Time Travel Solo

Chatterbox: Inkwell

Time Travel Solo

Time Travel Solo Write - 
You burst through the front door and frantically run to your room. You pace along the floor and then sit down at your desk to rub your temple, but immediately spring back up and start pacing again. What to do? Nothing is going right. You need a way out. But you can’t turn back time, can you?
Suddenly, you hear a tap on your window, and you stop pacing and whirl around. There’s nothing there, so you resume your pacing, but you hear the tapping again. You glance out the window but see nothing. After another minute of thinking, the tapping returns once more. Deciding it can’t be a coincidence, you throw open the window and look outside. “Who’s there?” You shout, but get no answer other than the tweeting birds. Suddenly, a bird that was sitting on the fence across from your window flies straight into your room. You scream and wave your arms wildly, hoping to get it out, and it’s gone as fast as it came in. Everything is suddenly quiet, and you notice that the bird dropped something - a leather satchel. You pick it up and realize that inside it is a note. Curious, you begin to read.
Dear selected,
Have you ever wished you could turn back time? Well, you’re in luck. The Guild of Analog Travelers (GOAT) have created a special opportunity just for you! If you’re in trouble and need to go back in time to fix your mistakes, now is your chance. Contrite to popular belief, time travel exists, and GOAT would like to share this discovery with you. If you wish to come, fill out the form and send it back to GOAT. If you wish to bring supplies with you, it must fit in this satchel. Then be sure you are outside of your home at 11:32 p.m. on September 20 to be picked up. Soon all your troubles will be swept away. 
Cheers!
Travelers of the Guild of Analog Travelers. (GOAT)
The note doesn’t make much sense. GOAT? A very strange acronym. And why so specific about the times? And, perhaps most curious of all, how did "GOAT" know that you wanted to turn back time. But in the end, this is your only option. You shake your head and fill out the form.
~~~~~~~~~
This is not a ski lodge, like the letter and pseudonym may suggest, but a solo write. If you wish to have a charrie in this adventure, fill out this form:
Name:
Age:
Appearance:
Personality:
Gender/Pronouns:
Packing list:
Backstory/reason they need to time travel:
Please be specific on your charrie’s backstory, the whole fate of this solo write depends on it. And that is all! There is only room for five passengers on the time machine, so fill out the form quickly. Tootles!
Signing off, The Time Traveler. 
submitted by The Time Traveler, age unkown, Guild of Analog Travelers
(September 4, 2020 - 1:29 pm)

Oof looks like I just dropped off the face of the CB for several days, but I'm so glad this has updated! Like the others have said, it's such a good mix of action and humor, and I love how you've portrayed each character and their different personality! Very excited to see where this goes :)

submitted by Gecko
(November 27, 2020 - 11:10 pm)
submitted by TOP
(December 13, 2020 - 12:27 pm)

Hello everyone! Sorry this kind of disappeared for a while, I got really busy with NaNo and then hit an extra-busy, extra-uncreative rut where I didn't feel like doing anything. But I'm back now and shall be writing a lot this week, so expect some new content soon!

Signing off,

~The Time Traveler~ 

submitted by The TOP Traveler, age unknown, Guild of Analog Travelers
(December 13, 2020 - 12:28 pm)

Hooray! A new part at last. It may be a little short and kind of messy, but I just need to get it out because I'm BeHiNd. But I am going to try to go back to weekly updates sometime soon! 

Part 8

Unlike their first journey, which had been an easy, pleasant cruise to the past, the car’s speed matched the group’s adrenaline and was spinning uncontrollably through the tunnel of the space-time continuum. The group screamed as they picked up speed and hurtled down the seemingly endless and headache-inducing tunnel. 

Finally, the car abruptly halted and the group lurched forward, groaning. As they let their dizzy vision set back into focus, they heard a highly unpleasant “mmmph… mmph…: Coming from Kit’s dog, Nero, whom most of them had forgotten about. 

“Uh-oh,” Kit said. She quickly hopped out of the car, and the rest of the group followed, though they were unsure what was happening. 

“Mmmph…” Nero lurched forward and threw up all over the leather seats of the blue convertible.

“Ugh, gross, eww, ugh,” The group mumbled a string of disgusted exclamations. 

“Well that’s unfortunate,” Kit said. “We can clean it up later. Anyway, who’s past are we fixing now?” 

It was then that the group started looking around. They had been in such a hurry to jump in the car and get away from Alec's past that none of them had thought of where they were headed. As they glanced around, they could see trees in every direction, and it seemed there were some cabins or cottages ahead through the thick of the wood.

"Jack?" Semolian asked quietly. "You started the car, right? Where did you take us?" 

Jack looked around. "Ummm..." He said. "I was in a rush, and I just hit some buttons. We needed to get away."

"So... You have no idea where we are?" Kit said, popping her hip and raising an eyebrow. 

"Well," Jack said, trying to think of something to say but failing. "Yeah, I have no idea where we are" 

The group groaned, which seemed to be one of their favorite hobbies.

"Look around," Semolian piped up. "I think we can figure out where we are." The five of them started to walk, crisp brown leaves crunching under their feet. They walked toward one of the cabins that was far off in the distance, upon a hill and surrounded by trees. 

As they strolled the wood, a person came into view. Nearby the house, not too far from where they were standing, was a woman strolling with a bucket in one hand. 

"What is that woman wearing?" Kit asked, a little too loud to be polite. The rest of the group aggressively shushed her. Thankfully, the lady couldn't hear Kit's comment, and the folds of her extravagant dress swished around her as she turned to head back into a nearby cabin. 

"That was 1700s woman"s fashion," Vivian said. "And the cabin is similar to one in early settlements." 

"Great!" Alec exclaimed, making the group jump. "We've time traveled to the middle of nowhere, probably in the 1700s, and I have some major burn scars on my face-" He faltered off at the end and clutched the side of his face. The other three in the group leaned toward him and tried to help him up. 

"Wait-" Vivian and Semolian said at the same time. Jack and Alec stood up. 

"Why are there only four of us?" Semolian asked. Everybody looked around. 

"Where's Kit?" 

 

submitted by The Time Traveler, age unknown, Guild of Analog Travelers
(December 14, 2020 - 5:30 pm)

Yay, you're back with another great episode! I'll be looking forward to reading more.  Our characters really got them selves in a mess.

submitted by Peregrine
(December 15, 2020 - 10:55 am)

Wow look at that, another part! This one was a bit long so I split it into two.

Part 9 ~

The four looked around frantically. How could she have run off like that?

A sharp bark came from the convertible, and they turned. Nero was still there, looking slightly dizzy from his episode but still prepared to search for his disappeared owner. 

"Huskies have an excellent sense of smell, they just need to catch the scent," Vivian said.  

"I'm certain she left something in the car," Semolian replied, and they headed over. Sure enough, an old battered book belonging to Kit was laying on the seat. They gave it to Nero, who picked up the scent immediately and began running and sniffing toward the woods. They quickly followed, walking silently through the woods, the only sound being their footsteps and Nero's loud sniffing. 

"How far could she have gotten?" Alec groaned. He had been walking with burn scars for much longer than was probably healthy, and had barely any time to stop and rest. 

"I don't know. Could Nero have picked up the wrong scent?" Jack wondered. Vivian shook her head and mumbled something like, "Highly doubtful"

So they continued on, the trees getting thicker and the thin woods turning into a heavy forest. 

After wandering for much longer than they had wanted to, the four exhausted and upset time travelers stopped for a break. Nero paused his sniffing and sat down on the ground, as if he were accepting defeat. 

"Nooooo," Jack mumbled. "If we ever want to get out of the past, we have to find her." He kicked a stick halfway across the woods. 

"It's okay," Semolian reassured. "We'll find her soon enough, but we can't give up. Hey dog, keep it moving." She gave a pat on the head to the poor dog, who panted and gave her a slobbery kiss. They sat in silence for a moment, looking around and brooding over what to do next.

It was then that they heard the screams. It was sudden, coming out of nowhere. All of their heads turned. They couldn't figure out who was screaming or who they were coming from, but they certainly knew that they were shrieks. And they were screaming loud. "Oh no," they said unanimously." As if there were some unspoken decision between the four of them, they took off in the direction of the screams.

The four of them ran through the forest, farther and farther from the place they had started (and, though they didn’t realize, farther and farther away from the convertible). However, hardly any thoughts crossed their minds as they were running toward the screams. They were just thinking about what could be happening, where Kit could be, and how long it would be before they would get out of here.

 

 

submitted by The Time Traveler, age unknown, Guild of Analog Travelers
(December 23, 2020 - 7:00 pm)

Oh right, and here's part 2 of part 9. 

Part 9 1/2 ~

The screams became louder. The four ran faster. At last, they broke out of the forest and into the light of the colonial American day - and found the source of the screams. They were in some kind of settlement, that was clear, but something was going on in this settlement. 

"Native Americans attacking," Vivian said. "These settlers must have taken their land, or something of the like." They narrowed their eyes at the battle going on. Leather fringe and feather headdresses clashed against suits and farming clothes as the two groups battled. Women and children screamed. There was only one person in their whole settlement who wasn't screaming and didn't look like the rest, and they recognized her immediately. 

"Kit!" The four exclaimed. She turned her head and an unfamiliar look crossed her face - it wasn't annoyance or fright, it seemed like - relief. She ran over to them, dodging the people fighting and screaming, and finally was back with the group. She gave Nero a pat on the head, and in proper Kit fashion, said, "Hey. Let's go." And so they took off once again and ran back through the woods the way they came, huffing and puffing all the way. They sure had done a lot of running on this journey, and the sprint back to where the convertible was parked was grueling. And slightly confusing, because every tree looked the same, and they had a hard time finding the clearing in which the convertible sat. 

Finally, the Mystique came into view and the five breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. The flooding relief quickly faded, however, when they noticed someone near the car. A woman. The same woman they had seen standing by the house when they first showed up in the past. Her petite figure was wrapped in a very blue, puff-sleeved dress that swung around her ankles as she circled the strange-looking car. 

The five gave each other silent looks of confusion and distress as they debated in their minds what to do.  Jack and Alec both peered at the lady from behind a tree. Kit held Nero's collar so he wouldn't run off. Semolian bit her nails nervously, and Vivian narrowed her eyes across the clearing.

"So how do we get her to go away?" Alec whispered.  Screams echoed from somewhere beyond, and the woman's head snapped up. The five pushed their backs to the trees. 

"I've got an idea," Jack said and ran over a few feet from where the group was.

He cried out loudly, patting his hand on his mouth, making an "Alalalalalala" sound that sounded like an Indian cry. 

Somehow it worked. The woman freaked out and ran straight back towards her house, the mystery of the convertible in her yard left unsolved. 

"Alright, Let's get outta here" Kit said, and they raised back to the Mystique, jumped in, and started off on their next adventure.

 

submitted by The Time Traveler, age unknown, Guild of Analog Travelers
(December 24, 2020 - 12:10 pm)

Thank you so much for keeping this going!  I'm sorry it took me a while to respond.  I like how you are incorporating a little history in this story.  I look forward to the next part!

submitted by Peregrine
(December 30, 2020 - 11:04 am)

*facepalms* I've had this part written for nearly a month and kept forgetting to post it. *melts* I certainly hope you all haven't abandoned reading this solo write, because I am one to finish what I've started and I intend to see this through till the end. 

Part 10 ~

The convertible was once again spinning uncontrollably through the space time continuum, and the group screamed. 

"I swear if Neko pukes again," an undiscernible voice echoed through the void.

They spun through out the vastness and emptiness of the world, when finally they were dumped back onto the real world.

"Where are we this time?" Semolian wondered aloud, and the rest of the group was thinking the same thing. 

"Hold on- you've gotta be kidding me" Kit mumbled. 

"No way," Alec added. 

"Are we really in Ancient Rome? Is that the coliseum?" Jack pointed away in the distance, where they could see a standing amphitheater type thing. 

"Yes it is," Vivian concluded. 

"Why do we end up in the strangest places?" Kit groaned. 

"It's okay, I'll get us out of here," Jack said reaching toward the convertible controls. 

"Ah-ah, not again," Kit decided. "You're not driving us again, because you've gotten us stuck in the colonial times and Ancient Rome. Were you even paying attention to the briefing Zenara gave us? I'll take control here." She brushed Jack out of the way and started touching buttons on the dashboard, and once again they were gone into the space-time continuum.

The journey was much more pleasant this time, and they weren't spinning uncontrollably or at risk of throwing up. They cruised quite happily and landed in the middle of a field. 

"Gosh, it's hot," Jack said, shedding his coat. "Where are we?" 

"Fallstown, North Carolina." Kit said. "On the other ide of those trees is the Fallstown school, where my unsuspecting best friend is packing up on the last day of his life." 

The heads turned. Nobody knew that Kit had ever had a best friend, let alone one who died. 

"Anyone want to help me rescue him?" She asked, but not in a cynical-sarcastic-Kit sort of way, but in a genuine help request sort of way that convinced them all. They nodded and agreed. 

"Great, so here's what is going to happen. My friend Mikael and I are going to be walking home from school, crossing the street, and then a police car is going to come out of nowhere and run Mikael over. So we gotta distract past me and past Mikael so he won't get run over." 

The group looked sympathetic and agreed to help distract. 

"Good," Kit said. "C'mon, let's go" 

The five crossed the field and filed throw a thin line of trees, coming out into the bright spring sunlight. They were on a school grounds, and it seemed they were dismissing. Kids flooded out of the front doors, and they recognized Kit immediately. She was standing next to a tall boy with messy blond hair, who was taller than everyone in the crows. Mikael. Kit sucked in a breath when she saw him, as it was her best friend who she hadn't spoken to in years. 

"Come on!" She shouted, and began to run. Alec groaned, not wanting to run whatsoever, but continued with the group anyway. They quickly found a place on the sidewalk across from the school to blend in and watch past Kit and Mikael. They walked and watched as the past duo walked on the sidewalk opposite them, chatting away happily as if nothing bad was going to happen to them. 

That's the street," Kit said, pointing up the sidewalk to an four-way stop sign intersection. "That's where Mikael is going to die-" she choked, and her final words got cut off. 

"It's okay," Jack said sympathetically. 

"Yeah," Kit agreed, all signs of sadness somehow fading away immediately. "It's fine, because we can go distract him, and then he'll live and it'll all be okay." The four others mumbled their agreements and continued down the sidewalk, still watching the past Kit and Mikael. 

They approached the intersection, their hearts speeding up as they moved closer to it. 

"Somebody scream," Kit said. "Shout something, so that they'll be distracted." It was a reasonable request by Kit. Somebody needed to distract them, but no one was stepping up to yell. They came nearer and nearer to the intersection.

"Somebody yell!" Kit exclaimed. "I can't do it, or they'll notice me." She had a point. Still, the awkward, introverted group didn't want to shout. Kit was growing impatient. "Someone, please!" She begged, half-angrily and half-sadly.

Finally, someone yelled. It was a small voice, one that nobody expected to hear. Vivian. 

"Heeeelllloooo!" She shouted loudly in a British accent. "Heeelllllooooo!" It worked. Past Kit and Mikael turned to look at them. Real Kit ducked behind a bush so no one would notice her. "Heeelllloooo!" Vivian called one more time. Past Kit and Mikael gave her an odd look, then turned and kept walking. Vivian tried to shout hello again, but her yell was overpowered by the sound of a blaring siren racing down the street. Past Kit and Mikael were about to cross the street, and the car was zooming. 

"HEY!!" Everyone in the group exclaimed in unison. Mikael and Kit turned. The police car blared past, and zipped away as fast as it had come. 

They had done it. Mikael's life was saved. No one had imagined it could be that easy. They thought the past would argue to get its way, and do whatever it took to get Mikael in front of that police car.

But no. The world was working in its mysterious ways, and now Mikael was alive and crossing the street with Kit. They had chosen to ignore the group that was shouting at them, and were now peacefully crossing the intersection.

It seemed like perfection for a moment as Kit emerged from behind the bush and saw her past self walking happily with her best friend. 

But utopia can not last forever, and another police car came blaring at of nowhere to smash into Mikael and send him flying through the air. 

 

 

submitted by THE TIME TRAVELER, age unknown, Guild of Analog Travelers
(January 8, 2021 - 7:43 pm)

Oh no!! That's horrible! Poor Mikael! Poor Kit! Wow, I did not see that coming.

I'm so happy this is back! I definitely haven't abandoned reading it, and I can't wait for more!

submitted by Quill
(January 9, 2021 - 3:37 pm)

Another part! This is another long one. Hope you're all enjoying! Thank you for the compliments, they are what make me want to keep writing :D

Part 11

"No!" Past Kit and present Kit cried at the same time as their best friend flew across the street and landed limply in the middle of the road. Past Kit ran toward her best friend, while present Kit ran away. 

"Kit?" Semolian said, quickly catching up to her. "Kit?" Kit said nothing and stormed up the sidewalk, her furious speed walk soon turning into a sprint. The other four followed her all the way up the sidewalk, across the school grounds, through the trees, and back to their blue convertible without saying a word. Silently Kit got in the driver's seat. 

"What are we doing?" Alec asked. "Where are we going?" Still no response - just the sound of the engine revving up and the endless loop of time and space reappearing around them.

The convertible landed back in the middle of the field. The five of them climbed out. 

"We're trying this again," Kit said. 

"Look, there's past us," Semolian said wonderingly, pointing across the field to where Semolian, Vivian, Kit, Jack, and Alec were all walking into the grove of trees. 

"We can't let them see us, right?" Jack said. "I suppose it would mess up the space-time continuum, but obviously our past selves already know time travel exists, so would it really be that big of a disaster?" 

"We'll figure that out later," Kit said, cutting off Jack's rambling. "For now, we need to save Mikael's life." They started across the field, crossed the school campus, and continued along the sidewalk behind past Mikael and Kit rather than the one that the past group was walking on. 

"Someone should go up to them this time," Kit decided. "A real distraction, instead of just a loud British 'hello'"

"I didn't think the hello was that bad..." Vivian mumbled, but was mostly ignored. 

"Good idea, but don't you think past us will notice?" Semolian asked. 

"Oh no," Alec said, cutting her off. "Why are they moving so fast?" Past Kit and Mikael were already almost at the intersection. 

"Someone stop them," Kit said, distress in her voice. "Please."

"Heelllloooo!" A voice called from across the street. Past Vivian was calling out. 

"Give me your coat," Semolian said to Jack, grabbing the jacket that he had taken off. "And I'll take your hat," She plucked the baseball cap off of Alec's head, putting it on her own. With her new wardrobe, she ran over to past Kit and Mikael. She struggled to penetrate through the crowd of kids walking down the sidewalk, but finally was able to reach the past duo. She tapped Kit on the shoulder. 

"Excuse me," she said, taking a long deep breath as she thought up an effective lie. Kit and Mikael both raised their eyebrows at her. "I'm trying to raise money for a fundraiser- for um, saving turtles." Kit's eyebrows rose even higher. "I was just wondering if you might want to-" She was cut off by the sound of a siren, and a police car blared past them. First one down, one more to go. Semolian kept talking. "I was wondering if, maybe, um, you might want to donate to the Save the Turtles Foundation." She cringed at her own made up name. "It would rescue a lot of wildlife, and, um, stuff like that." 

"Listen," Mikael said kindly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "This sounds like a really nice foundation, but I've got no money on me."

"Me neither," Past Kit said, and Semolian jumped at her voice. She sounded so... Happy. 

"Well, I guess that's okay," Semolian said. The two started to cross the street. The second police car hadn't passed yet. Disaster was coming. 

"Wait!" She shouted, giving them an overexaggerated simper as they turned around. "You can also donate online at- uh-" The second police car blared past, surprising them but hurting no one. A wave of relief washed over Semolian, along with the other watching members of the group. "Never mind," Semolian said. "Thanks for your time. Have a nice day."

Mikael and Kit shrugged their shoulders and crossed the street, making it to the other side safely. Semolian watched for a moment, expecting a disaster of some sort to occur and kill Mikael, but nothing came. They kept walking happily along the sidewalk, not looking back. Semolian sighed and returned to the group.

"That was horrible," she said. "Save the turtles? Who am I kidding."

"You did alright," Kit said. There was something different in her voice - the same happiness that Semolian had heard in Past Kit's voice was returning. "You saved my best friend, after all," Kit seemed to nearly smile, a strange expression that no one had seen on her before. 

"Well, shall we head back?" Jack asked. "We have some more pasts to fix." They agreed and headed back up the sidewalk, a newfound spring in their step. Considering the luck they'd had recently, they half expected the convertible to be gone, but it was still there, bright blue in a sea of green grass. 

They hopped in, and Jack asked, "Who's past should we fix next?" No one said anything at first. They all felt a bit awkward and selfish to be asking that they go first, but someone had to say something. "Well, I guess if you guys don't mind, we can go fix mine..." Jack said. They all agreed, and Jack punched in the time and place for his destination.

“We better not end up in Ancient Rome again…” Kit mumbled as the convertible started up once more.

 

submitted by The Time Traveler, age unknlwn, Guild of Analog Travelers
(January 13, 2021 - 11:55 am)

A great section like all the others!  I'm so glad they were able to save Mikael.  I wonder what Past Kit and Mikael thought about "save the turtles".  The creativity of our characters is amazing.  Though as you are the one manipulating them the creativity credits go to you!  Thank you for keeping this up, I always enjoy reading it.

On a side note, I saw your CB name before an Admin (I assume) changed it to your pseudonym for you.  I just wanted to say I would probably never have guessed it was you.  Though I should have since I have seen your writing before.

submitted by Peregrine
(January 14, 2021 - 10:55 am)

ToPpInG

submitted by The Time Traveler, age Top, Topping
(January 28, 2021 - 8:16 am)

Aaaand another part! I don't know why it took me so long to post this. Apologies. Well, this one's exciting! Although I probably say that about all of the parts. 

And don't forget, you can keep guessing my identity :D (except Peregrine, because they already know who I am)

Part 12 

“Here we are,” Jack said as the convertible spat them out of the space-time continuum yet again. Immediately, the group began to shiver, and Jack pulled his coat back onto his shoulders. 

“So where are we?” Kit asked roughly. Jack glanced around, a look of nostalgia on his face. 

“This is Bredford Pines, my old neighborhood.” He walked in a small circle, taking in his surroundings. “This is where I lived with my fiance.” The group looked at Jack thoughtfully. 

“So what are we doing here?” Kit asked, breaking the peaceful mood. 

“I’m here to save my fiance. I’m going to save Anne.” He said it in a superhero-type voice, as if a dramatic theme was going to play while he stood there. After a moment of dramatic standing, he said, “Okay. Let’s go.”

Semolian, Vivian, Kit, and Alec followed behind Jack, who was walking at a brisk paced down the sidewalk. The neighborhood wasn’t a huge development, but there were many people out mowing lawns, watching kids play, or sitting on their porch happily. As they walked down the street, Jack looked at each house, the memory of each one coming back as he passed by. Finally, he stopped in front of a small, canary yellow duplex with a long front porch. The left door of the duplex opened, and a man, probably in his fifties, stepped out. 

"Afternoon, Jack," he said in a Northern accent, tipping his hat and hurrying to his car, thankfully not taking long to look at Jack.

"Afternoon, Mr. Fowler," Jack said in bewilderment. He stood and watched as Mr. Fowler got in his car and drove off, then turned to the group and said, "That's my old neighbor, Harry Fowler." 

"Wow, that must be so weird," Semolian said thoughtfully. "To see an old neighbor that you haven't spoken to in years, acting like it's just another day."

"Yeah, and-" Suddenly, the right door of the duplex opened and a young woman with strawberry blonde hair stepped out, humming a pleasant tune. Jack's eyes widened and he dove behind a nearby bush. The rest of the group glanced around nervously, then quickly dispersed to make it look like they were regular neighbors passing through. The young woman smiled gently at them, then grabbed the mail and headed back inside the duplex. After a moment, Jack emerged from behind the bush. 

"It sure is weird to see your old neighbor going about their life again," he said, shaking his head. "But it's even weirder to see your late fiancé.”

 

submitted by THE TIME TRAVELER, age unknown, Guild of Analog Travelers
(January 28, 2021 - 8:14 am)

topperoni!

submitted by NEW PART!!!, also top!
(January 29, 2021 - 11:55 am)