The Time Sphere (22 page)

C
hapter 32

Jeanie smiled up at the dark Frenchman
, as he took off his wide brimmed hat and gallantly flourished it about.  Billy tried not to laugh at the peacock feathers sticking out of it. 

Dickens stepped forward and introduced them.  “Thank you sir, my name is Dickens and this is Bil
ly and Jeanie.” 

Descartes looked at Dickens closely.  “You are English?” he asked with curiosity in his voice.

“Why, yes,” Dickens replied, his eyes twinkling.

“I have never met anyone from England until my present visit to La Rochelle.  I had greatly hoped to exchange knowledge with any from your land.  What is your profession?”  Descartes eagerly asked.

Dickens lips curved into a small smile.  “Well, let’s just say that I dabble in numerous subjects and occupations.”

“Are you interested in the science of mathematics?”

“Actually, the subject has been very relative as of late and my study of it has increased. What brings you to the siege?  Are you here in an advisory capacity?” Dickens asked nonchalantly.

“I had heard of the blockade they were building across the inlet and decided that I must come and see this wonder of architecture myself.”

“Did you know that sunken ships laid the foundation for it?”

That look of glee entered the Frenchman’s eyes again as he answered, “I had heard of that ingenious idea.  However, I have decid
ed to use my time well and investigate other mathematical applications.”

“Yes, I heartily agree.  I noticed you observing the cannonballs.  I too have noted how the earth pulls objects down, creating a curvature.  This new branch of science about the power of the earth and its pull is exceptionally fascinating.”

Descartes just stared at Dickens in thought.  “I must tell you I am a very private man.  However, I am here to observe and learn.  I am greatly interested in your theories, Monsieur Dickens.   I would like to invite you and your companions to my tent for the next meal.  Then we may continue our conversation, yes?” Billy’s stomach rumbled at the thought of not eating shoes and apples.

“We graciously accept, Monsieur” answered Dickens with a nod of his head and a knowing look in his eyes.

All of a sudden, a commotion came from behind.  “There they are!” shouted a very bedraggled and furious Bernarde.  “I do not know their purpose here, but their presence is highly suspect, I tell you!” 

The pointy face of Bernarde Lapierre stood before the tiny group, British soldiers standing behind him.  Billy felt Jeanie clutch the back of his shirt, his own heart in his throat.  

“Arrest these imposters!” Bernarde shouted, pointing his bony finger at the travelers.

Billy didn’t have time to react when a big brute of a soldier grabbed both his arms and bent them behind his back, causing him to yell out in pain. 

That was when an unexpected voice came to their rescue. 

“Are you referring to my friends, Monsieur?” Descartes smoothly inquired, gaining a startled look from Bernarde. 

Bernarde’s expression of triumph quickly changed to one of uncertainty.  “Um, I, a, um, a no, Monsieur Descartes.  I did not know they were acquaintances of yours,” he hastily answered.

Their new friend just tilted his head and smiled.  “Yes, they are.  Is that all, Monsieur?”

“Yes, yes, I apologize,” Bernarde stammered.  He then swiftly fled, leading the soldiers away.

As Billy rubbed his sore arms, he gazed at their unlikely savior and wondered who he
really was.

Dickens looked at Descartes with surprise.  “Thank you, sir.”

Descartes narrowed his eyes.  He smiled and shook his finger as he said, “I can tell you are a man of many secrets, Dickens.  I think we will learn much from each other.  These,” he waved his hand at Bernarde’s retreating back, “common thinkers! We must protect each other from them.  Besides, I did not lie, we are now friends, yes,” he said, laughing at his own wit and led his new found friends to his tent.

Billy closed his eyes as he placed a tender piece of dark meat into his mouth.  He didn’t think
he had ever tasted anything so delicious in his life.  He opened his eyes and gazed at the table before him, laden with rich and mouth-watering foods.  There was roasted pig and fowl and boiled vegetables.  For dessert, there were pastries stuffed with sweet fruits and much more. 

Billy felt like he had died and gone to heaven. If this is what it feels like to not eat for only two days, he was never going
to complain about food again, he thought.  Jeanie and Dickens were also enjoying their meal but paid closer attention to their host and the conversation taking place.

“You’ve lived in so many places, Monsieur Descartes,” Jeanie gushed, appearing to be captivated by the many fascinating stories told by their host.

“Please, all of you call, me René.  And the truth is, it is not because I suffer from wanderlust,” he laughed, as he took a drink of wine.  “But because I enjoy my privacy intensely.”

“I don’t know.  You seem so friendly and not a bit shy to me,” laughed Jeanie.

Descartes let out a loud chortle.  “Young lady, I am French.  We are masters of conversation and the art of charm.  I secluded myself because of my work, not out of fear of people.”

“Your work?”
Jeanie asked, as she cocked her head to the side out of curiosity.

“I don’t know if I am pleased or insulted that you do not know who I am,” he smiled.

“Jeanie, this is Rene Descartes.  He is a renowned philosopher, scientist, mathematician and even soldier at one time,” declared Dickens.

Descartes put his hand on his heart and gave the other man a slight nod of the head.  “Thank you, Dickens.”  Then returning his attention to Jeanie, he said, “But
, young lady, it is because of people like you that I retain any sense of humility and remember why I search for truth.  It is not for fame.”

“‘I think, therefore, I am,’” quoted Dickens.

“I am not surprised that you know my work, Dickens,” replied Descartes as he lifted his glass to him in salute.

“Hey, I’ve heard of you,” piped up Billy.  He could join in on the conversation now that he had finally satisfied his hunger.

Descartes sat back in his chair, raised an eyebrow and asked, “And young man, what else do you know?”

Billy blushed
.  “Well, not much else, to be honest.”  He didn’t really understand what that saying even meant.

“I believe it is our obligation to educate our youth, yes, Dickens?”  Descartes smiled as he continued.  “Well, it began with my search for truth in its purest form.  However, I came upon walls of doubt.  In fact, there is a wall of doubt in any strain of thought.  I decided then to disregard any concepts which can be doubted, then reorganized them in order to create the groundwork for the pursuit of knowledge.  My first established idea was that thought exists.  So, as I further pondered this, I came to the conclusion that if I have thoughts, then it must
prove I exist.  Hence, ‘I think, therefore, I am.’”

“Ya
, but, that’s not going to stop anybody from saying they don’t exist.  Trust me, where I come from lots of people say weird stuff like that,” countered Billy.

“Well
, young man, you say this the next time some upstart philosopher speaks in this way.  If you doubt your own existence, these doubts are thoughts.  If thoughts exist, your doubts prove your very existence.” As Descartes said this, he sat back and appeared very pleased with himself. 

Billy, on the other hand, was having trouble trying to understand what the man was saying.   Dickens laughed loudly at Billy’s confused expression. 

“Ok, no one can touch thoughts, but you can touch things.  Doesn’t that prove if something is real or not?” Billy further argued.

“The mind does not consist of physical material, so it does not follow the laws of nature.  We need our physical bodies to interact in the world around us.  So, if thoughts exist, so does the fleshy vessels which contain them.  All I am saying is that the mind is more reliable than our physical senses
.  Think of it like this.  Sadness is an emotion and is intangible as thoughts are.  This non-material expression evokes a physical reaction such as tears.  It is further proof of the mind or souls existence.  However, the soul cannot live without the body and the body cannot live without the soul.  At least not on this plane of existence.”

“What does that mean?” asked Billy.

Descartes looked up and smiled.  He took in a deep breath and said, “Places beyond this one.   Maybe even a different universe.”

At that moment, Dickens caught Billy’s eye and a flash of realization came upon him.  Billy knew that Descartes was the reason they had come to La Rochelle.  A knot of excitement formed in Billy’s stomach because he knew the sharp turn the conversation was about to take.

Dickens stared at Descartes with that intense and sharp gaze of his and quietly asked, “Rene, what do you think about other places?  They are not upward or downward, but exist horizontally.  Yet, still on our plane of existence?”

Descartes’ brow furrowed and he looked at Dickens. 
“Our world, but not our world?  In theory, in order to travel horizontally,” he looked at Dickens puzzled, “it would have to be through time.  But that is impossible, sir”

“Rene, cast out all doubts and re-organize them.   If one could
, perhaps, travel through time, how could it be done?” 

“Our bodies are anchored here, so our minds must be also.  In theory, you would need a vessel of some type.  What is the mode of transportation?” 

Billy looked at Rene in surprise.  He was shocked that this guy was actually taking this conversation seriously so quickly.  Heck, he was shocked that he was taking it seriously at all!  Billy felt himself sit up straight and wait anxiously to hear what the man had to say next.

Dickens shrugged his shoulders.  “Let’s just say, oh I don’t know, that the vessel is non-physical.”

“Well, if the vessel is immaterial, then it cannot hold a body.  Therefore, you would be unable to travel.”

“Let’s say it does hold something, but it is only the human mind.”

“But the body cannot live without the mind.”

“In our physical world, yes, but the vessel is not of the physical world.”

“Well, if this vessel only contains the mind, then logically, it is thought that would control it.  There are no hands to steer a helm or feet to spur a horse, it is only thought that would navigate it.  So, you would only have to think of a place and your vessel would take you there.”

Billy’s mind raced to understand these words.  Thoughts control the Time Sphere!  But then that meant they always had the means to go home!  Billy looked at Dickens, whose face betrayed these very thoughts. 

Billy was stunned with the realization that Dickens had known how to get him and Jeanie home the whole time.

Chapter 33

Jeanie looked from Dickens to Billy and appeared bewildered by the sudden change of atmosphere in the tent. 

Billy’s features contorted themselves into a mask of anger, yet, his voice was low and calm as he said in an accusatory tone, “You knew, you knew this whole time didn’t you?”

“Billy, we need to talk about this and here is not the place for such a conversation,” whispered Dickens.  His eyes fell on Descartes, who sat at the table with a very confused look on his face.

Billy shook his head in disbelief.  “I don’t really care!  Everything! Everything that we have been through was for nothing!  Jeanie almost died
, Dickens!” Billy screamed at the tired looking old man before him.

Dickens rubbed his forehead and wearily asked, “Rene, would you mind taking Jeanie for a stroll?  This young man and I need a few moments of privacy.”

With a look of concern in his eyes, Descartes replied, “Of course; come along, my dear.” He quickly took the perplexed girl by the arm and led her out of the tent.

Billy had never felt such rage in his whole life and never had it been directed so forcefully at one person before.  Billy stood before Dickens.  His fists were clenched and his entire body shook with fury.  He had never felt so lied to.  T
hat was the worst part.  He had come to trust Dickens unlike anyone else in his life. 

Suddenly, the betrayal was too much for him and in a hurt voice he asked, “Why did you do this?”

Dickens’ bright blue eyes gleamed with regret and he took a step toward the angry young man.  “Trust me, Billy, I did what I had to do.” 

“What
, lie?”

“Yes.  I accept full responsibility for my misleading you and Jeanie.”

“You still lied!  A lie is a lie!” Billy said, his eyes narrowing to slits full of blame.

Dickens took in a deep breath
and turned his back to him, “You’re right.  What I did was wrong.”

Billy grabbed the old man by the arm and forced him to look him in the face.  “Just tell me why you did it!” he said in a desperate voice.

Dickens jaw tightened and he replied, “It is sometimes said that the journey is more significant than the destination.  In this instance, the journey itself was imperative to our success.”

“Stop talking in riddles!  For once
, just say it without all of the mystery!”

As Dickens gazed down at Billy, his expression changed from one of repentance to one of fierce determination.  “Quite frankly, Billy, you were
not ready to do what needs to be done!”

“I’
m done with people telling me who I need to be and what I need to know and need to do.  And you know what, who do you think you are?  You’re not my father!” Billy yelled.

Dickens
’ eyes took on that brilliant cast that Billy had come to know so well.  “No, I’m not. I’m actually someone who has more of a say about you than anyone else.”

“I don’t think so,” Billy scowled.

Dickens reached out and grabbed onto Billy’s arms, and in a voice filled with a desperate need to be heard, he said, “Billy, I am you.” He gazed down at the boy before him and waited for him to understand his words.

Billy felt numb with shock and stumbled backward.  Dickens wa
s him!  But that was impossible!  He looked up at the old man before him, his expression fearful.  “You’re lying,” he said in a trembling voice.

“No, Billy,” Dickens replied, as he sadly shook his head.

Billy’s eyes were wide with disbelief.  “You said that a person can’t meet themselves in the time stream.”

“Yes
, I did.  But what I left out was a person cannot knowingly meet themselves in the time stream.  My age, the color of my eyes and this truly wonderful accent, were all carefully prepared to deter you from discovering the truth.  The paradox occurs in the psyche and would shatter it.”

Somewhere in Billy’s mind he knew that Dickens was speaking the truth.  The shock began to wear off and the anger began to
once again set in.  “Ya, well I know now!” he yelled.

“But your mind can handle it due
to my physical appearance, which does not fully associate me with you.”

“Why did you
have to go through all of the trouble?”

“Billy, your father opened the door to that other world.  But it was someone else who learned to extract the cosmic gases forty five years later.” Dickens hesitated to continue before adding, “It was you who did this.  You grew up to be a scientist like your fat
her and continued his work on the Time Sphere and the worlds that it led to.  The war was not fully in motion until late in my lifetime.”

Dickens slowly sat down on a nearby chair, his face a mask of shame, as he recounted the horrors that he had caused. “I went in to the past to rectify the future.  I worked with your father on the project and we became close friends.  I even celebrated with your father when you were born.”  He looked up at Billy, his eyes shining with unshed tears, “But I knew what needed to be done, so I took Preston Thorn’s son and I hid him.”

“You said my father hid me!”

“I never said that.  That was your own assumption.”

Of all of the things that Dickens had told him, nothing enraged him as this confession did.  He could have had a family, a life!  His eyes blazed with fury and he shouted, “You took me!”

“There was no other way!  I tried to reason with your father first.  But he would not close the door to the alien world.  I even told him what was to happen, but he refused to listen.  He
was lost in his work.  He wouldn’t believe that such an amazing discovery could have such terrible consequences.”

“Then why am I going back?”

“I told you, you are the one who needs to close the door the Time Sphere has created.”

“Why can’t you do it?  We both have the same genetic code remember?”

“Because I happen to know that it is a young Billy Townsend who accomplishes the task.”

The scowl melted off of Billy’s face.  “What?  You have been me.  Everything we have been through,
you’ve already done?” his asked in a low voice, his lips barely moving.

For the first time, Dickens actually allowed himself the barest of smiles.  “You were right
, Billy.  Our journey is a part of the natural order of time.”

It now all made sense.  How Dickens always knew all about the people and places they had gone too.  All of the times Billy would feel exasperated when he felt that Dickens was not taking a situation seriously enough.

“That’s how you always knew what was going on, were always calm, and always knew the facts.  What about Jeanie?  You seemed afraid when she was accused of being a witch.”

“I’
m not the hero in this story.  I only play a role and I played it to the best of my abilities.  And I have had many years to prepare myself.”

“But that doesn’t make sense, if you were once me, then how could you have done what you did in the future?”

“I changed my part in the future.  However, a rather unfortunate side effect of entering the Time Sphere is that although a person may change a time stream, they remember all tangents of it, even the altered ones.  I do not pretend to understand the mysteries of time.  All I know is that there is only one palatable outcome to this story, and you are the one who will end it.  Every aspect of our journey has affected the streams and is necessary for its completion.”

“But if I’m not in the future, I could not have done what I did,” Billy argued, his voice conveying his frustration.

“After I had hid you, I returned to that future time stream.  However, your father without a son became immersed in his work and he made your discovery years ahead of time, resulting in the eventual war.  I have learned that we may try to change time, but those very events we try to change may still happen.”

“Fine, but why the travelling all over the place for no reason?
  You always knew how to use the Device.  And Jeanie, you put her in danger…”  Then the answer became so obvious.  He looked at Dickens with contempt.  “Of course, you knew she was never in any danger, didn’t you?”

Dickens ignored this question.  “Because the boy who left his world in the Time Sphere was not ready to do what needs to be done in the end.”

“Not ready?”

Dickens straightened his shoulders and looked Billy right in the eyes as he said, “I am going to tell you something, boy, something the adults in your life will never tell you.”  He leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees.  “You have behaved like a spoiled brat.  You had everything you needed and every opportunity to live a good and prosperous life.  But you were constantly feeling sorry for yourself, comparing your life to those around you and assuming that everyone had it better than you.  You complain of being alone, but never embrace the friendships that come your way.  Instead of learning from your life’s experiences, you choose to let them weigh you down and justify
your self-pity.  And where we’re going, I cannot bring that boy.”   

All of Billy’s short life, he had believed that everything Dickens had just said was true.  However, he felt a searing pain in his chest as he heard it come out of another’s mouth, someone he had come to actually care for.

“I hate you!” he roared, his eyes and throat burning with tears that refused to fall down his cheeks.

Dickens stood and began to slowly walk toward Billy; his voice soft and his eyes bright.  As Billy’s tears began to silently drop down his face, Dickens continued, “No, that child has no place in the rest of this story.  We need the young man who jumped off the walls of Syracuse to save his friends.  We need the young man who learned that appearances are deceiving and to have faith that
what is right will overcome all wrongs when they choose to walk that path.  We need the young man who learned that love is not defined by its duration, but by the person’s choice to endure.”  

Dickens put his hands on Billy’s shoulders and looked deep into his tear streaked face.  “I need the boy who chose to be a leader and do what is right, who has stopped thinking about himself, but of others.  In fact, I am terribly proud of the young man you have become.  Are you willing to finish this, boy?”

All of a sudden the tent flap opened and a shy Jeanie poked her head into the tent.  “Is everything ok?”  A look of concern was etched across her features. 

Billy turned to Dickens, his body rigid and his eyes hard.  “Do I really need to answer that, Dickens?  You already know, right?”  And he walked out of the tent.