A CRACK IN TIME By Linda Arditto Copyright2013LindaArditto Published by Clover Digital Media Cover by Clover Digital Media Additional Graphics

Clover Digital Media Smashwords Edition License Notes This eBoo is licensed !or your personal en"oy#ent only$ This eBoo #ay not be re% sold or given a&ay to other people$ '! you &ould li e to share this boo &ith another person( please buy another copy !or each recipient$ '! you)re reading this boo and did not purchase it( or it &as not purchased !or your use only( then please go and buy your o&n copy$ Than you !or respecting the hard &or o! this author$ This eBoo is a &or o! !iction and any li eness to people( living or dead( is purely coincidental$ The characters are productions o! the author)s i#agination and used !ictitiously$ A Crack in Time Prel de to !The "east #ithin$ ')ll never !orget that night( so#ething had &o en #e and ')d ventured do&nstairs$ 't &as a!ter #idnight and ' ne& ' &as the only one in the house$ *veryone had ta en a carriage to London as the Great *+hibition began in a !e& days and ' &ould have the lu+ury o! being on #y o&n !or a &ee $ ,other had been very e+cited &hen she le!t at the prospect o! seeing -ueen .ictoria and Prince Albert at the e+hibition( a !leeting glance &ould satis!y her$ ')d decided to stay ho#e/ it &ould give #e ti#e to &rite #ore o! #y boo undisturbed and ' &as so !ar behind &ith #y &riting this &ould be a &elco#e brea !ro# #y !a#ily$ ,r$ Carter !ro# the publishing house o! 0Carter and 1ren) had pro#ised #e publication at a discounted price$ 2is o!!er &as very generous and ' ne& he)d ta en a li ing to #e &hen &e !irst #et at 0The Crossroads 'nn)$ ,y theories on 0early #an) and the research ')d done on the sub"ect had !ascinated hi#/ this is &hen he)d #ade #e the o!!er$

3'! you &rite a boo about &hat you)ve discovered( &ell( ')ll publish it !or you at a shilling a copy(4 he)d said$ A shilling a copy &as a very good price and ')d #anaged to save a tidy little su# over the last !e& years$ ,y ban account no& held !our hundred and !orty !ive pounds and ' &asn)t about to #iss this opportunity$ As ' reached the botto# o! the staircase ' loo ed around as !ar as the light !ro# #y candle &ould allo&$ Nothing loo ed out o! place and ' could hear no sounds( #aybe it had been #y i#agination( #other &ould o!ten tell #e ' had a vivid one$ As ' turned to go bac upstairs and to #y bed once #ore( the light !ro# #y candle passed across a s#all table at the !oot o! the stairs$ ' only gli#psed do&n !or a #o#ent but noticed #y grand!athers) poc et &atch sat there$ ,other al&ays ept it loc ed a&ay in a sa!e in the library but there it &as/ laying on the table in plain vie&$ ' pic ed it up and s#iled( re#e#bering #y grand!ather &ho died &hen ' &as seven years old$ 2e)d had a huge &hite beard and #oustache and ' al&ays thought he loo ed li e 5t Nicholas/ ' re#e#bered his "ovial laugh every ti#e ' as ed i! ' could sit on his lap$ 2e &ould tell #e stories o! his travels( A!rica( the A#ericas and even the Arctic$ ' suppose it &as because o! those stories ' beca#e interested in seeing !irsthand ho& people in other lands di!!ered !ro# us$ ' sat on a step and placed the candlestic do&n beside #e$ 2olding the &atch in both hands ' couldn)t see the dial and re#e#bered #y #other telling #e it &as a !ull hunter$ ' didn)t no& &hat that #eant as a child until she pushed a button on the top and the case opened revealing a beauti!ul !ace &ith 6o#an nu#erals and blue hands$ ' did the sa#e to see that dial once #ore$ As it opened ' noticed a !e& crac s in the !ace( ' had no recollection o! the# being there be!ore but in that instant #y eyes !ailed #e$ ' &as losing !ocus and the roo# started to spin at such a rate ' thought ' &as going to !aint a&ay$ ,y eyes started to slo&ly open and !or a #o#ent ' thought it had all been a drea# until ' beca#e a&are o! #y surroundings$ ' &as outside/ the sun &as shining as ' pic ed #ysel! up o!! the ground$ ' loo ed around/ ' could see nothing but desert &ith a !e& tu!ts o! spi y grass here and there and great colu#ns o! roc stretching up to the s y$ 1hat &as this place ' &ondered( but ' didn)t have to &ait long to !ind out$ ' !elt a s#all earth7ua e under #y !eet and a roaring sound getting louder$ Loo ing around #e ' could see dust in the air and realised it &as do8ens o! large ani#als heading #y &ay$ ' needed to !ind cover be!ore ' beca#e tra#pled in the desert$ 6unning across their path ' thre& #ysel! on the ground clear o! the large cla&ed !eet that past close to #y head$ 'n an instant they &ere gone and ' !ound #ysel! !ace do&n cho ing in dust$ ' didn)t &ant to get up or loo up and "ust lay there gasping !or air &hen ' !elt a hand on #y shoulder$ Be!ore ' could loo around to see &ho had placed it there the hand "er ed #e to #y !eet$ 1iping the dust !ro# #y eyes and sha ing it !ro# #y hair ' !elt a#a8ed to see si+ #en$ These &ere no ordinary #en as ')d never seen the li es o! the# be!ore$ Long%haired and bearded they &ere &earing nothing #ore than ani#al s ins sparsely covering their bodies$ They stared at #e and started spea ing to one another in a language ' &as not !a#iliar &ith be!ore signalling #e to !ollo& the#$ 1e &al ed to one o! the great colu#ns &here ' could see a hole cut in the side( this is &here they entered$ ' !ollo&ed the# in and to #y a#a8e#ent !ound #ysel! in a cosy area &here a !ire burned in the center o! the roo#$ ' call it a roo# !or lac o! a better &ord/ ' suppose it &as nothing #ore than a cave$ There &ere &o#en in there and a !e& children( ' !elt a& &ard( the &o#en &ore nothing on the top hal! o! their bodies$ ')d seen bare breasted &o#en in A!rica during #y travels and the sa#e !eeling o! e#barrass#ent overca#e #e once #ore$

9ne o! the &o#en s#iled at #e but be!ore ' could return this &elco#e gesture one o! the #en struc her do&n &ith his !ist$ This upset #e and ' stepped bet&een the# be!ore he could stri e her again$ 5he had done nothing &rong and ' !elt his #anner &as un"usti!ied$ As she stood up behind #e he reached around and grabbed her hair( pulling her passed #e and !lung her into the corner o! the roo#$ ' !elt angry and he could see the e+pression on #y !ace$ 2e struc his chest several ti#es &ith his le!t !ist and yelled at #e in his native tongue &hile leaning to&ards #e in a threatening #anner$ ' loo ed around the cave/ no one sho&ed concern and &ent about their business$ Another o! the #en handed #e a crude ni!e( it had started as a stone o! so#e sort and had been chiseled a&ay to create a sharp blade$ The top &as bound in leather as a #a eshi!t handle$ ')d seen so#ething si#ilar( once again in A!rica$ ,y heart started beating uncontrollably( thu#ping in #y chest as i! it &anted to separate itsel! !ro# #e and !lee$ 2e stopped yelling and also pic ed up a ni!e( the sa#e as ' held in #y hand$ ' started to believe this &as a duel !or the &o#an &ho sat huddled in the corner and ' ad#it &ishing at that #o#ent #y set o! pistols &ere here &ith #e$ 2e leapt !or&ard and it:s then ' realised the ni!e &as in #y right%hand but in #y le!t &as #y grand!athers) poc et &atch$ ')d been holding on to it all this ti#e$ ' dropped the ni!e and grabbed his &rist preventing hi# !ro# ending #y li!e there and then$ 1e scu!!led around and at one point ' thought it &ould all end &hen &e al#ost tu#bled into the !ire$ 1e both lost our !ooting and !ell to the ground;;' heard hi# e+hale( deep and long be!ore ' noticed he &asn)t #oving$ 2is ni!e had entered through his sto#ach and he laid there;$dead$ ' got to #y !eet( loo ing around at the !aces in the roo# ' noticed no one see#ed to care$ T&o #en pic ed up his body and re#oved hi# !ro# the cave be!ore ' !ollo&ed the# outside$ The desert stretched beyond the hori8on and ' sa& ani#als gra8ing on the tu!ts o! grass in the distance( ani#als li e ')d never seen be!ore$ 't)s then ' realised ' &as loo ing at dinosaurs< ' e+a#ined #y grand!athers) poc et &atch( opening the cover ' hoped it hadn)t been da#aged &hen once again #y vision !ailed #e$ ,y head &as spinning$ ' opened #y eyes to !ind #ysel! sat at the des in the library o! #y ho#e$ ' had returned to !a#iliar surroundings$ =a&n crept into the roo# as the shado&s !ro# the !urniture #oved slo&ly across the !loor$ ' placed the poc et &atch on the des a!ter closing the case and re#oved so#e paper !ro# the dra&er$ Ta ing the pen and dipping it in the in &ell ' ne& #y boo &ould ta e another direction as ' began to &rite;$$ The Beast Within By John Pitt %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%