TRIPPERS: HARD TIMES

Chapter 1: A desperate Decision

"It isn't true! It can't be true!"
Matt Johnson woke up suddenly. It was that nightmare again: it's the last day at Newbridge Middle School before the holidays. He comes home. His parents aren't there. There's a note on the table.
"Dear Matt, Well be home soon, with a surprise for you! Mom and Dad." He remembers what the surprise was - a summer holiday in California. In the next scene in his dream, the police arrive. They tell Matt about the car accident. His parents are dead. Matt feels ill.
The room is spinning. He falls to the floor semi-conscious. The dream switches to the funeral, then the journey to Greenwood to live with his Grandma.
But this time, when he woke up, Matt remembered a strange detail in the nightmare. When he was semi-conscious, there was a face near him, a pretty girl's face, Linda's face. But surely that wasn't possible.
He didn't know Linda then. They became friends in Greenwood, after the accident. He smiles as he remembers their incredible adventures together, traveling back in time, first to the Middle Ages and then to the Wild West. After he met Linda he was happy and his nightmares stopped. But now they are back.
"I must do something!" Matt whispers to himself desperately.
"I'm home!"
Linda Chapman came happily into the house after a Saturday afternoon at the swimming pool. Her mother was on the telephone. She wasn't happy.
"What's wrong, Mom?" asked Linda.
"That was your father on the phone. He wants to see you tomorrow, for your birthday. Why didn't he tell me before? Now I've got everything ready for your party, but if he wants to see you, I can't stop him."
"Oh, Mom!" said Linda unhappily. "I want to stay here with you, Matt and my friends. Dad's always tired and irritated."
"It's his work, Linda, you know how important chat is for him." Linda's mother smiled sadly.
"Don't worry, dear, I'll think of a solution to please everybody. Oh, Linda, Matt's here. He's in your room working on your computer."
Linda smiled. She ran upstairs to see her best friend - but Matt wasn't there!
On the computer screen were the words "ERROR - VIRUS". Then she saw a note on her bed. It was Matt's writing.

Dear Linda, If you are reading this note, then there are two possibilities:
1 - something went wrong.
2 - my plan worked.
What plan, you're asking yourself? It's something I must do - I want to try to save my Mom and Dad, so I'm using the Time Trippers software to go back to Newbridge the day before their accident.
I know Mr Wells says we can't change the past, but we have this secret possibility to travel in time using the computer and I must discover if I can change my parents' destiny. I miss them so much, Linda. If it works, or if something goes wrong, I don't know if you and I will see each other again. But I think we will, because before I met you in Greenwood I'm sure I already knew you - your face was already in my dreams.
I'll never forget you, Linda.
Matt

Chapter 2: A Dangerous idea

"Oh, Matt!" said Linda unhappily. "Why didn't you ask for my help?" Suddenly she heard a horrible laugh. It came from the computer!
Linda looked at the screen. The words "ERROR - VIRUS" now flashed red and black. "Oh no!" thought Linda. "If there's a virus, perhaps Matt will need my help!"
She moved the mouse and an e-mail message appeared, accompanied by the same nasty laugh:

You like Johnson more than me but now you can't use the computer together any more - ha ha! Johnny.

"Johnny Briggs!" thought Linda angrily. "He's so spiteful! I know he's jealous because Matt is my friend but this is a terrible thing to do! If the virus was already in the computer when Matt used it, who knows where and when he is now?
"Mom, er... I... left my jacket at the pool!" shouted Linda, running out of the house. But she didn't go to the swimming pool. In a few minutes, she was at Mr Wells' house. Mr Wells was not only her History teacher at Greenwood Middle School, he was also the inventor of the computer Time Travel software. "Tut, tut! This is a very complicated affair," said Mr Wells, with a serious expression on his face. "I've told you and Matt many times, we can't change the past, it's too dangerous. If we modify one single event, in the past, there can be a chain reaction and everything can change. I travelled to the Wild West to observe the Native Americans, not to change history. I can understand Matt's feelings, but what is done is done. Can you imagine a world dominated by those dictators from history who were defeated by destiny?"
"Well, what can we do?" asked Linda, desperately. "We don't know if Matt arrived in Newbridge at the time he wanted or not. But if he is there, we must stop him!"
Mr Wells went out of the room and came back with his portable PC. "There's no time to lose! We must protect the past!"
He started to type the coordinates for Newbridge. "When was the accident?" he asked.
"July the 20th," Linda replied. "But what are you doing?"
"I'm going to stop Matt before he causes chaos!"
"Wait! I'll go," said Linda with determination. "I can convince him to abandon his idea, if he's in Newbridge at the right time.
If he isn't, then he needs your help. You must repair my computer and discover what place and century he's in. Where's your phone?"
Mr Wells indicated the telephone on his desk.
Linda rang home.
"Mom! It's me. I didn't find my jacket but I found Mr Wells.
I told him that I've got a problem with my computer and he's coming to look at it. Is that okay? Oh, and Mom, you remember that Mr Wells loves your chocolate cake. Well, there's still a piece of yesterday's cake in the fridge, isn't there? Great! See you later!"
"Well, my decisive young friend," said Mr Wells, sweetened by the idea of Mrs Chapman's chocolate cake. "Let's go, there's not a minute to lose."
It was night and a strange, dense fog covered everything.
Matt couldn't distinguish the buildings around him very well, but he was sure he was in Newbridge. The fog irritated his throat and eyes, but he was more worried about the time.
"I programmed the computer for the morning of July 20th," he thought anxiously. "I hope I'm not too late."

Chapter 3: A Crazy Situation

"Stephenson Avenue, Newbridge, July 19th, 8.30 a.m. That gives me time to find Mart first and stop him."
Linda gave Mr Wells the information to put into his portable computer.
"Okay, it's ready," said her teacher, with great emotion in his voice. "Good luck, Linda. I'll try to repair your PC, but the preservation of the past is in your hands!"
There was the image of a rotating hourglass on the screen of Mr Wells' computer. Linda sat down in front of it and looked around her room. "Goodbye, Mr Wells. I hope I'll be home soon, with Matt." She pressed ENTER and disappeared in a flash of white light.
BEEEEP! Linda was in the middle of the road and there was a car coming! She fell and the car stopped centimeters from her and the portable computer.
"Phew! That was close," she thought.
"Are you okay? Where did you come from?" said the driver, worried. He helped Linda to stand up and was happy to see she wasn't hurt. Linda stared at the man. She recognized his kind face from photographs and she thought that he looked like her best friend - it was Matt's dad! "I'm sorry, Mr John... er... I mean, Sir." Linda corrected herself but the man looked at her and the PC curiously.
"How do you know my name?" he asked, surprised.
"I... I'm a friend of Matt's," replied Linda, embarrassed.
"Oh!" Mr Johnson smiled. "Matt never told me about you. What's your name?"
"Linda," said Linda, and thinking quickly she added, "I mustn't miss my bus. Bye!"
Matt's dad watched in surprise as Linda ran off in the opposite direction from the bus stop!
"This is crazy!" thought Linda. "What a coincidence!"
She stopped running and when she looked back, she saw Mr Johnson drive away.
"What do I do now? Mr Wells thinks that Matt programmed his arrival for the day of the accident, which is tomorrow, but I want to watch the house in case he arrives today. But what about tonight? I can't stay here in the street; I need a place to sleep."
She looked around. She was in a typical English suburban street of large, detached houses, all with colorful gardens in front of them and large cars parked outside.
Linda's mind was full of worries and doubts. "And if Matt doesn't arrive? Mr Wells said we can't change the past, but I can't let Matt's parents die in that accident tomorrow. It's too awful. I must warn them."
Linda looked around, perplexed. Suddenly she gave a cry, "Matt!" Linda hid quickly behind a black car parked on the road. Coming out of the house opposite were Matt and his mother. Matt's mom was exactly like her pictures in Matt's photo album, but Matt was different, he seemed younger.
"Of course!" thought Linda. "That's Matt before I knew him!"
She watched as they got into a car and smiled, "He must be late for school, as usual. But what am I saying? This is crazy - what's going to happen if the two Matts meet?"
As Matt's mom's car went down the street, the black car in front of Linda started to move. She jumped to her feet with fright. Inside were two men in black with dark glasses. They looked at her suspiciously and the electric window came down.
"Hello, er... I... dropped my computer," stammered Linda. "Emm... can you tell me if there's a youth hostel near here?"
But the men didn't speak, the window went up and they drove away. "How strange! What do they want, I wonder?" thought Linda.
"This is stupid!" thought Matt. "I'm certainly in Newbridge, I recognize some buildings and I know I'm near home, but in this fog I'm lost." Then he heard a church bell ringing: it was midnight.
"I know that bell! It's St. Thomas' Church. Across the park and I'm home." In the dense fog, Matt couldn't find the park gate and decided to climb over the wall. "I can't remember seeing fog like this in Newbridge," he thought, jumping down into the gardens.
"Something isn't right." Suddenly an enormous black dog ran out of the fog and blocked Matt's way.
"What have we here?" said a voice, and a tall man with a large gun appeared behind the dog. "A young thief on the masters' property," he continued in a low, menacing voice. "It's the workhouse for you, my boy!"

Chapter 4: At the Workhouse

"Find a bed, boy! It's not Queen Victoria's palace, but it's good enough for you!"
Someone pushed him and Matt into a large room.
It was dark but a little light came in from the small, high windows. The room was full of low wooden beds; all occupied by two or three very dirty, sleeping children. The sound of snoring tilled the rancid air. "Queen Victoria? A workhouse?" thought Matt. "Oh no! I'm not in Newbridge in the year of Mom and Dad's accident - I'm in the wrong time!"
Matt suddenly felt very tired. He pushed one of the sleeping boys gently to make space for himself in a bed. The child moved but didn't wake up. The only blanket was rough and Matt started to scratch. "I hope there aren't any fleas!" was his last thought before he fell asleep, exhausted.
Matt opened his eyes at the first light of day. With a shock, he saw a pair of dusty feet in front of his nose. Then he remembered where he was - in the workhouse!
"What are you doing in my bed?" The owner of the feet looked at Matt, irritated.
"I'm sorry," replied Matt, sitting up quickly, "but last night I..."
He stopped speaking as the boy looked at his clothes with curiosity. Matt looked at the boy, then at the hundreds of other children in the room, now almost all awake. The boys all wore ragged pants tied with string, simple cotton shirts and scarves. The girls wore long cotton dresses and aprons. Many had no shoes. Matt, embarrassed by his nice, colorful clothes and by their curiosity, began to talk to his young companion to distract him.
"What's your name? My name's Matt Johnson."
"Jack Jellyby, but everyone calls me Ginger." He indicated his short, red hair, smiling.
"Breakfast time, you lazy creatures!" shouted a fat man with small, malignant eyes and a red face, hanging a large stick on a long table in the room. The children immediately moved towards the table for their breakfast. Matt saw Ginger return with his metal plate, half-full of a disgusting grey liquid.
"Who's that horrible man? And what are you eating?" Matt asked Ginger.
"You're new here, Matt," he replied kindly, "so let me explain. The master, Mr Grimlard, wakes us for breakfast at 6 a.m. every day. Eat your gruel fast and don't talk or he will hit you with his stick, Old Whacker. That is his favourite pastime. After breakfast we start work."
"What work do you do here? And where are the adults?"
Matt began to feel the oppressive air of the workhouse. The thin, miserable children around him were a sad testimony to the hard life there. Many looked ill and all were very thin and pale.
"We make cotton here, Matt," answered Ginger. "There are no adults because we are all orphans or from very poor families. We work from 6.30 in the morning to 7.00 in the evening. The older children work on the spinning machines and looms. The very small children lie under the machines and collect the threads that fall."
Matt was shocked by Ginger's description - these children did 12 hours of work every day! Matt joined the queue and received his bowl of disgusting gruel. "I miss my corn flakes!" he thought, but he was very hungry and tasted the gruel. It was like dirty water!
He ate it but still felt incredibly hungry. Ginger and the other children looked at him, astonished, as he stood up and went towards Mr Grimlard, who observed him with a menacing expression, picking up his stick from the table. "Excuse me, Sir. Can I have some more gruel?" Matt held his empty bowl in his hands as he spoke.
Mr Grimlard's red face became a strange purple color, and he seemed to expand like an enormous toad before Matt's eyes.
"MORE? MORE?" he shouted, "You can have some of Old Whacker, you insolent young criminal!"
"Criminal?" Matt was indignant at the tyrant's answer. "This gruel is criminal!"
Mr Grimlard seemed ready to explode. ''YOU, boy, will go to the mines!"

Chapter 5: The city of Everslime

"Name?" asked the tall, thin man in jeans and a T-shirt at reception. "Linda Chapman," replied a girl in Linda's clothes and with her face, but who looked a few years older. "Age?" The man continued his interrogation, filling in a form. "Sixteen," lied Linda, hoping that the make-up applied half an hour ago hid the truth. The man looked at her suspiciously, so she continued, "I finished my GCSEs last week. Now I'm visiting a friend in Newbridge."
"Are you a member of the Youth Hostels Association?" asked the man, and when Linda shook her head he said, "Can I see an identity document? A bus pass or something similar is okay."
"I haven't got any documents with me," said Linda nervously, thinking quickly. "But it's only for one night. My friend finishes her exams tomorrow and then we're... er... going camping."
She saw the man look curiously at her PC.
"My camping things are at the left-luggage at the station for tonight, but my computer's too valuable," Linda smiled sweetly. "I'm writing an e-diary of my summer for school."
Smiling, the man gave her a key. "Third door on the left - you're lucky, you're the only person in that room tonight."
The room was simple but clean with four beds in it. Linda looked at herself in the mirror.
"Phew! That was lucky," she thought. "Even with the make-up I don't look sixteen!"
Suddenly a terrible noise came from the computer, music like cats fighting.
"What is that?" Linda wondered, opening the PC. On the screen were the words "You've got e-mail!" She clicked on them and the terrible music stopped. The message was from Mr Wells:

Your computer is repaired and Matt's time-trip file says he arrives on the day of the accident at 9.00 a.m. Be careful!
Mr Wells
P.S. I hope you like my new invention - e-mails across time!

"So if Matt arrives here, it will be tomorrow," thought Linda. "Now I can relax a little. I didn't see Newbridge very well this morning but Matt always tells me what a nice city it is. I'm going to see."
Walking around the downtown area, Linda now saw a big modern shopping centre and a lot of fine Victorian stone buildings, like the railway station and the theatre, but one thing disturbed her. Everywhere she looked, she saw the same name. The multi-screen movie theatre, the leisure centre, the football stadium, offices, all belonged to one man - Bob Everslime. There were also innumerable election posters on the walls, on the buses. "Everslime for mayor, he's just and fair,"
"Fight crime, vote Everslime,"
"Want a job, vote for Bob" she read. Linda remembered that Matt didn't like Everslime.
After walking for a long time, Linda found herself in a street she recognized, Matt's street. She saw a familiar car stop outside Matt's house and his parents got out.
"I don't care what Mr Wells says," thought Linda determinedly. "I can't let them die in that accident tomorrow."
She looked at her watch - three o'clock, Matt was still at school. She went up the drive and rang the bell. Mr Johnson opened the door.
"Ah, Matt's friend from this morning," he said, smiling but looking at her with curiosity.
"Oh no, the make-up!" thought Linda, becoming red with embarrassment. "I... I must speak to you," she stammered. "You're in danger."
Mr Johnson's expression changed. "Well... er... Linda... come in." As Linda closed the door behind her, she was surprised to see the black car with the two rude men from that morning parked on the other side of the street.
It was a new day in the smoky streets of Victorian Newbridge, but for the pale, thin people walking sadly to the factories it was like every other day. Matt, accompanied by Mr Grimlard, saw that the fog wasn't tog but smog from the factory chimneys. Outside the city the smog cleared, revealing the mine buildings, black with coal-dust.
"This is where you'll spend the rest of your days, boy," laughed Grimlard cruelly. "Mr Everslime's coal mines!"

Chapter 6: Curiosity and a Canary

"Wait in here. I'll be with you in a minute," said Mr Johnson, opening the door to the study. Linda looked around the room. There were bookcases on all four walls, full of books.
On a large wooden desk, there was a computer and some family photos. Linda smiled at a picture of Matt as a baby.
The light from the window fell on some papers on the desk, catching Linda's attention.
She saw pages from old newspapers and pages of Mr Johnson's notes about them. She began to read.

From Newbridge Times,
21st July 1864 - Newbridge mine disaster - miners trapped!
24th July - no hope for 43 men and boys - did Ever slime know of danger!
25th July - Everslime's daughter, one of the dead in a coal mine accident - desperate father has no responsibility.

"Everslime - that name again!" thought Linda, very interested now. She looked at the notes again.
Everslime knew the seam was dangerous - mine losing money - insurance? - many of the dead were in Union - daughter's diary? - negative effect on Bob Everslime's election possibilities!
The door opened and Matt's dad came in, a very serious expression on his face.
'This is very sinister. You say we're in danger and now this arrives." He had a letter in his hand. Linda read it. The words were made of letters cut from newspapers. It said:
You're too curious about the past - remember, curiosity killed the cat!
"And this is not the first," said Mr Johnson. "Letters, phone calls, all threatening me and my family."
Linda was confused. So there were two Everslime's, one in the past who was a mine owner and one in the present who was trying to be elected mayor of Newbridge. But how were these facts connected to the threats sent to Mr Johnson? One thing was clear to her now.
"It wasn't an accident," she whispered with terror, thinking out loud. "What accident?" asked Mr Johnson.
"The car," murmured Linda distractedly. Before Matt arrived, she had to get out of the house, she needed time to think. "I'm sorry, Mr Johnson, I have to go. I'll come back tomorrow morning, I promise. Please be careful!"
"Who was that?" asked Mrs Johnson, watching from a window as Linda hurried away.
"A friend of Matt's," said her husband, thinking. "Jane, we don't need the car this evening, do we? It's making strange noises today. I'll take it to the garage tomorrow morning."
"Yes, dear, all right," Mrs Johnson smiled.
The doorbell rang.
"That must be Matt," said Mr Johnson. He opened the door.
"Hi, Matt. Good day! You just missed your friend... that girl Linda," he said.
"Who?" Matt looked surprised. "I don't know anyone called Linda."
The coal mine was an infernal scene - the terrible noise of the machines, the coal dust and steam, the incessant movement of boys pushing tubs full of coal. The penetrating sound of a siren announced the end of a shift and miners, black from head to foot, came out from the pithead. Some of the boys in this group looked at Grimlard, and Matt saw terror in their eyes.
"Hello, dear boys," said Grimlard. "Here's a new companion." And he pushed Marc towards them. "Watch your rations, he's got a big appetite!" and laughing nastily, he went away.
"Don't worry," said a boy with sad eyes. "It's better here than at the workhouse. Nobody hits you and there's more food."
Matt noticed with shock that the boy had only one arm.
"Billy, let's go," said another boy. "They're sending the canary down into the new seam."
"There's a new seam but the men think it's dangerous," Billy told Matt as the group returned to the pit-head. "Mr Everslime ordered a canary test, to show that it's safe."
Matt watched a miner with a cage enter the lift. In the cage was a small yellow bird with a dark beak. As the lift descended, Matt felt the tension. Nobody spoke. The minutes passed. Finally, the lift returned to the surface. In its cage, the yellow canary sang happily and the tension disappeared. But Matt noticed something strange: the bird's beak was now a lighter colour!

Chapter 7: A Miner, a Petition, and a Girl

"What's up, lad?" said a tall, muscular man covered in coal dust, passing Matt. He smiled, "Did you see a ghost?"
"No, but I saw a different canary," Matt whispered.
"Yes, you're right. I saw it too," said the man. He looked at Matt. "You're new here, but you seem a bright lad. What are you doing at the mine?"
"I'm an orphan," said Matt. "I got into trouble at the workhouse, so they sent me here. I'm Matt."
"Pleased to meet you, Matt," said the miner. "I'm Clem. I started work here when I was ten, opening and shutting trapdoors, pushing tubs, then I became a cutter, the best at Everslime colliery. That was twenty-five years ago..."
Suddenly the miner began to cough violently, covering his mouth with a dirty handkerchief. When he stopped, Matt noticed with horror the black froth on the handkerchief.
"Coal dust in the lungs," said Clem. "A miner can survive gas, explosions and cave-ins but this job will kill him in the end."
He saw Matt's worried expression and smiled.
"Don't worry lad, I'm fine. Listen, if you're on my shift tonight, stay near me. I'll look after you. I've got a nose for danger. If there's gas, I'll smell it before you can say 'canary'!"
Now a group of miners walked over to Matt and Clem.
"I don't like it, lads," one of them said. "Everslime's playing a dirty game."
Clem agreed. "That new seam's dangerous. We need some guarantees before we go down there to work."
"You have to speak to Everslime, Clem," said another miner, looking at Clem with respect.
"Okay, I'll try, but the first shift is tonight," Clem replied. "He probably won't see me before we start."
"A petition!" suggested Matt. "Why don't you write a petition?"
The miners looked at him in surprise.
"Write, lad?" Clem smiled. "It's a good idea but no one here can write more than his name."
"I'll do it," said Matt. "I... er... went to school before I became an orphan."
The petition was prepared. Clem dictated and Matt wrote and all the miners signed it. Matt read the result aloud:
"We, the miners, believe that the new seam is dangerous. We request independent guarantees for our safety. Without these, we will not risk our lives. With respect..."
He gave it to Clem, but the miner said, "Everslime knows I'm trouble, lad. You take it to him."
The colliery foreman accompanied Matt to a large stone villa. A thin maid opened the door.
"Mrs Skinnybile," said the foreman, "this impertinent boy has a letter for Mr Everslime."
"What do the miners want now?" she asked, pulling at the petition. "It's tor Mr Everslime," said Matt calmly, resisting. The maid, surprised by his tenacity, let him in. "Wait in the library," she ordered.
As Matt entered, he saw a blonde girl in a long white dress watching him from the stairs in the hall.
The wooden walls of the library were full of dusty books that nobody read. As Matt examined them, the door opened. It was the blonde girl. She reminded Matt a bit of Linda.
"Are you from the mine?" she asked, urgently.
"Yes," Matt replied, "Miss...?"
"Everslime," said the girl, embarrassed, "but please call me Estelle."
She smiled again, then was serious. "Listen, the new seam at the mine is dangerous. My father..."
At that moment, a tall man with a proud, arrogant face came into the library. He frowned severely at Estelle and she immediately left the room. Turning to Matt he said, "I believe you have a message for me, boy."
Matt gave him the paper. Everslime read it and laughed nastily. "Ungrateful dogs!" he growled, "I give them work, and they still protest. I am their guarantee! Go back and tell them that."
It was two o'clock in the morning. In the cold night air the first shift for the new seam waited to descend into the mine. Matt looked up at the stars in the sky, hoping it wasn't for the last time.
As they went down, he saw fear on the miners' faces. Only Clem was calm. Another face near him, with blue eyes under a large cloth cap, seemed familiar. Matt knew those eyes... It was Estelle!

Chapter 8: Linda Investigates

Linda slept badly in the youth hostel. Her mind was full of terrible thoughts. She decided she had to find out more about the Everslime family. She went to the Everslime Memorial Library and looked for old newspaper articles about the mine disaster on the computer.
Estelle, Ebenezer Everslime's daughter, died in the accident,'' she read in one article. "Everslime justified her presence in the mine, saying that it was his responsibility. He sent her down to demonstrate that the mine was safe." Linda frowned. "Hmm, that seems strange to me." Then she continued reading, "Everslime's personal tragedy increases his popularity in the elections."
"So, after the disaster he went into politics," she said, scanning the other articles, "and now Bob Everslime wants to continue the family tradition. I need to see Matt's dad again."
Arriving at Matt's house, Linda noticed the mysterious black car parked nearby again. "Who are those people? And what do they want?" she thought, as Mr Johnson opened the door.
"I told Matt you were here yesterday," he said, observing her reaction, "but he says he doesn't know you."
Linda smiled, unperturbed, "Boys don't like to admit they have female friends, do they? Now listen, you must trust me." She told him about her research at the library and he listened with interest. "You already know a lot about the dark past of Ebenezer Everslime," he said. "Now I can tell you something about Bob. He made his fortune through the family name, this city is almost entirely his. Now he wants to protect his interests by becoming Mayor." He opened his desk and took out an old leather book. "Today I discovered an important piece of new evidence against Ebenezer. I received it from an ex-employee of Bob Everslime's. He is Fred Skinnybile, a direct descendant of Mrs Skinnybile, Everslime's maid at the time of the accident."
Linda read the words on the cover - The Diary of Estelle Everslime. "Look at the last two entries," said Mr Johnson.
"18th July 1864 - Today I heard Father talking to the coal mine foreman. The new seam is dangerous but he wants to continue because profits are low. I don't know what Father is planning but I'm worried... I wish I was part of another family. My father is so unscrupulous, so uncaring - he makes me ashamed. I wish my mother was here."
"19th July 1864 - Today something happened which changed my life. I saw the prince who can free me from the prison of my existence here. He is the boy I dream about - the same face, the same bright eyes. It seems he is a miner. He is intelligent and kind, and brave, too - he came with a petition for my father about the new seam. My father was very angry. I hope he doesn't hurt my 'miner-prince...'"
"I heard Father telling the foreman this afternoon that if 'something happens in the mine, the insurance money will compensate for his low profits. He added that if a few miners don't come back up, no one will care! He spoke of the new seam and a secret passage there - something about a hole in the wall and a rock. What's happening? I'm very worried. I must help my 'miner-prince'. I must go to the mine, so the princess can save her prince..."
"This new evidence looks bad for Bob Everslime," said Mr Johnson. "Yes, it looks as if Ebenezer deliberately let those poor miners die," said Linda, shocked.
"Exactly. Mr Skinnybile came to me because he lost his job unjustly. Now he wants the people of Newbridge to know the truth about the Everslime family. We must be very careful with the diary. A lot of people want to destroy it." He put it back in the drawer, and closed it with a key.
"With this evidence," thought Linda, "Mr Johnson is a real obstacle to Bob Evers lime's political ambitions." She remembered the threats. "They must be connected to the accident!" she thought.
"Linda, my wife and I have to go out," said Mr Johnson, then. "There's a note for Matt in the living room - he usually gets back about 4 o'clock. You can wait for him if you want."
"Oh no, please don't go!" implored Linda. "Your car, it's..."
Matt's dad smiled. "Don't worry, Linda. I took the car to the garage and it's fine. I hope we'll see you when we come back."
Linda watched from the living room window as he got into the car with Mrs Johnson. Helpless, she saw the black car follow them along the road!

Chapter 9: Down the Pit

The doorbell rang at 39 Stephenson Avenue.
"Oh no, who's this?" thought Linda.
Then she heard the key in the lock, and a familiar voice, "Mom, Dad, it's me! I'm home!" As Matt came into the living room, Linda hid behind the sofa. "What's this, a note?" she heard him say. "Ahh, yes, they went to book for Florida, of course..." The voice came closer. "Poor mom and dad, they think it's a secret, but... Hey! Who are you and what are you doing behind our sofa?"
Linda stood up, incredibly embarrassed, not knowing what to say.
But suddenly Matt fell to the floor, one hand on his throat, the other towards Linda. "Help me," he gasped. "I'm suffocating."
Down in the humid darkness of the mine, Clem's shift reached the entrance to the new seam. Nobody spoke and everybody looked at Clem, everybody except Matt. He looked at Estelle, he wanted to ask her why she was there. But in the ghostly light of the safety lamps her eyes implored him to keep her identity a secret.
"Well, lads, let's go inside. Follow me, and if I run, you run," said Clem, breaking the tension. The echo of his voice accompanied them as they entered the tunnel. The walls were narrow, just wide enough for a coal tub, and low - Matt had to crouch.
"Matt, keep an eye on the flame in your lamp," whispered Clem. "If it's blue, there's Black Damp, a suffocating gas. If it goes out, that means there isn't enough oxygen."
They continued slowly down the tunnel, Matt close to Clem and Estelle close to Matt. Billy, the last of the group, closed the trap door to the seam behind them.
Now they were completely isolated from the world above.
"It's strange," said Clem. "Here we are down here, abandoned by the world, yet without us the world stops. No coal means no industry, no transport, cold houses."
"Oh no!" interrupted a terrified girl's voice. Clem turned with surprise and saw the small miner with the large cap pointing at something on the ground. Matt illuminated the object of Estelle's terror with his lamp. It was a small yellow bird with a dark beak. It was dead.
"I knew it," said Clem angrily. "We're in a death trap. But who are you, boy?" He took off Estelle's cap, and saw her long blonde hair. "Miss Everslime!" he said, incredulous. "What are you doing down here? It's very dangerous."
"I know it is," said Estelle sadly, "and I think my father knows it, too. When Matt came with the petition, I tried to tell him, but my father stopped me. I didn't want to believe that he could put innocent lives at risk, but now I can see with my own eyes that it's true. You must get out of here, before it's too late!"
Clem looked at her with admiration, then shouted to the miners, "You heard the girl, let's go. Don't panic. There's Black Damp down here, but we've got enough time to get out."
As they went back along the tunnel, Matt said, "Estelle, you were very brave to come here."
"I'm afraid of what my father will do now," said Estelle, tears in her eyes. "But I came down here to be with you too, Matt."
"I must be dreaming," thought Matt. Suddenly his dream became a nightmare.
"I can't open it," shouted Billy. "The trap-door's blocked!"
Now there was panic.
"Blocked from the other side," agreed Clem, pushing the door. "Someone wants to kill us!" cried another miner.
"There's another way out! I know where it is," shouted Estelle, "Follow me!"
She took Matt's hand and they started to run along the tunnel, with Clem and the others behind. But it was impossible to run quickly with the low roof walls. With a thud, Matt hit his head and his lamp fell to the ground, breaking the glass. For an interminable instant, nothing happened. He saw the horror on Clem's face as the miner whispered, "Oh no, the flame!" Then there was a deafening noise and an intense white light, a thousand times brighter than the light from Mr Wells' computer.

Chapter 10: Two Matts in Danger

The blast threw Matt and Estelle through the air. Matt hit the ground and closed his eyes. He didn't dare open them as the ground moved under him, like an earthquake.
Finally there was silence, and then a weak voice said, "Matt, help me, please."
Matt opened his eyes. It was dark. He moved towards the voice and touched Estelle's hand.
"Matt? Are you all right?" murmured the girl.
"Yes, I think so," said Matt, worried. "You?"
"My legs are trapped. There was a cave-in." Estelle's voice was weaker now. "Matt, you must go, before there's another explosion. There's a secret passage to the surface..."
"I won't leave you, Estelle," said Matt, desperately trying to free her. "It's useless, Matt. Please - save yourself," she whispered.
"I'll go, but I'm going for help," said Matt with determination. "I'll be back to save you, Estelle!"
Blind in the darkness, he ran along the tunnel. Then, suddenly, it seemed there was no air.
"Help me," Matt gasped. "I'm suffocating."
"I can't breathe... Estelle," whispered Matt, on the living room floor.
"Estelle? Oh... of course!" cried Linda. Suddenly everything was clear. Matt's body was here in front of her but his mind, his spirit, was in Victorian Newbridge, in the mine, in the accident.
"If I don't save him, both Matts will die!" she thought desperately, opening the PC. "Quickly, please," she implored the computer, typing the date and time of the accident and the approximate coordinates for Newbridge coal mine. The hourglass icon appeared and Linda started her most important time-trip of all.
It was night and Linda found herself in a field, confronted by a very angry bull.
"Sorry, bull. I know that I'm in your field," she said, trying to pacify the animal. But the bull had other ideas and Linda decided to run, jumping over a fence just in time. Now she was in another field with nicer companions - a group of ponies, it seemed.
"Poor animals," she said, realizing that they couldn't see her. "You must be pit ponies, blind after years working in the mine... The mine! If the ponies are here, I must be near the mine." Her hopes were confirmed by the enormous silhouette of the pit-heap against the night sky. Then she heard voices from the next field. Watching from behind the fence, she saw two men pushing a big rock.
"Bert, why are we doing this?" said one of the men, in a sleepy voice. "Everslime says we have to cover that shaft from the new seam," replied the other man.
"The secret passage!" thought Linda. "They're blocking it! I must stop them... but how? I've only got the computer." Then she remembered that terrible music in the Youth Hostel, from Mr Wells' e-mail.
She switched on the computer and found the icon that she wanted - "My Music".
She clicked on it and scanned the list of files. "This is good, 'Nightmare music'," she read and clicked on the audio file, putting the PC's volume to maximum. The effect was instantaneous.
"Bert, what's that terrible noise?" cried the first man, terrified.
"I don't know, Harry," replied Bert, "but I'm not staying here to find out!"
As the men ran off, Linda ran to the hole. She held the men's lamp to look inside. Suddenly Matt appeared! He saw Linda and shouted with shock, "Aaah!!!"
"Matt, you're safe!" cried Linda happily. "I'm so happy to see you! Come on! Let's go home."
Matt, dirty and tired, looked at Linda sadly, "I can't, Linda. People are trapped down there."
"Matt, I know, but that's history. There was an accident here and they all died," said Linda. "We can't change the past."
"But I can't let them die," said Matt, taking the safety lamp from Linda. "Clem, Billy..."
"And Estelle?" said Linda, as her friend started to climb down the shaft again. Matt didn't answer. Then he said, "Go for help."
He smiled. "It's good to see you, Linda."

Chapter 11: Salvation

The light from Matt's lamp disappeared into the darkness of the hole. Linda looked around.
"Where can I find help here?" she thought desperately. Then she saw a man walking towards her. "Help!" she cried. "There are some people trapped in the mine!"
But as the man came nearer, Linda saw that he had a pistol. The man looked at Linda, frowning, pointing the pistol in her direction. "I don't know who you are, girl, or what you said to frighten my men, but you are risking your life here. You should mind your own business." The man's cruel face was familiar from the pictures in old newspapers. "You are Ebenezer Everslime!" she cried. "I know all about you! If anything happens to me, everyone in Newbridge will know about you and the accident!"
Matt was in the tunnel. He knew it was dangerous, but he was convinced that by saving Estelle and the miners he could change the past. He also had another reason for saving Estelle.
He liked her - a lot.
"Matt, is that you? You did come back," said Estelle, her eyes shining, "I don't think I'm hurt but I can't move my legs. Listen to that noise, Matt. Someone must still be alive on the other side!"
From the other side of the wall created by the cave-in Matt could hear a regular knocking.
"They're trapped between the cave-in and that trap-door," said Matt. "I'll free you, Estelle, and then let's hope that Linda arrives with help for them."
"Linda?" asked Estelle, surprised, as Matt tried to move the wooden beam from her legs. "A friend," said Matt. "She was worried about me, and came to look for me."
"A friend?" asked Estelle again, but at that moment, Matt moved the beam and she was free.
"It's still dangerous down here, let's get out, quick!" said Matt.
Linda knew that at any moment Matt and Estelle would come out of the hole. "What will Everslime do?" she thought, looking at his pistol. He had the face of a desperate man.
"Mr Everslime," she said, an idea coming into her head, "I'm sorry but I must tell you some terrible news."
He smiled cruelly, "You can say what you like, girl, but I'll kill you all the same. I have nothing to lose."
"Yes, you do! You have your daughter!" said Linda. "Estelle went to the mine to prevent the accident."
"Impossible!" cried Everslime, incredulously. But behind him Linda could see Matt emerging from the hole behind Everslime.
She signaled to him to get down.
"It isn't impossible!" Linda shouted loudly. "Estelle followed that young miner who brought you the petition. Now, thanks to you, she's probably... dead!"
"Liar!" Everslime cried, but Linda was pointing to the hole at the end of the tunnel. A ghostly apparition was emerging from it, Matt carrying Estelle! Her eyes were shut, her face was white. She didn't move. "Estelle!" cried Everslime. "Oh, my darling! What have I done?"
"You must repent, Ebenezer!" Linda told him. "And your daughter may recover! Repent!"
Everslime fell onto his knees, staring at the thin girl in Matt's arms. "I'm so sorry, my darling," he stammered. "If only you can live, I'll change my ways... I'll do anything to save you, Estelle."
Matt put Estelle down carefully on the grass. Very slowly, she opened her eyes. "Father," she said sadly, "now I am saved, but you must save the miners! You must open the trap-door your men blocked and free them or they will die."
"Yes," said Everslime. "You are saved and now I must pay for your life by helping them. It is a far, far better thing that I do now, than I have ever done," and he walked towards the coal mine.
Exhausted by their adventures, Matt and Linda hugged one another, laughing.
"Estelle's 'resurrection' was a great idea, Linda!" said Matt, laughing. "It was lucky that you guessed my intention, and Estelle was fantastic - she really looked dead!" smiled Linda.
"Estelle," said Matt, seeing the girl's unhappy expression. "I have a confession to make. I..."
"Don't say anything," Estelle smiled sadly. "Tonight I finally did something important in my life, and you were my inspiration. Now I must try to make my father change his ways. Goodbye, my prince."
For the two friends, Matt and Linda, it was time to leave the past and go back to the present. Linda pressed the ENTER key on the portable computer; they saw the familiar white light flash from it, then she was at home in her bedroom. But where was Matt?

Chapter 12: Return to a New Future

"Matt?" Linda ran out of her room and bumped into her father! "Dad?" she said, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I do live here, sleepyhead. Happy birthday!" smiled her father. "I've got a surprise for you. Just give me ten minutes to finish some work. It's great working from home - much better than that stressful office!" He kissed an astonished Linda and went downstairs to his study.
"How strange! Everything's different today!" thought Linda. "Dad still lives here with Mum and me, he has a new job, and he's so relaxed and happy! What's happening?" An incredible thought came to her. "The past has changed! And if my past is different, then perhaps Matt's is too..."
She rushed to her PC, connected to the Internet and did a search for "Newbridge - history". A website appeared and she searched frantically for the fatal date - 20th July 1864. She was right! "No victims in mine accidents - owner and daughter are heroes!" she read. Then she noticed another link and clicked on it. "Ebenezer Everslime and daughter Estelle - the story of two important benefactors for Newbridge."
"Incredible!" said Linda. "The Everslime's gave money to improve the lives of everyone in Newbridge, particularly the miners and their families! They built a school, a hospital and a library..."
But... if Estelle didn't die in the accident and Ebenezer was a good man, then perhaps Matt's dad didn't investigate Bob Everslime, and perhaps he's not..." Linda didn't dare hope.
"Linda!" called her mom. "Time for your birthday breakfast!"
"Coming, Mom!" Linda ran downstairs. "I just have to call someone first."
Hands trembling, she called Matt's home in Newbridge. "Hello?" With enormous relief, she heard the familiar voice of Mr Johnson. "S-sorry, sorry, wrong number!" she stammered. She wanted to shout with joy! Matt's parents were alive!
But a few minutes later Linda thought of another, less happy, aspect to consider. "If they are alive, then Matt still lives with them in Newbridge. That means he never came to London and he never met me," she thought sadly.
On Monday, after a wonderful birthday, Linda discovered lots of other changes in her life.
At school assembly when the headmaster came in, Linda almost shouted with surprise - Mr Wells was the headmaster! But the biggest surprise was still to come.
"Boys and girls, today we have a new pupil," announced Mr Wells.
A boy in his new uniform stood up in the front row. "Please welcome Matt Johnson." Linda gasped as Mr Wells continued, "Matt is living with his grandmother until his parents arrive in Greenwood. When his father starts his new job in London. We hope Matt will be happy here." Everyone applauded and Linda thought, "Now everything is really perfect!"
"Linda Chapman," called Mr Wells, "please accompany Matt to my office."
Linda walked towards Matt, smiling. "Hello, Matt, I'm Linda."
"Hello Linda," he replied, but his smile became a perplexed frown. "Sorry, Linda, but do I already know you?" Then he laughed.
"No, that's impossible!"
"You do know me," thought Linda. Then she said, joking, "Perhaps we met in another life! Follow me! Mr Wells' office is on the first floor." Mr Wells opened his office door when they knocked.
He was headmaster now, but he still looked like a mad scientist!
"Ah, Matt, Linda," he smiled, "Come in, come in. Please sit down. I just wanted to show you something very interesting on my computer..."