Page 94 of The Uprising
After a few minutes, Cara turned, moved back towards him, and jumped back into the car. She shook her head; her hair was coated in a sheen of rain and her face was drenched.
‘Someone buzzed us in,’ she said, wiping the rain drops from her face with a tissue.
‘The gates swung open, and the sports car passed through the widening gap.
George blinked and stared ahead, frowning. ‘Are you seeing what I’m seeing, or am I in a parallel universe?’
Cara looked up from scouring the contents of her handbag, and her eyes widened.
‘What’s happened to Willow Manor?’ he murmured.
‘Bloody hell,’ she whispered, and turned to George. She swallowed. ‘This can only mean one thing. The timeline has reset. It’s just like when I went to your workshop last year and it didn’t exist anymore...you had disappeared.’
‘But, I’m here.’
‘Yes—thank God for that. Let’s turn around and get out of here,’ said Cara, shaking inwardly as she contemplated the potential implications of the timeline reset. ‘Let’s go home.’
She cast one more glance at the modern complex of luxury apartments where Willow Manor should have been, before George turned the car around and they waited for the gates to open again.
He captured Cara’s damp, cold hand in his, then raised it to his lips and planted a warm kiss onto her skin. ‘You’re right; let’s go home.’ He was equally shaken but doing his best to stay calm.
‘What do you think is going on?’ she said.
‘I wish I knew.’
They were uncharacteristically quiet during the return journey. The rain strummed on the windows and the classical music hummed gently in the background as the car powered along the wet York roads, and the windscreen wipers swished valiantly back and forth. Cara held George’s hand for most of the journey, unable to get a handle on her rising panic. The Porsche finally swung into the lane that led to the cottage. Cara’s body tensed even more, and she closed her eyes as the car turned into the cottage entrance. She heard the wheels crunch onto the gravel and waited.
That’s a good sign.
‘You can open your eyes now. It’s all okay, darling.’
Cara’s eyes opened, and she let out a long, ragged breath when she saw their wonderful cottage just as they left it.
‘Breathe,’ said George.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved to see it. I was scared it wouldn’t be here; that it would have vanished just like Willow Manor.’
‘I guessed that’s what you were worried about.’
‘I think we had better call Eddie, later,’ she said, her voice tremulous. They ran through the heavy rain and George unlocked the front door.
‘Come here,’ said George. He held her tightly and she was instantly soothed by his calming proximity.
‘I’m shocked about Willow Manor, but I’m grateful you’re here. Ever since last year, I’ve been scared the timeline would reset and I’d lose you again, forever. And now it has, but we’re still together,’ she said.
They remained like that for a long time, swaying in the cocoon of each other’s arms in the cottage hallway, neither of them wanting to break the spell.
They dined on their favourite supper of spaghetti and George’s home-made tomato sauce, which he said was the perfect antidote for a trying day. They cleared up and then Cara called Eddie.
After a quick catch up, Eddie said, ‘It’s inevitable with all of that stuff going on in the various timelines. It would almost be stranger if nothing changed... Please run through it again; slowly this time, and let’s see if we can identify which piece of the puzzle created the quantum time loop and caused Willow Manor to disappear.’
Cara said, ‘In a way, I think you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’
Eddie chuckled, ‘Is it obvious?’
‘Yes, it is. We’re having a torrid time and you’re geeking out on quantum time loops.’
‘I’m sorry, my dear. I feel dreadful about what you’re both going through. But, it is beneficial for all of us that we make headway with the time travel research. That way we’ll be able to understand the cause and effect of our actions, in the future,’ said Eddie, his voice loud and echoing around the kitchen.
