"The '60s, man. Influential musicians like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Playing guitars and singing like prophets. The times, they were a‐changin'." dad said in as we sat in history. You could hear crickets, the class was silent. Boredom laced everyone's expressions. "The class, they are a‐sleepin'." Farkle chirped. "It's not your fault, dad." I started "It's just the stuff you're saying." Riley finished. "I'm talking about the '60s, man." dad told us. "Nobody cares about when you were our age." Riley told him. Dad looked at her completely offended. "Riley, it was over 50 years ago. How old do you guys think I am?" he asked. "There's no right answer to this, sir." Lucas told him. "You should teach us future class." Maya told him. "Listen, dad, you're doing a wonderful job up there," Riley started. "And we're very happy that you're all jazzed up," I continued. "But history has nothing to do with us." Maya finished. "I'm gonna snap this chalk now." dad said, holding up a piece of chalk. "Uh‐oh." I heard Lucas and Logan mumble. "Snap." Dad said, I winced as he snapped the chalk. "What did you guys do yesterday?" he asked the class. "I think Raven and I had grapes." Riley said and I nodded happily. "Do you know what yesterday was?" dad asked. "Grapes Day?" Riley and I questioned in sync, sighing happily at the thought of the little bundles of deliciousness. "It's history." dad told us shaking his head in disbelief "Every decision you make every day, every time you decide to turn left instead of right, you make history and you affect someone else's. And if you refuse to learn that, I guarantee you, you guys will not become the best person you can be." he explained, "Because history is all about missed opportunities. 'History has nothing to do with us,' wasn't it, Ms. Hart?" he questioned my best friend. "Can't remember, it was like five minutes ago." Maya replied and I smiled amused. "Fine. I am not gonna teach you guys about the '60s." dad said. "Yay!" Everyone cheered "You are." he told us. We all groaned apart from the faint "Yay." I heard coming from Farkle "History is alive even if you weren't. But now you're gonna be. You will visit the 1960s and give a report." dad told us. "Time travel." Farkle said. "How do we do that, dad?" Riley asked. "Yeah. We weren't there." I added. "You were." dad corrected. "How?" Riley asked. "You all have grandparents or great‐grandparents. Choose one who was around during that time. Learn all you can about them and report back. Then we'll see if history has nothing to do with us." he told us, "Living history. Now I'm all jazzed up." he added and again, we all groaned as Farkle let out another "Yay".
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1961
Robin's POV
My twin sister Rosie and I made our way into Cafe Hey. I felt Rosie nudge me and I looked over to see her gesturing to a man behind the counter cleaning out the coffee maker. "It's time for the walk." I told her and her face broke out into an excited grin. We looped arms before with each other before strutting over to the counter while snapping the fingers on our free hand. "You're new faces." the guy told us as he leant over the counter once we reached him. "So are you." we told him in sync "but everything's new to us." Rosie started "The people," I declared with a snap of my fingers as we looked around "the places," Rosie added snapping "the whole happenin' scene." I finished with a final snap. "First time you've ever said that isn't it?" he asked me knowingly "I practised the whole way here." I admitted with a sheepish grin. "Let me get a vibe." he said making his way to stand in front of us. Rosie and I turned to face him. He grabbed our shoulders and brought his face level with ours before looking between us. "I dig you immedia-tois." he told us stepping back. "What does that mean?" Rosie asked as we shared a confused look "I don't know. I made it up." he answered with smile "Well, here's what I want you to make up for us: Two hot chocolate's with extra whipped cream, because we're dangerous." I told him with Rosie nodding in agreement "You got a name, dangerous?" he asked me "Robin. Robin McGee." I told him and he nodded, what about you?" he asked my sister "Rosie. Rosie McGee." she answered "Sisters?" he asked us while he turned and lifted a camera from the counter "Twins." we answered in sync "Woah." he mumbled "-What's your name?" I asked with a smile "Ginsburg. Nice to meet you Robin and Rosie." he said before he lifted the camera and snapped a picture. I blinked trying to get rid of the momentary blindness. "What's the picture for?" Rosie asked "For the moment we first met. I'll get your hot chocolate, McGees." he told us making his way to the other side of the counter "I know this is weird, but have we met before?" I asked him "Haven't we all?" he asked before getting to work as Rosie and I looked through our 'twin journal'.
**********
I had just finished writing in the journal and passed it to Rosie. "Welcome, to Cafe Hey, pronounced, 'hehhh'." I heard Ginsburg say. I looked up to see him behind the mic on-stage "Hehhh." everyone around us repeated. "You're getting better at that. Tonight's gonna be legendary, man. Let's just see what flows." he said before snapping his fingers. "Black. White. Green. Tan. No one listen to the man. Freedom is the only plan. Free to be who you am. Can't you see? That you are me. Karma." he concluded and everyone snapped their fingers as I looked back to see Rosie still writing. "What you writing?" Ginsburg asked as he came up beside us "Oh. Just observations." she told him "You know, thoughts about the people we meet." I added with a smile as Rosie passed him our book to read. "These are deep man." he told us with an approving nod "Your two deep chicks." he added "Chicks?" we questioned with a grin "Down here I'm a chick." Rosie mused excitedly as she tried to pose casual in the air. I watched her amused as I leant against the counter. "Why'd you girls come here tonight?" he asked us "We came to make some new friends." I told him as we moved away from the counter "You see, there's two tables over there: The one the left, Bob and Joan; table on the right, a blonde girl all alone." he told us as we stopped "She's new around here, too. Go left or right. What to do? Karma." he told us before walking away. Rosie and I looked around before catching the gaze of the blonde girl sitting at her own table. She gave us a timid smile before turning around. I shared a look with my sister before we both approached the girl's table and sat down. "You are really interesting looking." I told her "Are you as interesting as you look?" Rosie asked "Sure, are you two as weird as you talk?" she asked us "Oh my gosh. Yeah, man." Rosie answered "We're the weirdest cats there is." I told her making claws with my hands "Really? 'Cause you seem like a pair of nice, normal girls to me." she said "You figured us out in five seconds," I started "and you've hurt us." Rosie finished "How can I make that up to you two?" she asked us looking amused "Could we be friends?" I asked hopefully "We would be very good friends to you." Rosie added "Yeah, I could use a pair of weird friends." she told us "Then you should pick..." Rosie and and I trailed off as we swivelled our fingers around until we pointed at each other "Oh, they landed on us." we declared gasping in mock shock as the blonde girl gave us a big smile.
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Raven's POV
"All right, status report." Riley announced as we sat in Svorski's Bakery "We got a guitar that belonged to our great‐ grandmother Rosie and her sister Robin, and their very weird journal." I told them "My dad is sending something about our great‐grandfather." Logan said gesturing between him and his cousin "We don't talk about him much. His name was Merlin." Lucas told us and I looked at him smirking "Merlin? Was he a wizard?" Farkle asked, "Hah!" he laughed "Okay, Farkle Minkus." Logan started "What was your great‐grandfather's name?" Lucas finished. "Ginsburg." Farkle said and I shook my head chuckling softly "You make no sense to me whatsoever." Lucas said looking at Farkle "Me neither." Logan said nodding in agreement. "Whatcha looking at?" Riley asked gaining my attention. I looked at Maya and saw she was looking at a book. "Art book. Ms. Kossal gave it to me. It's got all the best artists and their best paintings. It's amazing. And depressing." Maya replied. "I think she's trying to motivate you." I guessed. "Ain't working. Look at these. I could never do anything near this. These people all have something to say." Maya said. "Well, you only know that because they went ahead and said it." Logan told her. Maya looked towards him "You know, someday you're gonna make somebody a wonderful fortune cookie." she told him and he just smiled. "Let me take a picture of everybody." Farkle said, standing up. "What for?" Riley asked as we all smiled towards Farkle as he took the picture "I don't know. It's us. We may be important to somebody someday." Farkle told us. "You guys are already important to me." I told them. "How?" Lucas asked. "You teach me how to be friends." I replied. "Aww." We all cooed causing me to laugh a little. The five of us stood up and made our way to the door "Maya, aren't you bringing that?" I heard Riley question and looked back to see Maya leaving the art book behind "What, this book of 'Why bother trying I'll never be as good as these guys'?" Maya asked "That's a very discouraging title." I told her frowning and Riley nodded in agreement "I love you guys, but I'm leaving this here. It makes me feel bad and. It's really heavy." Maya told us. Riley and I shared a look before Maya made her way over to us. Riley and I made a move forward to grab the book. We were stopped by Maya who dragged us along as she made her way out the door.
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1961
Robin's POV
"You're making us feel bad." Rosie said as we watched the girl read our journal in one hand while she held us back with the other. "There's some pretty heavy stuff in here. "The girl with the long, blonde hair. " Who's that about, I wonder." she mused with a teasing smile "It's our first time here and we would like to remember everything." I told her grabbing the book as we all took our seats again "Maybe I'll write about it later." Rosie said "It's my first time here, too. I'm on my way to California. My bus broke down, bad luck. I don't understand why these things happen." the girl told us "Because if you're bus doesn't break down, then we don't become friends." I told her with a smile "If we go sit at that table instead of this table, then we're not friends with..." Rosie trailed off waiting for a name "May Clutterbucket." the girl introduced "Yow." Rosie and I exclaimed in unison "What's in California for you, May?" I asked "I'm going to say Clutterbucket now. But just so you know, when I say it I am not making fun of you." Rosie chipped in "Well, there's a place where people are making art and playing music." May told us "Sounds cool." I said with a nod "Where is it?" Rosie asked "It's a place called Topanga Canyon. I'm sure I'll love it." May declared "Topanga...What a beautiful name for something that you want to love." I mused "I'm gonna remember that." Rosie said writing it down "May, take the stage, May. You're up." Ginsburg announced before May stood up. "What's your names, new friends?" she asked us "Rosie McGee." my sister introduced at the same time as I did. "Wish me luck, Robin and Rosie McGee." she told us before grabbing a guitar and looking up at the stage "Wow, you're going to sing?" Rosie asked May "I'm going to try." she answered. "Yay, go get 'em!" I shouted as Rosie and I clapped "And remember, you're beautiful, man." Rosie added. Rosie and I stood up as we watched May perform. "Car drove off, Airplane flew, I stayed here missing you. I grow old, never see that you were there missing me are we now? What were we then? Will we look back and wonder when? What could have been what isn't yet will you remember or forget?" May sung. Applause went through the room as May finished "Wow! I'll remember, because that was great!" I squealed "Let's hear it for May Clutterbucket." Rosie cheered as we looked around the room, I scoffed as I caught man laughing. "What are you laughing at, Bob Dylan?" I questioned with a frown "Merlin. Merlin Scoggins. Take the stage, cowboy." Ginsburg said as May took her seat again "Who the heck is that?" I questioned watching a cowboy decked head to toe in black make his way to the stage along with another man dressed in a similar fashion but his clothes were all various shade of blue and denim, follow behind him with a guitar strapped to his back "So that's him. I've heard about him and the mysterious guitar player." May said with a smile. We watched as the two got ready on stage, the man in blue with the guitar sat on the stool as the man in black took the mic. The man in blue began playing his guitar as the man in black cleared his throat, "Hello. I'm Merlin Scoggins."
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Raven's POV
"Hello. I'm Lucas Friar." Lucas started his presentation as we sat in history. "My great‐grandpa used to do that." he said "He was a man named Merlin Scoggins. He performed with his cousin Morag. And this record was a big hit." Logan said, holding up a record. "That's amazing, guys. Why didn't you ever tell us any of that?" Dad asked. "Yeah, we're gonna tell Maya we have a country‐singing great‐grandpa" Lucas stated "and that we actually do come from cowboys." Logan added shooting Maya a look "Yeah, because I need more nicknames to go with Hop‐along, Sundance and Ranger Rick." Lucas continued. "No, I'm done with that." Maya said. "I am so impressed with your rich, Texas heritage that I am officially throwing out all of those old nicknames forever." she told them with a smile "Wow, thank you, Maya." the boys thanked in sync. "No problem, Bucky McBoing Boings." she said smirking. Lucas and Logan glared at her. "From what Riley and I can piece together, our great‐grandmother Rosie McGee was a weird, little, wide‐eyed goofball who only saw the best in everybody." I said "Who's like that?" Riley said. "Nobody." Maya told her as she smiled at us "I'd like to play you our great‐grandfather's song." Lucas said as he played the record.
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1961
Robin's POV
"Hello. I'm Merlin Scoggins. I ain't got change in my pocket but I see it on the streets, there's been change on the faces of the people that I meet. hey mister, brother, sister could you spare a man some change Hey, mister brother, sister can you spare a man some change?" Merlin sang. He and his partner walked off the stage and made their way to our table as everyone clapped. "This seat taken?" Merlin asked. "By you. See what I did?" I said. "Yeah, you're not a normal girl at all." Maya told me smiling "I liked your song, ma'am." the man in blue told May. "I liked your playing." she told him with a smile "And what do you do?" Merlin asked me. "Ah, who knows?" I said. "They are observers of humanity." May told him gesturing between me and my sister "Well, we need those." Merlin said smiling at me. Ginsburg walked up to us with a camera. "The observers, the singer and the mystery men." he said as he took a picture of us "That's gotta be worth something to somebody someday." he said before walking away. "Well, thank you all for your kind words." Merlin said standing up "We'll be on our way." The man in blue said following merlin's lead. "Oh, do you have to go?" Rosie and I asked looking at the two men "We try not to stay any place too long." Merlin said "Especially when people do that." the man in blue said, gesturing to Rosie who had fluttered her eyes lashes trying to lure him into staying. "Stay here with these ones too long and they might change us for the better." May told them. "Aww." Rosie and I cooed. Merlin chuckled. "Yeah, anyways. You keep writing down those observations." he said looking at me and I blushed "You too." the guy in blue said looking at Rosie "And you, you keep playing." he told May. "What, my new song, "why bother trying, I'll never be as good as you guys"?" May asked. "That's a very discouraging title." I told her frowning. "You guys have something to say." May told Merlin and the guy in blue. "Well, now, you only know that, because we went ahead and said it." the blue man said before her and Merlin walked away. "Here." May said, handing me her guitar "Why are you giving me this?" I asked. "You were great." Rosie told her confused "No, they're going to change the world. I'm not gonna change a thing." May told us. She stood up and walked to the doorway. "Where are you going?" Rosie and I asked concerned "Don't you worry, weirdos, I'll be right back." May assured us. Rosie and I smiled at her before I turned to write in our journal about the handsome mystery men and our new friend May Clutterbucket.
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Raven's POV
"Our great‐grandmother never saw her friend again. The world has never heard of May Clutterbucket." Riley said concluding our presentation. "Our great‐grandfather had one huge hit. People thought he was gonna change the world, but he didn't." Lucas started "After an appearance in a small cafe in New York City, he made some bad choices. He went to jail for a little while. He went left instead of right." Logan finished. "And why do you think that was, Mr. Friar?" dad asked. "Don't know. Maybe he needed some better friends." Logan replied before he and Lucas took their seats again. "Rosie and Robin liked observing things. Riley is going to read something from her journal. It's called 'the girl with the long, blonde hair.'" I announced, "She said she would be gone for a moment, I am still waiting. We all could have been friends, maybe in some other life. The girl with the long, blonde hair." Riley read aloud "It sounds like Rosie and Robin were pretty good writers." dad commented. "There's a little bit more." Riley said, before handing me the journal, "If you quiet your voice, if you stop, because you think other people are better, then you are not who I know you are, the girl with the long, blonde hair." I read "You wrote that." Maya accused. "I continued it." I corrected "I am a continuation. That's what history's about, right, dad?" I said and he chuckled. "Oh, now I get it." he said. "Rosie had a daughter, and her daughter had our mom. Rosie gave Raven and I our mom and she gave our dad his wife." Riley said. She picked up a guitar and brought it to Maya. "This has been in our family for over 50 years. But we feel like it belongs with you." Riley said, handing Maya the guitar as I smiled. "So we hope that whenever you see it, it will remind you that even though Rosie and Robin's friend gave up, you never should." I told her. Maya looked at the guitar before looking up with a smirk. She turned to face Logan and smirked between him and Lucas. "Oh, no." the boys mumbled. "Oh yes." Maya told them before she started to strum the guitar. I smiled. "Hello. I'm Bucky McBoing Boing, "I got two great‐grandsons who are a Ranger Rick and a Hopalong and a Sundance, too." Maya sang "Everybody!" she shouted as Riley and I danced at the front while everyone joined in "I got two great‐grandsons who are a Ranger Rick and a Hopalong and a Sundance, too."
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Maya's POV
I stood outside Svorski's Bakery after school. I sighed before opening the door and making my way to the counter "Hi, I was in here the other day and I lost something that turns out to be important to me." I told the man at the register. He held up a finger before reaching down and lifting my art book. "Thanks." I told as he handed it to me. I made my way to our usual booth and sat down. I opened the cover and smiled at the drawing inside. ""Maya's art goes here. Change the world.
Love, Raven and Riley." I read from the crayon drawing off three stick girls that represented us. "Weirdos." I said with a chuckle setting the drawing down before leafing through the book.
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Raven's POV
I smiled from my spot at the bay window watching as my sister dragged our mother through our bedroom "Riley, what is so important?" she asked as Riley stopped in front of me before Riley sat down "Really? I get to sit here with you two?" our mom asked excitedly realising what was happening "Okay." she chirped sitting in between us. "Look at this." I told her handing her Rosie and Robin's journal "Topanga, what a beautiful name for something you want to love." she read. She looked between Riley and I with tears in her eyes as we all shared a loving smile "Yeah, okay." she whispered as she softly ran her hand over the page.
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I sat in class the next day. Dad opened his mouth about to speak just as Farkle ran into the room, and stopped him. "Yeah, okay." dad said, and stepped aside. Farkle took the floor, and moved a TV screen to the front of the room "We are all part of a puzzle called history. We are each a tiny piece of that puzzle that comes together and makes a picture. Well, you're not gonna believe the picture I just found." Farkle explained, "My great‐grandfather Ginsburg worked at a Greenwich village cafe. Raven, Lucas, what year did your great‐ grandparents visit New York?" "1961."
we answered in unison. "Whoa." we said gaping at each other "I knew it. What month?" Farkle asked. "December." Logan and Riley answered this time "Whoa." they mumbled. "And what was the name of the club?" Farkle asked. "Cafe," Lucas and Logan started. "Hey." Riley and I finished. "That's where my great‐grandfather worked." Farkle mumbled as the four of us looked dumbfounded at each other. "Maya, what did you learn about your great‐grandmother?" Farkle asked her. "Nothing, my mom said to leave it alone." she told him. "I know you, Maya. You're not a puzzle to me at all. You went behind her back and snooped around, didn't you?" Farkle said. "No." Maya answered. "What did you find?" Farkle asked. "No." she said. "Tell me her name. Say it or I will." Farkle told her. "May Clutterbucket." she mumbled and my eyes widened. Whoa. "What?" Farkle asked, not hearing her. "I come from a long line of Clutterbuckets." Maya said sighing. "Oh, this is the greatest day of my life!" Logan shouted "All of our relatives met each other on the same night." Farkle said. "Your great‐grandmother was my great‐grandmother and her sister's friend." Riley told Maya. "No. They never became friends. They walked out. They left." Maya corrected "And you didn't tell us?" I asked her "Tell you what? That I come from people who give up? That I'm a Clutterbucket?" Maya asked. "Change history." dad told her "Excuse me?" she asked. "They would have been better off being friends. That was a missed opportunity. Don't let your history be one of missed opportunities. Learn from the past." dad explained. Maya dropped the art book on her desk. "I don't want to be a Clutterbucket." Maya admitted "You're not." Riley started, "You're all Hart." I told her and she smiled at us "On December 14th, 1961, six
pieces of a puzzle came together and our lives touched," Farkle said. I heard dad chuckle. "How great is history class now, everybody?" He asked. "Shh!" Everyone but him shouted. "Great‐grandfather Ginsburg was hard to research, because he was never in any of the pictures, because he took them. Ladies and gentlemen, I have achieved time travel. Thank you. I am Farkle!" Farkle said. He walked back to his seat as a picture appeared on the TV. It was of the group of our ancestors from 1961 and it transitioned into the photo of the five of us in the bakery.
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"You're early." dad commented walking into the classroom the next day. "Where are we going today, dad?" Riley asked. "I thought you guys didn't care about any of that stuff?" dad asked. "No, that was yesterday. Yesterday is history." I told him. "What do you have for us today, Mr. Matthews?" Maya asked. "The year was 1963. 'I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today'. Martin Luther King, Jr." dad told us, "A lot of things happened in 1963. The '60s, man." he said.
