Wandering Child

Chapter 10- Time Travel

M. Richard had given AM4 a map to follow so we could go under the Opera house and "examine the architecture" of the Opera. Joey and I followed him into a room that was a short ways off of the stage. Inside the room, there was a dresser, a bed, and many objects that would be used for getting ready to go on stage. There was an assortment of pots of makeup, and all kinds of brushes. AM4 led us through a trap door that was cleverly concealed by a full-length mirror that covered an entire wall.

Joey held a torch and I walked in between her and AM4. The tunnel was wide enough for us all to walk side-by-side.

"Where, exactly are we going?" I asked as we walked down the long, dark corridors.

"We are going," AM4 said. "To an area of the Opera where it will be easy for you to locate our Opera Ghost." He stopped and took the torch from Joey. He crouched down and looked at the ground.

"There's one square here that doesn't look quite right." He said. "I think we're at the right spot." He turned to me. "Can you swim?" He asked.

"Nope." I said bluntly. "Can't even float. Why?"

Instead of answering my question, he muttered something that I didn't understand, and straightened. "Well," he said. "You're going to learn soon enough."

"Are you sure?" I asked, misunderstanding his meaning. "I mean, what if I don't come back? And then there's the question of how I'll pay for the lessons. I don't have a job, and-what are you doing?"

AM4 was opening his backpack and pulling out a belt. It was the strangest belt I had ever seen. It was made entirely of metal, and there was a keypad on it. It was numbered from one to nine. AM4 handed me the belt, and I took it.

"Is this your time machine?" I asked.

"Yes." He said. Joey waved the torch around. AM4 had handed it back to her so he could get the belt. He zipped up the backpack and shouldered it. The he folded up the map and handed it to me. But not before he marked a little red 'x' on the paper.

"This," He said, taking the belt from me. "Is your time machine. The keypad is here." He pointed to it. "There are over fifty different combinations, and three numbers in each combination. Make sure you don't press the wrong combination. You could end up making it shrink while it's around your waist. That could suffocate you."

"Oh, well that makes me feel so much better about it." I said sarcastically. "Now I have options of how to die. Let's see...should I take death from suffocation, or death from being strangled by the Phantom's lasso? I wonder if there might end up to be a third way in which you would like to kill me?" I crossed my arms as AM4 tossed the belt to Joey, who showed me how to fasten it around my waist.

As soon as it was buckled, I felt heavier. Joey punched in a combination and I felt the belt hum underneath me.

"What did you just do?" I asked. But, a moment later, I got my answer. A white fabric covering suddenly slipped over the belt. The only part that was left exposed was the keypad. "Never mind." I said, and Joey smiled wryly.

"I am going to write down the combinations that you will need to make it shrink, then grow larger, and then come home." She said, scribbling on a notepad.

"How will I bring the Phantom back, on the off chance that he might actually agree to this insane plan?" I asked, peering over Joey's shoulder. "And can you tell me how it works?" I added. "You know, in case I forget the combinations, or lose the paper somewhere."

"There are three numbers in each combination." AM4 began. "When you want to make the machine shrink, you press only three numbers. When you want it to become large again, you just press the same combination, but in reverse."

"Makes sense." I commented.

"When you want to time travel," AM4 continued. "You have to press a combination of five numbers."

"I think about what you're saying, and I'm drawing a blank." I said in a robot-like voice. "Repeat the instructions, and I will repeat what I have just said. I advise you to change your tactics and try to explain the concept in another fashion."

"What don't you get?" He asked.

"Why do you punch in five numbers?" I asked as I adjusted the belt. It was really much too heavy. "I thought you were supposed to punch in three."

"Three numbers per combination." AM4 corrected. "You weren't listening. When you want to time travel, you have to press five because it's a double combination. As well, the combination depends on what time you want to go to."

"Last time I checked, three times two was six, not five." I said matter-of-factly.

"It's not a complete double." Joey answered. She handed me the notepad and a journal.

"What's this for?" I asked, holding up the journal.

"It's so you can record what goes on." Joey replied. "You, know, observations, and the like." Then she pointed to the sequences on the paper. "The first four numbers are the year. This machine is not as advanced at to be able to take you into the B.C. Era, so you don't need to worry about that."

She curled her hair behind her ears. Her blond hair was cropped short, and slicked back. A few strands of hair had fallen out of place. Then she continued. "For you, you'll be going into the year 1870."

"If I want to know what year it is, I'll ask someone when I get there." I interrupted.

"If you do, it could make you look like an idiot." AM4 warned.

"I don't care." I said.

"By the way," AM4 added. "In answer to your other question, as long as Erik is touching you when you activate the time portal, you'll be able to take him with you." He peered off into the darkness.

"And remember," Joey said, looking me straight in the eye. "Don't mess with the events until after Christine has betrayed him and left with Raoul. If you do, it could change the whole story."

I nodded and looked at the combinations on the piece of paper in my hand. I quickly memorized the combination to get to the year 1870, and then put the slip of paper in my pocket.

"Well, I guess I should get going." I said, and reached to plug in the combination.

"Wait!" Joey cried, and opened her bag. I paused as she pulled out a dress. "You have to put this on first." She handed me the dress and I looked pointedly at AM4.

"Oh, very well." He said. "You can put it on here." He turned around and I undressed. I kept a close eye on him as Joey helped me into the dress.

"Okay," I said. "You can turn around now." He turned around and a did a pirouette for him and Joey. "How do I look?" I asked.

"You look great." Joey said enthusiastically. I looked at AM4 expectantly. He said nothing. Joey elbowed him in the ribs.

"You look fine." He said gruffly. Joey winked at me and I smiled at her. The sky blue coloring is perfect for me, I thought.

Joey handed me a couple of pens and a pencil. "For marking your way on the map. And for writing in your journal." She said.

"Thanks." I said, and gave her a hug. As we embraced, I whispered in her ear, "If this doesn't work, it's not the end of the world. Remember, you are beautiful no matter what you look like. It's not outer beauty that makes you precious; it's the inner beauty." I released her and I saw tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

"Well," I said. "This is it. Don't wait up for me, eh?" I said, smiling. Then I punched in the numbers.

The tunnel suddenly became very windy, and my hair was blown back in my face. I turned around and saw the same blackness. I looked back at Joey and AM4 and saw their forms fading.

I gave one last wave before they disappeared completely. As soon as their forms were gone, so was the light that had been given off by the torch. I was in complete blackness. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm not scared of the dark, it just makes me uncomfortable.

Okay, so maybe I'm a little scared.

A/N: Having fun? I know I am. Review, please!