EXPEDITION IN TIME

Experimental maiden flight of GAIA -1 time machine.  Take off: 1^st October 2020 1400 hours. Departure from Hammerfest, Norway.  Destination:  2070.

Passenger details:

Name: Miss Ylva Groop.

AGE : 22.

Nationality: Norwegian.

Occupation: Researcher in social science.

Objective of time travel: To study result of our actions on society after 50 years.

Countries passenger has travelled in: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia.

Message to passenger from Pilot in engine room: Welcome aboard! Destination: 10-14-2070 Count down:  Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, take off!. Vessel moving to 10-14-1770. Running backwards! Machine misbehaving.  Now moving to 10-14 -1870. Machine wobbling in time! Crash landed 8 am local time, 10-14-1270.  GAIA -1 needs urgent repairs. You may step out and return at convenience. Vessel will be waiting till you return. Please carry in your bag the Universal Translating Machine (UTM).  Also Automatic Guidance Device (AGD ) and torch to help you to return to GAIA-1. Leave phone in vessel. It won’t work in the past!

Passenger to pilot (on interacting device): Thanks. Will do.

Ylva dressed in jeans with a blue silk top, stepped off time machine perched on a hill slope and walked to the ground. She proceeded on a trodden path looking at the tropical trees and plants. No sign of pine, fir, spruce or larch she was so used to. No snow or cold. It was very hot. I‘ve never experienced this heat in the tundras she said to herself. She saw what looked like a small river on her way with a rope bridge across it. It had no restraining walls to prevent those crossing from accidentally falling into the water! Lucky she was a good swimmer! She saw a rope to hold on to and crossed the river. As she walked on she heard the sound of waves lashing on shore, and guessed the sea was nearby. She saw ravens, parrots, wood peckers flying around and on the trees. Walking a little further she saw a cat and was suddenly afraid lest there be tigers or leopards. She wished she had a gun!  But then she saw humans and felt more secure. There were men and women at work. Both men and women were dressed alike: They had clothes only waist down. As she approached them she switched on the UTM which could recognize languages and automatically provide translations into English. One could answer back in English and the machine would reply in the vernacular. Seeing her approach, a woman said “See that stranger. She looks female but-----“

Man says “I also think so. I’m not surprised. These visitors from distant places dress differently.

Woman: Where do you think she is going?”

Man: I think to see our king. He always welcomes strangers.

Ylva paused to see the work the men and women were doing. It looked to her that they were busy making statues out of stone. She looked up and saw a steeple partially embedded with statues. Men and women were working high up on pulleys drawing up the statues while standing on bamboo and rope ladders attached to the scaffolding. She rightly concluded that they were in the process of perhaps building a temple. She remembered the pictures she had seen of temples on TV.

Ylva neared another working team. The man said to his co-worker, a woman “That’s a woman alright. She has only concealed it. She is observing the idols we are making and I’m sure is watching how we haul them up.”

“Okay. Let’s not be distracted by this woman. You know our king wants us to finish building the temple soonest.”

Ylva had absorbed the conversations so far. She asked herself why not go and meet the king? She went past a few houses when she saw the larger house which she felt should be the King’s. Outside the house there were peahens strutting round with chicks. As she watched, a peacock came flying down cackling noisily and spread its feathers in a show which was fascinating. There was a guard on duty and he merely passed her in. There she saw the king who was brown like other natives: He was standing looking on, and his stature and physique announced he was king! He was tall and broad with his thick long hair combed into a plaited knot. He had a smiling face and she heard his welcome through the utm. He was also dressed like his subjects with only a cloth around his waist, and his hairy chest was bare. When she smiled at his welcome he said “I’ll get my wife Koko to also meet you.”

He sent a girl with the message and soon Koko came. Ylva saw she was also covered only below the waist. She was obese, tall, brown, and with long plaited hair. The royals seated themselves on stools. Ylva thought she saw a look of dislike on Koko’s face as if she considered her a competitor for her husband. The king said “Koko, this visitor will stay with us.”

He pushed an empty stool towards Ylva and asked her to sit. A maid now entered bringing a wailing baby and left it in Koko’s lap. Koko calmly allowed the baby to take its privilege of the mother.

Koko said “She can stay in the room next to ours. First let’s make her feel at home.”

In moments a maid brought Ylva a garment like a skirt and helped her take off her clothes. Ylva was now dressed like her hosts. She was a little self-conscious as her clothes were being removed, but she said to herself “I’m a match to any female around.” She only said “Let my clothes be stored so that I could wear them when I return.” An order was given accordingly and the maid said “I shall deposit these in her room.” There wasn’t much talk as the natives had probably no idea about the external world and were not inquisitive.

It was now lunchtime and Ylva joined the king and queen for lunch. Ylva ate the food despite taste being unfamiliar. The following day there was a fire walking ceremony and Ylva watched as the royal couple walked over hot coals. At lunch, she greatly relished the dishes served, when the king ordered such dishes to be made every day for the guest. Ylva wasn’t accustomed to being attired only in a cloth tied around her middle. She complained to the king about the doings of mosquitoes and other insects on her body. Koko wasn’t exactly convinced and pointed out how she herself remained unaffected. However the king ruled in favour of Ylva and she was given a sort of cloak to wear in the night.

The following day Ylva said she would like to join in the cooking. Koko was also present as Ylva turned chef. Seeing Ylva expertly cooking dishes, Koko’s dislike of the woman mounted. When the king relished the woman’s cooking, Koko felt the time had come for a showdown.

Accordingly the same day, Koko summoned the royal astrologer - a woman - and spoke to her in confidence. “You live alongside and must have seen this strange woman who has somehow got into the king’s good books.”

The astrologer nodded and said “I understand. The king is partial to a female with a slim body. Tell me the hour that woman came in here.”

The astrologer was given all data needed and she made calculations. Then she said “She came with the waning moon. So she is a threat. She could also become a threat to the king’s life as we‘ve sighted a comet in the western sky.” She paused and said “Since the king is greatly impressed with that woman you shouldn’t allow her to stay here: She may turn the king’s second wife!”

“I won’t allow it. I’ve three children by him and I feel the fourth one may be on the way. He is solely mine.”

“These men have a tendency to get attracted to women whom they fancy. You cannot stand in comparison to that woman as you’ve bloated with repeated child births. Send that woman out to the king’s harvest pavilion beyond the river. That way she won’t be highly visible to the king. Do it immediately as the ritual sea bath is due tomorrow when we would bathe water clad.”

Koko said “What you’ve said is all true. I won’t allow the king to see that wench in the bath.”

She immediately arranged for two maids to escort Ylva to the harvest pavilion. When this happened the king was busy with his courtiers. The next morning at ritual sea bath hour, the king asked Koko “Where is our guest?”

“She has gone to the harvest pavilion. She will come later.”

“But she can’t participate in the ritual sea bath as the hour will be past.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

The king appeared unhappy but him and Koko joined in the ritual bath. After that he said “I’ll get our guest back tomorrow morning.”  

 In the harvest pavilion, Ylva was lying in bed dreaming of the king. He was a handsome man with bulging muscles, with an always smiling face, and she liked him. “I hate that fat cow Koko. She doesn’t seem to like me and has sent me away so that I don’t take the ritual sea bath. The king had told me about the bath when we bathe just water clad. I would’ve gone to the bath with him and the king would never look at that fat Koko after seeing all of me.” Her thoughts were interrupted by the king’s emissaries who had orders to bring her back. Ylva was back in the king’s mansion before midday.

The king wanted to spend time alone with Ylva, but he couldn’t as Koko was stuck with him all the time. Besides, it looked as if kingly duties were keeping him preoccupied. Spurred by the royal astrologer, a secret message was sent to Ylva by Koko through a maid: There was a plan to murder her for becoming close to the king. Alarmed, Ylva drew on her clothes that evening as Koko secretly watched. She found her way using her powerful torch and the AGD to reach the vessel she had come by. The AGD had already messaged the pilot of her approach, and the entry port in the vessel was kept open. She boarded the vessel and was in the passenger seat.

Pilot to Ylva: Welcome again on board. Shall I take off?

Ylva: Yes.

Pilot: Shall I set the destination for 2070?

Ylva: No. I want to rest at home for now. I’ll re-board later on.

Pilot: Okay, counting down for leaving!

Ylva reached home safely.

END