TIME TRIPPERS

Chapter 1: New Life

"No, it isn't true! It can't be true!"
Matt Johnson woke up. It was that nightmare again. The same nightmare every night for six weeks. It was so real... His parents are in the car. They're happy.
They're laughing and talking about the summer holidays; two weeks in Florida - Disney World, Cape Canaveral, the ocean to swim in - a twelve-year-old kid's dream!
Suddenly the car is out of control. Matt's dad is a good driver but he can't stop the car. It's going too fast. It's too late.
There's a tree. Crash! A terrible sound of metal breaking.
Now there's silence. The car is upside down.
Only a wheel is moving. It turns and turns and turns... Matt put his head in his hands and cried, like he did every night. "It can't be true!" But it was true. His parents were dead and Matt was alone now.
"Cry, Matt, cry. Don't worry," said a gentle voice. The sad, kind face of an old lady appeared in the light of the lamp next to Matt's bed.
"I'm sorry, Gran," said Matt, and looked up. In the lamplight was the pale face of a desperately unhappy young boy. It was a nice face, but his blue eyes were still full of tears.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "Gran, when will I start to forget?"
"You'll never forget," said his grandmother, "but one night your nightmares will stop. Then you'll start to dream of the happy times with your mum and dad. Happy memories never die."
Matt's grandmother smiled. She was a wise old woman and the ideal person to help Matt at this difficult time.
"Let's go into the kitchen for some hot milk."
Matt got out of bed. He was quite tall for his age and already looked down on his little grandmother. She was small but she had a big heart. It was difficult for her, too. Jane, her daughter, was dead and Philip, Jane's husband and Matt's father, too. But now there was Matt to take care of.
Matt was her world now.
"Will you like living here?" she asked him, as they drank their milk.
"I don't know," answered Matt, tired and sad. "It's so different. I liked Newbridge very much. It was a nice city, not too big, and the people in the north are kind and friendly. I had a lot of friends. Greenwood's okay, but it's a very quiet suburb and it's difficult to get to the centre of London from here. I haven't got any friends here, except you Gran, and there's no Newbridge United, and no swimming club."
"Poor Matt. You'll see. Things will change. There are a lot of football teams in London. There's a swimming pool near here. And of course you'll make friends. You'll see... But now, Matt, it's time to go back to bed. Tomorrow's a big day. Your first day at your new school."

Chapter 2: A New School

New School Greenwood Middle School or Greenwood prison?
It was quarter to nine and Matt was outside the school gate.
The gate was closed but through the iron bars, he could see the school. It was a big, old austere building made of grey stone. There were two floors with windows with iron bars.
On the ground floor, there were three entrances with doors made of wood. Over the central door was the school motto in big black letters. It was in Latin. "Fugerit aetas: carpe diem," read Matt. "Time flies - live for the day."
Above the door on the left was the word "Boys", and over the door on the right, the word "Girls". Matt smiled. "That's stupid," thought Matt. "Boys and girls have to go in different doors!"
Matt stopped smiling when he looked around. A lot of children were now outside the iron gate, all dressed identically. The school uniform! Now he remembered - at Greenwood, school uniform was obligatory. Matt, in his blue jeans, black trainers and red Newbridge United football shirt, felt very out of place. All the other children were wearing their green wool blazers, the boys with black trousers and a white cotton shirt, the girls with dark skirts and white blouses.
Then Matt noticed the green and gold school ties! "They wear ties to school too!" he thought. "Oh no! This place is really behind the times."
He felt hundreds of eyes on him. He wanted to go home but it was too late. The gate was open. The bell rang and the children starred to go in, all talking and laughing.
They were happy to see their friends again. Matt was very unhappy. He felt very lonely.
"Boy!" Matt heard an angry adult voice. He looked round.
"Yes! You boy! Where is your uniform?" Matt saw a short, thin man with an angry red face.
"I'm sorry, Sir," he said. "It's my first day."
The man, obviously a teacher, looked at him carefully.
"From your clothes and your accent you must be Johnson, the new boy from the north."
"Yes, Sir. Matt, Matt Johnson," replied Matt.
"Johnson, at this school," the man continued, "we use surnames here, and I'm Mr Briggs. Did your parents forget your uniform?"
Matt was hurt but replied, "My parents are dead, Sir."
"Oh yes. Now I remember that accident. It was in the newspapers. Your father was that famous lawyer. Well, I hope you'll buy a uniform as soon as possible." And Mr Briggs went away.
Matt was devastated. He didn't have the right clothes or the right accent, and his dad, a hero for a lot of people, now seemed an inconvenience. He felt terrible. He wanted to go back to Newbridge.
"Be careful!" said a girl's voice. Matt turned and saw a pretty blonde girl smiling at him.
"You can't go in here," she continued. "This is the girls' entrance. Mr Briggs will shout at you again."
"Thanks," said Matt. "Hey, what's your name?" But the girl was already inside.

Chapter 3: A Bully

After a disastrous first day at school, Matt was very unhappy. "What's the problem?" asked his gran.
"Nobody talked to me, the teachers were horrible and the lessons were boring!" he answered. "I'm going to watch TV."
His gran smiled kindly and said, "Things will change, Matt."
That night Matt didn't have his nightmare. He dreamt of the blonde girl. She was the only reason to go back to school.
The next day Matt went by bike to school. It was a sunny day and the birds sang happily. He arrived early. "Perhaps today will be better," he thought. He put his bike in the bicycle shed and walked towards the boys' entrance. Near the girls' entrance, he saw the blonde girl from yesterday, talking to a tall boy.
Matt looked at the blonde girl. She had the same green eyes and pretty, round face he remembered from his dream. He thought, "She looks really nice, and she spoke to me yesterday - I'm going to say hello."
As he came near, he saw the girl looking angrily at Briggs. He heard her saying, "No! I don't want to watch your silly football match! Leave me alone!"
She went towards the entrance but Briggs stopped her.
"Don't be stupid. You must come with me. It's an important match and I'm the captain - and I want you there to support my team," he said, catching her arm.
The girl pulled away.
"Don't touch me! I'm not interested in you or your stupid football match," she shouted. Her face was red and she looked very annoyed. Briggs looked furious.
"It's not a stupid match," he said loudly, "it's very important. We're playing at the local stadium." And he continued to hold the girl's arm.
Matt saw this. He felt angry and decided to help the girl. He walked towards them and said quietly to Briggs, "Leave her alone - now."
Briggs looked at him. He was surprised and released the girl's arm. She moved away and looked at Matt gratefully.
"Who are you? What do you want? Don't tell me what to do!" Briggs shouted aggressively.
But Matt wasn't frightened. He said calmly, "Go away. And don't annoy her again. She's not interested in you."
Briggs moved cowards Matt, but Matt was taller, and he looked very determined. The bully stopped. "You'll pay for this! I promise!" he shouted threateningly.
Matt didn't react. Briggs turned and looked at the girl.
"I won't forget!" he said, and walked away.
The girl looked at Matt and smiled warmly. "Thank you for your help. He's a horrible pest, and he always annoys me. This time he was really angry," she said.
Matt smiled too.
"No problem. Perhaps he will leave you alone now."
"I hope so. Thanks again. What's your name?" she asked.

Chapter 4: A New Friend

"My name's Matt, Matt Johnson. You spoke to me yesterday," he said.
"Yes, I remember. My name's Linda Chapman. So you're new here?" she asked.
"Yes, yesterday was my first day at this school," he replied.
"I like your accent. Where are you from?" asked Linda.
"I'm from Newbridge," said Matt, "but now I live here."
"When did you arrive?" Linda asked.
"Well, about a month ago, during the summer holidays."
"I see," said Linda. "Why did your family decide to move to London? It must be nice to live in the north of England."
Matt looked embarrassed. "Well, I live with my gran now, because my parents died in an accident six weeks ago. Gran is my only relative. I haven't got any brothers or sisters."
Linda looked sympathetic. "Oh, I'm so sorry. It must be terrible to lose your parents."
She stopped for a moment, looking for the right words. "I know it's not the same, but my parents divorced recently. Now I only see my dad at the weekend and my mum is a different person, she's always sad. I hate it."
Matt saw her green eyes become shiny with tears. He wanted to see Linda happy again. He decided to change the subject.
"What do you do after school? Do you like sports?" he asked.
Linda smiled. "Well, I like swimming."
"Do you? Me too. I love it. And I like football too. You don't, do you? I heard you say that to Briggs."
"Oh," said Linda, "I like football if Briggs isn't there!" They laughed.
Time seemed to stop while they chatted about their interests.
"My favourite hobby is playing on the computer," said Linda. "I love surfing on the Internet. I spend hours sending e-mails to my pen-pals in France and Italy, and I like looking for interesting information for my school projects."
"That's great," said Matt. "I like computers too, but I haven't got one."
"Well," said Linda, "you can come to my house one day to use my computer, if you want."
"Thanks, Linda, that's great," replied Matt. He looked at Linda, suddenly feeling shy.
Linda looked at her watch. "Oh, it's nearly nine o'clock. Our lessons start soon," she said.
"Ok, let's go," said Matt.
"Boys' entrance, don't forget!" laughed Linda. "Oh, Matt, where do you live?"
"I live in Boswell Street," said Matt.
"That's near my house. I live in Simpson Road! We could walk home together after school, if you want," Linda suggested.
Matt smiled. He wasn't embarrassed now. It was impossible to be embarrassed with Linda. He decided to leave his bike at school until tomorrow.
"See you here at four o'clock," he said.
Linda smiled. "I usually go to the newsagent's for a bar of chocolate after school. I love chocolate!" she said.
"I prefer fish and chips!" laughed Matt. Linda laughed too and said goodbye. Matt watched her go into school. He felt very happy. "Now I've got a friend," he thought.

Chapter 5: An Unusual Teacher

Matt went through the boys' entrance. He went to the school office to get his timetable. In the corridor, he saw Johnny Briggs with some friends. Johnny's friends were all boys and they had the same aggressive expression as Johnny.
They looked at Matt as he passed. Matt felt uncomfortable but he ignored Johnny's sarcastic comments. "There he is! The new boy!
He thinks he's someone important, but he's not. I'm glad he's not in my class!" Matt put his hands in his pockets and tried to look unconcerned.
"You again! Take your hands out of your pockets!" said a voice.
It was Mr Briggs, Johnny's father. "You haven't got a uniform yet, Johnson, but at least try to look tidy." Johnny and his friends laughed. Matt felt embarrassed but he didn't show it.
"Sorry, Sir," he said. "I have to go to class 2B, Mr Wells' history lesson but I don't know where it is."
"It's up the stairs, first door on the left. Lessons start in 2 minutes, so hurry up," said Mr Briggs.
Matt arrived at the classroom and knocked on the door. "Come in!" said a deep voice.
Matt walked into the room and asked, "Is this class 2B?"
A tall, thin man with long, white hair, like Albert Einstein, answered "To be or not to be, that is the question!" Everyone laughed.
Matt laughed too and was pleased to see Linda there, at her desk in the third row. There was an empty place next to her, so Matt sat there. Linda smiled and said, "Welcome to Mr Wells' history lesson. It's an experience!"
Linda was right. Mr Wells was not a typical teacher. He talked very fast and he gesticulated a lot when he spoke. His lessons were very interesting and fun. No-one looked out of the window in Mr Wells' class!
That day they studied medieval history and the feudal system. Matt was fascinated by the descriptions of life in the Middle Ages.
Mr Wells introduced the class project, a study of medieval castles.
"I want everyone to prepare for our visit to Ducksbury Castle next month," said Mr Wells. "It's a perfect example of a medieval castle. You can look for information on medieval castles in general or Ducksbury Castle in particular.
If anyone has a computer, they can use the Internet to find a lot of information. Tomorrow I'll show you how on my portable computer."
"Matt, I've got an idea," said Linda. "You can come to my house on Saturday. We can surf the Internet and find material for the project."
"Great idea!" replied Matt enthusiastically.
On Saturday, Matt went to Linda's house. They found lots of interesting information on the Internet for their project. Linda's mum was very friendly. She made a delicious lunch - a main course of fish and chips, and chocolate cake for dessert!

Chapter 6: The Class Trip

It was the day of the class trip. Matt was very excited.
He was keen to see the castle, but the trip had other advantages too. No school for a day, no school uniform, no school lunch, no Briggs, and all day with Linda! The doorbell rang.
"Matt! Linda's here!"
"Coming, Gran," said Matt, putting on his denim jacket over a red sweatshirt and jeans. He went downstairs.
"Hi, Matt!" Linda was wearing a blue tracksuit and trainers. "Have you got your packed lunch?" she asked.
"Here it is, Matt," said his gran, giving him a plastic box.
"Cheese sandwiches, crisps, an apple and a chocolate biscuit.
Buy something to drink at the castle." She gave him a pound.
"Thanks, Gran."
"Have a lovely day, you two," his gran smiled.
"Thanks, Mrs Francis," said Linda. "Matt," she continued, "you can put your lunchbox in my rucksack."
"Thanks. OK, let's go. We mustn't miss the bus."
Ducksbury Castle was an hour from Greenwood. The hour passed quickly, talking, listening to the radio and watching the London suburbs become beautiful open countryside.
The trees were a splendid mix of green, red and brown under a golden sun.
A perfect English autumn day.
"Look!" cried Linda, pointing out of the window. "The castle! We're here!"
"It's great," said Matt. "I expected a total ruin."
"No, Johnson. It's the best example of a twelfth-century castle in England,"
It was Mr Wells. "Listen, everybody!
This is Ducksbury Castle. It's an English Heritage property and there is a guided tour of one hour. You are divided into two groups. Surnames from A to J must go first, at 11 o'clock.
The second group, surnames K to Z, do the tour at midday. You must meet at the entrance 5 minutes before your tour starts. Now it's 10 o'clock and you are free to look around the castle. Remember your project work and think of intelligent questions for the guide. Also remember that you are responsible for Greenwood School's reputation. You must be good. Enjoy your visit."
"That was lucky," said Matt. "We're in the same group."
"I know. Come on, let's look around."
They went into the castle. "Mr Wells was right," said Matt, "it is in good condition."
"Yes, if you close your eyes, you feel you're in the Middle Ages. I can imagine the castle full of brave knights and beautiful ladies," said Linda dreamily.
Matt smiled. "You read too many fairy tales."
"Oh, Matt, I can dream, can't I? Come on, it's time for our tour."
They started to run towards the entrance.
"Matt! Linda! I know you're enthusiastic but you mustn't run." It was Mr Wells again.
"Sorry," they said together.
"I'll see you later," he smiled. Matt noticed that he had his portable computer in its case.
"Matt," said Linda, "did you hear? He called us with our first names!"
"Yes, that's strange, and why has he got his computer?"
"Who knows?" laughed Linda. "I'm more interested in the mysteries of Ducksbury Castle than the mysteries of Mr Wells."

Chapter 7: The Castle Tour

"Good morning, boys and girls. Welcome to Ducksbury Castle." The guide was a jovial, rotund man with a large white moustache. "Before I start any questions?"
Matt put up his hand.
"Yes, sir. Why is it called Ducksbury Castle?"
"A good question! Well, the castle is near the village of Ducksbury. Near the village, there's a large pond, which is the favourite home of a variety of ducks. So, that's 'Ducksbury', the village of the ducks.
In fact, Ducksbury Castle used water from the pond for washing, cooking, drinking and filling its moat. Many castles had ditches around them, without water, but a ditch with water, a 'moat', was better for defending the castle. You can see the moat is dry now.
Once there was a wooden drawbridge over the moat. They raised this to stop intruders. Now we're at the main gate. Once there were two stone towers, the gatehouses. Between these was an enormous gate with iron bars, the portcullis. Now let's go inside the castle. The walls were stone and ten metres high. There were turrets and ramparts, like those." He pointed to an intact section.
"Oh, I forgot to say the castle was built in 1156. It functioned as fortress and a home for five centuries. The lord of the manor lived in the keep, a big stone building and the strongest part of the castle. The 'manor' was the distribution and cultivation of the land. The peasants from the village did the work, but the land was the lord's. The open space inside the castle was the bailey, with a well and stables. Now, any other questions?"
Stubbs, the class joker, put up his hand.
"Where are the toilets?"
The guide laughed. "In the keep there were small rooms over the moat with a hole in the floor. But if you need to go, they're near the drinks kiosk."
Matt and Linda both had questions but Mr Wells appeared behind them.
"Listen," he said urgently, "I'm accompanying the other group. Can you take care of my computer?"
He gave it to Matt before they could answer.
He was very nervous. "Thanks, kids. See you later."
"He's strange," said Matt.
"Very strange today," answered Linda. "Anyway, the tour's finished. Let's go to the kiosk. You can buy a drink and I'll buy some chocolate!"
Linda went towards the kiosk but Matt was transfixed.
A strange noise came from the computer case, an insistent beep. He ran after Linda.
"I bought you a coke, and some chocolate..." She stopped when she saw Matt's face.
"Listen," he said, "it's getting louder."
"Open it," said Linda excitedly. "Here, behind the kiosk, nobody can see us."
Matt opened the case and the beep stopped. "An alarm?" he asked. "No Matt, look at the screen!"
There was the image of an hourglass rotating quickly, and the words "Press Enter to continue" flashed blue and red. "And now?" said Matt.
Linda pressed the Enter button. Nothing.
"A Mr Wells joke," they thought, before an intense white light exploded from the computer and they disappeared!

Chapter 8: Where Are

Matt was the first to wake up. ''What a strange dream!" he thought. He stood up and looked around. "Where am I? And Linda...? I was with Linda. Where is she?"
It was dark but now he began to distinguish his surroundings. He was in the open air. There was a cool breeze and he heard the noise of sleeping animals. There was a smell, too, of the animals and of life in general. People lived here, but what place was it? There were stars in the sky above but he was surrounded by walls of stone.
"The castle! Of course! Now I remember. But there's something strange about it... it's night... and where's Linda?"
"Matt! Is that you?" came a whisper from the dark, and Linda appeared in the moonlight. She was confused and frightened.
"Where are we? What's happening?" she asked.
"We're in the castle," said Matt, "but it's different, and why is it dark?"
"I d-d-d-don't know," stammered Linda. "Matt, I'm scared."
Suddenly a voice broke the silence of the night. "Who goes there?"
"It's a guard! He's got a sword!" whispered Linda, and instinctively they started running away from the voice.
"A torch! A torch! Wake up! Intruders!" the voice shouted, and immediately the castle was full of flaming torches, making grotesque shadows on the walls. In the torchlight, Matt and Linda saw that the walls of the castle were intact. It wasn't a ruin! These people weren't English heritage guides! But there wasn't time to think.
"Run, Linda! Run faster!" yelled Matt.
"Where are we going?" cried Linda.
"Out of here. Come on!" But a guard caught Linda.
"Matt! Don't stop! Run! Run!" she shouted.
Matt wanted to stop, to help Linda, but in front of him there was another guard. He had a torch in one hand and a sword in the other.
Matt ran up a staircase. Up, up and onto the ramparts.
He noticed as he went that the castle was all perfectly intact. But now he was trapped. There was a guard on the staircase and two other men with swords were on the ramparts to his left and right. They were all very angry.
"The game is over, boy," growled the man on the stairs.
"Oh, no it isn't!" shouted Matt, remembering the tour around the castle.
The moat! The castle had a moat! Matt jumped from the ramparts and hoped desperately that his intuition was right. Splash! He hit the muddy water of the moat. The moon reflected on the water broke into a thousand pieces.
Inside the castle, Linda stood petrified between two guards with long swords. A tall man with dark, angry eyes and a scar on his right cheek appeared.
"And who are you?" said the man, observing her closely.
"My Lord," a guard said to the man, "look at her garments. She must be a witch!"

Chapter 9: A Lord and a Jester

"A witch? Possibly. But a witch so fair?" The tall man looked at Linda and she trembled. A guard said, "Lord Blackheart, there was a boy with her. He jumped from the walls. We must find him!"
"Don't worry," replied the lord. "Nobody could survive that fall. He is probably at the bottom of the moat." He smiled horribly and Linda felt desperate. "Oh, no! Matt can't be dead!" she thought.
Lord Blackheart continued to look at her. "A very fair maid. Take her to the Great Hall," he ordered. "I want to question her."
The guards pushed Linda towards the huge door of the keep. Inside there was an immense hall. There were many flaming torches along the walls but the room was shadowy and sinister. There were also numerous long standards of different colours and a long wooden table in the middle of the room. On the left, there was a very big fireplace but no fire. Linda felt cold.
"Leave us," Lord Blackheart ordered the guards.
Linda shivered with cold and fear. She didn't want to be alone with this horrible man. "This isn't happening to me," she cried. "I don't believe it - it's a nightmare!"
"Can a fool not sleep?" a voice came from the shadows near the fireplace. It was a jester in a red and gold striped costume and a hat with bells on it. He looked curiously at Linda. "A maid was never made like this! What a strange costume."
The jester smiled. He had a kind face and Linda felt a little better. Lord Blackheart said, "My guards found her in the castle. Her companion is dead. Is she not fair?"
"Fayre, my lord? Are you hungry?"
"No, fool! You don't understand me. Is she not lovely?"
"I understand you very well, my Lord Blackheart. You don't understand me." The jester laughed and the hells on his hat jingled. Linda smiled.
"Enough!" shouted the lord, irritated. "Who are you, maid?"
"My name's Linda Chapman and I come from Greenwood."
The jester said, "Greenwood? A wood is green, but would a wood be Greenwood?"
"Be quiet, Jester," said Lord Blackheart. "The maid is confused. Perhaps she is from another region. Why are you here, my pretty?" He put a hand on her shoulder. Linda didn't like how he looked at her.
"I wanted to visit the castle with Matt, but I don't understand what is happening," she replied.
The jester laughed. "Visit our castle? Strange!" He looked at Lord Blackheart. "Perhaps my Lord is happy you visited our castle."
Lord Blackheart continued to look at Linda. He smiled and touched her hair. "Now you are here, you must stay," he whispered. Linda moved quickly and bit Lord Blackheart's hand.
"Don't touch me!" she shouted.
"Ouch!" cried the lord, and the jester laughed.
"You stupid girl!" Blackheart shouted. "Guards! Take this witch away!"
"Which witch, my Lord? I see no witch," the jester said quietly. Lord Blackheart pointed angrily at Linda, who was furious now.
"This witch! Throw her in the dungeons!"

Chapter 10: In the Forest

The forest near the castle was quiet. Under the huge moon nothing moved. The forest animals slept. Suddenly there was a noise; something running. A fox? The animals woke up. The noise was loud. A hungry wolf? The animals were agitated. They wanted to hide. Too late. A figure came out into the moonlight. It was a boy. He stopped running, exhausted. The animals were happy. There was no danger. But there was a terrible smell!
The boy also noticed the smell.
"Yuk! Now I remember. The castle toilets were over the moat!"
It was Matt. He wasn't dead, but he was very dirty and very smelly. The smell confirmed it wasn't a dream. He and Linda were in the Middle Ages!
"Linda," Matt thought, worried. "I hope she's OK. But I can't do anything now. Tomorrow I'll go to the castle and try to explain. Explain what? That we come from the future?... The computer!"
Matt remembered the strange white light from the computer.
"Mr Wells' computer! That's why he was so nervous. This was his idea." Matt was very angry with Mr Wells, but now the computer was more important.
"We need it if we want to return to the future. It must be in the castle. I have to help Linda and then find the computer." Matt stood up with determination, but he felt tired. "I'll sleep until morning, then I'll go to the castle."
He looked around for a place to sleep but suddenly he had a strange sensation - he felt someone watching him. "Who's there?" he asked nervously. No one answered.
"I know someone is there," he said, angry now. A small deer appeared through the trees. It looked curiously at Matt.
"It was you," Matt whispered, smiling. Then something flew by his ear. An arrow hit a tree near the deer and the animal ran away. Matt turned and in the darkness saw the figure of a boy.
"Hey you!" he shouted, but the figure started to run. Matt ran faster and he caught the boy. The boy was terrified and stammered, "Don't kill me... I'm sorry... we're starving!"
"I don't want to kill you," said Matt.
"Are you from the castle?" asked the boy. He was a little older than Matt. "No." Matt thought for a moment. "I'm a pilgrim from the north."
The boy smiled. He didn't have many teeth. "In the village we are very poor. Life was better before. Lord Ducksbury was good and strong, but he went on the Crusades. His brother became the lord but a bad knight, Blackheart, killed him. Now Blackheart is our lord. We work all day on the land but he takes our crops. We have little to eat. My father is dead. He was killed by Blackheart's men because he hunted in the lord's forest. He wanted food for my brothers and sisters. I'm the oldest, so now I hunt at night."
He was very thin and had simple, dirty clothes. Matt was sorry for him. But then he looked at his clothes. They were covered in mud, or worse.
"Pilgrim," smiled the boy, "you can come to my home for the night. Are you hungry? I'm sorry I didn't catch the deer."
"Thanks, you're very kind," said Matt.
"And Pilgrim," continued the boy, "tomorrow you can have a bath in the pond. You smell!"

Chapter 11: A Medieval Village

"What's your name?" Matt asked the boy.
He laughed. "Watt is my name, Pilgrim." They were out of the forest. "This is where we work."
There was a big open field, divided into strips. Every strip was for a different crop.
"Do you have any animals?" Matt asked.
"Yes, some sheep, pigs and a cow. At night they stay in our cottage." Matt was surprised. "But they don't smell like you, Pilgrim!"
They crossed the field and came to the village. There was one street of dry mud with a dozen cottages.
The cottages were made of wood and had a thatched roof.
"This is my cottage," whispered Watt. "Sshh. The children are sleeping."
"Watt," a girl whispered from the darkness. The voice came from the cottage opposite.
"Anne, why aren't you in bed?" asked Watt.
"I was worried. Did you catch anything?" asked the girl.
"Only a smelly pilgrim!"
The girl laughed and said goodnight. "That's Anne," said Watt. "She will be my wife. Are you married?"
"No," smiled Matt. He remembered that medieval people married very young. He felt admiration for this boy with the responsibilities of a man.
On the cottage, it was very dark, but Matt saw there was one long room, divided into two parts. From the other part came the noise and smell of the animals. The air was humid and smoke from the fire irritated his eyes. "Here's some pottage," said Watt. He offered Matt a wooden bowl of soup.
"No spoon, I have to drink it," Matt thought, and drank the tepid mix of vegetables and cereal. He felt better, but he didn't like taking the family's food. "I'm fine," he said when Watt offered more.
"Then drink some ale. My mother makes it." Matt drank some beer from a flask.
"Now to bed," said Watt and got into bed, still dressed. Matt couldn't see much, but moved towards the bed. He started to take off his dirty clothes, but Watt whispered, "Tomorrow you can wash. Now sleep."
Matt got into the bed but his legs were too long. He remembered that Medieval people were quite short. He also saw that Watt wasn't horizontal in the bed but sat, his back on the pillows.
"Oh yes," he thought, remembering Mr Wells' lessons, "they were frightened of death."
The bed wasn't very comfortable. The mattress was full of straw and the blanket was rough wool. Something ran over Matt's foot. "What was that?"
"Probably a rat," Watt replied. Matt quickly pulled up his legs.
"Good night," said Watt. Matt was very tired and slept immediately.
Strange dreams filled the night - angry guards, Mr Wells, rats, computers and Linda. Then suddenly there was a loud man's voice, people shouting, "A witch! A witch!"
"Wake up, Pilgrim," someone said, pulling Matt's arm. He slowly opened his eyes. It was morning and there was great commotion.
Matt was astonished to see a lot of children in the bed.
He counted eight. They all repeated the same words, "A witch!"
"What's happening?" Matt asked Watt.
"A knight came to the village. He said there's a witch in the castle."
"Linda!" Matt thought. "What will happen to her?" he asked.
"An ordeal! This morning, in the pond! Few people survive!"

Chapter 12: At the Pond

Linda opened her eyes slowly. It was morning and there was a pale light in the room.
"It's time for school," she thought. Then she saw the slimy stone walls and the tiny window and she remembered. She wasn't at home in Greenwood - she was in the dungeons of Ducksbury Castle, on a straw mattress on the floor. She felt very cold and lonely. Somebody knocked at the door. Linda stood up and pulled some straw out of her hair. The door opened. It was the jester. He gave her some bread and a bowl of milk. Linda thanked him and ate hungrily.
"Do you understand why you are here?" he asked. He was friendly but serious and he spoke anxiously.
"Lord Blackheart thinks I'm a witch, but it's not true!" she replied.
"I believe you," he said, "but my Lord is angry and you are in danger. Today he will take you to the village pond for a public ducking."
"A ducking?" Linda was shocked. She remembered ducking from her history lessons - they put people under water for a long time to test their innocence. They often died. "But he can't do that to me! I didn't do anything wrong!" she cried desperately. The jester looked at Linda sadly.
"I'm sorry, my poor strange maid. I can't help you now. Good luck."
A guard appeared. "Are you ready, witch? The cart is outside," he said. He pushed her up the stairs and into the bailey. Linda saw the cart and horse, ready to take her to the village pond. Blackheart was beside the cart. Linda saw his dark, cruel face. He smiled horribly. Now she wasn't frightened, but very angry.
The cart moved slowly towards the village. Some peasants walked beside it. One shouted to the cart-driver, "Is this the witch? She's very young!"
"So perhaps she will survive!" laughed the cart-driver nastily.
Linda shivered, but was determined to be brave. She began to make a plan. "I'm a good swimmer. I can try to escape under the water," she thought. Now the cart was in the village street, and Linda saw the poor cottages and the dirty little children with no shoes.
"I must appear very strange, in my tracksuit and trainers," she thought.
After the cottages, Linda saw the pond. It was very large, full of reeds and surrounded by grass and trees. Some ducks swam happily on the water. Lord Blackheart was near the water with the guards. They had a long rope and a large sack full of stones.
"Good day, my pretty. But it is a sad day when a fair maid dies as a witch," he said, laughing cruelly. There were many villagers there, looking curiously at Linda. They talked noisily and pointed at her. Linda looked hopefully for Matt, but he wasn't there. The only kind face was the jester's. He looked quickly at Linda and smiled. Then he started to amuse the villagers and they laughed at his jokes.
"His name is Blackheart, his heart is black, he kills his witches with a rope and sack!"
A guard pushed Linda from the cart and tied the rope around her. "I must stay calm," she thought.
"Don't forget the sack," ordered Blackheart. "The witch must stay under the water until I decide."

Chapter 13: The Ducking

Blackheart gave the signal and a guard pushed Linda into the pond. The water was cold... and deep! Linda desperately tried to swim but the sack of stones pulled her under.
"Stay calm!" she thought, remembering her swimming lessons.
"I've got enough air for a minute or two. I must take off the rope!" Linda pulled hard but the rope was tied very well...
Above the water, Lord Blackheart watched. Bubbles came to the surface. The guards looked at him but he didn't give any orders. Minutes passed. The villagers talked nervously. "Why does Blackheart wait? The girl will not survive!" they said.
The jester spoke, sadly and angrily. "You are all responsible for this crime, a young maid's death is a tragic rhyme."
Blackheart waited, then finally he was satisfied. "Pull her up!" he shouted.
The guards pulled the rope and the sack of stones appeared, but... where was Linda? The crowd, incredulous, moved towards the water.
Blackheart pushed through the people, furious. "Where is the witch? Find her!" He pushed a guard into the pond. "My lord! I can't swim!" said the guard.
"Don't stop, you imbecile! You must find her!" Blackheart was hysterical with anger.
On the other side of the pond, in the shadow of the trees, two figures emerged silently from the water: Matt and Linda! Nobody saw them running through the forest, in the direction of the castle.
"Matt, stop for a second! I'm exhausted," implored Linda.
"OK, Linda, but we don't have much time."
Linda sat on the grass. "How did you know I was under the water, Matt?"
"A guard announced the ducking in the village this morning.
My new friend, Watt, showed me the place and gave me a knife. Then I hid in the long grass beside the pond. When you were underwater, I swam to you and cut the rope. I know you're a good swimmer, so it was easy to swim to the other side of the pond."
"You saved my life, Matt," said Linda, looking at him in admiration. Matt's face became pink.
"No problem," he said, embarrassed, "but now we must find the computer. We need it to go back to the future!"
"I know where it is," smiled Linda. "I hid it when we arrived."
"Great! Let's go!" said Matt happily.
"OK," said Linda. "I'm tired of being a witch!"
"And I'm tired of being wet and smelly!" laughed Matt.
At the pond, Blackheart's face was red with anger. "Who is responsible for this?" he yelled, looking at the villagers.
"Perhaps she was a real witch," said a voice from the crowd, "so she disappeared!"
"Silence, ignorant fools!" shouted Blackheart. He pointed his sword at the villagers.
"Enough!" cried Watt. "You are the fool!" He picked up some mud and threw it at the lord. It hit him directly in the face. First, there was silence. The villagers were shocked. Then everybody began to laugh. Blackheart slowly removed the mud. His face was a mask of fury.
"I give you work, a home and my protection. You insult me! I can find other people to work on my land. Guards! Kill them all!"

Chapter 14: A Welcome Return

"Stop!" ordered a strong, brave voice. Blackheart's knights immediately stopped their attack. The voice came from the village. Everybody looked in that direction. A group of men appeared. One man was on a horse. He had a chain mail coat, an iron helmet and iron leggings. Under the helmet was a good, strong face.
"Stop, I say!" the man shouted again.
Watt remembered that face. When he was a small boy that face signified justice. That was before Blackheart, before his father's death, before poverty.
"It's Lord Ducksbury!" Watt shouted with joy. The other villagers started to shout too. "Long live Ducksbury! Death to Blackheart!" Blackheart's knights were frightened now. They looked for their lord, but he wasn't there. The villagers surrounded them, shouting, "Death to Blackheart and his men!"
"Stop, everybody!" Lord Ducksbury was now at the pond. "Where is Blackheart?" he asked angrily. "Where is my brother's assassin?"
Watt saw a familiar figure running towards the forest. "My Lord, I can stop him. Give me a bow and arrow," he said.
"Don't kill him," said Ducksbury. "I want him alive. Give the boy a bow," he ordered his men. "I remember his father was a good archer."
Watt took the bow and arrow. Blackheart was nearly in the forest. "I didn't hit the deer last night," Watt thought, "but this is for my father."
The distance was huge but the arrow flew perfectly. It hit Blackheart in the leg and the cruel lord fell into the pond.
"Pull him out!" Ducksbury ordered his men. "Then pull out the arrow and throw him in the dungeons. He will pay for his crimes." He turned to Watt. "Thank you, boy. But what terrible torture was this?"
"An ordeal for a witch, my Lord," replied Watt, "but she wasn't a witch. She's the companion of a pilgrim from the north."
"And where is she now, boy?"
"She escaped," Watt smiled.
The lord smiled at Watt. His face showed the signs of a thousand adventures.
Now he spoke to the villagers and Blackheart's knights. He was very angry.
Ordeals, witches, what barbarity is this? I went on a Crusade to liberate the Holy Land from barbarity - but we are the barbarians. I saw Christians kill other people in the name of God. Then I return to England and what do I find? My brother killed and Blackheart the lord of a cruel manor, where innocent girls risk death. Here is a paradox for my jester." He looked for the jester but he couldn't see him.
Watt spoke for the villagers. "Life will be better now. Long live Lord Ducksbury!" And everybody shouted happily.
Matt and Linda were in the castle. It was deserted. Everybody was at the pond.
"Quickly," said Linda, "before they come back. The computer's in this stable." She ran into a stable and started to move a pile of straw. "Matt," she said desperately, "it isn't here!"

Chapter 15: Back in Time

It isn't there because it's here," said a voice Linda recognised. The jester was outside the stable and he had the computer.
"Who's this?" asked Matt.
"A friend," replied Linda. The jester smiled.
"All the world knows I am only a fool, but only a fool knows all the world. I observe and understand many things."
"What do you mean?" said Linda.
"I know you are strangers in this place. Your secret must be in this special box," the jester replied, "but the stable was not a good place for it."
"It's very important for us," said Matt, anxiously. "Will you give it to us?"
"Of course!" laughed the jester." What favour can a friend do, if not give all his help to you? This is yours."
Linda shyly kissed the jester on the cheek. He became red.
"For once I have no words!" he said. "But now it's time for you to go."
Linda opened the computer and they heard a familiar beep. But the screen was empty.
"What do we do now?" said Matt.
"Quickly!" insisted the jester. "I hear people! You must escape now!"
Linda thought for a moment. "Of course! Thank you, Jester! Press ESCAPE, Matt!"
Matt pressed the button and they disappeared in a flash of white light.
The jester smiled. "This magic was a joy to see. Goodbye, my friends. Remember me."
Linda opened her eyes. Matt was beside her on the grass, slowly waking up. She looked around and was happy and relieved to see the castle ruins. They were behind the drinks kiosk.
"Matt! We're in the future again!"
"I can see," said Matt, "but is it the present?"
A familiar voice answered his question. "Matt! Linda! Where are you? The bus is going!"
It was Stubbs.
"Here we are!" The two friends appeared from behind the kiosk. Stubbs looked at them, incredulous. "Where were you? And why are you so dirty?"
Matt and Linda looked at each other.
Their clothes were still a little wet and muddy. They laughed.
"Matt! You smell terrible!" continued Stubbs. "Did you fall into a medieval moat?"
"No, I jumped in," replied Matt impulsively.
Stubbs was surprised and curious, but Linda said quickly, "Matt's joking! He doesn't want to say that we went to Ducksbury pond. He fell in and I saved him!" They all laughed.
As they went towards the bus Matt whispered to Linda, "Thanks, that was a great idea."
"Hurry up, you two," said Stubbs. "I'll show you my guidebook on the bus. Did you know there was once a cruel lord called Blackheart at the castle? He killed witches in the pond."
"What happened to him?" asked Linda curiously.
"He escaped from prison into the forest but was killed by wolves."
Stubbs arrived at the bus first.
"Look, everybody! Matt and Linda fell in the pond!" The class laughed, but Linda and Matt weren't embarrassed. They laughed too.
Then Mr Wells appeared.
"Here you are!" he said with relief.
"I hope you enjoyed your trip."
Matt and Linda looked at each other, smiled and gave him his computer.
"It was a little boring," they said together.