Author: catstark

Shana met Bert three times before Spring Break started. She didn’t want to like him, but she did. Shana didn’t tell Larry why she was hesitant to go with Bert, but he could tell there was a reluctance. When Spring Break started, Shana packed a bag and went with Larry to A Bar Called Always. She gave her dad a big hug and left with Bert. Bert was beside himself with joy.

When Shana was gone, Larry turned to the bar, where Jersey was waiting. She was leaning against the bar, waiting for him.

“Tough day?”

He went and stood very close to Lisa. “You might say that.”

Her eyes closed seductively. “Invite me home, Larry.”

He hissed in air. “Is this a good idea?”

“Why not? You don’t have anyone waiting for you. I don’t either. Also, this doesn’t have to be any more than a one-night stand with a friend. No repeats expected. No obligations beyond acknowledging that it happened. And breakfast in the morning. And you have to bring me back here.”

He laughed. “I would very much like the company.”

“Then take me home.”

Larry grinned and slipped his arm through Jersey’s. “Is it ok if I keep calling you Jersey? I really like that name.”

She laughed. “Yeah, you can do that.”

He grinned, gave her a quick kiss and led the way out of the bar.

*****

Shana and Bert were at the bar before Larry. She wanted to get there as soon as possible that Saturday night. When Bert mentioned that they would have to wait for the appointed time, Shana didn’t seem to care. Bert convinced her to wait, but only barely. As soon as they could, they went to the door. It was in an alley way, like in Larry’s time, but unlike Larry’s time, Shana could see it here. It made her pause.

Bert was walking behind her, carrying her backpack. She was a few steps ahead. Until the alley, she had been walking by his side. Once they reached the alley, she started walking faster. Now, she stopped dead.

“Shana?”

“I can see the door here.”

Bert stood by his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t push him away.

“I can’t see it in dad’s time.” She opened her eyes wide and looked to Bert. “My other dad’s time.”

He could see the blush on her face. “It is all right for you to call him dad. He raised you.”

She gave a shy smile.

Bert started her walking again. When they reached the door, he opened it and indicated Shana should take a seat at a booth. He placed her backpack down in the seat, then went to fetch drinks. It was a busy night. A lot of people were crowded around Lana, who was talking about one of her expeditions. Bert had heard about her, but never talked to her. He didn’t like finding out too much about other people’s past. He felt that might disrupt the future. Although if anything disrupted the future, it was Shana being born and raised in another time for so long. He shook his head and took the drinks Mort placed in front of him.

At the booth, he sat on the opposite side from Shana. He wanted to talk to her while facing her, to be able to watch her expressions.

“I finally figured something out, Shana.”

She took her orange soda and frowned. “What about?”

“Why are you so worried about Larry? I know he raised you, but you seem to think something bad will happen.”

She blushed and slouched in her seat. Bert was able to read her better than Larry. She decided not to play dumb and told him the truth. “Dad lost his wife and kid before taking care of me. He said he was lost without them. I’m not sure what time without me will do to him.” She looked Bert in the eyes. “I’m worried.”

“You are as lovely and caring as your mother.”

She blushed again. “We didn’t talk much about mom this past week.”

“Shana, do you want to come with me for the summer, as Larry suggested?”

“Yes, but…”

The door opened then and Larry walked it.

“Daddy!”

Everyone in the bar turned to see Shana jumping out of the booth and running to Larry. He caught her in a great big bear hug and held on tight. She let go a moment later and smiled up at her dad.

“I missed you.”

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, but I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

He looked around the bar, saw Bert standing at the end of the booth and nodded. He also saw Jersey in the group of people talking with Lana. Larry took Shana over to the booth and sat with her. Bert took his seat again and smiled.

“How are you, Larry?”

“Good.” He looked to Shana. “Glad to have Shana back, but I hope the two of you had a good time.”

“I want to go back in the summer.” Shana said quietly.

Bert looked to Larry as he took in this news. He could see the sadness in Larry’s eyes. He decided not to have any secrets with Larry, even if it meant exposing Shana’s worries. He didn’t want Shana’s absence to cause Larry to harm himself.

“Larry, Shana brought something up with me, and I want you to know her worries.” He looked to Shana. “Please tell him what you told me. It’s best for everyone if you do.”

Shana blushed and gave Bert an angry look. “I didn’t want you to do that.”

“But he needs to know your worries, Shana. He deserves that, as a human, and as your father.” His voice was gentle.

Shana rolled her eyes and pulled away from Larry to be able to look in his eyes. She was trying not to look embarrassed and failing miserably. “Dad, you said once that losing your wife and kid was the worse thing that ever happened to you. You also said you didn’t know what you would do without me, on numerous occasions. Are you going to be ok without me? You’re not going to do something stupid, are you?”

Larry looked shocked and took a moment to process everything she had said. It was true he had said he couldn’t live without Shana to Shana on numerous occasions. He also told her losing his wife and unborn baby was the toughest thing he ever went through. He sighed and pulled Shana in for a hug.

“Honey, I love you. I don’t want to lose you, but if Bert tells me I can visit with you here, then nothing will stop me from meeting you here.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Bert gave me the opportunity to raise you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he thinks it was a very good idea, especially once he gets to know you more. You are my daughter, maybe not by blood, but by love. If you decide you want to live in the right time, then I won’t stop you. I also won’t do anything to harm myself. I promise you. I want to see you grow up, Shana. I know that might not be in my time, but I still want to know you, ok?”

Tears formed in her eyes and she hugged him hard. Tears steamed down Larry’s face as well, and he did nothing to stop them. The two stayed locked in a hug for a few minutes. Finally, Shana broke away.

“This is frustrating and sad and awesome at the same time. I love this and hate this.” She turned to Bert. “I really do, you know?”

Bert nodded as he wiped away a tear.

Larry sighed. “It’s ok. It’s a weird situation and we can’t control any of it. But as long as the three of us try, we can work it out.”

Shana turned more toward Bert and stuck her hand out, palm down. “We’re a team.”

Larry put his hand on top of hers, and Bert put his hand on top of Larry’s when he understood what to do. Once they were all touching, Shana said it again.

“We’re a team. We’ll work things out.”

“Agreed.” Larry spoke the word first and Bert followed suit. He looked to the two and knew he would do what he could to make sure Larry would always know Shana.

The three stayed and talked for a while, but while Bert said his goodbyes to his daughter, Larry went to Jersey. She met him at the bar.

“Things going ok?”

“Mostly. She likes him. I’m glad.”

“Is she going with him for the summer?”

“Yeah.”

Jersey caressed his face with her eyes. “Can I see you again before then? If only for drinks?”

He smiled to her. “I would like that.”

“What day is best for drinks?”

“Probably Fridays. My work schedule is changing.”

“So I’ll see you Friday?”

“If only long enough for a kiss.”

She giggled. “I like that.”

Larry gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek, then turned back to the booth. Shana and Bert were hugging. They let go as Larry approached. Bert gave Shana her backpack and left first. Larry took Shana’s backpack, slung it around his shoulders and left with his daughter. He smiled all the way home, glad to have Shana back, but also glad to have a date with Jersey set for next Friday.

Mort waited up for Chauncy, with the two glasses and the Calvados sitting on the bar. Chauncy came at his usual time and Mort helped him haul in the boxes. After they were unloaded with the empty boxes by the door, Mort poured them both a drink.

“You look like you have something on your mind. Is that why you were quiet when I came in?”

“That and I have a guest. She’s also the issue.”

“Over staying her welcome?”

“Not in the least. Remember the caveman I told you about?”

“The one Theo killed? Yes. Did it cause problems?”

“It seems as if it did.” He told Chauncy Lana’s story. At the end of it, Chauncy downed his drink.

“That’s terrible news.”

“Is there any thing we can do to help?”

“I don’t know, but I need to find out what else happened due to the caveman dying. I wasn’t able to find anything in our systems after you told me about it, but with her information, I might be able to find out more.”

“Do you want to talk to her? We don’t have to tell her who you are, but we can say you need her help.”

Chauncy thought or a moment, then nodded. “I need information that is easier to get straight from her. If she is here now, do you mind waking her?”

“Sure. One moment.”

Mort went to the second bedroom and knocked on the door. He kept knocking until Lana came to the door and yanked it open.

“What?”

“I’m terribly sorry to wake you, but there is someone here that needs your help.”

“My help. Why?” She rubbed her eyes to try and wake up.

“He can explain better than I can.”

“Fine. Give me a moment. And I’ll need some coffee.”

“Of course.”

Mort left and Lana closed the door. He went to make coffee and by the time it was brewing, she was in the main room, walking toward Chauncy.

“Are you the person who needs my help?”

Chauncy stood and held out his hand. Lana shook his hand. “I’m Chauncy.”

“Lana.”

They took seats at the bar as Mort brought over a cup of coffee for Lana. He indicated the Calvados bottle but Chauncy declined. Mort put the bottle away and looked to Chauncy.

“Do you need privacy, Chauncy?”

“You can stay, Mort.”

Mort nodded and stood nearby, but let the two talk.

“How can I help you?” Lana looked skeptical.

“I cannot tell you all the reasons why, but I need the names of your ancestors. I need to be able to trace their existence, or non-existence as the case may be.”

Lana gave him a quizzical look. “Why?”

“I cannot tell you that.”

She folded her hands on the bar top and took a deep breath. “I’m a researcher, Chauncy. That was my job in my time. Research history and help make sure we humans, as a species, do not lose any of it. In my time, there’s no more of this ‘the winner writes the history’ bullshit that happened throughout most of the history before now. If you can tell me anything that would help me understand why I need to help you, I would appreciate that. My curiosity is running wild.”

He looked at her stoic face, at Mort’s surprised one, then took a deep breath. He thought of what he could say and how to say it, then nodded. “In my time, well into the future, there is time travel. I need the names to find out how badly time was damaged by the caveman dying. I wasn’t able to find anything before, but with the names of your family, I may be able to find a lot.” He placed a gentle hand on Lana’s arm. “I may be able to correct what has happened.”

She nodded. “All right.” Lana looked to Mort. “Do you have pen and paper?”

Mort nodded, went into the back room and came back with paper and pen. Lana took a long time to write out all the names. She even wrote out the name of the town in Germany where the caveman remains had been found and the year. After she handed over the list, Chauncy started to question her on the dates of birth and death. At that point, Mort excused himself and asked Lana to turn off the lights when Chauncy left. He was tired and knew there was nothing more he could do.

*****

It took Chauncy two months to come back with information. He made his regular visits, but was not able to give any more information on Lana and her family during those visits. With Chauncy’s approval, Mort let Lana know when the man came to the bar. She told Mort to let her know if he had news, but she usually stayed in her room and slept when he visited. Lana wanted to know when and if he had information, and didn’t see the point in being up every time.

While waiting for information, Lana visited other times with the other regulars. She only stayed for a day or two, mostly to see what historians missed. She didn’t know if she would go back to her time, and her life, but she wanted to be ready anyway. Theo offered to have her visit his time, but she declined. Lana told Mort later she blamed Theo for her predicament, because he killed the caveman. Mort didn’t argue. He felt it was the bar’s fault, but perhaps she didn’t want to see it that way, as she was stuck with the bar.

When Chauncy finally had information, he came into the bar in his usual way, with boxes to unload. Once the two were empty and Mort had poured him a drink, Chauncy looked to the back.

“I have news for her.”

“It’s not good, is it?”

Chauncy shrugged. “I can’t tell you that. Only she can be the judge. Please wake her.”

“Of course.” Mort was back moments later with Lana. She looked a little scared.

“Hey.”

“Hello, Lana. Would you care to take a seat?” Chauncy indicated the stool next to him.

“Yeah. Mort can I have coffee, but with something in it?”

“Of course.” He went about his business as Lana sat down.

“Please remember, I cannot tell you a lot of how I found this information.”

“That’s fine. What did you find out?”

“The caveman was in fact your ancestor. When he died, your father’s line went with it. The thing is, removing him from the timeline has not done too much damage. Many people think that somewhere in their timeline, one of their ancestors or one of their heirs would end up being famous or doing something history changing. Sadly, that is not the case. Most people, most families have nothing special about them other than the love they share for each other. I followed all the time lines of all the people in your history. No one in your family was a history maker. And though some seemed to have inspired others to greatness, once your father’s line left history, the inspiration was found through others.”

She looked at Chauncy with a blank look for a while, processing all the information before answering. “I guess I kind of figured that out, but still. It’s weird to hear it from someone else.”

“Unfortunately, having a family such as yours means that I am not allowed to restore it.”

“Ok, but wait. Did I get saved from oblivion because of this bar? I mean, that’s what I figured, but I wasn’t sure.”

“A Bar Called Always is out of sync with time. Since you were here when your ancestor died, you were saved from oblivion. The bad part of all of it is that you know what happened.”

“So, what happens now? I can’t keep living here.”

“That depends on you.”

“You’re making it sound like I have choices.” A part of her was intrigued, but she didn’t think there were any choices.

“We would have to lie, but you can come with me. Live in my time. We’re used to Time Wanderers. The only problem with that: you would no longer have free access to this place. If you did come here, it would have to be with me.”

Lana gave him a quizzical look. “When do you come from?”

“The 61^st century. Time is thought of differently where I am, but for you, it would still be that. We need historians. You could work with me.”

“Should I ask what you do?”

“You can, but I am not able to give you an answer yet. Also, Lana, please understand, if you did come back with me, there are many rules and laws you could never break. Things you could never say to anyone, not even here.”

“That’s why I’m still thinking about it. Look, could I live in another era? Or could I go back to my time and have someone help me reconfigure the chip to give me a new identity?”

Chauncy shook his head. “You could contaminate the time line.”

“Can you see that?”

“In a way, yes. If you went to another time, you would not be able to have a family. If you came back with me, we could watch and make sure you were with someone who could help you not make ripples.”

She opened her mouth to ask questions on how he knew that, but shook her head instead. She stayed silent for a few minutes, looking at a spot behind Chauncy. Finally, she met his eyes again. “I need time to think.”

“Take it.”

“All right. I’m going back to bed. I need to rest.”

“Good night, Lana.” Chauncy’s voice was kind.

Mort came out from the kitchen and nodded to Lana as she passed. She waved to him but said nothing. Mort went to Chauncy but didn’t say anything until he heard Lana’s door close.

“Can you get in trouble if you take her?”

“No, people have been pulled out of time before and end up in my century. Sometimes we’re able to find their timeline, sometimes we are not. If someone’s life leaves ripples in the Time Stream, then we take them home. If it does not, we ask them if they want to stay with us so that we can learn about their time.”

“With all the research you did on her, no one will know her true history?”

He sighed. “My dear Morton, I am far too careful to get caught.” He snorted. “Far too paranoid as well.” He looked Mort in the eyes. “I am very careful. And even if I get caught, it would not affect her or this bar. This bar seems to protect itself.”

“I was more worried about Lana.”

“I understand, but you needn’t. I will make sure she’s safe.”

“What happens if she doesn’t go with you?”

There was sadness in Chauncy’s eyes. “I would rather not contemplate that. Do what you can to convince her to come with me, Mort. It’s her only chance.”

“Are you sure? What if she went to another time and never had children?”

Chauncy took a moment to think. “There are still dangers with that, but we might be able to work something out for her.” He nodded. “Yes. Yes, I think we could.”

“Thank you for thinking it over, Chauncy.”

He nodded and stood. “It’s time for me to go. I’ll be back as usual next week, but let her know she can take all the time she needs.”

“You’re welcomed here any time, Chauncy.” Mort stuck his hand out.

Chauncy took Mort’s hand and shook it. “Always a pleasure, Mort.”

The men smiled at each other and Chauncy left for the night. Mort finished cleaning up and went to bed, hoping that Lana would be able to find a good solution to her life.

I did not “win” NaNoWriMo. I only hit 25966 words, but everything I wrote, I will publish here. I plan on finishing the stories I started. Shana’s story, Lana’s story, and Hiroshi’s story (not yet published) are not done. I want those stories fully told, to the best of my ability. I also realized I have an “end” to the collection. A story that will, to me anyway, tie up Mort’s story. I see it now, how the chapter will start. The door is open for me and I will walk through and tell it. I have a little time tonight…. I will be writing something other than this.

I won’t publish that story tonight. I have other stories to place here first. I hope you’ve enjoyed the stories so far. As I said when I started this journey, the stories are first  draft and are probably flawed. I will get them edited though, and I will be placing them in book format on Amazon Kindle (free) when I have all the stories written. Until then, please continue reading. And if you feel like it, let me know in the comments what you think. Thank you, and have a good evening.

Lana sat in the bar stool and waited for Mort to come to her. Unlike her other visits, she was subdued and didn’t interact with the other patrons. It was busy for a Wednesday, and there was a newcomer. Someone from Canada, in the 1800s. He was a trapper and a moose had attacked him. His gun jammed, he ran and found the door to A Bar Called Always. He had a thick French accent and was rather glad to find friends.

Mort was surprised that Lana wasn’t joining in the discussions. She loved new people. Loved history, too. He walked over to her and smiled.

“Welcome.”

She looked up at Mort and he gasped. The sorrow in her eyes was thick.

“Lana, what’s wrong?”

“I’ve been erased from history.” She spoke quietly.

He leaned in closer and matched her volume. “What do you mean?”

“When I went home after Theo killed the caveman, I didn’t exist. Or rather, my family didn’t exist. My dad had never been born, my mom was married to someone else and had kids with the other man. She had two boys, no girls. I’ve been erased.”

Mort was white as a ghost. He had too many questions, but didn’t know where to start. He looked down at his hands, which were on the bar and thought for a moment. Once he had a plan he nodded and looked up. “Would you tell me more tonight after close? There is an extra bedroom. You can stay and we can talk after everyone else is gone.”

She looked lost. “Why?”

“I want to see if there is anything I can do to help.”

She was about to open her mouth to question him, but then realized there was a lot about this bar and its bartender that she didn’t now. Lana nodded. “I would appreciate that.”

“For the moment, may I offer you something to drink? On the house.”

She shook her head. “Thanks, Mort. I can still pay.”

“I’m not offering because I think you can’t pay, my dear Lana, I’m offering because I can’t imagine what you are going through.”

She gave a soft smile of gratitude. “Thanks, Mort. I appreciate that. I’ll take a beer.” She took a deep breath. “Anything new?”

“No, but I have one of your favorites. Golden Ristrim.”

She nearly melted. “Oh, that is the best beer here. Why don’t you have it more often?”

“I don’t know. I don’t buy the supplies.”

“Right. I’ll take one.”

Mort smiled and nodded. He turned and grabbed her beer. After serving her, Mort moved away to make sure his other patrons didn’t need anything.

*****

Lana helped Mort clean up that night, but neither talked much. Once they were done, Mort invited Lana into the second bedroom. There was a bed and a comfortable recliner. There was a also a dresser, a nightstand and a lamp. It was very simple, and not made for a long time stay. There was a bathroom in the main bedroom, which guests could use as well. Mort sat in the recliner and Lana sat on the edge of the bed.

“What happened when you left that day?”

“I went home, except it wasn’t there. My dad built it for my mom. I mean, the house was there, the address existed, but the house was different. I saw that and decided not to walk right up like I owned the place.”

“You’re living with your parents?”

“Dad has health issues. I decided to move back in after it became worse. I work, pay the bills, and help mom with dad. Or I used to.” She sighed. “Dad was a history professor. He passed that love on to me. We had our family tree, mom’s and dad’s side, on a genealogy website. I practically memorized it as a kid. I was fascinated. Dad found his lineage all the way back to the bronze age.”

Mort looked surprised. “I didn’t think that would be possible.”

“With DNA testing, it’s very easy, as long as remains were found from that era. My family originally came from Nienstedt, Germany. In 1993, they found remains of people from the bronze age near that town. My dad’s family can trace its roots right back to one of the remains. A male. The caveman was from the Bronze Age, Mort. I’ve done enough research to recognize what he was wearing.”

“You believe he was your ancestor?

“Yes.”

“But he would have died no matter what, Lana. There was a volcano erupting nearby.”

“What if he had found a way around it without the door? What if he became so fascinated with the door to here, that he didn’t run when he could have?”

Mort held up his hands. “All right. Let’s go back to what we do know. Who do you know your dad doesn’t exist?”

She nodded. “I went back to my house after the caveman died. As I said, the house looked different. I went up to the door, knocked and plastered a lost and confused look on my face. My mom answered, and I almost said hi, except that she didn’t recognize me. Also, she looked a lot younger.” She hung her head. “I think the stress of taking care of my dad aged her. Now, she has a healthy husband.”

Lana shook her head. “I told my mom, who isn’t my mom any more, that I was looking for an address three blocks over. I live on Dubai Road. Dubai Street is not too far away. We have…had… that issue all the time. She smiled as if she understood and told me my mistake. I thanked her and left. I found a hotel, got a room and cried my eyes out. The next morning, I went to the library to research. The first thing I looked up was the archeological dig. It happened, but one less body was found than I remembered. Then tried to look up my dad and everyone in his family that I remembered names for. It was a lot.”

“No one existed?”

“No. My dad’s family is gone. My mom’s line is intact, but not my dad’s.”

“Did you have any siblings?”

She shook her head. “No, they just had me, but my dad’s brother had two kids. They’re gone now too.”

Mort sighed, thinking of Chauncy and the Time Constables, or whatever they were called. He needed to talk to Chauncy.

“Lana, what year are you from? I forget.”

“It’s 3102 when I leave that door.”

“And you were born in what year?”

“3075.”

“All right. Thank you. Try and rest. You’re welcomed to stay here for a while. There is someone I need to talk to about all this, but he only comes on Saturday nights. Until then, you can stay here, or not, as you please.”

“For tonight, I’ll stay here. It’s not that safe for me in my world.” She rubbed a spot on her forearm. “We have chips implanted into our arms as infants. Has all our identification. I had to avoid a few sentry points to get all the information I needed. Luckily, my dad knew a few things about computers, and he taught me. But the more I tamper, or travel in my time the more I have to worry about.”

“Understood. Stay here.” He stood. “If you care to help me here, you can.”

She smiled. “I would like that. Gives me an opportunity to earn my keep.”

Mort smiled, nodded, then left the room. He closed the door and went to his own room. He laid down on the bed to think, but did not fall asleep for a long, long time.