About A Leap Behind Series
I was in sixth grade when I experienced my first travel through time. Our teacher, Mrs. Brown, had found an old set of plans for a time machine. As a class project we built the machine and to our delight it worked! We decided to travel to the Stone Age and visit with the caveman. Our second trip was to ancient Egypt where we witnessed the burial procession of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Our final destination was ancient Greece.
“It’s quite simple, really. Every family has an heirloom that has been passed from generation to generation. The heirloom has the power to transport a direct descendent to the past. Or maybe even the future… perhaps the future….”
Payne urgently tried to encourage her to continue. “But the past?”
“Well, yes… the past. The thing is, most people give their heirloom away to someone who is not a direct descendent or perhaps they sell it at a yard sale, unaware of its value, or maybe they toss it after deciding it’s just junk. But some who keep their heirloom, treasure it and put it away somewhere safe where it remains unused and forgotten. They never use it. They never become aware of its powers. And then there are a few, like you and me, who pick up an heirloom, remember someone special, light a pipe or knit a row. Suddenly we’re in a different world, a world to explore or even to live in.” She paused for a breath.
“Have you met other travelers? Besides me?”
She nodded. “One or two. Eccentric people who have traveled in different time periods in different countries. We’ve communicated through the Internet. Of course there are those who get on our web site and try to fake their experiences, but every now and then we learn of another time traveler. And there is Whispering Pines—”
“Whispering Pines?”
“A school for the children of the rich and famous. Many of our fellow time travelers work there and—”
“Do they all travel to Egypt?”
Cleo shook her head. “I don’t know why, but most people can go to only one place, and only during a certain time period. But we also don’t know how long that time period is. It could be thousands of years. We aren’t completely sure. It seems like time is interconnected and we are a part of history. I don’t think we change history, but we are a part of it. Our roles in Egypt have always been a part of the lives we touch when we are here. When the reign of the Queen is over I think I will still be able to travel to Egypt. I will see her mighty temple fall and become ruined, covered in sand, but I will still be able to travel to the land of the Pharaohs… and so will you.”
“So does time stand still in our world?”
“No. Time continues. Even for the time traveler. Hatshepsut’s temple might still be standing but when she dies, she will still be dead and a new Pharaoh will rule. Perhaps her step-son…”
