Timecachers by Glenn R. Petrucci Page A

‘anomaly’ that you’d think would cause a blip on a navigational device,” said Alice, “but yes, it’s an intriguing plant distribution. I suppose TSO can tailor their marketing appropriately. Introducing the TSO LANav, perfect for space-travelers and botanists…” She stopped suddenly mid-sentence. “Oh, my goodness!” Alice cried, nearly dropping her notebook at the startling site before her.
    She stared into the eyes of a horse, tethered to a willow, so close to her face that she had nearly walked into it. The horse stared back and made a snickering sound.
    “It’s a horse,” Tom said.
    “No kidding, Sherlock.” Alice shot back. “What’s a horse doing down here?”
    “It’s not unusual around here,” Tom answered. “There are a lot of farms nearby, and plenty of riding trails throughout the park and wilderness area. There are also a few equine camps close by. The real question is—where’s the rider?”
    “He is right behind you,” came the reply, startling them both.
    Tom and Alice spun around to face the owner of the voice. Alice was unable to stifle a gasp, causing the horse to jerk its head with a start.
    “Easy, soquili ,” said the stranger, stepping past Tom and Alice and stroking the horse’s withers. “Excuse me, I did not mean to startle you, miss,” he said to Alice.
    Alice held up her hand and shook her head to indicate all was well.
    The man who spoke was about the same height as Tom, with long black hair, braided and pulled into a bun on the back of his head. He had a deeply tanned, ruddy complexion. His dark and penetrating brown eyes were soft and open, lending his face a friendly countenance, though the eyes had an undertone of intensity, revealing the potential to turn fierce under different circumstances.
    He continued, addressing both Tom and Alice. “My name is John Carter. I have observed you two and your friends coming into the valley. This is a good place to search for herbs and medicinal plants, is it not?” He held out his hand for them to shake.
    “Pleased to meet you,” said Tom and Alice, each shaking his hand and giving him their name.
    “Medicinal plants? No, not really,” said Alice. “I was just making some notes about any sort of vegetation or other interesting features of this valley we came across.”
    “Are you gold hunters?” John asked, his eyes flashing a hint of fierceness.
    “Gold? Certainly not!” Tom answered. “We are evaluating the performance of some new equipment and enjoying public land.”
    “Public land? Many have paid a heavy price for this ‘public’ land,” John said with the fierceness in his eyes intensifying.
    Tom wasn’t sure what to make of this guy, why he seemed to be questioning what they were doing, or why it was even any of his business. Was John a park ranger? He wasn’t wearing a uniform. His clothes were very heavily worn and a bit old-fashioned, although well fitting. He had no badge or insignia to indicate he was a park representative, although he presented an air of authority rather than one of harassment. Regardless, Tom decided it was best not to provoke him. “We are aware there is a fee, and have already taken care of that,” Tom replied.
    A questioning look came into John Carter’s eyes, and he was about to respond, but his eyes suddenly flashed past Tom and Alice, into the woods, just before they heard the sounds of Adam and Sal approaching.
    “Hey, space travelers, are you guys over there?” they heard Sal yelling as he crashed through the woods.
    “Over here,” Tom yelled back.
    “I think this part of the test is a bust,” Adam was saying as he approached. “We haven’t come across much of…” he stopped speaking when he was close enough to see John.
    “Adam, this is Mr. John Carter,” Tom said. “We were just getting acquainted.”
    Sal strolled up behind Adam. “Whoa, is that a freakin’ horse?”
    “No,” answered Carter, shaking hands with Adam and Sal. “He is just a