Muffy pointed into the hardware store. "That's him!" she cried loudly.
"That's the kidnapper!"
Upon hearing Muffy's exclamation, the aardvark man turned and started to run toward the girls. Before they could move out of the way he plowed into them, sending them flying in all directions, and rushed down the sidewalk.
As Francine fell backwards, her head forcefully struck...the stomach of a boy who stood between her and the brick planter. The boy was warmly dressed, with a wool hat and a scarf wrapped around his face.
Francine, Muffy, and Marina pulled themselves to their feet. Francine turned to face the boy with whom she had collided. "Thank you, strange boy."
"You're welcome," said the boy, his voice muffled by the scarf.
"He's getting away!" cried Muffy, pointing at the fleeing man.
As the boy walked away, he unwrapped his scarf to reveal the smiling face of Alan Powers.
----
There was a brief flash of light, and Alan materialized in the garage, seated in the time tricycle. Coming to a stop, he rose to his feet and pulled the tricycle to the corner where he was accustomed to hiding it.
Pulling the plywood box aside, he was astounded to see...another time tricycle. It was an exact duplicate of the one he had just traveled on.
"Huh?" he said to himself. "How is this..."
Then a terrifying prospect occurred to him.
He quickly pushed his own time tricycle into the same corner with its duplicate, and moved the plywood box back into place to hide them. Then he hurried through the garage door, into the house.
When he reached the living room, he saw three people seated on the couch, watching TV. One was his father. One was his mother. The other...
Alan knew he had to cover his face, and quickly. Grabbing his scarf, he wound it around his entire head so that even his eyes were obscured.
He stood still and breathless. "Who is that, Alan?" he heard his mother ask.
"It's Jason," said a voice that sounded exactly like Alan's. "He's come to work on a science project with me."
"Why is he hiding his face?" came his father's voice.
"He, uh, has a pimple on his nose," said the Alan-like voice. "He's very self-conscious."
A few seconds later, Alan felt a hand grasp him firmly by the wrist. He was dragged through the living room and into his bedroom. He heard the sound of the bedroom door closing.
"You can take the scarf off now," said the voice that was identical to his own.
Slowly and fearfully, Alan pulled down the scarf. What he saw shocked but did not surprise him. Before him stood a boy who had his face, his height, his width. Everything was the same, except that the boy was dressed in a shirt and jeans instead of winter clothing. And he looked very, very upset.
"Nice going," said the other Alan. "Now there are two of me...and Francine is dead!"
(To be continued...)
Upon hearing Muffy's exclamation, the aardvark man turned and started to run toward the girls. Before they could move out of the way he plowed into them, sending them flying in all directions, and rushed down the sidewalk.
As Francine fell backwards, her head forcefully struck...the stomach of a boy who stood between her and the brick planter. The boy was warmly dressed, with a wool hat and a scarf wrapped around his face.
Francine, Muffy, and Marina pulled themselves to their feet. Francine turned to face the boy with whom she had collided. "Thank you, strange boy."
"You're welcome," said the boy, his voice muffled by the scarf.
"He's getting away!" cried Muffy, pointing at the fleeing man.
As the boy walked away, he unwrapped his scarf to reveal the smiling face of Alan Powers.
----
There was a brief flash of light, and Alan materialized in the garage, seated in the time tricycle. Coming to a stop, he rose to his feet and pulled the tricycle to the corner where he was accustomed to hiding it.
Pulling the plywood box aside, he was astounded to see...another time tricycle. It was an exact duplicate of the one he had just traveled on.
"Huh?" he said to himself. "How is this..."
Then a terrifying prospect occurred to him.
He quickly pushed his own time tricycle into the same corner with its duplicate, and moved the plywood box back into place to hide them. Then he hurried through the garage door, into the house.
When he reached the living room, he saw three people seated on the couch, watching TV. One was his father. One was his mother. The other...
Alan knew he had to cover his face, and quickly. Grabbing his scarf, he wound it around his entire head so that even his eyes were obscured.
He stood still and breathless. "Who is that, Alan?" he heard his mother ask.
"It's Jason," said a voice that sounded exactly like Alan's. "He's come to work on a science project with me."
"Why is he hiding his face?" came his father's voice.
"He, uh, has a pimple on his nose," said the Alan-like voice. "He's very self-conscious."
A few seconds later, Alan felt a hand grasp him firmly by the wrist. He was dragged through the living room and into his bedroom. He heard the sound of the bedroom door closing.
"You can take the scarf off now," said the voice that was identical to his own.
Slowly and fearfully, Alan pulled down the scarf. What he saw shocked but did not surprise him. Before him stood a boy who had his face, his height, his width. Everything was the same, except that the boy was dressed in a shirt and jeans instead of winter clothing. And he looked very, very upset.
"Nice going," said the other Alan. "Now there are two of me...and Francine is dead!"
(To be continued...)
