You hit the ground with a hard thud. It felt like you had been falling for ages when in reality it probably only took a few seconds of time to travel from home to…slowly raising your head you look around not quite sure where you are.
It looks familiar, almost like Central Park. Achingly slow you get to your feet as you stretch realizing how much your body hurts. You've time traveled plenty of times before with dad and it's never felt this painful. Almost like you've aged. Dusting yourself off you continue to look around. It's dark out, but you can clearly see the lake and the Bethesda Fountain in the distance. You'd know this place like the back of your hand since you and dad spend almost every Sunday here walking the paths surrounding the lake.
Panic sets in as you spin quickly around looking for him. Your mind is racing, where is he and where did he send me?
"Dad! Dad!" you scream at the top of your lungs. The annoying sound of an alarm going off refocuses your attention to the panel on the arm of your suit. It's flashing a date and time. March 15, 2018.
"Shit! I traveled back in time?" Your words may be muffled but a nighttime passer-by still looks at you with a frown of annoyance and disgust before muttering, "freak" as he passes you by before continuing to walk into the night.
"Okay, think Madison, think." You remember the envelope your dad had stuffed into your suit right before your whole world had turned upside down. Franticly you tug at the zipper to your quantum suit to reach for the letter. Your helmet whips open, deactivating the safety of the previously enclosed environment. You feel a rush of the cool night air on your skin not realizing how hot you had been getting all along.
But before you can make many more moves you begin to feel light-headed and dizzy. Your eyes are fighting to stay open as the world around you begins to spin and just like that you are back on the ground with a thud…everything going black.