The overpowering scent of hay, mingled with air fresher than I was used to, filled the space as silence took over. The whirring of the time machine died down around me as I sat in my eighteenth-century costume. With trembling fingers, I flicked off the power, always concerned that it could strand me here. But at least I'd be in good company.
My sister, Abby, lived in the late seventeen hundreds permanently now, after marrying schoolteacher-turned-Revolutionary War hero, Ben Turner. Their love story had been unexpected, to say the least, but watching them together always left me with a mix of joy and envy.
It still made me shake my head that my modern doctor twin sister had broken down in tears and begged me to fix the time machine so she could return to a life with Ben.
I marveled at her choice every time I flicked a switch to toggle on the electric lights in the home I’d once shared with her, or did something simple like turn on a faucet.
But every time I’d visited thus far, I’d found her smiling, happy, and so deeply in love it made me a tad bit jealous that she’d found something so amazing.
I unbuckled the harness that held me in place while I made the time shift and rose on unsteady legs. I didn’t understand why I felt so strange this time, but maybe because all of the other visits had been brief. I’d been here for her wedding to Ben–mostly a secret since almost all of Ben’s friends and family thought they were already married.
Only me and Maggie, Ben’s friend, had attended. It was kind of fun to have a secret like that.
I had visited once or twice just to chat with Abby when I felt lonely. Once we realized that the property we owned in my time was the same one Ben owned in the past, I knew I could visit anytime I wanted. In fact, the barn where I’d built my time machine, sat in the same spot as their barn, meaning I could jump back and forth anytime I wanted under the cover of that location. It made time travel very convenient.
The last time I’d visited had been particularly rough, and had been what led to this visit.
As I spun the wheel to release the seal on the machine’s door, I recalled sitting amongst the hay, me in my modern duds, Abby in her colonial ones.
“Leo stopped by again,” I told her as I twirled a piece of hay between my thumb and fingers.
Abby scoffed. “Seriously? Wow, someone’s hung up. And who would have thought given that he cheated.”
I’d pressed my lips together.
“Come on, Gabe,” she said with a playful tap on my arm. “It’s not that bad, right? Did you tell him what we talked about?’
“I’m not telling him you moved to Alaska.”
