The Time Travelers' Club -- Chapter 108: Watching Sam Again

“Sam, I want to tell you something else,” began Mrs. Steers.  “It’s important and it’s time that you knew.  It’s a sort of a confession from me.”

Sam was immediately intrigued. He never knew what Mrs. Steers might say.

“Ever wonder how I knew that your favorite jelly was strawberry?”

“Yea, I remember that day.  I had just gotten home from school,” said Sam.  “And you had a…”

Mrs. Steers nodded.  “Yes, a sandwich waiting for you.  A peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich. It was my way of making you wonder how she knew that about me?”  She sat back and sighed.  “And the unlocked attic door.  The box placed out in open so you would be able to find it.  The one with the newspaper with the fingerprint of Jack the Ripper.

Sam was taken aback, shaking his head.  “You mean that you put that box there?  I wondered later about that.”

“To be honest, Sam, I’ve been watching you ever since you were born.  There I said it.  That’s a load off my mind.”

After four glasses of brandy, Emily hiccupped and giggling.  “I’m shocked.  Simply shocked.  How didn’t I see that one coming?  Time-travelers into the future…” Emily mispronounced “travelers”, giggling about it.  The brandy had done its job.

Rose snickered.  Ari almost spit up his drink.  Sam’s mouth hung open.  Grandma Henry looked up at the ceiling, avoiding all eye contact.  Everyone else held their breath, trying not to burst out laughing.

Mrs. Steers, on the other hand, didn’t let the comment pass.  “Time-traveler.  We’re time-travelers.”  Mrs. Steers was stern and frank, standing like a teacher about to whack an unruly student with a ruler.

Grandma Henry tried to comfort her.  “Emily, please don’t take this so hard.  Sam had unique powers.  Lottie has talked with us about the whole thing.  We’re quite alright with it.”  There was an edge of concern in her voice, but she tried to cover it up.  Grandpa Henry just smiled and nodded in agreement, trying not to let his concern show either.

Emily managed to say. “You’ve been spying on us.”

“Yes, I have.”  Mrs. Steers sat down next to Sam.

“Really?  That’s kind of weird.”  Sam was a little unsettled by her comment.

“Yes, it is, but I did it with good purpose.” She turned and smiled at Sam. “I can still see you when you were just a few days old.  You were the pride and joy of both your Mom and Dad.  And you still are.  I remember one time when you were five years old...”

Mrs. Steers began to tell a story.  “I can still see it. Sam, you were holding on tightly to the string of a kite fluttering way up in the sky.  Your Dad had a good grip on both you and the kite string. The park was busy that day. It was late summer. The weather was perfect. Not too hot, not too cool. The partly cloudy sky brought many families to the park. You and your Dad took great pride in your homemade kite flying high above.”

"What do you think, Sam?" asked George.  "Looks like we did a great job."

"It's awesome."  Sam said in a small voice.

“For a four-year-old, you are very independent,” said Mrs. Steers.  “You have some real enthusiasm. And from what I've gathered, you're going to like what I've got to teach you.  I've got a lot of information about you, Sam Henry."

She observed his bright eyes and felt that she had found the one that the Club had been searching for.

"Sam, when you get ready… guess what I've got?" yelled Emily from a nearby picnic table. "PBSJ."

Mrs. Steers looked puzzled, but realized, as she walked over to Emily what the code meant. "Ah. Peanut butter and... ah, strawberry." Mrs. Steers turned to see a young Sam scrambling from his Dad's lap and running towards her. She didn't have time to move as he ran right through her. Mrs. Steers felt the quick change of temperature like a cold breeze. Sam didn't stop, noticing nothing.

“Your favorite sandwich,” said Mrs. Steers, jotting it down in her notebook.

Back to present-day, Mrs. Steers looked at Sam.  “That’s how I knew.  I’m surprised you didn’t put it all together sooner.  Time-traveling.”

“That’s the best way to learn about someone,” added Rose.  “But we are very respectful of privacy.  We usually don’t spy on living people.”

  Mrs. Steers continued her story.  “I spent several days watching episodes of your life, including the first few days of your life, early birthdays, and many of your adventures across the country.”  She sat down next to Xavier.

“It wasn't until you turned ten that I began to notice that I couldn't always follow you.  No matter how hard I tried, there were certain events in your life that I couldn't watch.”   Mrs. Steers took a sip of her wine. “My last successful attempt was to your Dad died.”

“You were there,” said Sam.

“I was, but you didn’t see me.  It was then that I began to believe that I was on the right trail.  I had experienced similar issues with previous generations of your family.  First your Dad, then your Grandpa Henry.”  She glanced over at him. 

Grandpa Henry raised his glass.  “Cheers to you for seeing me so much.”  Grandma Henry poked him with her elbow in his ribs.

Mrs. Steers nodded and raised her glass to acknowledge his witty response, before returning to her story.  “Then your Great-Grandpa Henry and on back for a few more generations.  I knew a lot about your ancestry to a point but seemed to have only limited information when each turned ten years old.  Not because I couldn't find it, but because I couldn't go back to watch it.

“I read about that in your notes,” said Rose.  “According to legend, most members of The Time Travelers Club could not be followed or traced after a certain age, usually between ten and twelve.  Their "cloaking" powers began to grow by then.  Most members didn't know that and some never did.  It was by pure luck that Mrs. Steers found you and your lineage.”

Xavier added to the discussion.  “Now all these years later, Sam Henry would turn out to be the Club’s best shot to secure the past as it was and should be.”

Mrs. Steers wrapped up, “That’s how I knew.  I saw you that last time at the hospital.”

Judging by the changing expressions on her face, Sam realized that she had enjoyed watching him and his Mom and Dad but was saddened when she was there at his Dad’s death.

“Wow!”  Emily was astonished.  "Now that's really creepy.  This whole story just freaks me out."  Mrs. Steers had reluctantly kept her glass full of brandy, but she had to keep Emily calm.

Grandma Henry finally got up.   “Come on Emily, let’s go upstairs.  You need to lay down.”  Taking her by the arm, Grandma Henry helped her up the stairs.

“Lottie, we understand,” said Grandpa Henry, making clear eye contact and nodding.  “Thank you for all the information.  If Emily knew what you are asking…”   He paused, glanced at Sam, then back to her.  “We understand.  Everything will be just fine.  We’ll take care of her.”

After giving Sam a bear hug, Grandpa Henry went upstairs.

“That was strange,” said Sam.  “What did Grandpa Henry mean?”

“I’ve talked to him about keeping you safe while we take care of those noodleheads.”  Mrs. Steers tried to lighten the mood by declaring.  “We are going to battle!”  She held up her fist and shook it.  Sam chuckled over her over-dramatization.

“You and Mr. Steers never had children.  Why not?”

“No that not’s true.  We had two.  A boy and a girl.  Daniel and Emma.”  Mrs. Steers looked down at the floor.

“Where are they?”  Sam asked, then added.  “Did they die?”

“Oh no, they’re not dead.  They take on very important missions for the Club.  You see they also learned to time-travel, but during these dangerous times, they stay away from here.  You see, they are very well hidden from them and others.  They do work like Albert.  They are both Rescuers.”

“Wow,” said Sam.  “Your family is really into the Club.  What do the Rescuers do?”

“Yes, we are,” said Mrs. Steers.   “There are only a few Rescuers in the Club. Their jobs are to rescue people when they are in trouble or from danger, both Club members and non-Club members.  They guard secrets.”  Mrs. Steers took a drink. “Now, you should rest.  Tomorrow, we are going on an adventure and you play a very important role. We have a big day ahead.  It’s going to be very interesting.”

Sam got excited.  “Are we going to see something unusual?  What is it?”

“We are going to Fingal’s Cave in Scotland,” said Mrs. Steers.  “Right now, the whole Club is preparing.  I want you to be here first thing in the morning.  Dress warm for very cold weather.  Seven o’clock on the dot.  Here.”

"Does my Mom know that..." Sam pushed for more information, but Mrs. Steers cut him off.

“Tomorrow.  Seven o’clock. She knows that we are going on a trip but doesn’t know any more.”

Sam gave up and went upstairs.