right, he will write it, make sure everything is okay, won't he?"
"Dale, I don't know. I'm not sure of anything. But what if all the problems we had in the past, the stuff we don't remember, The Chamber and all that, what if part of it happened because we didn't put the tin and the note in the ground? Could it be one of those paradox things? I think we should, I think we should do it this very instant, just to be sure." Amanda stood, mind made up, and went and grabbed a notepad from the kitchen.
She handed Dale the pad and a cheap pen, then gave him the piece of paper. "Make sure you copy it exactly, word for word. It has to look like the one we already have."
Dale halted, pen poised just above the paper. "I'll use the one we already have, then we know it will be right, no mistakes."
"I don't think it works like that, Dale. It has to be written in the first place, so you have to write it. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense."
"Like this does," muttered Dale.
"Just do it. I'm going to get a tin. I think there's one in the cupboard." Amanda went into the kitchen and grabbed a tin from where she kept their snacks. There were a few chocolates left so she ate them quickly, for the first time ever not enjoying the favorite ones she always kept for last. As she went back into the living room Dale finished writing the note and held it next to the other, comparing.
"They're identical."
"Okay, good. Put it in the tin." Dale dropped it inside; Amanda put the lid back on. "Now we go and bury it."
"Argh, this is totally doing my head in. Are you sure?"
"Honestly? I have no idea. But it sounds right, doesn't it? Like what we would have to do to keep things in the correct order."
"I suppose so. Okay," said Dale, mind clearly made up, "let's just get this over with, and hopefully we can have a normal rest of the day."
"I hope so."
Amanda went to get the Hexad.
Peter
Present Day
Amanda stretched on tip-toes and reached for the towel they had wrapped the Hexad in before putting it on the top shelf of the wardrobe in the spare bedroom. She half expected it to not be there, that it was just a figment of her imagination, the bump on her head that fateful day scrambling her brain a little.
"Ah, bugger." The towel fell to the floor with a thud, unraveling as it hit the ground. The Hexad rolled out, all too real. "Oh well, wishful thinking I suppose." Amanda bent and picked it up carefully, staring at the flashing 3, the familiar, strange yet comforting feeling washing over her as though she was sinking into a hot spring. It brought back memories in vivid detail of the jumps they had made — when was it, months ago now?
Since then life had been odd, things not quite right. It was all those wacky meetings and conferences they had gone to, it messed with their heads, making everyday life surreal, a thin veil hiding the underbelly of madness that lurked in most people's minds, the willingness to believe in things they could neither see nor explain. The only problem was that the weirdness they believed in was nowhere near as weird as the truth.
Amanda walked back into the kitchen, lost in a daze. Why was she there? She shook her head and wandered into the living room.
"Stupid time travel. Ugh. Dale, shall we jump now and just get it over and done with? I think— Oh! Hello, Peter."
"Um, hi," said Peter. He stood in the middle of the living room, looking very confused. His eyes moved to the Hexad; pupils dilated fast. His face became instantly animated. "What's that?" He pointed at the Hexad as if Amanda wouldn't know what he was talking about otherwise.
Damn. What am I going to do now? I can't believe Dale didn't warn me Peter was here. Amanda gave Dale the daggers; he shrugged, as if asking what could he do.
"Oh, nothing, just some gizmo I found in the spare room." Amanda put the Hexad behind her back, aware she was looking as guilty as hell but not knowing what else to do. She gave Dale another dirty
"Dale, I don't know. I'm not sure of anything. But what if all the problems we had in the past, the stuff we don't remember, The Chamber and all that, what if part of it happened because we didn't put the tin and the note in the ground? Could it be one of those paradox things? I think we should, I think we should do it this very instant, just to be sure." Amanda stood, mind made up, and went and grabbed a notepad from the kitchen.
She handed Dale the pad and a cheap pen, then gave him the piece of paper. "Make sure you copy it exactly, word for word. It has to look like the one we already have."
Dale halted, pen poised just above the paper. "I'll use the one we already have, then we know it will be right, no mistakes."
"I don't think it works like that, Dale. It has to be written in the first place, so you have to write it. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense."
"Like this does," muttered Dale.
"Just do it. I'm going to get a tin. I think there's one in the cupboard." Amanda went into the kitchen and grabbed a tin from where she kept their snacks. There were a few chocolates left so she ate them quickly, for the first time ever not enjoying the favorite ones she always kept for last. As she went back into the living room Dale finished writing the note and held it next to the other, comparing.
"They're identical."
"Okay, good. Put it in the tin." Dale dropped it inside; Amanda put the lid back on. "Now we go and bury it."
"Argh, this is totally doing my head in. Are you sure?"
"Honestly? I have no idea. But it sounds right, doesn't it? Like what we would have to do to keep things in the correct order."
"I suppose so. Okay," said Dale, mind clearly made up, "let's just get this over with, and hopefully we can have a normal rest of the day."
"I hope so."
Amanda went to get the Hexad.
Peter
Present Day
Amanda stretched on tip-toes and reached for the towel they had wrapped the Hexad in before putting it on the top shelf of the wardrobe in the spare bedroom. She half expected it to not be there, that it was just a figment of her imagination, the bump on her head that fateful day scrambling her brain a little.
"Ah, bugger." The towel fell to the floor with a thud, unraveling as it hit the ground. The Hexad rolled out, all too real. "Oh well, wishful thinking I suppose." Amanda bent and picked it up carefully, staring at the flashing 3, the familiar, strange yet comforting feeling washing over her as though she was sinking into a hot spring. It brought back memories in vivid detail of the jumps they had made — when was it, months ago now?
Since then life had been odd, things not quite right. It was all those wacky meetings and conferences they had gone to, it messed with their heads, making everyday life surreal, a thin veil hiding the underbelly of madness that lurked in most people's minds, the willingness to believe in things they could neither see nor explain. The only problem was that the weirdness they believed in was nowhere near as weird as the truth.
Amanda walked back into the kitchen, lost in a daze. Why was she there? She shook her head and wandered into the living room.
"Stupid time travel. Ugh. Dale, shall we jump now and just get it over and done with? I think— Oh! Hello, Peter."
"Um, hi," said Peter. He stood in the middle of the living room, looking very confused. His eyes moved to the Hexad; pupils dilated fast. His face became instantly animated. "What's that?" He pointed at the Hexad as if Amanda wouldn't know what he was talking about otherwise.
Damn. What am I going to do now? I can't believe Dale didn't warn me Peter was here. Amanda gave Dale the daggers; he shrugged, as if asking what could he do.
"Oh, nothing, just some gizmo I found in the spare room." Amanda put the Hexad behind her back, aware she was looking as guilty as hell but not knowing what else to do. She gave Dale another dirty
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