The dissolving sensation faded away, to be replaced by the most outlandish noise. Opening her eyes Kylie surveyed the scene in front of her. A market place, full of farm animals in pens and men selling their wares. In the distance a church bell rang out it’s monotone message. Monks voices mumbled here and there as they blessed the ground that they stood on. All around her women in ankle length skirts and bonnets swirled, men in straight cut suits of black followed. Looking down she nearly died of shock. The neckline of the white peasant blouse dipped low. Beyond that multi-layered skirts of some heavy fabric fell in plumes down to her bare feet. All of her hair fell in a loose jumble down her back, the fabrics she wore were ragged and torn and somehow she could tell that her face was unadorned with make up.
This examination took a few milliseconds as a woman's cry made her look up. “ It’s her!” Everyone stopped and stared at Kylie. “ The witch has returned!” A man bellowed. A general murmur ran through the gathered crowd.“ She steals, charms and tricks our townsfolk. Why a gypsy witch she is.”
“ Aye, Satan’s own daughter no less.” The murmurs turned into angry voices. “ Then why not burn her for her sins?” Another voice yelled.
People advanced on her with murder in their eyes and hearts. Kylie did what she could do best in a situation like this, she hitched up her skirts and, driven by panic and desperation, ran like the wind. A dozen men followed at full speed. Left behind the women talked among themselves. “ Someone should tell the carpenter.We need a stake, and plenty of wood. Entertainment this is sending the devil’s daughter back to her dear papa!”
* * * * *
Eduardo looked around him at the destroyed landscape. Craters pitted the soil, men and women lay dead, the American flag lay torn to shreds at his side. There was no-one alive, only the dead. No cities dotted the horizon, no vegetation, just the remains of a crumbling old fort. Looking down he saw that he was dressed in a light, armour kind of fabric. A few dents and scratches were all that marred the smooth surface.
A noise overhead made him look up. A sleek disk shape flew over
A loud voice spoke over a tanoy on the ship. “ Surrender yourself. Flight or resistance is futile. You have lost.” He watched as the ship turned and advanced on him. “ Well, Kylie always says you gotta repeat stuff to get it through my thick head." With that he turned and ran for the nearest crater. Behind Eduardo the guns< trained onto their target and opened fire. Dive rolling into the deep pit he felt the sharp stab of agony seconds after he heard the ripping sound of metal fibres being torn and split. With a groan of pain he scrambled over to the protective shelter of a hollow.
A crimson river of blood pumped from the hole on his shoulder. In a day, maybe two he’d have bled to death. Unless he figured out what had happened. A fist of fear clenched around his heart. Kylie, was she part of this sorry mess as well? He shut his eyes and listened to the sound of the ship known as The DeathStar landed in the dust not far from him. As panic clogged his brain all senses shut down and he slipped into blissful unconcoiousness.
* * * * *
Oxygen rasped in and out of her lungs as she ran into the forest that skirted the town. They weren’t far behind. Angry voices carried through the hot air piling more fear onto her already uptight muscles and sinew.A huge tree offered her some shelter. Just a few seconds, she thought, to get my breath back. What had happened? where was Eduardo? The date, some sort of time change.“ Why do I always get involved in time slips?” A voice behind her made her turn. “ There!” Her green eyes widened as the arrow left the archers bow. The missile flew through the air and embedded itself in her shoulder. Pain screeched along nerves to her brain making her scream as it registered. Looking down she saw the red stain on her shirt grow. Arterial. Fatal. Not that it mattered now, Kylie thought as the men approached to claim their prize. A fist clenched itself around her heart and she sent a prayer up to God that Eduardo was safe. Her last thought before blackness closed in was that maybe even God didn’t listen to witches.
* * * * *
Laughing they departed in a swirl of skirts to spread the news.
his head. The large space/air ship was armed to the metaphorical teeth with lasers, cannons everything under the sun that could kill you. Slightly behind it, skimming along the ground a red beam of light paused for milliseconds over evey square inch of terrain. It came towards him and before he knew it the light bathed him like a warm breeze drifting past.