ABACUS Read Free Page B

them.”
    â€œFollow them?” Kate repeated. “Why would we do that?”
    â€œWell, we can’t stay here with nothing to eat or drink. It’s a matter of survival!”
    In exasperation, Kate agreed and they set off.
    Walking through the forest, well out of earshot, they discussed their predicament.
    â€œYou can’t seriously think we’ve traveled back in time,” Kate challenged. “Sure, the number on the abacus is 1524, but those people aren’t dressed for the Middle Ages. Henry VIII never looked like that!”
    â€œWe haven’t traveled back to the year 1524. I think we’ve traveled back 1524 years. That explains the minus sign in front of the number. And the flashing spot over England shows where we are.”
    He held out the abacus and pressed the white button again. “See? We’ve gone back 1524 years from the year 2009. He did a quick calculation. “So this must be the year 485!”
    â€œOh no!” he exclaimed, in horror. “That was a bear I saw in the forest last night.” Kate looked puzzled. “Bears existed in Britain during medieval times. Wolves and wild boars too.”
    â€œWhat?” bawled Kate. “Reset that thing and take us back to the present! This place is dangerous.”
    AP thought about it for a moment. “Okay, that should be simple. The number on the abacus is still set for 1524.” He changed the minus to a plus. “Then if we press the black button we should be back in Saxton Burleigh in the present. Hold tight, you don’t want to be left behind.”
    Grabbing his arm she closed her eyes, expecting everything to return to normal. “What are you waiting for?” she snapped. “Press the button!”
    â€œI did,” he shot back. “Nothing’s happening.”
    â€œOh, great. Perfect! We’re stuck in 485. I have no friends and nothing to wear but this— rag.” She tugged at the formless dress. “We have no phone, no iPod, no computer, no shower, no toilet...there’s NOTHING HERE!”
    â€œLook on the bright side,” said AP grinning. “You’ve got me!”
    They walked on for much of the morning, through gently sloping countryside. The forest was far behind now and there were few trees for cover. Keeping to the higher ground, they kept a watchful eye on the travelers below. “How long have we been following them?” she asked, keeping her voice low to avoid being overheard.
    â€œA couple of hours, maybe.”
    â€œFeels more like seven or eight to me,” she grumbled.
    Eventually the procession came to a halt beside a large lake. Putting down their loads, the people began preparing a meal. AP and Kate stared longingly from behind a lone willow—starving.
    Although feeling safely hidden from sight, something must have given them away and they watched in horror as people began pointing up at the tree. Then some of the strangers started calling and gesturing for them to come down. They seemed friendly enough, so, after much hesitation, Kate and AP left their safe haven and descended to the lake.
    Most of the men were clean-shaven, with neatly trimmed hair. Some had beards and shoulder-length locks. All the women had long hair, worn loosely or in braids. Fair hair predominated, with a sprinkling of redheads, including a wild-looking man with a mane like a lion. Kate, with her blond hair, and AP, with his blue eyes, fit right in.
    Kate and AP learned that the people lived in a far-off village and had been traveling for two days. As they chatted with the villagers, something remarkable dawned on them—they were both speaking in an ancient form of English they wouldn’t have understood in their modern world. How had the abacus transported them through time and transformed them to blend in so perfectly?
    â€œIt’s a bit like a computer,” suggested AP when nobody was listening. “I can hook up a new device