Read Online The Unlikely Time Traveller by Janis Mackay - Free Book Online
Authors: Janis Mackay
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and bouncing up and down was Robbie. As I ran under sprinkling fountains I got soaked. My hood flopped down and people were gasping at me. Me and Ness were the only ones with outdoor clothes on, never mind that mine were pre-historic.
“You must stop him,” Ness said. “He is on the Olympian board. You need special training to use it.”
By now the three of us had reached the poolside. Breathless I tipped my head back and gazed up. And up. The diving board was as high as the church steeple. From where I stood I saw the board from underneath, tiltingup and down like a crazy seesaw. Time travelling wasn’t dangerous compared with this. Maybe Robbie had gone mad? Maybe the whole time-travel experience had tipped him over the edge? Or, judging by all the litter, maybe he was on a massive sugar rush? Or maybe he was having a great time, thinking he was on a trampoline and getting a bird’s eye view of Peebles? A few people had gathered and were gazing up, looking worried.
My heart raced when I saw the ladder. It looked like a ladder to the moon and I was going to have to climb it.
“Quick,” Ness said, pointing up, “go to him.”
“DON’T JUMP!” Scosha was shouting up to the sky, but I doubt Robbie heard her. He was a long way up. A very long way up.
Some adults tried to persuade me not to climb the ladder, especially with all my clothes on. “More accidents are caused,” they said, “with two on a board. If he falls and misses the water we will catch him with our net,” they said, “but it would be indeed difficult to catch two.”
Ness persuaded them to let me try. I heard her say the words “traveller” and “strange customs”. I overheard the words “best friend”. Much importance, I guessed, was made of friends in the future. Eventually they let me climb. I pulled off my hoodie. I was boiling. I rolled up my trousers. I started going up. Way above me the board creaked. Heavy footsteps landed then sprung off, and I remembered how Robbie had always wanted a trampoline and his mum never bought him one because, knowing him, she had said, he would fall off and break his leg. I kept climbing. This was higher than the climbing bars at school. This was higher than the highest tree in the garden of the den. My stomach lurched. I couldn’t be sick, not here. I kept going. There was a breath-holdinghush from below. I looked down and this horrible woozy rush made me cry out. The pool below was wobbling. Peebles was swaying. My whole body started to shake.
Then I heard Ness yelling from below: “Touch the I-band!” I had forgotten about that thing round my head. I stopped, held tight with one hand and quickly touched the band. Instantly I felt stronger. I felt brave. I kept going. I was only halfway up. Don’t think about anything, I told myself, just the next step, then the next.
Suddenly I was thinking about me and Robbie at a trampoline party. We’d only been about eight. I can’t remember whose party it was, but Robbie had gone crazy and bounced like a wild thing for ages. He didn’t even stop for birthday cake and ice-cream, which wasn’t like him. He wouldn’t let anyone else onto the trampoline – except me – and he didn’t want to join in with any of the other games. “Come on, Saul,” he had shouted, “let’s do doublers.” So I had scrambled up onto the huge trampoline. It had a net around it. Next thing me and Robbie were bouncing together. It was great fun. We had to try and land exactly at the same time. Robbie went on and on about that party for months.
I blinked and the past disappeared. Only a few more rungs to go. And suddenly I felt sorry for Robbie. He was my friend and he needed help. He did mad things, but that didn’t mean he should plummet down four stories. I didn’t want to give him a fright. If I suddenly appeared next to him he would probably fall off. The board creaked. I could hear Robbie whooping. He was jumping so high it was like he was trying to jump
“You must stop him,” Ness said. “He is on the Olympian board. You need special training to use it.”
By now the three of us had reached the poolside. Breathless I tipped my head back and gazed up. And up. The diving board was as high as the church steeple. From where I stood I saw the board from underneath, tiltingup and down like a crazy seesaw. Time travelling wasn’t dangerous compared with this. Maybe Robbie had gone mad? Maybe the whole time-travel experience had tipped him over the edge? Or, judging by all the litter, maybe he was on a massive sugar rush? Or maybe he was having a great time, thinking he was on a trampoline and getting a bird’s eye view of Peebles? A few people had gathered and were gazing up, looking worried.
My heart raced when I saw the ladder. It looked like a ladder to the moon and I was going to have to climb it.
“Quick,” Ness said, pointing up, “go to him.”
“DON’T JUMP!” Scosha was shouting up to the sky, but I doubt Robbie heard her. He was a long way up. A very long way up.
Some adults tried to persuade me not to climb the ladder, especially with all my clothes on. “More accidents are caused,” they said, “with two on a board. If he falls and misses the water we will catch him with our net,” they said, “but it would be indeed difficult to catch two.”
Ness persuaded them to let me try. I heard her say the words “traveller” and “strange customs”. I overheard the words “best friend”. Much importance, I guessed, was made of friends in the future. Eventually they let me climb. I pulled off my hoodie. I was boiling. I rolled up my trousers. I started going up. Way above me the board creaked. Heavy footsteps landed then sprung off, and I remembered how Robbie had always wanted a trampoline and his mum never bought him one because, knowing him, she had said, he would fall off and break his leg. I kept climbing. This was higher than the climbing bars at school. This was higher than the highest tree in the garden of the den. My stomach lurched. I couldn’t be sick, not here. I kept going. There was a breath-holdinghush from below. I looked down and this horrible woozy rush made me cry out. The pool below was wobbling. Peebles was swaying. My whole body started to shake.
Then I heard Ness yelling from below: “Touch the I-band!” I had forgotten about that thing round my head. I stopped, held tight with one hand and quickly touched the band. Instantly I felt stronger. I felt brave. I kept going. I was only halfway up. Don’t think about anything, I told myself, just the next step, then the next.
Suddenly I was thinking about me and Robbie at a trampoline party. We’d only been about eight. I can’t remember whose party it was, but Robbie had gone crazy and bounced like a wild thing for ages. He didn’t even stop for birthday cake and ice-cream, which wasn’t like him. He wouldn’t let anyone else onto the trampoline – except me – and he didn’t want to join in with any of the other games. “Come on, Saul,” he had shouted, “let’s do doublers.” So I had scrambled up onto the huge trampoline. It had a net around it. Next thing me and Robbie were bouncing together. It was great fun. We had to try and land exactly at the same time. Robbie went on and on about that party for months.
I blinked and the past disappeared. Only a few more rungs to go. And suddenly I felt sorry for Robbie. He was my friend and he needed help. He did mad things, but that didn’t mean he should plummet down four stories. I didn’t want to give him a fright. If I suddenly appeared next to him he would probably fall off. The board creaked. I could hear Robbie whooping. He was jumping so high it was like he was trying to jump
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