seat, let's talk." Dale put a hand on her shoulder and Amanda reluctantly sat back down. "What's going on, honey? I know this morning has been a bit unusual to say the least, but are you okay?"
"No, Dale, I am not okay, and how can you be after what that man said? I think I'm going crazy." Amanda put her head in her hands, resting her elbows on the table. She stayed that way for a moment, then lifted her head and said, "And what's with this place? Why is Steve all happy and when did he get the pub renovated? We were in here the other day."
Dale looked at her in confusion, his hair still unruly as he hadn't had a shower. Neither had she, and that meant she was truly losing the plot — she hadn't even brushed her hair, let alone done the double conditioner she had meant to do.
"What do you mean? He did it months ago, don't you remember?" Amanda shook her head. "He sold out to some big company, jacked up the prices, attracted a different crowd. He even does food now," said Dale in disgust. "But the beer is actually good, even though I'd never tell Steve that."
"Dale, something really is wrong here. I don't think I should be here, this is somewhere else. I think you need to tell me what Tellan said to you. But first, do you remember what we talked about last night? The time travel stuff?"
"I remember. When I got up I thought about it for a second, then you started screaming and I ran into the kitchen, and, well, Tellan said a load of stuff. I'm as confused as you are if I'm honest."
"Okay, what did he say?" Amanda took another sip. The beer was calming her nerves a little but it was far from enough to make her relax. She got the distinct impression that if she truly wanted to feel better then Steve would have to place a new order with the brewery.
~~~
"No. Way. He didn't tell you all that? Really?" Amanda stared at him wide-eyed, but he was sincere, insofar as relaying what Tellan had told him. Whether he believed a word of it was a different matter entirely.
"That's just mental. Seriously?" Dale nodded his head then finished his pint.
"I know, it's nuts, right? But look, something is seriously out of whack here. When I first saw you and him I thought he was going to attack you and I didn't know what to do, so I just grabbed him and chucked him out, locked the door and ran in to check on you. After I put you to bed, and I probably shouldn't have in case you had a serious head injury, I went back into the kitchen and there he was, staring at the kettle, the door open. It's like he can..."
"What?"
"You know, jump. Like he's a time traveler or something."
"Shut up! Don't be a muppet."
"Look, you're right, something is going on. What he told me, what I just told you, he seemed genuine. And he knew, about us discussing burying proof under the apple tree. That's why I didn't chuck him out again. He told me he knew all about it and that was why he was there."
"How could he know? He must have been listening last night, spying." It was the only explanation, wasn't it? Unless... Unless it was true. No, it couldn't be, could it?
"He knew, Amanda, okay? He knew what we'd said. He was there to stop us digging up proof. He said that under no circumstance were we to dig it up, whatever 'it' is. He also said that when I did the you-know-what, that jump from the inside-out world he told me about, jumping into a version of me in a different universe or parallel one, however it works, he said that I solved the problem, eradicated the time travel problem, broke the chain of events, stopped the other me from ever digging up the proof and that set everything back to normal somehow. I just woke up and everything was as if it had never happened."
"Except it didn't, did it?"
"Um, no. According to him at least."
"So, what went wrong?"
"Well, he said not to worry about it, that everything seemed all right everywhere and that basically this is the us that had those adventures. Although it got a bit confusing, as he said that
"No, Dale, I am not okay, and how can you be after what that man said? I think I'm going crazy." Amanda put her head in her hands, resting her elbows on the table. She stayed that way for a moment, then lifted her head and said, "And what's with this place? Why is Steve all happy and when did he get the pub renovated? We were in here the other day."
Dale looked at her in confusion, his hair still unruly as he hadn't had a shower. Neither had she, and that meant she was truly losing the plot — she hadn't even brushed her hair, let alone done the double conditioner she had meant to do.
"What do you mean? He did it months ago, don't you remember?" Amanda shook her head. "He sold out to some big company, jacked up the prices, attracted a different crowd. He even does food now," said Dale in disgust. "But the beer is actually good, even though I'd never tell Steve that."
"Dale, something really is wrong here. I don't think I should be here, this is somewhere else. I think you need to tell me what Tellan said to you. But first, do you remember what we talked about last night? The time travel stuff?"
"I remember. When I got up I thought about it for a second, then you started screaming and I ran into the kitchen, and, well, Tellan said a load of stuff. I'm as confused as you are if I'm honest."
"Okay, what did he say?" Amanda took another sip. The beer was calming her nerves a little but it was far from enough to make her relax. She got the distinct impression that if she truly wanted to feel better then Steve would have to place a new order with the brewery.
~~~
"No. Way. He didn't tell you all that? Really?" Amanda stared at him wide-eyed, but he was sincere, insofar as relaying what Tellan had told him. Whether he believed a word of it was a different matter entirely.
"That's just mental. Seriously?" Dale nodded his head then finished his pint.
"I know, it's nuts, right? But look, something is seriously out of whack here. When I first saw you and him I thought he was going to attack you and I didn't know what to do, so I just grabbed him and chucked him out, locked the door and ran in to check on you. After I put you to bed, and I probably shouldn't have in case you had a serious head injury, I went back into the kitchen and there he was, staring at the kettle, the door open. It's like he can..."
"What?"
"You know, jump. Like he's a time traveler or something."
"Shut up! Don't be a muppet."
"Look, you're right, something is going on. What he told me, what I just told you, he seemed genuine. And he knew, about us discussing burying proof under the apple tree. That's why I didn't chuck him out again. He told me he knew all about it and that was why he was there."
"How could he know? He must have been listening last night, spying." It was the only explanation, wasn't it? Unless... Unless it was true. No, it couldn't be, could it?
"He knew, Amanda, okay? He knew what we'd said. He was there to stop us digging up proof. He said that under no circumstance were we to dig it up, whatever 'it' is. He also said that when I did the you-know-what, that jump from the inside-out world he told me about, jumping into a version of me in a different universe or parallel one, however it works, he said that I solved the problem, eradicated the time travel problem, broke the chain of events, stopped the other me from ever digging up the proof and that set everything back to normal somehow. I just woke up and everything was as if it had never happened."
"Except it didn't, did it?"
"Um, no. According to him at least."
"So, what went wrong?"
"Well, he said not to worry about it, that everything seemed all right everywhere and that basically this is the us that had those adventures. Although it got a bit confusing, as he said that
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