12/11/14
“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but I can’t see,” the driver announced over the intercom as he slowly pulled the cross-country bus onto the shoulder of the road.
It hadn’t been snowing when the bus left the previous station. But it began shortly after departure, then steadily grew heavier. The driver had to progressively decrease speed until eventually they were only crawling along. Around the time they should have reached the next station, they were still only halfway and had come to a standstill.
Mike Corren gazed out the window; the snowstorm had reached whiteout conditions. He then glanced around at the thirty other passengers. Although concerned, they understood the situation was beyond the driver’s control. Most were watching him while he radioed the bus company, hoping for an update once he finished the call.
“May I have your attention, please?” he began. “The dispatch office has been informed of our situation and location. They’ve alerted the authorities and help will be sent as soon as the weather clears; but they don’t know how long it may last. I’ll leave the engine running to keep our cabin air warm and circulating. For now, all we can do is get comfortable and help each other as best we can.”
The seat beside Mike was vacant so he turned sideways to lean his back against the window and put his feet on the seats. He was deliberating whether to sleep or read when he felt he was being watched.
The man across the aisle, who had boarded at the previous station, was trying to look as if his attention was on the electronic device in his lap. But his gaze kept darting over to Mike, and his attempt to stifle a grin was only making him more obvious.
“What?” Mike finally snapped at him.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the man replied. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I just couldn’t contain my excitement.”
Mike felt a chill run up his spine. Was he one of those perverts who like boys in their early teens?
“No, wait,” the man said, seeing Mike’s expression. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounds. It’s just I’m on an exciting trip and I expect to see the fulfillment of my mission soon.”
“Perhaps not as soon as you’d like,” Mike said. “You know, the storm?”
“Oh, I don’t think that’ll slow things down. To the contrary, it might just hurry them along.”
“Yeah? How does being stranded in a blizzard fulfill your mission quicker?”
“Because it shouldn’t be happening. There wasn’t supposed to be a blizzard, therefore something unusual has already begun.”
“Is that what your little computer told you?”
“Computer? Oh, this.” He pushed the gadget under his coat. “It’s nothing.”
“Really? Even from here I can see it’s not a normal computer. And it’s also obvious you’re peculiar too. So, who are you?”
The man blushed, then looked as if he were debating internally. At length he spoke. “Suppose, just for the sake of discussion; suppose you could travel back in time. Don’t you think it would be fun to watch Thomas Edison invent something? Or see Thomas Jefferson sign the Declaration of Independence?”
“I dunno, maybe.”
“Or, suppose you could watch a great spiritual leader first become aware he has miraculous abilities? Wouldn’t it be awesome to see the first use of his gift?”
“What’s that got to do with here and now?”
“Oh, nothing. I was speaking rhetorically.”
Seeing that the man was being evasive, Mike grew tired of the conversation and decided to try napping after all. He didn’t know how long he had slept when he was awakened by a woman’s voice.
“Driver! I think this lady is having trouble.” When the driver arrived she continued, “Look. She’s pregnant, and pretty far along, too. But something’s not right. She doesn’t look good.”
The driver radioed that they had a medical issue, but was told no help could come yet. Mike was wondering what was wrong with the lady and how serious it was when he noticed the man across the aisle looking at him and smiling.
“What?!” he said brusquely.
“You can help her, you know” the man answered. “You have the power; just use it.”
Mike’s ears began ringing. Who was this weirdo? And why was he saying these things? He turned in his seat to face away from the man. He’d had enough.
“But Michael, you can’t just leave her suffering.”
Mike jerked around in his seat. “How do you know my name?!”
“Oops. That slipped out. I’m sorry. But I’m one of your biggest followers, and I just had to see this. What will you do? Heal her? Or still the storm and part the snowdrifts? Or what?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Leave me alone!”
Mike pushed himself tight against the window and drew his legs up to his chest. He didn’t want to turn his back on a crazy man. The stress of the situation must have gotten to him.
The man now made no attempt to conceal his electronic device. He was pushing buttons rapidly and listening to sounds that were hard to distinguish. The expression on his face was no longer jovial.
The bus began shaking and the engine sputtered. A few moments later everything grew still as the engine died. The sudden loss of engine noise made the howling of the wind seem more pronounced. The driver announced they were out of fuel then radioed in this development.
It took only a few minutes for the temperature in the bus to drop noticeably. The pregnant lady began shivering uncontrollably, but no one had any blankets to give her. After shooting a glance at Mike, the man across the aisle got up and removed his jacket, then went over to cover her with it.
“Hi, I’m Carmine,” he said to her.
“Thank you, Carmine,” she smiled. “That feels a lot better. I’m Amber. Amber Kinwacem.”
The man’s face looked startled. “Amber …? And, and do you have a name picked out for your baby?”
“Yes,” she answered. “He’s going to be a boy. So I’ve chosen Azul. That means blue.”
The man smiled and backed away. “That’s a very nice name. Um, stay warm now.”
He then returned to his seat, and seeing Mike staring he whispered, “That’s my grandmother. And my father. Their names are unique, so there’s no doubt it’s them. I didn’t know she’d be here.”
Mike didn’t speak, he just stared with a puzzled expression. The man became agitated.
“Mr. Corren, sir. Please! You must do something. If she dies, or the baby dies, then I won’t be born!”
Seeing Mike only shrug, the man pulled out his device and began typing rapidly. Soon he looked up.
“My presence here is changing things. Somehow I’ve interfered.” He looked at Mike intently.
Deciding to go along with the man’s premise Mike asked, “Aren’t there rules about time travel?”
“Yes, but I was sure I could keep from changing anything.”
“Wouldn’t just interacting with people cause small changes? And wouldn’t people who could time travel know this and have strict laws against such things?”
“Yeah, but I only bent them a little. It was so important to see how y…, how things began.”
The man’s device beeped once, and he looked at what it had signaled. He turned pale. “I have to get out of here. I have to return home as quickly as I can. Or else I …”
Clutching his device he ran to the front of the bus. Before the driver could stop him, he opened the door and ran out into the storm.
“You all saw that, didn’t you?” the driver said as he closed the door quickly. “I tried to stop him but he pushed his way out. And I, I can’t go after him. Visibility is only a few feet out there; I’d get lost. He can’t stay out there long, though; especially without a jacket.” He picked up the radio.
A short time later the wind died down, the snow stopped falling, and the air cleared. Soon afterwards the sun peeked through the clouds and the temperature didn’t seem quite as cold. The other passengers began moving about and talking excitedly.
A woman’s voice then called to the driver. “She’s gone! She didn’t make it.” The woman indicated that the pregnant lady had succumbed. He nodded then relayed the news over the radio.
After the woman returned to her seat, Mike got up and went to where the pregnant lady was stretched out. The jacket had been pulled over her face. He sat on the edge of the seat and gently laid his hand on her enlarged abdomen.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “There really wasn’t anything that could be done. Rules are made for a purpose. That man ignored this fact and caused loss to himself and to, others. If anyone had attempted to intervene, it would have broken more rules; and that would only have made things worse. Even supernatural forces must follow certain laws.
“Oh, and as for what he said about this being the time I perform a miracle, I personally consider it is also miraculous if someone can restrain themselves from doing the wrong thing in a stressful situation. So any future record of my accomplishments hasn’t changed.”
The sound of an approaching helicopter prompted Mike to return to his
seat. He then watched as the rescuers removed the pregnant lady’s
body and refueled the bus. They then searched unsuccessfully for the
man who had run off. A short time later the bus was back on the road
and completing the journey to their destination.
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
