I do not own Little House on the Prairie or its characters. I just own Libby Matthews.

I opened my eyes and found myself lying on the ground, in the middle of nowhere. There were grass fields and trees as far as I could see. It definitely didn't look like Queens. I stood up and brushed the dirt from my khaki skirt and white blouse. They both had grass stains and some tears, but I didn't really care, it was only my school uniform. I could hear clanking noises coming from the distance and something that sounded like horse hooves. Then it hit me. Could it really be horse hooves? Did I really go back in time? I couldn't believe it. I moved quickly through the tall grass as it tickled my bare legs and I came to a dirt path. So I stopped and waited as the clanking and hooves came closer.

Sure enough a wagon pulled by two dark brown horses came rolling down the dirt path, a cloud of dust left in its wake. The horses were walking briskly and an old, hunched over man was holding the reigns that controlled them. I stepped quickly behind a nearby tree and as the wagon rolled by, I ran up from behind and attempted to hoist myself into the back. I threw my right leg over the back and then my left and before I knew it, I was surrounded by several large bags of grain. I propped myself in the middle of three bags and waited patiently for the ride to come to an end.

I started to feel sick to my stomach as the wagon jostled and swayed along the path. It was a lot worse than riding the subway. Finally, after a few hours, the wagon came to a stop. I peeked out from between the bags of grain and saw a storefront. I quickly squeezed my way out and climbed out of the wagon before the old man even thought about moving. I was in awe as I peered around at the scenery which looked like an image from an old west movie. I couldn't believe the stone had worked. I had gone back in time. I glanced up at the storefront beside me and noticed a sign that read – Oleson's Mercantile. The store looked as if it was connected to a house and a large porch covered the front of it. I wandered onto the porch and examined a bin of apples. They looked shiny and delicious and I was starving. I quickly reached in and grabbed one and then wandered off of the porch so I wouldn't look suspicious.

"You need to pay for that!" hollered a woman's voice as I went to take a bite. Startled, I spun around to find an older woman with black hair that was pulled back into a tight bun and a plump build. She was wearing a long, flowered print dress with a beige apron across the front. She took a few steps toward me and without hesitation, I took off running. "Stop that heathen!" hollered the woman. "She stole from me!" Instantly, all eyes were on me. It was not a good way to make a first impression. I never thought one harmless apple would cause such a ruckus. I dodged in an out of a few wagons and as I glanced behind me to see if I was being followed, I slammed into someone or something in front of me.

"Easy there," stated a deep man's voice. I slowly turned to face a tall man with dark, almost black, wavy hair that peeked out from his brown, round brimmed hat. He was wearing dark pants and a beige colored shirt with black suspenders. "What's the hurry?" he asked as I steadied myself in front of him.

"Charles Ingalls!" I heard the same woman's voice holler from behind me. His name immediately caught my attention. "Keep her right there!" The man looked down at me and raised his eyebrows as he placed his large, calloused hand on my shoulder. I sighed and glanced down at my hand to find the shiny, red apple that caused all the trouble. "Thank you Charles," her annoying voice boomed from behind me. "I'll take it from here."

"Here, take your darn apple back!" I demanded as I spun around to face her, "I didn't even get a chance to eat it." I flung the apple on the ground in front of her and narrowed my eyes in her direction.

"Well, I never," she declared angrily as she looked me up and down suspiciously. "You must be one of those orphan train kids," she stated disgustedly.

"Shut your mouth lady!" I demanded, "You have no idea what you are talking about!"

"All right, that's enough," Charles stated firmly from behind me. "That's no way to address an adult."

"She's annoying," I sighed as I turned back around to face him.

"I don't care," Mr. Ingalls stated firmly, his expression hard and stern, and somewhat intimidating, "And I'm sure your ma and pa would agree."

"Where are your parents?" Mrs. Oleson demanded, "Because they are sure going to get an earful from me."

"Dead!" I yelled as I flung around forcefully, my eyes meeting hers like daggers. I knew one thing for sure; I wasn't a fan of Mrs. Oleson.

"Harriet, what on earth is going on here?" asked a short, balding man dressed properly in blue pants and a matching vest with a white dress shirt underneath.

"Nels…..," she whined, "This child stole from the mercantile." The man studied me briefly, and then his eyes rested on the apple that was on the ground between us.

"An apple?" he questioned with annoyance as he looked up at me.

"It's still stealing!" Harriet's voice boomed as she stomped her foot on the ground, "And I won't stand for it!"

"Nels," interrupted Mr. Ingalls, "I'll pay for the apple…the child was obviously hungry. I'm not justifying what she did, but I….," he stated, but was interrupted by Nels Oleson.

"No Charles, the apple's on me," Nels replied as he smiled briefly in my direction. I peered at Mrs. Oleson who was hovering over her husband's shoulder. Her face was bright red and she looked like she had a lot that she wanted to say.

"If I ever catch you stealing from my store again, I will tan your hide myself!" she growled at me as she waved her finger in my direction. I nodded, but had no idea what she meant. She then stomped her way back toward the mercantile and I couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. She was probably the most intense woman I had ever met.

"Thanks Charles," Nels commented and then hurried off after his wife. I turned back around to face Mr. Ingalls.

"Yeah…..well, thank you," I said with a slight smile and then reached down and picked the apple up off of the ground. I rubbed it on my shirt to clean off the dust.

"Not so fast," he stated as I stepped away, his voice firm. I stopped and stared up at him. "There's an orphanage in Mankato, it's about a day's worth of travel from here. I'm headed there in a few days to make a delivery and I'll take you there. You'll have a warm bed and hot meals every day."

"I'm not interested," I replied bluntly. "But thank you." I took a bite of my apple and started to walk away again when he grasped my arm firmly. I stopped again and glared up at him. I didn't take kindly when forced to do anything.

"It's not a choice," he stated firmly, "I'm taking you home with me and we'll head to Mankato in a few days." I stood and stared at him for a few moments. Maybe this was my chance to get to know my ancestors. I finally nodded my head in agreement and he released the grip he had on my arm.

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