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My heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like me at all! I swallowed hard and suddenly realised: I didn’t belong here!
I noticed an old fashioned shop and as I walked slowly forward, I overheard some fancy-dressed women addressing me in hushed tones.
“Look at that girl!”
“I know, right!”
“She looks SOOO weird!!”
I didn’t think I looked weird. I thought I looked totally coco-bananas!!
“Hello!” came a voice from behind me. I jerked around, expecting to see a fully grown man wanting to say how weird I looked. But I didn’t…
Instead, I saw a boy about my age dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. “You look strange!” he said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.
“I get that a lot,” I said, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.
I wondered if I should ask the boy where (and when) I was, exactly. But how? I couldn’t just say, “Hi! I’m Isla Icklebogg and I just walked through an ancient grandfather clock and arrived here! I suspect it could have been time- travel! If so, where & when am I?”
NO WAY! NEVER! NOT IN AMONTH OF SUNDAYS!!
Suddenly, it hit me!
“Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name,” I said.
“Colin,” he replied. “Colin Carter.”
“I’m Isla. What’s the date today, please? I’ve travelled a LOONG way and I’ve… lost track of the time! Where and when am I?”
Colin chuckled a genuine, high chuckle. “Fair enough. The trams out here are mighty unreliable! Today is Wednesday, the 15th June, 1929. And the answer to your ‘where’ question is George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.”
1929! WOWZA! Now I knew I had time-travelled!
Hold on! The 15th June, 1929! That was my deceased grandfather’s birthday! Maybe, just maybe, I could write a letter to my great-grandmother saying to take good care of her new baby!
I noticed an old fashioned shop and as I walked slowly forward, I overheard some fancy-dressed women addressing me in hushed tones.
“Look at that girl!”
“I know, right!”
“She looks SOOO weird!!”
I didn’t think I looked weird. I thought I looked totally coco-bananas!!
“Hello!” came a voice from behind me. I jerked around, expecting to see a fully grown man wanting to say how weird I looked. But I didn’t…
Instead, I saw a boy about my age dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. “You look strange!” he said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.
“I get that a lot,” I said, trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.
I wondered if I should ask the boy where (and when) I was, exactly. But how? I couldn’t just say, “Hi! I’m Isla Icklebogg and I just walked through an ancient grandfather clock and arrived here! I suspect it could have been time- travel! If so, where & when am I?”
NO WAY! NEVER! NOT IN AMONTH OF SUNDAYS!!
Suddenly, it hit me!
“Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name,” I said.
“Colin,” he replied. “Colin Carter.”
“I’m Isla. What’s the date today, please? I’ve travelled a LOONG way and I’ve… lost track of the time! Where and when am I?”
Colin chuckled a genuine, high chuckle. “Fair enough. The trams out here are mighty unreliable! Today is Wednesday, the 15th June, 1929. And the answer to your ‘where’ question is George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.”
1929! WOWZA! Now I knew I had time-travelled!
Hold on! The 15th June, 1929! That was my deceased grandfather’s birthday! Maybe, just maybe, I could write a letter to my great-grandmother saying to take good care of her new baby!