The second book in the series is now as long as the first one and I am still writing. I still plan on hiving it out by Christmas so I am trying to spend most of my free time working on it but I decided to take a short break and post this.
This is my series teaser which is still a work in progress. I plan on doing a few revisions to it but are mostly grammatical issues. If I get enough response from this blog with the teaser I will post the next chapter.
I'll be patiently waiting. I hope you all enjoy!
Rick
Time Traveler's Rock: Permit Required
Copyright 2015 by Rick Heiman.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Chapter 1
I fell asleep last night in my nice warm comfortable adjustable bed. I was cozy and at ease as I drifted off into one of those deep sleeps that I enjoy so well where I have spectacular dreams. When I awoke this morning, however, I was cold, in pain, and in a dark unfamiliar place. My back ached from the cold steel bed I was on. It was so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. I banged my hand on the bed to realize it was not a bed, but rather a steel platform less than a foot off the floor. The walls were the same; cold, hard, and made of steel. I had no idea where I was. I found my way to the floor and tried to find a way out but it was not possible. I couldn’t even find a seam in the walls, corners, or any trace of nails, screws, or welds holding anything together. There were no doorknobs or hinges. I was in some sort of sealed box but had no clue how it was sealed. With nothing to use as a reference I had no sense of time. I didn’t know how long I had sat there on that cold, steel platform. I couldn’t lie down on it any longer because it was hard and uncomfortable. The room smelled of cold, wet metal but as I felt around I found no water anywhere.
The time passed slowly and I thought I was going to lose my mind when, all of a sudden, a wall just opened up and light came flooding in like waves from an ocean and I was drowning in light. I had to cover my face and duck my head into my arms, as the light burned my eyes and the sounds pounded my ears, making my head hurt after experiencing near complete sensory deprivation.
I felt something or someone grab me by my arms and pull me from the room, yet I could not see anything. I continued to hold my hands over my eyes while being drug down a long bright hallway. By the time we reached the end I partially opened one eye and saw only outlines.
As we walked I observed us getting close to a wall. Just as I perceived they were going to throw me against it, it opened very much in the same manner as had the wall in the dark room. This new room was dim, not as bright as the hallway. Finally, it was comfortable to open both eyes, though it was difficult to make out fine details.
My eyes slowly adjusted allowing me to take in my surroundings. A large desk, raised high above us, sat in the middle of the room. The person seated there was looking down on everything and everyone. There was another smaller desk to the right of a larger one. As I faced the smaller one I was maneuvered and placed in the chair behind it and strapped down. I couldn’t move. In front of the two desks were two tables. They were about 25 feet away from the desks. This entire room reminded me of a large courtroom, but it contained no chairs or place for an audience to sit.
Still not having gained full use of my eyesight, only seeing figures, a figure moved towards me. It then moved behind me and I could feel something being attached to the back of my head. I counted as I felt six items being fastened to my head. I moved my head from side to side and realized wires were attached to the fasteners. There were two wires to the back of my head and four at the top. To the opposite side of the room was what resembled a large screen TV that occupied most of the wall.
The figures that brought me into the room left once they strapped me in and before I could fully identify who they were. A few moments after regaining full sight I saw a stack of file folders to my left on the table, while the other table was completely empty.
I sat there in silence, unable to move from this chair, even from this room. I heard the opening I was originally brought through and saw two people come into the room. Then the wall directly behind me opened, and two more people entered. One person, who came in behind me, took a seat behind the large raised desk while the other individual stood next to me. The others went to the empty table and sat down. They were the only ones I could see and describe. I noticed something really odd. Both were men. They had skin much paler than mine and their eyes were smaller and pink in color like an albino rabbit. Their heads were shaped different, more square. Their bodies were tall and thin with no distinguishing shape to them at all.
Bold with curiosity and determined to know what was going on I questioned what and who they were. Immediately, the person standing next to me scolded my attempt to speak. He forcefully informed me I did not ask the questions here; they did. I tried asking another question, but as soon as I opened my mouth I was ordered to be silent. In frustration I sat in silent restraint and full of wonder for what seemed to be an eternity, though may have been four or five minutes.
Finally, the person seated at the large desk spoke, leading me to believe I was in some kind of trial. The person at the large desk was acting like a judge. He called the room to order and everyone became quiet. He announced, “Today’s date is August 1st, 2525, and we are ready for the hearing to begin. Defendant, state your name, and indicate how you plead.”
I was finally able to speak and said, “My name is James. But how can I plead when I don’t know what I’m being charged with.”
The judge indicated my charge was time traveling without a permit. I chuckled and the person next to me growled like an uneasy dog and stepped closer in intimidation. The judge informed that this is a serious matter and if found guilty I could be sentenced to death.
I broke out into a cold sweat and started to shake. The judge ordered the prosecutor, who was seated at the table with all of the file folders, to present his case.
The prosecutor began by stating I was being charged with the capital offense of time traveling without a permit, Federal Statute 2265.TTPR.1. The prosecutor asked the bailiff, the person standing next to me, to turn on the mind-screening machine. The bailiff fiddled with a few buttons behind my head and the large screen TV glowed amber red.
The prosecutor tapped his long pointy finger on the table in front of him and told me to think back to when I first experienced time travel. Not being familiar with this process but assuming I’d be asked a dozen questions about the day I took a hike and experienced what I eventually discovered as time travel, I appeared on the large TV screen. My mind was engaged in that thought, and apparently through these connectors attached to my head my memories were displayed on screen.
There I was, on a rock near a stream when I had my first time traveler’s trip. I watched as I fell asleep as an adult and woke up as a ten-year-old Native American Indian child. I sat there in silence as everyone in the room saw me dealing with my bullying brothers. They could all see my every thought; the ones the prosecutor ordered or suggested me to recall. Even the image of the beautiful girl named River appeared on the screen, just the way I remembered her and my heart skipped a beat for I missed the bond of that friendship. I wasn’t able to say goodbye to her before my father sent me away with an uncle I never knew existed. His name was Canoe Man and everyone could see him grab hold of my arm and forcefully take me away from everything I’d ever know and the village and people I loved.
