Remorse Of An Adventurer II
Tangled Paths
By DaringDanger
VII: The Fifty Year Night
*** Hilda ***
"Is it me, or has school been more boring lately?" David mumbled as a car drove past the trio.
"Isn't school almost always boring?" I countered.
"I take offense to that." Frida jabbed.
"I agree with Frida! School is exercise for your brain!" Alfur popped from my hair about as aggressively as he could.
"Thank you Alfur."
"I'm just saying they can't keep inventing new kinds of math! Multiplication, Division, Fractions! What's next? Adding letters together?" David complained.
"Yes actually." Frida replied. "That's called Algebra."
"Cruddlesticks." David moaned.
"I think the problem is you and Hilda don't study enough." Frida argued. David replied but I suddenly zoned out. We were walking past my old flat again, as we did most days. Seeing it made my chest tighten, my ears ring.
"I miss it too Hilda." Alfur spoke into my ear.
"I miss mum." A few tears welled up.
"So do I, but I think Johanna would be proud of how far we've come." Alfur spoke in an upbeat tone. I finally noticed David and Frida had stopped. Just a few steps past me they continued talking, waiting for me without pressuring. I was about to turn to them before I noticed something move. The old building owner, Mr. Ostenfeld had exited the building. He was a short and elderly man with dark skin, I'd only spoken to him once or twice. He rounded a corner, out of sight, moving with a purpose, almost in a shady manner.
"That's odd." I muttered, and gestured for my friends to follow me as I switched into stealth mode and followed him. We watched him open some magazine and suddenly with a flash of violet light he vanished. I blinked and he reappeared, magazine in hand. The four of us ducked back and behind a wall as he returned to the building.
"What was that!?" David finally spoke.
"He disappeared, and reappeared!" Frida marveled. "Is he a witch?"
"Maybe?" I returned.
"Let's investigate!" Following Frida, we ran to the front door and into the lobby. Mr. Ostenfeld's door was closed, but a box was propped beside it. I grabbed the parcel and Alfur popped out.
"You're not doing what I think you're doing right?" I began tearing the package open. "Postal regulations Hilda!" Alfur flailed frantically. Inside the package were four magazines, all the same copy.
"Trolberg Digest? That's an oldie." Alfur scoped the packages from my shoulder. "And it looks to be in mint condition. He understands the finer things." Everyone gathered as I opened one and with a gentle hum and a bright light, everything changed.
"What just happened?" I asked as I looked around, the lobby of my old building looked, new, shiny, fancier even.
"I think that magazine just renovated your old house." David commented.
"Alfur, how old is that magazine?" Frida asked.
"I'd say about fifty years."
"Think about it, everything old looks new again."
"The upholstery on these chairs looks ancient though." Alfur noted.
"Yes but they look new!" Frida pressed.
"Did we travel through time!?" I suddenly realized.
"What!?" David squealed. "How do we get home!?" Without another thought I pushed open the door into a vaguely familiar Trolberg, filled with slightly different buildings, old cars, and people in fashion that's now only depicted in books. The four of us slowly walked outside into the streets.
"Only one thing to do, make a time travel chart!" Alfur began writing something in his book. "I wonder if it's consistent, correcting, or… diverging."
"There's Mr. Ostenfeld!" Frida pointed at the old man who was still moving very shadily. Without a word we followed a bit behind. Suddenly another copy of him joined behind. As we kept our distance the clones began stacking up more and more, until we were trailing seven of him.
They finally stopped and began trickling into a nightclub, past a confused looking bouncer. We walked up after them but the woman blocked the door.
"Isn't it a bit late for you lot to be out? Why don't you go home." She gestured us away.
"Maybe that's not a bad call?" Alfur suggested as we moved through the chilly night air. Suddenly a faint sound of jazz music hit my ear, I looked up to an open window near the buildings' fire escape, Frida seemed to have spotted it as well.
"Not yet Alfur." Frida gestured for everyone to come to her. "Boost me up!" She pointed to the fire escape, David and I interlocked our arms and Frida stepped on. She weighed more than I recalled, but perhaps that was because I didn't exercise for several months last year. Frida pulled herself up and kicked down the ladder. As we approached the window the sound of music became overwhelming, and we climbed through the window onto the catwalk.
The club was a high class establishment, with a stage, live band, open dance floor, and a bar.
"Fancy!" Alfur seemingly was thinking the same thing.
"There's the Ostenfelds." David pointed to a dark booth. All of them seemed to be looking the same direction.
"They're watching that guy." Alfur pointed his stub towards a young man with dark skin and equally dark hair sitting at the bar.
"That's a little creepy." Frida shivered a bit.
"He's got the same magazine!" I pointed. "We must've traveled back to the date on this issue!" I held out our copy.
"That's going in the time travel chart." Alfur began scribbling. Meanwhile a young woman approached the man and the two began talking. She pointed to the magazine and they talked about it for a bit before she pulled him to the dance floor.
The pair both seemed a bit new to dancing, making funny faces as they went. We all giggled as the man stepped on the woman's foot and the pair started laughing. The music faded to a slow song and the girl took the initiative to start a more intimate dance, eventually laying her head against him.
"Eww." David moaned.
"These two were meant to be together." I smiled.
"Agreed." Frida added.
At the end of the night the pair parted, the girl leaving first.
"The Ostenfelds didn't like that." I noted, the seven all appearing crestfallen.
"Hey!" I turned to one of them pointing up at me.
"She's not supposed to be here!" Another one said.
"Time to go!" Alfur yelled.
"Yep!" I agreed as the four of us ran to the window. One by one we looped down the fire escape.
"Get back here!" One of the Ostenfelds yelled as they poured into the alley. Frida took the lead as we sprinted into the streets. The Ostenfelds hot on our trails as we weaved between people and cars.
"The streetcar!" Frida yelled as the three of us picked up speed and one by one grabbed the railing of the car, the Ostenfelds looking on as we left them behind.
"Why don't we still have these in Trolberg?" David asked, wheezing.
"No one cares about public transit, I guess." Frida noted.
Arriving back at my old apartment we hopped off the streetcar.
"Now how does the magazine take us home?" I pondered. I let it open and in a flash we returned to our own time. "Oh."
"You!" Mr. Ostenfeld had been waiting for us and pulled us into his home. "You wasted one of my magazines! They only work once. Why were you spying on me?"
"Why were you spying on that guy?" I retorted.
"I'm allowed! That guy is me." He sat down in a faded chair. "It was one of the best nights of my life. I went out, expecting to listen to music and instead I met her. The night flew by all too quickly and I wanted to see her again, but I didn't want to come off too… eager. I was afraid. I let the moment pass without ever getting her name. I spent decades trying to recreate that night, so when I saw an advertisement to order old magazines, I ordered the one from that night, when I opened it, well, you know the rest."
"How does it work?" I asked, perplexed.
"Not sure, but now with all these magazines I can see her again, even if I have to watch that moment slip away, again and again."
"How were there seven of you?" Frida chimed in.
"My previous visits, I try and space the trips out, to keep from adding up."
Alfur sighed, and crossed something out. "So it's not consistent. The others will be so disappointed."
"Why not change things?" I suggested.
"The past is the past, you don't change it."
"The butterfly effect you mean." Frida added.
"Yes, changing one small thing, like killing a butterfly, can cascade."
"The magazines keep sending you back for a reason, maybe you're meant to do something instead!" I insist. Mr. Ostenfeld looked away. "If you don't do it, I will!" I pulled another magazine and ripped it open, passion overtaking me.
"Hilda!" Frida complained as we landed back in the past.
"Stop!" Mr. Ostenfeld yelled behind me. I pulled everyone outside and we ran, pushing through the previous seven Ostenfelds
"Catch her!" the newest one yelled. This time however we easily outran the older men, and laid in wait at the night club.
"Are you sure about this Hilda?" Frida had spent the entire time waiting anxious.
"There has to be a reason for the magazines to work." I press.
"Aren't you terrified of the Butterfly effect?"
"I know this is right." I looked her and David silently in the eyes, and at that moment, the woman left the night club. I sprang from my hiding spot and ran in.
"Mr. Ostenfeld!" The man jumped a bit.
"How do you know my name?"
"Not important. You have to make plans to see her again, now!"
"But that's so forward!"
"You won't get another chance, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!" He thought for a moment before running out of the door. The other Ostenfelds joined us near the door. We watched as the young version spoke with the girl and walked off arm in arm.
"He did it."
"I did it."
"What just happened!?" We all turned to see ourselves, from the previous trip.
"This is weird." I said, eyeing up the other me.
"I better update my chart." The previous Alfur said, before the current one shared his own chart.
"Why am I here?" Hilda asked me.
"We came to help Mr. Ostenfeld find love, with no consequences." As I spoke the ground began to shake.
"Oh I knew this was a mistake." Mr. Ostenfeld complained. With a roar that sounded as though it were mixed with a gurgle, a worm with blue stripes sprung up from the ground. We all stood still as it charged at the other me, tossing her in the air, and eating her in one swallow. My blood ran cold.
"Run!" I yelled and everyone scattered. The worm turned and grabbed one of the Ostenfelds. I grabbed David's hand and we ran to a corner, followed by one of the Ostenfelds. The worm grazed by our hiding spots, leaving one of it's portals behind. Inside was a sort of video of Mr. Ostenfeld on a date with the girl.
"Is that me?" My version asked. As we watched the portals vanish and reappear between the path of destruction left by the worm, the couple grew older together, until they were the age I knew them as.
"Wait, that's Tildy!" I recognized the woman immediately.
"You know her?"
"She lives around the corner." I noted. The worm suddenly swooped in and grabbed another Ostenfeld.
"It's time to go!" A final Ostenfeld held out the magazine. I opened my copy of the magazine. We returned, David still holding my hand in front of the now abandoned club.
"Giant worm time-line guardian," Alfur said as he jotted it down.
"Hilda." David was shaking.
"What?" I asked.
"We forgot Frida!" He stammered. The ground began to shake again and a worm grabbed the final Ostenfeld.
"Run run run!" Alfur begged. I grabbed David and we took to the streets. The shaking turned into an earthquake and screams echoed in the streets. I looked up and the sky had become stormy. In the corner of my eye I saw another worm on the horizon. What have I done?
"Let's go to the Library!" David suddenly tugged me down the street. The worm missed the turn and vanished.
"Kaisa!" We burst through the door yelling. Two Kaisa's turned to us.
"What did you two do!?" One accused. With a shake the worm burst through the shelves, sending books everywhere. It shot at one of the Kaisas and swallowed her whole.
"I guess that settles who was the real me." The other grumbled.
"What does that mean?" David asked.
"It's a Time Worm. I assume you two just got back from fifty years ago or so?" She tapped her foot angrily. The Time Worm suddenly growled and bared down on us.
"Duck!" Frida's voice came as I was knocked to the ground, the Time Worm sailing just over my body.
"Frida!?" David and I perplexed. The girl had new clothes but looked the same otherwise.
"How did you get back?" I asked.
"I didn't. I waited."
"But you're not older!" David pointed out.
"I had to make some sacrifices." Frida's eyes turned bright green like-
"You're a Marra!" David pointed accusingly.
"Yes, and we need to go." She grabbed us and carried us upward to the second floor, to the entrance to the witches tower. "I'll explain in a minute." She said.
"I'm not even sure how to update my chart anymore." Alfur moaned. Kaisa joined us and closed the secret entrance as we all ran through it.
"Your plan better work Frida." Kaisa complained. "The council will have my head otherwise."
"What the flip is going on!" David yelled.
"Okay, Where do I start?" Frida pondered. "Hilda, you created a new universe when you talked to Mr. Ostenfeld. That created a new version of him, and Tildy, and a new version of everyone who knew them as well. The Time Worms are trying to erase all the time doubles, which are now the people we know."
"Like the other me." Kaisa said.
"There's another issue though, when I stayed in the past, I did the same to everyone I met over the last fifty years, while I kept dodging that stupid worm so I could try and help save your asses!"
"Frida calm down." I said, she never talked this way to us before.
"In this timeline the destruction the time worms caused resulted in time magic being redefined as dark magic. Helping Frida was banned as well, so all information on the topic is lost."
"That's why I became a Marra, because I could never sleep with that thing after me. I was hoping we'd find a way to reverse all the changes."
"Why don't we ask a witch from the original timeline?" David suggested.
"Like Tildy!" I yelled.
"Tildy retired from witchcraft to travel with her husband though." Kaisa noted.
"In this timeline." Frida noted. "She's my mentor in the original. That was the plan actually, David."
"We need to go then, the time worm will certainly be after her." Kaisa instructed.
"She'll be fine." Frida assured. Five strong we prepared to sprint from the library, Alfur still madly scrawling information in his time chart. I peeked from the doors and signaled everyone to run out. No sooner did we enter the light than the ground began to rumble.
Through its portal the worm burst and slammed down onto David.
"David!" I pleaded and screamed as the worm threw him around, and swallowed.
"Hilda come on!" Frida pulled me from my knees. The Worm slithered around us in a circle, no way out. Frida and I looked around before she pointed to the portal the worm had emerged from.
*** Frida ***
Hilda was already numbed by David's death, if only she knew what I'd seen the last fifty years. I pulled her into the portal with a hard tug and we fell into a pile of hay. It was night now. A pig sniffed my hair a bit.
"Where are we?" Hilda asked.
"The past I'd wager." As I looked around there was a huge plume of smoke in the air, and a lot of noise echoing from its source. "We better not fool around here."
"But the time chart!" Alfur complained.
The worm burst from the portal and I narrowly pulled Hilda out of its way. From one time period into another seemed the only option, and I pulled us into the new portal. A few people screamed and ran clear as we landed on a stone street. This Trolberg looked more Trolberg-like, minus electricity. The bells were even ringing.
"Stupid bells." Hilda moaned. Suddenly a Troll walked directly in front of me and I nearly jumped into Hilda's arms. But it didn't attack.
"What's it doing?" I pondered. As we looked around there were several Trolls in the shadows, but they seemed to be looting for some reason.
"There's so much they aren't telling us in school." Hilda noted. The worm suddenly burst from the street, scaring even the trolls away.
"One of these has to take us home Frida!" Alfur yelled.
"I can't take this anymore!" Hilda yelled. As the worm lunged, I couldn't get her to move. With a scream it pulled her in, and Alfur narrowly jumped to my sleeve. I dove for the portal.
"Dammit!" I yelled without taking in any of the new scenery. A few people were staring at us.
"I think we're making a scene, Frida." Alfur whispered. The worm erupted from the side of a building once more and I narrowly ducked under it.
"I've been doing this for fifty years, Alfur." I smiled as I jumped into the portal.
We landed in an alley and one of Ahlberg's stupid posters flew by. Finally, the right time period. I ran into the street, simply assuming the worm was behind us. Only one turn. I darted around the corner and started slamming on Tildy's door.
"Tildy! It's an emergency!" The door opened and Tildy cast a spell over my head.
"That won't hold him long." I looked back and the worm was frozen inches behind us. "I figured this had something to do with you three."
"What do you mean?"
"It seems I fell in love fifty years ago and got married, know anything about that?" She gestured to her living room, where another Tildy sat with Mr. Ostenfeld.
"New timeline Kaisa already explained a lot of this to me, but she's not sure how to reverse this." I explained.
"We just need to destroy the enchanted object." Tildy smiled.
"That makes sense." Other Tildy agreed.
"It needs to be the original one, also, not one of the copies."
"This is all our fault for going back in time."
"Actually Frida, it's mine." Tildy produced a weathered copy of the magazine. "I'm the one that enchanted it in the first place. I so wanted to see that man again, that I went back to the club, but he was gone, only the magazine remained."
"And you hoped he would find you." I continued.
"I wasn't thinking about the consequences, I was a young, reckless witch."
"Well now we can fix it."
"Yes, but when we destroy it, it will undo everything it caused, including them." She pointed at her other self, and Mr. Ostenfeld.
"Can we really do that now Frida?" Alfur asked.
"We have to do it to bring Hilda, David, and Kaisa back."
"It's okay. We don't want to do this, not this way." Mr Ostenfeld took the old magazine.
"I'm glad we lived a life together, even if it's about to be erased." He continued.
"We lived it, that can't be erased." Tildy replied. The pair ripped the magazine together and the Time Worm burst through the wall, taking them away.
"Would you like me to take you home, Frida?" Tildy asked.
"I'm not going home, but you can take Alfur." I handed the Elf over.
"What do you mean?"
"I was left in 1947. The worm will come for me too." I said. "I gave up being human running from that thing, gave up a lot of things. At this point, knowing everything is fixed, I want nothing more than to greet it like an old friend." Tildy nodded in agreement.
*** Alfur ***
We walked out of the hole in Tildy's wall, as I put the last notes in my time chart. Frida entered the street and opened her arms, like she was waiting for a hug. The Worm rounded a corner like a train, and I closed my eyes as it took her.
"You know little elf, you'll be the only one of them who remembers this." Tildy noted.
"I can say with certainty, this was the longest thirty-five minutes of my life. Maybe it's better they don't know. I just watched myself die at least once after all."
To Be Continued in: The Old Bells of Trolberg