Marty whispered, "So that's how she got her job back." He turned to Doc, "Wait did Arthur marry the wrong grandma? …wait was that great-grandpa Willie! We had met him when he was a baby. He peed on me. Holy crap, Doc. I'm gonna disappear again and Annie will not be happy."

Doc was about to say, "Calm down, Marty. You seem reasonably solid right now. Whatever the problem is, I'm sure we can undo it…"

"That car!"

That was Steven. He was back from chasing Edna.

Marty moaned, "Great…"

Steven asked, "How the hell did she get back here?"

Doc repeated, "She?"

Steven turned to Doc and stated, "You! You're not Edna…" He then turned to Marty and asked, "What's going on here? Is this some sort of plot to put me in the nuthouse?"

Marty told him, "No…it's all very simple, Steven."

Steven shot, "Oh, I'm sure there is! Tell me - did I or did I not just chase Edna Strickland in this car?"

Doc perked up. He couldn't help but wonder.

Marty replied, "Not this exact car, but a car just like it."

Steven responded, "A car with a nasty habit of disappearing into thin air?"

Marty was about to explain but Doc interrupted, "Wait. Edna Strickland just disappeared in the De Lorean?"

Steven confirmed, "If that's what you call it. It made a loud noise, and then wham nothing."

Doc breathed, "Great Scott!" He pulled Marty to the side and asked, "Marty, do have any notion what date she might have jumped to?"

Marty answered, "Not at all. That De Lorean's time circuits are out of whack. They could jump to any date at all!"

Doc groaned, "Oh…this is bad. This is very bad. Let's just hope she jumped to the future…the far future. If she's jumped into the past…"

Marty's eyes widened, "You think she would mess with the timestream? Wait a minute, this is Edna…of course she would mess up the timestream."

Steven was starting to say something until he had up and disappeared. Shit. That's when the whole town of Hill Valley had disappeared right in front of them. Double shit.

Marty asked, "Doc…? Did we just leave Hill Valley?"

Doc answered, "No, I believe Hill Valley just left us."

Marty questioned, "How…?"

Doc explained, "Something must've happened to it. A long time ago…"

That's when a truck pulled up them. The side of the truck read, 'Haysville Mercatitle Deliveries'.

Willie said to them, "Well, now! You two a mite lost. Hey - what on earth is that thing?"

He had eyed the De Lorean when he had asked that.

Doc quickly told him, "Uh, it's ah experimental vehicle. Pay it no mind…"

Marty stated, "Look, maybe you can help us… We're looking for Hill Valley."

Willie replied, "Well, which is it? A hill or a valley?"

Marty corrected, "No, it's a town - a town called Hill Valley."

Willie thought for a minute, "Hill Valley…a town? Say, I think I heard once that there was town here a long time ago. Don't know much about it, though."

Doc muttered, "Just as I suspected!"

Marty asked, "When did Hill Valley go away?"

Willie admitted, "Oh, heck…I dunno. That was all before I was born."

Doc reasoned, "Then whatever it was, must've happened at least…forty-five years ago!"

Willie told them, "Nobody much cares to settle down around here nowadays. My dad tried to buy a farm in this area years ago, but he got run off by 'Scary Mary'."

Marty repeated, "Scary Mary…?"

Willie explained, "That's what we all call her. Lives a couple miles from here. I make a monthly drop at her place…she's a fiend for news. Takes all the papers in the county, never throws one away. Say! …if there's anybody who can tell you what happened in Hill Valley its her!"

Marty asked, "Can you direct us to her?"

Doc added, "It's very imperative that we talk to her!"

Willie responded, "Sorry, fellers…but I'm pretty sure she won't want to talk to you."

Marty questioned, "Why wouldn't she talk to us?"

Willie explained, "The thing is, guys, she's older than dirt but she's a little…teched, if you get my drift. She doesn't like strangers."

Doc reassured, "I'm sure we can handle her."

Marty stated, "We'll be very polite! Please…we gotta see her!"

Willie replied, "Well, okay if you insist. Take a right turn just after that bridge, then follow the wheel ruts til they come to an end. You'll have to go the last-quarter mile on foot. Good luck, and don't say I didn't warn you!" He started his truck up again as he muttered to himself, "I got a notion I'll be kickin' myself for sendin' you up there…"

With that, he drove off. Marty and Doc turned to each other and nodded.

Marty asked, "Can I drive?"

…

When they got there, they found a house. The mailbox read Mary Pickford. They had also found the other De Lorean, the doors were off of it. Marty was going to knock on the door but tripped over a wire. The pots and pans made a loud noise and a woman peeked out of the window.

"Step away from the cabin!" She huffed.

This was feeling awfully familiar to Marty.

Doc started to say, "Pardon us for intruding, Madam. We were wondering if you could tell us…"

The woman hissed, "I don't talk to hooligans!"

She then went back into the house.

Doc muttered, "Not a very friendly sort."

Marty commented, "Doc! That was Edna!"

Doc gasped, "Edna Strickland? Impossible."

Marty stated, "This is how she was when I first met her. I had to…listen, just leave it to me."

Doc replied, "Okay, if you think you know how to handle her… Just remember, we need to know what happened to Hill Valley and just as importantly the precise time when it happened."

Marty set off the trip wire as Edna came out of the window again.

Marty started to say, "Hey Miss Strick…"

Edna interrupted, "Who are you?"

Marty stammered, "Um Yakov Smioff?"

Edna stated, "That's a foolish name! And I make it a rule not to talk to strangers with foolish names!"

Marty replied, "But we're not strangers!"

Edna asked, "How do I know you?"

Marty answered, "You interviewed me once, back when you were young!"

Edna shouted, "Listen, sonny! I'm an easygoing woman, but I got a few rules that I live by. And rule one is: I never ever talk about the past! Or the future, neither. I don't talk about any day but today!"

That's when she shut the window.

Marty muttered, "I guess that didn't go so well…"

Doc commented, "Of course she doesn't want to talk about the past…because there is something in her past she's trying to forget! But we're going to pry it out of her! Go ahead…knock on the door again!"

...

Wishmaker1028: Chapter 10 is done! This is getting good! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!