The Time Travelers' Club -- Chapter 106: Time to Tell Emily

“Sam,” said Emily, tidying in the kitchen.  “Mrs. Steers has asked us to join her for cake and ice cream.”  Emily drying and putting the clean dishes.  “Why ice cream in this cold weather is beyond me.”

The cuckoo in the clock announced that it was six o’clock.  They went downstairs.  In the front parlor, Grandma and Grandpa Henry were drinking wine.  Sam gave them both big hugs, excited to see them.  Mrs. Steers was offering them some gingerbread.

“What are you doing here?” said Emily.  “I thought that this was bowling night.”

“Lottie invited us,” said Grandma Henry, taking a piece of gingerbread.

Emily looked perplexed. “Really?”

“Yes, I did.”  Mrs. Steers came into the parlor with a tray of plates and silverware.  “Rose will you bring the cake.”

Rose came in carrying a simply decorated chocolate cake, followed by Xavier with a tray of more plates and glasses.

“Ah, the guests of honor,” said Xavier, looking at Emily.  “May I get you something to drink? Sam?  Emily?”

“Um,” said Emily.  “I’ll have a glass of red wine if you’ve got it.”

“I’ll take a hot chocolate,” said Sam, following Xavier to the kitchen.  Ari was making ice cream in an old wooden ice cream maker.  Sam had never seen anything like it.  It was a bucket-like machine.   Ari cranking an iron handle on top.  The grinding sound as the metal canister rushed over slush of ice and salt.

“Sam, I hope you like chocolate ice cream,” said Ari. Sam gave him an extended nod.

Ari finally produced two large bowls of homemade ice cream – one vanilla and one chocolate – which didn’t last long.  The chocolate cake and gingerbread were whittled down to crumbs.  Mrs. Steers took the floor to address the relaxed guests.

"Sam, I want to talk to you about your family."

Sam looked quizzically at Mrs. Steers.  "What do you mean?"

"Well, where you come from and how you fit into the Time Travelers Club."  Mrs. Steers hesitated for a brief moment.  "And why you have such great ability to use the incantations.   Rose has kept me informed about your mastering orbs.  I've seen you zip us to Ancient Egypt with barely reciting the words.”

Emily choked on her wine. “What are you talking about?”  She glanced at Mrs. Steers then over to the impassive Grandma and Grandpa Henry and last at Sam.  She was amazed at how nobody reacted to the peculiar things Mrs. Steers was talked about.  “What’s this about a time saving club?  Egypt?  Orbs?”

Rose quickly interjected, pointing at Emily.  "Sam will be a champion orber someday.  He just needs to control them more… Oh and learn patience."

Energized by her comment, Sam gave her a big smile.  “Do you think I will be?  A champion orber?”   His enthusiasm didn’t last long when he realized that his mom didn’t know anything about what they were talking about.  He gave her a sideways glance to see how she was reacting.

Emily was staring at Mrs. Steers, then over to Rose.

Rose didn’t hesitate.  “With your abilities, you will have no problem.”

“And don’t forget, you got to see the duel.  The duel. The one and only,” said Xavier.

Emily shook her head.  “Duel?  What duel?”

Ari and Rose both gasped and spoke in unison.  “What?”  Rose didn’t stop.  “You mean Sam saw…”

“Yep, it’s true,” said Sam, squirming in his seat and kept eyeing his mom.  “I saw them.  They were dueling.   Throwing lightning bolts at each other with a huge crowd watching.  Then…”  Sam realized that his mom was right next to him, squirming.  Emily’s head jerked from one person to another, confused, annoyed, and then just frustrated.

“Wait just one minute!” Emily stood up.  “What are you all talking about?  Sam, what is this dueling business?  And lightning bolts? And orbs?”

The room went quiet.  Everyone, including Grandma and Grandpa Henry, looked at her.

“Well, the cat’s out of the bag,” said Grandpa Henry quietly.  “We should have told you sooner, but we had no idea.  We figured that part of our family history was over.”

Grandma Henry added.   “Yes, I’m so sorry we didn’t talk about it.  It’s not something you just bring up.”

Sam looked at his Grandparents in surprise.  “You mean you know?”

Grandpa Henry leaned forward.  “Yep.  When Lottie contacted us, she only needed to say “Tempos Servos” and I knew immediately what was going on.   We wondered about you, whether you had the powers or not.”  He patted Grandma Henry’s hand.

“Go ahead and tell him, you old goat,” said Grandma Henry, waving her hand at him.  “You’re keeping him in suspense.”

“Yes, yes, my sweet potato pie.”  Grandpa Henry slapped her knee then turned to Sam.  “My Grandfather, or your Great-Grandfather, was a member of the Club.  He left the Club because of some French guy who threatened it many years ago.  At the time, my father was just a baby, and he feared that his family might get hurt.  So, he left and never spoke about his powers again.”

Emily stopped them, shaking her head and stuttering.  “Excuse me, are you losing your minds?  What are you all talking about?  I don’t understand.”

“Now Emily, it’s not that hard to understand,” said Grandma Henry, who got up and put her hand on Emily’s arm.  “Sam just became a member of the Time Travelers Club.”

Mrs. Steers chimed in.  “Emily, please forgive me for not being truthful right from the beginning.   It took some real work to get you here from Chicago.  Keeping you and Sam from making friends there.  Convincing the library to hire you here.  Then I had to get you to take the apartment.  There was definitely a bit of luck mixed in as well.”

Xavier served more cake and nudged Ari into making more ice cream.  Mrs. Steers focused her attention on Emily.

“My dear, the Time Travelers Club is an ancient group who people who have the ability to use incantations that allow… well…”  She looked around at Rose, Xavier, Ari, and Sam.  “To travel through time.  The orbs are our defenses to protect ourselves.  Sam makes them like no one else.  He has the great ability to use the incantations.”

Emily, mouth hanging open, finally snapped.  “Well, I’m dumbfounded.  Absolutely dumbfounded.”  Emily grabbed Sam and pulled him close and started to edge away.  She shook her finger at Mrs. Steers.  “First, you’ve been spying on us this whole time.  There’s got to be a law against that…  And… And… You’ve been filling Sam’s head with this time-traveling nonsense.  And these orbs…”

“Emily, you mustn’t think that we were…” said Grandma Henry, trying to console her.

“And you two going right along with all of this.”  Now shaking with fear, Emily turned on her in-laws, raising her voice.  “You’re just fanning the flames of this whole crazy nonsense.”

Emily was on the verge of breaking down.  She got teary-eyed.  Sam broke loose of her grip and spun around to look at her.  He had never seen his Mom like this.  Not even when his Dad died.

“Mom, chill out,” said Sam.  “You don’t even know anything about this.  You’re… You’re…  You’re…”  Sam searched for the right word.

Xavier helped out.  “Over-reacting?”

“Over-reacting!  What’re you expecting?  You want me to keep calm?”  Emily was besides herself, pacing back and forth like a misbehaving kid waiting outside the principal's office.

Mrs. Steers had already poured a little brandy.  “Here, drink this.  It will calm your nerves.”  Emily took the glass and drank.

Rose whispered.  “You didn’t just…”

“No, it’s only brandy this time.”  Mrs. Steers whispered back.

Grandpa Henry got up to talk to her.  “Emily, the Henry family has had these powers for generations.  We waited to see if George had the capabilities to use them, but he never showed any signs.”

Shocked, Emily stopped him.  “Wait, so you knew about this all the time? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“George never knew,” said Grandma Henry.  “We let it all go after Matthew was born.  We watched him as well, but no signs.  None at all.  Lottie, may I have a glass of that brandy.”

Mrs. Steers took her turn.  “You see, Sam, your ancestor, Thaddeus Woods, had left his wife to seek out the lost archives when he stumbled onto the hidden materials in Fingal's Cave.  He left the cave and traveled back to England where he was killed by another member of the Time Travelers Club. We’re not sure why, possibly to keep the Club’s existence a secret.  His wife was pregnant but he never knew it.  The wife went to live with a distant relative, a minister and his wife.  She died in childbirth and the minister raised the child under his name, Henry. I’ve only figured all of this out recently.”

Xavier, who had been quiet his whole time, finally asked a question.  “Is that why you’ve been in the archives so much?  Hoping to track down the adopted child?”

“Yes,” said Mrs. Steers.  “It has taken a lot of work to find the right one. So, Sam that brings us to you.  You are the most important member of the Time Travelers Club in its history.  We believe that you are a direct descendent of Thaddeus who in turn was a direct descendent of either Iordanus or Ranulfus.  I have figured out which.”

"Wow," said Sam.  "One of those guys is my..."  Sam stopped and started adding many "greats" before ending with grandpa.  "Which one?"

Mrs. Steers shook her head.  "Sadly, we don't know which."

By now, Grandpa Henry had poured his own brandy then refilled Emily’s glass.

“Well, well, well,” said Emily, downing the brandy with Grandpa Henry right there to fill it again.  “The things we just don’t know.”  Emily began to sway a little.

Mrs. Steers took the decanter from Grandpa Henry and studied the content level.  “Looks like we’re going to need more brandy.”