Mr. Elwood arrived back at the time he promised, in a Luxurious Ford Explorer. Meg and Zebra piled into the back seat. The stuffy lawyer drove them down highway 22. The traffic wasn't all that bad, and in no time, they arrived at the correct address. The house looked pretty run-down. The paint was cracked and peeling, and the shingles on the roof were curling, in much need of repair

"Well, this is it", Mr. Elwood announced as he politely opened the back door, letting the girls out.

Meg crinkled her nose in distaste. "Goodie. Very homey"

Zebra gave her a disapproving glance. They approached the gate that was connected to a splintered fence, encircling the property. Zebra pushed on the wooden gate. The ancient door cracked and fell off it's hinges, landing with a loud THUNK onto the sidewalk. Apparently, the place hadn't had any recent visitors. Mr. Elwood lead the way to the front door, which had a; 'This Property is Condemned. No Trespassers' sign in big, bold lettering. He searched his pockets for the correct key. After unlocking it, he turned the knob and pushed. But the door remained tightly shut. They lawyer gave a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry. It seems to be stuck", he said, stating the obvious. He threw his shoulder into it, but with all his efforts, all he'd gained was a bruised shoulder. Meg yawned, growing quite tired of waiting.

As the lawyer favored his injured shoulder, Meg calmly nudged him aside. "Allow me", she offered. She faced the door and pressed her hands together, as if in prayer, and shut her eyes. Quite suddenly, her eyes shot open, with fire and determination. She laid a powerful kick into the door, adding the appropriate, "HEE YA!" The door shot open, bouncing off the wall. Meg turned silently to her companions, then gave them a proper bow, for Zebra, then Mr. Elwood.

Genuinely surprised, Mr. Elwood looked to Zebra for an explanation. Zebra only shrugged, as if to say, 'that's Meg for ya'.

Stepping onto the entryway, the floorboards creaked, threatening to collapse beneath their feet. Fortunately, they held firm. It was very stuffy. Mr. Elwood opened a window, hoping to vent some fresh air into the room. Well, as fresh as it gets in the big city. Everything seemed normal about the house, there was just no one occupying it. Zebra entered the living room. A retro 70's style couch sat before an outdated television set. Also, a fireplace was set at the far end of the room. Some modest, family photographs were displayed on the hearth. Reverently, Zebra approached these, picked one up and studied the three personages smiling back at her. She silently trailed her fingers along the wooden frame, as she recognized a much younger version of her mother. A man and woman stood behind her, their arms around each other. The woman looked tired and worn, but the happiness shown bright in her eyes. The man had jet black hair and an intelligent face. This had to be the owner of the small house they were now in. Zebra's grandfather, Julius Sanders.

Meg came up behind her and looked over her shoulder. "Is that him?"

Zebra nodded, tears threatening escape. She swallowed them down and turned to the lawyer. "Do you mind if take a look around for ourselves?"

Mr. Elwood sat himself onto the retro couch. "Not at all", he said, spreading out his legal documents onto the coffee table. "It belongs to you after all, though the state still wants the land. But, it's your decision in the long run."

Zebra nodded her understanding. She couldn't help but feel rushed. If this truly was her property, then she was going to take her time in deciding what should ultimately be done.

As they went about their exploration, it only made sense to start from the ground-up. Or, in this case, below ground. That is to say, the basement. In the kitchen, Zebra discovered the stairway that led to the floor below. The electricity had long been stripped from the circuit breaker. Relying only on the faint glow of the afternoon sun, streaming in through the tiny windows, the girls descended to the basement. A stray cobweb swept across Zebra's face. Her hands flew to her face as she choked and spat. Meg couldn't help but laugh at her friend's expense.

"Yuck!" Zebra exclaimed as she continued her spit-take. Her coughing and spewing ceased as her eyes fell upon a strange looking contraption of sorts. She squinted in the dim light, not sure if her eyes were deceiving her. "Meg! Take a look at this." She came to her side to investigate her new found discovery.

Meg tilted her head in dismay, not sure what to make of such a...structure. "What do you suppose it is?"

Zebra shook her head, unsure of how to answer. Tentatively, she reached out her hand to touch the cold metal. Just before contact, she recoiled, as if afraid that it might spring to life of it's own free will. Meg scoffed and pulled out their apartment room key, attached to it was a small flashlight. Usually used to illuminate enough light needed to unlock their front door when the porch light above the door was burnt out. Meg aimed the beam upon the curious object. It was a strange object indeed. A small computer screen and keyboard were fitted near the center on a slant. Buttons and switches were strewn all about. It was as tall as the 8ft ceiling and about as large as a Hummer. Dozens of wires and tubes flowed like blood in ones veins throughout the circuitry. Each one was connected to a circular platform a few feet away from the machine itself, secured to the floor. In truth, it looked pretty beat up. Nothing new to what else they'd seen.

"Hey, if anything, we could always sell it for scrap metal", Meg shrugged as she tapped the steal frame with her sneakered foot. Zebra was appalled by the suggestion.

"Meg, show a little respect, will ya?" She said tiredly. Zebra couldn't explain why, but she felt drawn to the hunk of metal. Though it was definitely in dis-repair, she sensed a certain energy emanating from it. Whatever it's purpose, it had a very powerful force within it's make-up.

Retrieving her from her thoughts, Meg touched Zebra's shoulder. "C'mon", she urged. "There's still a lot of unexplored territory to uncover. I think we've seen enough of this room."

Reluctantly, Zebra followed Meg up the stairs, turning her head back a few times, wanting to learn more. 'I'll be back', she vowed. 'I'll come back and unlock your secrets'

Zebra came to an agreement with Mr. Elwood; She would be given only two weeks to come to a final decision. She still had a lot of her grandfather's belongings to go through. At least, that was her excuse. Her real intentions were to have undisturbed time to study the machine in the basement. During their tour of the house, Zebra found a leather bound book, in a bedroom that could have only belonged to Julius Sanders. She was excited to discover that the book, was in fact, a journal, with entries dating back to the early 1950's. Zebra tucked the book under her arm and got into the Explorer behind Meg and headed home.

They arrived at Rock Gardens later that evening. Mr. Elwood had given Zebra the front door key to he house, and reminded her, again, of her deadline. He gave them a cheerful wave as he drove off. As Meg let them into their apartment room, Zebra made a b-line into her bedroom.

"Well goodnight", she said hastily, leaving Meg into confusion.

"Ooooookay. Good evening to you to", though Zebra was well out of hearing range. Shrugging, Meg decided to spend the rest of the evening before her computer.

Zebra, on the other hand, had some serious studying to do. But what she wanted study couldn't be found in any college textbook. She knew, whatever secrets that basement held within it's cemented walls, could be answered from within the yellowing pages of Julius Sanders private journal. Lying on her bed, propped up by a couple of pillows, Zebra stroked the rough leather spine. Apparent by it's current condition, the book had been put to good use. Many pages were loose and falling out. The cover was streaked with scratches and dents. Zebra's hand hung over over the cover, both anxious and apprehensive to begin. She inhaled deeply and flipped to the first entry.

Zebra read;

August 9th 1948

Greetings! I shall start with an introduction; my name is Julius Sanders, and today is my 8th birthday. I received this here journal as a present from Mum. In all truth, what I really wanted was a chemistry set. But dad thinks they're for wimps. If I enjoy such activities, then I suppose I am just that, a wimp. Just cause I'd rather spend my time building and experimenting, unlike the other kids my age playing sports and alike. Dear O'l Dad is a boxer himself, one of the best. As his only son, he'd hoped that I would follow his lead. 'You need to build up your strength, or else you'll end up with a 'kick me' sign constantly posted on you rear', he always tells me. Live'n learn, I always say. I wonder how this year will unfold. I shall close for now.

Julius Sanders

She continued to read through the life of her grandfather. He didn't submit an entry every day of his life. At least once a week did he jot down events of the day. Not only that, he also recorded ideas and theories. Almost every science fair project he entered for school, was awarded a blue ribbon, with the highest honors. Usually the top of his class. Even as a young child, he had the interests and fortitude of a great scientist. There were even some scattered pictures glued to the pages. A figure of a young boy, surrounded by his third grade class, was reflected in black and white through a bent photograph.

She reached the date of May 18th, 1958. He told of his night at the Senior Prom. He described his date as the most beautiful of all living creatures, inside and out. He couldn't muster the courage to ask her. So, to his delighted surprise, she'd invited him. It was that same night, he'd enjoyed his first kiss. 'Soft and sweet were her lips against mine.' Zebra felt moved. The journal had the feel of a spellbinding novel, locking her attention.

Soon, fatigue made it's way in. The Sandman was determined to cast his spell upon Zebra's sleepy eyes. Her body began to relax, her arms grew heavy and her vision blurred. After blinking a few times, her eye lids eventually closed. The journal lay open on her chest.