me how it works, then.’
‘I can’t. You need to have one, too.’
‘It’s unusual; but if you can’t prove it works...’
I tell her the rest, about the Rockets, the institution, Dr Alexander, the ECT, my life in twenty ninety-nine. I’m relieved to tell her, even if she doesn’t believe me. I decide not to tell her about the real Michael Charles Chase yet; I don’t want to freak her out completely.
She doesn’t speak, only yawns. The whisky has gone to her head. Her eyes flicker sleepily. ‘I’m disappointed. I thought you were going to tell me you were from another planet.’
I smile. ‘I knew you wouldn’t believe me.’
‘Then why tell me such a crazy story? I’ve never heard of anything so daft in all my life! A time-travelling epileptic! Comical!’
‘It happens to be the truth, every word of it. Think about it, Dem.’ I move closer to her, stroking her hair. She doesn’t push me away. ‘Think how I turned up out of the blue on the beach the first day we met. You knew my name, but I didn’t know who you were.’
‘It was a long time ago.’ She snuggles her head into a cushion. ‘You were lying on the shore, and I was telling you to wake up because I thought you might drown. That’s all I know.’
‘You called me by my name. You said I told you what it was, but I couldn’t have done. I’d never met you before that day.’
Her eyes narrow. ‘Now you come to mention it,’ she says slowly, ‘I think – well, I don’t recall seeing you before that, I only know I saw you lying on the beach, and what happened afterwards, the cave, and your seizure, and you coming to the farm. The rest is all a bit of a blank. How did I know your name, then?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Clothes,’ she mutters, ‘you never had any clothes. I thought that was weird; I never saw your backpack. You said you’d left it at the hotel.’
‘I never had a backpack.’
Her eyes are shut, her breathing is steady. I think she’s asleep, but then: ‘Dad! Dad! I’m so sorry!’ She starts to cry. ‘I wanted to run away, Travis!’ She clings to me tightly. ‘God knows I did! I talked to Chas about following him to Manchester,’ her eyes are wide open now, staring up at me in bewilderment, ‘but that’s all it was – talk. You said I was running away, but no one knew about my plans except me and Chas. I never told you about them! Why did you say I was running away, Travis? What made you say it?’
Then she’s sick on the carpet, so I’m saved the bother of answering.
––––––––
I get the impression Demi is avoiding me. She walks out of a room whenever I walk into it, and she’s out of the house for hours.
‘She’s all on edge, jumps whenever I speak to her,’ I complain to Dr Mac. ‘It’s like she’s scared of me.’
‘She’s grieving, laddie,’ he says. ‘This business has been upsetting for all of us, but it’s much worse for her. She’ll come round in her own time.’
So I leave her alone.
I’ve got my own problems, anyway. I’m still spooked by the images I keep getting of that night on the beach. Chase is there, as large as life. I also think about Demi’s words to me: Why did you say I was running away, Travis. Is that why she’s avoiding me? Is she afraid I might be telling the truth?
Whenever I get the chance I go back to my cave and sit, staring out to sea, trying to figure out where my life is going, and what my purpose is in this new world. I still hear the same voices calling to me, but I know they’re not coming from the pod, only the cave walls. I’m used to them now. They’re comforting in a way, even if they are scary. They usually say, ‘Wake up, Travis! Come back to us!’, but most of the time I can’t figure out what they’re saying at all.
Back at the house Dr Mac gives me odd jobs to keep me occupied. This includes looking after the garden, helping Mrs Dunbar, his housekeeper, with the cooking, washing, cleaning, and taking
‘I can’t. You need to have one, too.’
‘It’s unusual; but if you can’t prove it works...’
I tell her the rest, about the Rockets, the institution, Dr Alexander, the ECT, my life in twenty ninety-nine. I’m relieved to tell her, even if she doesn’t believe me. I decide not to tell her about the real Michael Charles Chase yet; I don’t want to freak her out completely.
She doesn’t speak, only yawns. The whisky has gone to her head. Her eyes flicker sleepily. ‘I’m disappointed. I thought you were going to tell me you were from another planet.’
I smile. ‘I knew you wouldn’t believe me.’
‘Then why tell me such a crazy story? I’ve never heard of anything so daft in all my life! A time-travelling epileptic! Comical!’
‘It happens to be the truth, every word of it. Think about it, Dem.’ I move closer to her, stroking her hair. She doesn’t push me away. ‘Think how I turned up out of the blue on the beach the first day we met. You knew my name, but I didn’t know who you were.’
‘It was a long time ago.’ She snuggles her head into a cushion. ‘You were lying on the shore, and I was telling you to wake up because I thought you might drown. That’s all I know.’
‘You called me by my name. You said I told you what it was, but I couldn’t have done. I’d never met you before that day.’
Her eyes narrow. ‘Now you come to mention it,’ she says slowly, ‘I think – well, I don’t recall seeing you before that, I only know I saw you lying on the beach, and what happened afterwards, the cave, and your seizure, and you coming to the farm. The rest is all a bit of a blank. How did I know your name, then?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Clothes,’ she mutters, ‘you never had any clothes. I thought that was weird; I never saw your backpack. You said you’d left it at the hotel.’
‘I never had a backpack.’
Her eyes are shut, her breathing is steady. I think she’s asleep, but then: ‘Dad! Dad! I’m so sorry!’ She starts to cry. ‘I wanted to run away, Travis!’ She clings to me tightly. ‘God knows I did! I talked to Chas about following him to Manchester,’ her eyes are wide open now, staring up at me in bewilderment, ‘but that’s all it was – talk. You said I was running away, but no one knew about my plans except me and Chas. I never told you about them! Why did you say I was running away, Travis? What made you say it?’
Then she’s sick on the carpet, so I’m saved the bother of answering.
––––––––
I get the impression Demi is avoiding me. She walks out of a room whenever I walk into it, and she’s out of the house for hours.
‘She’s all on edge, jumps whenever I speak to her,’ I complain to Dr Mac. ‘It’s like she’s scared of me.’
‘She’s grieving, laddie,’ he says. ‘This business has been upsetting for all of us, but it’s much worse for her. She’ll come round in her own time.’
So I leave her alone.
I’ve got my own problems, anyway. I’m still spooked by the images I keep getting of that night on the beach. Chase is there, as large as life. I also think about Demi’s words to me: Why did you say I was running away, Travis. Is that why she’s avoiding me? Is she afraid I might be telling the truth?
Whenever I get the chance I go back to my cave and sit, staring out to sea, trying to figure out where my life is going, and what my purpose is in this new world. I still hear the same voices calling to me, but I know they’re not coming from the pod, only the cave walls. I’m used to them now. They’re comforting in a way, even if they are scary. They usually say, ‘Wake up, Travis! Come back to us!’, but most of the time I can’t figure out what they’re saying at all.
Back at the house Dr Mac gives me odd jobs to keep me occupied. This includes looking after the garden, helping Mrs Dunbar, his housekeeper, with the cooking, washing, cleaning, and taking
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