Tear In Time (16 page)

 
Anticipating the promise of rain, David opened his canteen and drank the last
of his warm, stale water. As he cleared his throat, far off in the distance
beyond the trees he caught a bright light out of the corner of his eye. Turning
instinctively, he saw nothing unusual. Seconds later, he heard the rumble of
distant thunder. Rechecking his buttons and pulling securely on his hat, he
didn't have to wait for long. Moments later, he heard the dull sound of a
raindrop as it bounced off his brim, then there was another and still another.
Within minutes, the angry clouds had opened up and poured water down upon the
euphoric column of men in cool torrents of rain. As they collected their water
and satisfied their dehydration, the soldiers congratulated themselves on their
good fortune, despite the danger of the violent lightning that sounded all around
them.

  David
did as the old doctor instructed. He bowed his head slightly and allowed the
heavy sheets of rain to flush the filth from the brim of his hat. Tasting the
water as it drained through the front, he felt satisfied with its cleanliness and
began to refill his canteen. Just as the soldiers had done, David drank his
fill of the cool, refreshing water, before topping off his canteen.

  As the
column of men marched in the driving storm, a new enemy became apparent in the
form of lightning. Louder and more violent with each passing minute, tremendous
bolts boomed a short distance away, startling the exhausted men into heightened
alert. Each man watched with fearful anxiety as the lightning shot out of the
angry sky, branching out as its fingers of death challenged every man's safety.
Discipline and duty kept the column organized and on path as they struggled to
overcome their instinct to run.

  The
falling rain cooled the afternoon air, dropping temperatures by more than
twenty degrees. With their uniforms soaked through to their skin, and the
continual battering by the gusty winds, the soldiers quickly began to feel the
outer fringes of cold. Soon, shivering men marched in formation as the
unrelenting deluge turned the once dry road into a slippery and muddy rut.

  David
sat atop his horse, barely clinging to the reins as he pulled his cold hands up
into his sleeves, while his horse instinctively followed on course. As the rain
poured down upon him, he worked a delicate balance between the water rolling
off the front of his hat and onto his stomach, or tilting his head rearward
slightly and letting the rain drip down his back. Both conditions could only be
tolerated for a few moments before the cool water that penetrated his heavy
woolen uniform sapped the warmth from either side of his body, sending deep
chills throughout.

  Cold
and shivering, David looked over to the old doctor to see how he was faring.
Seated upright with near perfect posture, the old doctor seemed unaffected by
the latest atmospheric conditions. Even as lightning flashed all around him,
Dr. Morgan barely flinched as the loud cracks of thunder sent shockwaves that
could be felt, lightly reverberating off his body. Stoic and statuesque, the
old Doctor rode as a symbol of courage and determination, an example for all
follow.

  “Doc,
you might want to wipe your brow. I think it's raining,” David said
sarcastically through shivering lips.

 
Understanding David's comments implicitly, Dr. Morgan replied, “Steady, lad.
The chances of lightning striking you are one in five thousand; the strength of
the column. Admittedly we are in danger, but far less than in battle.” He
paused a moment, then added, “Understanding the details is the key to staying
collected.”

  “Those
odds could change dramatically if a bolt of lightning takes out a bunch of us
at one time,” David replied respectfully. "How can everyone continue when
death is mere feet away?"

  “Once
again, lad, you employ impeccable logic. Unfortunately, we are bound by duty to
ignore such logic in the face of war. We must stand resolute in our
determination to fulfill our duty. If we compromise our principles and turn
from our responsibilities, I'm afraid we would lose the war before the first
battle has heard a single shot, for man can neither pick his circumstance, nor
adjust his morals to suit his conflict. Nay, lad, we must stand in spite of
circumstance and follow our moral compass even as we stare into the eyes of
death. We must endeavor to persevere when we are persuaded to the
contrary," Dr Morgan elaborated. He paused a moment, then finished,
"As soldiers, we pledge our word, and our countrymen, our nation, count on
our bond in order to succeed in our task. If our country calls for us to march
through dangerous weather, we are no less bound to do so than if we march into
battle."

  David
rode quietly and thought about the profound words the old doctor just spoke.
The honesty, the integrity, the high moral fiber that Dr. Morgan communicated
with and lived by took David aback. Just moments before, he felt a sense of
detachment from that world. The war around him, while unfortunate, was not his
war. He was only a part of it due to an unfortunate circumstance. The moral and
political issues surrounding it did not concern him. Staying alive to return
home was his only focus. Suddenly now, he felt humbled as he thought about his
own failings and his lax perception of duty. He looked around at the soldiers
as they marched through the violent storm. These were truly men of honor. From
the lowliest bugler, to the highest general, all carried the pride of loyalty
and patriotism. Unspoken, but clearly understood, these men possessed the same
philosophy as the old doctor beside him. They marched because of duty: duty to
the past, duty to their fellow countrymen, and duty to the countrymen not yet
born. Even though he was from the future, he was now, at that moment, of the
past, and these men were now his countrymen. They were entrusting their lives
to him. In some way, David felt he was letting them down. It didn't matter that
he was from the future and hoped to return. His presence in that time did not
negate his responsibility to the men he marched with. In an instant, David's
perception of his presence changed. He realized that duty was the same whether
he was from the future or past. They were counting on him to possess the same
qualities as the whole, and march as they marched, with determination to duty.

  Shivering
in the driving rain, it was at that moment that David's own determination to
duty was born. He stiffened in the saddle and rode through the jarring bolts of
lightning, accepting whatever fate would hand him. He was as they were; a
soldier of the regiment, and would face death if he must, because his
countrymen expected no less.

  Hours
later, in the fading light of the evening, the violent lightning and heavy rain
finally ended. David began to feel a welcome change in temperature as the land
started to heat up once more. With the air dead calm, he began to dry out, and
his steady shiver was now just an occasional chill. As the column of men slowly
came to a halt in preparation of their evening camp, relief that he would soon
be resting by a warm fire lifted his spirits.

 
"Boy, now that all the action is over, it sure will be nice to sit and
relax by the fire and dry out," David said.

 
"I agree, lad. It was a wonderful little storm, but I think I'd prefer a
change in scenery," Dr. Morgan replied.

 
"Wonderful little storm? Doc, that was one of the most violent things I've
ever witnessed," David retorted back.

 
"I rather enjoyed the display. It sure made the ride entertaining,"
Dr. Morgan continued.

 
"I'd say it was entertaining," David said with great emphasis.
"Weren't you scared at all?"

 
"Well, to be truthful, I will probably require a change of britches,"
Dr. Morgan joked.

  They
both looked at each other silently for a moment and digested the old doctor's
uncharacteristic humor. As truth and humor combined as one, both men broke out
in laughter, a sound repressed during the arduous march, and welcomed as a
relief to the stress and worry they had internalized throughout the day.

  The
two worked together quickly to set up camp and build a fire. David collected
wood and kindling as Dr. Morgan set up the tents and dug out their food for the
evening meal. Soon the pair settled in to their near flavorless dinner,
consisting of hardtack crackers, salt pork boiled with a few assorted roots the
old doctor discovered by the tree line during the day's march, coffee and some
dried fruit. With David's stomach groaning for sustenance, he did his best to
ignore the bland flavors and concentrated on replenishing his body's much
needed energy. While he ate, he suppressed any torturous cravings he might have
had and concentrated on his return home. Staring pensively through the fire, he
was uncharacteristically quiet, a change in personality the old doctor
immediately sensed.

 
"Forgive me for prying, David, but I sense you are in conflict. Is there
anything I might be able to help you with?" Dr. Morgan asked.

 
"Unless you can order me a pizza, I doubt it," David replied, joking.

 
"Ah, pizza - cuisine indigenous to your time. I'm sorry, David. I tried to
prepare our food as flavorful as I could, but we are limited in rations,"
Dr. Morgan apologized.

 
"Doc, you did a fine job. Actually, I'm trying to figure out how I got
here. If I can just understand the mechanics of the event, maybe I can
replicate it in reverse," David replied, rubbing his unshaven growth of
chin hair.

 
"Sound reasoning, David. Have you come up with anything yet?" the old
doctor asked.

 
"Nothing," David replied bluntly. "I can't remember any one
thing that stands out from when I crossed into your time."

 
"Would you mind relating to me again the series of events that occurred as
you appeared?" Dr. Morgan asked, hoping to find some hidden details not
yet discussed.

 
Understanding the old doctor's reasoning, David gladly obliged, "Well,
it's like we've discussed during the march. That poor little girl died on the
operating table. I wandered down the hall to the elevator, got in, and just
sort of stared through the back wall. The next thing I knew, the elevator
descended on its own. As it descended, I remember being so distraught over that
young girl’s death, I punched the picture on the back wall. As I picked it up
off the floor, the elevator stopped and the door behind me opened. I turned
around and saw you working on a patient, when you called to me for assistance.
From there, things get a little fuzzy for me. I believe I squeezed though the
doors and out onto the grass. When I turned around, the elevator was gone, and
there were explosions all around me," David finished, still rubbing his
chin more intently now.

 
"Hmm, interesting. I cannot understand why I didn't see the elevator. I
only observed you standing several yards from me," Dr. Morgan said. He
paused a moment in thought, then continued, "Maybe it had something to do
with the natural creation of things in time?"

 
"I'm not following you, doc. Could you elaborate more?" David asked.

 
"Well, maybe the reason I couldn't see anything from your world was that
for me, looking in from my time period, things of your time haven't been
created yet. If they haven't been created, then I can't see them, but as you
looked from your world into my world, you were looking at things that had
existed for many years, therefore you could see everything in my world from
your time period," Dr. Morgan stated, looking confused with his own
explanation. "I think I'm beginning to sound unbalanced," he
finished, feeling a bit embarrassed by his explanation.

 
"Doc! I think you're onto something," David blurted out. "It
makes perfect sense. Why else couldn't you see the elevator...  or the
building for that matter?" he said enthusiastically. "Wow, this is
really complex."

 
"If my explanation is accurate, then I'd have to agree. It does twist the
mind just thinking about it," Dr. Morgan replied, equally intrigued.

 
"So, we can’t see into the future because the future hasn’t happened
yet?" David said, more rhetorical than questioning.

  Dr.
Morgan’s face frowned for a moment in disapproval. “David, I think we’re
overlooking an important detail with this theory. You are from the future. How
is it that I was able to see you in the elevator?”

  “Huh,
that’s a very good point. Must have something to do with living tissue, I
guess. Maybe living tissue has some kind of energy, while non-living tissue
does not. I don’t know, doc, but one thing’s for certain: I’m proof that living
tissue can be seen beyond this time period,” David replied. He paused a moment
in thought, then asked, “Any thoughts on this one, doc?”