The friends linked arms and smiled at each other.
" Hold on tight!" Jo yelled as the ten friends took a deep breath and stepped into the mist.
* * * * * * * *
" What is this thing?!" Bertrande screeched against the wind in the tunnel.
" I'll explain later!" Mark shouted back, clutching her hand tightly.
" JO!" screamed Jenny struggling along the tunnel. " I'm gonna kill you!"
" Well rather you then the villagers we've left behind!" Jo grinned at her friend as she pulled a worried looking Guillaume behind her. Once again the length of the tunnel managed to elude the group of friends as they suddenly found themselves walking in thin air and they collapsed in a large heap. They leapt to their feet and span around. Just as before, the Gyratory and the world they had just left were no where to be seen.
Phillipe and Marius were stood staring open mouthed at each other. Like two children who've just seen their first magic trick! Guillaume, Martin and Bertrande just looked rather frightened and confused. Jo, Rosie, Lucy, Jenny and Mark, after making sure that everyone was alright, were busy trying to work out where they were. Jo went to brush down her dress and stopped mid movement. A large grin covering her face, a grin which changed into a triumphant shout. The others turned to stare at her, confused expressions all round.
" What?!" Rosie asked, eyebrows raised, eyes wide open as always.
" Jeans! I'm wearing jeans!" Jo shrieked, practically skipping on the spot, " YES! At last no more dresses!" Rosie, Jenny and Lucy soon joined in the manic jumping about as they too discovered that their long dresses had been replaced by jeans and shirts. The clothes of the other travellers had also changed, causing great confusion more than anything else! Phillipe looked down at his now denim clad legs and frowned, he looked up at Jo who just grinned.
" What are we wearing?!" Marius exclaimed, his usually happy face covered in an expression that lived somewhere between disgust and repulsion.
" They're called jeans and they're great!" Jo smiled, " They're what we used to wear back home all the time…well…I did!" Phillipe gasped.
" You wore trousers!?!?!" Jo rolled her eyes.
" Yes I wore trousers…" She sighed and then thought about what else people back home used to wear, "…trust me…I could have worn a lot worse!" She smiled to herself thinking of how Phillipe would take to them wearing short skirts and strappy tops.
" Not to interrupt or anything…" Guillaume spoke up as he walked up to Jo, " But would someone mind telling me what just happened?!" Martin glanced at Jo nervously from his place next to Lucy,
" Was it…you know…" He took a deep breath before looking around him, "…witchcraft?!" he whispered and Jo laughed her reply.
" Not exactly no!" She smiled and was relieved to see the fear start to fade in the eyes of their new found friends from Artigat.
" So what was it…?" Bertrande asked, walking over to Mark.
" Gyratory." Lucy said matter of factly. Martin shrugged,
" A what…?"
" Well…you see…it's kinda like...no…it's more like…how can I say it…" Lucy started.
" It's a kind of gateway…" Rosie explained.
" When you walk through them you're transported somewhere else…" Jenny continued.
" We've been transported to…well…I'm not sure actually where we are…" Mark looked around once more, trying to find something that would give them a clue as to their location. The group of friends were stood in the middle of a muddy field. No buildings anywhere in sight and what looked like it could be a road running along the far edge of the field.
" Well given the clothing and the fact that we heard a motorbike as we came through the Gyratory I think it's safe to say when we are!" Jo walked off a little way from the group. " My guess is we're in the twentieth century again but where we are…" she shrugged, " Search me!"
" What do you mean 'the twentieth century'?!" Guillaume frowned and Jo walked back to him, she took his hand and squeezed it gently.
" I know it sounds strange but you'll just have to trust us on this one…" She smiled and after a second's thought Guillaume smiled back.
" I don't pretend to understand…and I certainly don't expect you to explain it to me all in one go!" He grinned, " But you must admit…we do deserve some kind of explanation!" Jo sighed and grinned back.
" Ok…you're right…but I'm warning you…what just happened…what we just did…is a little hard to believe!"
" Hold on tight!" Jo yelled as the ten friends took a deep breath and stepped into the mist.
* * * * * * * *
" What is this thing?!" Bertrande screeched against the wind in the tunnel.
" I'll explain later!" Mark shouted back, clutching her hand tightly.
" JO!" screamed Jenny struggling along the tunnel. " I'm gonna kill you!"
" Well rather you then the villagers we've left behind!" Jo grinned at her friend as she pulled a worried looking Guillaume behind her. Once again the length of the tunnel managed to elude the group of friends as they suddenly found themselves walking in thin air and they collapsed in a large heap. They leapt to their feet and span around. Just as before, the Gyratory and the world they had just left were no where to be seen.
Phillipe and Marius were stood staring open mouthed at each other. Like two children who've just seen their first magic trick! Guillaume, Martin and Bertrande just looked rather frightened and confused. Jo, Rosie, Lucy, Jenny and Mark, after making sure that everyone was alright, were busy trying to work out where they were. Jo went to brush down her dress and stopped mid movement. A large grin covering her face, a grin which changed into a triumphant shout. The others turned to stare at her, confused expressions all round.
" What?!" Rosie asked, eyebrows raised, eyes wide open as always.
" Jeans! I'm wearing jeans!" Jo shrieked, practically skipping on the spot, " YES! At last no more dresses!" Rosie, Jenny and Lucy soon joined in the manic jumping about as they too discovered that their long dresses had been replaced by jeans and shirts. The clothes of the other travellers had also changed, causing great confusion more than anything else! Phillipe looked down at his now denim clad legs and frowned, he looked up at Jo who just grinned.
" What are we wearing?!" Marius exclaimed, his usually happy face covered in an expression that lived somewhere between disgust and repulsion.
" They're called jeans and they're great!" Jo smiled, " They're what we used to wear back home all the time…well…I did!" Phillipe gasped.
" You wore trousers!?!?!" Jo rolled her eyes.
" Yes I wore trousers…" She sighed and then thought about what else people back home used to wear, "…trust me…I could have worn a lot worse!" She smiled to herself thinking of how Phillipe would take to them wearing short skirts and strappy tops.
" Not to interrupt or anything…" Guillaume spoke up as he walked up to Jo, " But would someone mind telling me what just happened?!" Martin glanced at Jo nervously from his place next to Lucy,
" Was it…you know…" He took a deep breath before looking around him, "…witchcraft?!" he whispered and Jo laughed her reply.
" Not exactly no!" She smiled and was relieved to see the fear start to fade in the eyes of their new found friends from Artigat.
" So what was it…?" Bertrande asked, walking over to Mark.
" Gyratory." Lucy said matter of factly. Martin shrugged,
" A what…?"
" Well…you see…it's kinda like...no…it's more like…how can I say it…" Lucy started.
" It's a kind of gateway…" Rosie explained.
" When you walk through them you're transported somewhere else…" Jenny continued.
" We've been transported to…well…I'm not sure actually where we are…" Mark looked around once more, trying to find something that would give them a clue as to their location. The group of friends were stood in the middle of a muddy field. No buildings anywhere in sight and what looked like it could be a road running along the far edge of the field.
" Well given the clothing and the fact that we heard a motorbike as we came through the Gyratory I think it's safe to say when we are!" Jo walked off a little way from the group. " My guess is we're in the twentieth century again but where we are…" she shrugged, " Search me!"
" What do you mean 'the twentieth century'?!" Guillaume frowned and Jo walked back to him, she took his hand and squeezed it gently.
" I know it sounds strange but you'll just have to trust us on this one…" She smiled and after a second's thought Guillaume smiled back.
" I don't pretend to understand…and I certainly don't expect you to explain it to me all in one go!" He grinned, " But you must admit…we do deserve some kind of explanation!" Jo sighed and grinned back.
" Ok…you're right…but I'm warning you…what just happened…what we just did…is a little hard to believe!"