It was cold. Bitterly cold. The sleet and snow whipped her face. Despite being dressed with high-performance winter gear, she had started to shiver as she waited for the bus which was over 20 minutes late. Why had she ventured out into this winter storm on a day when all the schools had closed? There were no cars in sight. The wind was blowing so hard she could hear it moaning way, way up in the atmosphere. Anyone with half a brain knew better than to leave their house that morning. Yet there she was…waiting for the bus.
She could have just called to say she couldn’t make it. They would have understood. After all, some of them might not even make it to the meeting. But it was too important and she would not be the one to bail out. A quitter, she was not.
Her toes were beginning to throb from the cold. She reflected on the upcoming meeting in the hopes that it would take her mind off the fact that she was freezing. She wondered if they would ask her the same questions that all the others did. Probably. Most journalists have little imagination. They like facts and numbers, statistics and trends, they sometimes even believe the haters, citing rumours from the chat rooms and Facebook. She hoped that this bunch would be more open-minded than the others. After all, Associated Press was a reputable organisation. They had reported on many stories that mainstream media blatantly ignored, misinterpreted or spun for attention-grabbing headlines. Yes, AP was the right choice to go public with her revelations. And time was of the essence. This interview could not be put off. If she waited any longer, the fate of the world could change forever in just a few months’ time on April 8th, 2024.
She was born in Montreal in 1940. Well, that’s what her birth certificate stated. That would make her 84 years old today. At first glance, anyone would guess her to be in her late thirties and no amount of cosmetic surgery could make an 84 year-old look less than half her age. How could she explain it? Most didn’t believe her story and only a few finally came to realize that she was speaking the truth, mostly family members and a couple of close friends. But everyone else thought she was seeking attention, akin to people claiming UFO sightings. Little did they know that she hated being in the spotlight which she typically avoided at all costs. She had, in fact, not talked about it to anyone for years. But now, things were different. The time had come. The truth had to be told even if it made her uneasy.
A gust of wind lashed freezing rain in her face. She tried to turn her back to it, but it was swirling in all directions. Where was that goddamn bus already? As she started to consider turning back, a car stopped and honked twice. She turned, peering over her glasses which by now had become caked in ice. She couldn’t make out who it might be and didn’t recognize the car. Did she know this person or was it simply a good Samaritan?
She took a few steps and reached for the door handle as the window slid open. Inside, a man smiled and said “Hop in!”. She did not recognize this person but he seemed friendly enough and at this point she was so cold she would have gladly gotten into anyone’s car, friendly or not.
Where you headed?” he asked.
“Downtown”, she responded.
“Great! That’s where I was going.” he answered. He turned up the heater as she sat. “It’s really bad out there. I couldn’t help but to offer you a ride.”
The heat was a great relief but what really caught her off guard was the warmth of his smile and the sparkle in his eyes. Who was this man and how was it that their paths would cross on this particular day of all days?
July 20th, 1963
She was 23 years old. This fateful day would come to light in some 60 years in the future. She had been anticipating this moment for what seemed like forever but today was THE day so she headed to Trois-Rivières to witness a total solar eclipse.
There were plenty of farms all around so she parked in a big field without any trees to obstruct her view. She proceeded to set up camp, and then just waited, admiring the beauty of her surroundings. It was lucky that today was a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. A warm breeze blew lightly in the mid-summer heat.
She had taken up photography as a hobby and had purchased a special lens, hoping to capture this extraordinary event on film. If she got a good shot, she might even be able to sell it to the National Geographic Society. Partial eclipse would start at 4:30 PM and the full eclipse would begin an hour later and only last a little over one minute. Her gear was setup, she was ready.
At 5:30, the sunlight started to dim. Eight minutes later, it became dark as the moon slipped in front of the sun. The birds stopped chirping, the crickets went quiet too. The breeze died down and it seemed as though time stood still. She snapped a few shots, making sure the focus was good and trying different exposure times. She looked up and contemplated the magic of this incredible display, the colours of the sky, the silence that surrounded her. And then everything went black.
It was pitch dark. She blinked her eyes wondering if she had suddenly gone blind, but she still couldn’t see. She was lying down and was confused. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was that she had been taking pictures of the eclipse. She tried to move and realized she was in the backseat of her car. She sat up and looked around. At a distance she saw a street light. She opened the door and stepped out of the car to get back into the front seat. The key was in the ignition so she turned it and the motor promptly started. She was still parked in the field so she put the car in gear and headed to the road towards a dome of light in the distance that she figured would lead her to town.
A few minutes later she saw a sign that said Bienvenue à Trois-Rivières. She drove a while more and pulled into a gas station. It was closed and there were no other cars around. It was the middle of the night. A truck pulled up and dumped a stack of newspapers at the front door of the building and then left just as quickly as it had come. She stepped out of the car, walked over to the stack of papers and pulled one out. She gasped as she looked at the date on the front page : it was July 20th, 2008!
For years she hadn’t mentioned to anyone what she had experienced. She wasn’t even sure that she understood it herself. But 16 years had gone by since she had woken up in the backseat of her car, seemingly having time-traveled 45 years into the future and she had become convinced that the solar eclipse must have something to do with it. With another one just around the corner in less than 2 months, she had to get her story on record and documented to warn others of the potential danger...but also to proclaim her sanity to all the naysayers.
The man who had offered a ride downtown was making small-talk. He seemed genuinely nice. She tried to listen to him but her mind was on the upcoming meeting where the truth would be revealed. Would they believe her? A DNA test could shed some light on her origins and family tree but would it be enough to prove her claim?
“So you must have something really important to do to be out in this weather,” he prompted.
Her eyes peered over her glasses at him. He was slowly making his way through the snow-filled street with barely any visibility despite the street lights being on, windshield wipers going full blast yet struggling to wipe away the ice and snow that had built up. The car was swerving which made her uneasy but his calm demeanor alleviated her anxiety somehow.
“Yeah, I do,” she responded. “I guess you do too, eh?”
“Well, I don’t know how it will go, if it really will turn out to be important. If it’s true, it could be. If it ends up being a hoax, I’ll be tempted to kick myself for even heading out today.” He paused, “Then again, I wouldn’t have bumped into you.” He turned to smile at her, eyes sparkling. She blushed, hoping it wouldn’t show.
The car swerved, he turned the steering wheel to counter the spin but it was too late. The car skidded and stopped on a snow drift. They were stuck. They glanced at one another and simultaneously both said “Aw, shit.” They burst into laughter. She blushed some more.
“I’ll push,” she said as she rolled her eyes and reached for the door handle.
Fifteen minutes later, they were on the move again. “So what is this potential hoax thing about?”
“Well, I’m a journalist working for Associated Press and they gave me this assignment seeing as how I live in the same city as an old lady who claims to have time-traveled. I’m going to interview her and find out what her story is.”
She was relieved that he had to keep his eyes on the road or he would have seen how utterly stunned she looked. This was one of the journalists she was going to reveal her story to.
“Wow, time travel, huh? Are you the only one covering the story?”
“I heard CBC was sending someone and somebody from Fox News will be there too...if you can call them a news organization.” He smiled at her and winked. That sparkle again.
“Do you think time travel is possible?” she inquired sheepishly.
“I don’t know. I try to keep an open mind, otherwise I might miss an important detail that could point me to the truth. If I show up with a “spin” in mind, my report will be biased. I don’t operate like that.”
“May I ask what your name is, Mr. Journalist?”
They were stopped at an intersection, he looked over at her and said, “Sure, I am James Kirkland. Pleased to meet you...And you are?”
“Pleased to meet you James. I’m Pat... the time traveler.” Their eyes locked. She could see him connecting the dots all the while trying to keep his composure. The sparkle came back and he grinned at her. She could feel his energy flowing through her. Their connection was palpable, even in the cold. Fate had brought them together and they instantly knew it.
April 8th, 2024 - Montreal - Solar eclipse
From the day they met, they had spent every waking moment together and most nights too. This day, however, would be a special one as it was eclipse day. They had headed out of town to enjoy the display together, hoping to snap some great photos and spend this very special day in each other’s company without the possibility of interruptions from anyone.
They were alone in a field, gear ready. It started to get dark. The birds stopped chirping, the crickets went quiet too. The breeze died down and it seemed as though time stood still. He took her in his arms, kissed her gently. They both looked up and contemplated the magic of this incredible display, the colours of the sky, the silence that surrounded them. All was perfect. And then everything went black.
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