about to call for Amelia when he grabs my
arm.
    "That curtain. I saw it change right in front of my
eyes." He jerks his head toward the wall behind him. "And how many
samplers are over there?"
    I glance at the framed embroidery pieces on the parlor wall,
each with a different picture or quotation, and count them. They do look
different, although I'd be hard pressed to say how they've changed.
    "Five," I say.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I see the bedroom door open.
Amelia is looking at Jess, her face filled with worry.
    "There were six a minute ago. Two rows of three."
His voice is stronger now. "One from each of my
granddaughters. They made them as a Christmas gift two years back.
Remember, Amelia?"
    She crosses over to where he's seated and crouches down next
to him, peering into his eyes. "Jess. You're
scaring me. You know we have ten grandchildren. A matched set—five boys and
five girls."
    "Name ' em ," he demands. "The girls. Name the girls for me."
    She gives me a worried glance and then does as he asks. "Gladys, Mildred, Florence, and Ruth. And Amelia, named
after me."
    He shakes his