Chapter 1
It was a late Friday afternoon.. The sun just set. The skies were in bright orange and pink hues. Becky's footsteps could be heard approaching her grandpa's antique shop. She took off her shoes,picked it up and put it in the designated indoor shoe rack.
"Lolo, I'm home!" Becky yelled. Her cat meowed which was standing on the doorstep of the store. Becky just smiled at the feline. She looked around and went to the cash register. To her surprise, the cash register was broken. She opened the drawer, and saw that the receipts were torn apart.
Becky looked for her lolo. He couldn't be found in the shop. She tried the storage room and found that the door was locked.
She saw that the light was on from the space between the door and the floor. She knocked on the door once more and yelled," Lolo, open the door!"
The door went ajar. She stepped inside and saw her lolo with a sad look on her face. Her lolo sat and was going thru old photos from a worn out and old photo album.. He was turning the pages and then he paused. "This photo album has been kept from generations to generations as a part of our culture. My mom entrusted me to keep this in order to honor our ancestors."
" Lolo, what's wrong with the cash register? It seemed to be forced open. "
She asked. She didn't wanna comment about the photos. Her mouth might slip and say something disrespectful. The hairdos looked weird to her so she decided to stay silent and change the topic.
" That's what I'm about to tell you. Our ancestors were from ancient China. " He started. And then cleared his throat.
"To my surprise, I found out that they were of noble blood. " He continued.
"Lolo, that was a long long time ago? What am I supposed to do with it? Time travel and ask gold bars?" She replied." Now, you haven't answered my question yet about the cash register. Tell me what happened?"
"You never let me finish. You keep on interrupting me. How am I supposed to tell you the connection between the photos and the cash register? " His lolo said.
She fell silent and her lolo proceeded ," the mobsters came here . I owed them 50 million pesos. I need your help. " There was silence. Then he added
"You know that I studied science for a decade. Including time traveling right? I was my professor's pet. I time travelled with him and saw the paleolithic age, the neolithic age, the bronze age and the dark ages. Well, out of old age, he died and I was left with his books and his secret research. I think it's time for me to teach you how to do it. I am desperate.very despe." Her lolo sighed.
" They're gonna take everything away from us and worse, kill all of us. So I need your help. "
She coughed and burst out laughing, " lolo, are you serious right now? You still believe in science fiction ?. " She laughed
" Becky, this is a serious matter. We could die! " her lolo raised his tone a little bit and looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Okay. Okay. I'm all ears and I'm not gonna laugh since it's a serious matter ." She replied while trying not to laugh.
" Our ancient ancestors during the Cha Dynasty was actually an emperor. You can time travel and ask for his help. " Her lolo stated.
" Hmmm. You seemed serious. " She paused. " If it really costs our lives,then I'll do it. How do I talk to them and gain their trust? I really don't know ancient and modern Chinese language?"
"I have a friend who can help you. Marla is a linguist and a translator and a historian. She reads and speaks ancient languages.Marla shared some useful articles and scrolls from Chinese scholars. Marla was also a Chinese descendant. Marla has a huge stash of ancient Chinese texts including the Cha dynasty. "
And so, after work , she concentrated on studying the language. Her grandpa was only given 6 months to pay the said amount or else they're all dead. They also practiced how to time travel safely. It was tiresome. She had to juggle her 9-5 job and all these.
After the 4th month, she was ready. She mastered the language and the art of time traveling. She felt both nervous and excited. They drove a van and went into the deepest part of the woods. The van stopped and Her childhood bff was with her. Her bestfriend wanted to help her save their lives and was giddy for an extraordinary adventure.
Becky, started the radio that would take them to the desired time and place. The coordinates were securely set. After 5 seconds from pressing the radio looking gadget, A bright blue and violet vortex opened widely in front of their eyes. In just a matter of 10 seconds, they have gone to 1600 BCE along with their van.
