Chapter 1
It was Saturday.
Ed was in his grandpa’s garage looking for a screwdriver. The garage was messy. Tools everywhere. Dust in the air.
Under an old blanket behind some rusty tools, Ed saw a metal box.
It was silver, about the size of a shoebox, with scratches on the sides.
On top was _one big red button_.
On the front was _a small glowing screen_ that said `12:00`.
There were no wires. No plugs. Nothing that explained what it was.
“What is that?” Max asked as he walked in with Lina, Lucy, and Stacy.
“I don’t know,” Ed said. “Grandpa never mentioned it.”
“It looks weird,” Lina said. “Don’t press anything.”
Lucy took out her scanner from her backpack. She waved it over the box. `beep beep beep`
“It’s giving off energy,” Lucy said. “But I don’t know what kind. It’s not like anything I’ve seen.”
Stacy was already filming with her phone. “Found a mystery box. Comment what you think it does.”
Ed stared at the red button. His heart was beating fast.
“Here goes nothing,” Ed said.
He pressed the _big red button_.
The garage exploded with light.
The lights flickered. The floor shook. The box hummed loud.
It felt like falling and flying at the same time.
Then it all went quiet.
They weren’t in the garage anymore.
They were on a dirt street.
Horses walked by. Wood buildings lined the road. People wore long dresses and tall hats.
A wooden sign said: `WELCOME TO MILLER TOWN - 1892`.
Max’s jaw dropped. “We time traveled.”
Lina looked around, shocked. “This is real.”
Lucy was writing in her notebook. “The air, the clothes, the buildings. This is 1892.”
Stacy lowered her phone. “Okay. I was joking before. This is actually time travel.”
Ed looked at the box in his hands. The screen had changed.
It now said `01:59:00` and was counting down.
“So we have 2 hours here,” Ed said. “Then it brings us back automatically. But we can also press the button to come back early.”
They started walking. That’s when they heard crying.
By a stone well sat a boy, about 10 years old. Dirt on his face. Tears in his eyes.
“I lost it,” the boy said. “My sister’s locket. It fell in the well. She’s sick in bed. It was the last thing our mom gave her.”
“We have to help,” Lina said.
Lucy tied her scarf to a rope. Max and Lina held it. Ed climbed down into the dark, cold well.
At the bottom on a rock was a small silver locket. Ed grabbed it and climbed back up.
Ed handed the locket to the boy.
The boy hugged him. “Thank you! This will make my sister feel better.”
He ran off down the street.
`00:30:00` on the box.
They were walking back when Stacy stopped. “Guys. Look.”
Across the town square, that same boy was older now. About 20.
He stood on a stage talking to a crowd.
“My sister lived,” he said. “Because someone was kind to me when I was 10. She got better and became a nurse. During the big flu, she helped 100 people. She saved lives because someone saved her first. Be kind. It matters.”
The crowd clapped.
Lina teared up. “We did that.”
Max grinned. “We actually changed something.”
`00:10:00`.
“We should go,” Ed said.
They ran back to the alley. The box was glowing in the hay.
Ed pressed the _big red button_ again to come home early.
Light. Noise. Shaking.
Then quiet.
They were back in the garage.
The wall clock said `12:02`. Only 2 minutes had passed at home.
Nobody spoke for a bit.
Then Ed put the box back under the blanket on the shelf.
“New rule,” Ed said. “If we use it again, it’s to help someone. And we get ice cream after.”
“Deal,” everyone said.
They went inside and ate ice cream.
And the box stayed on the shelf, waiting.
