THE VORTEX

Written by DTYarbrough

A SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY

© Copyright 2011
All rights reserved
 THE VORTEX
“What year is this?” Aaron wondered as he stepped out of the time
machine. “Better yet, what world is this?”

Aaron had time-traveled a few times before, but he had never left Earth.
But this wasn't Earth, not by any stretch of the imagination. The sky was a
dull magenta with purple clouds. Multiple moons of varying sizes orbited far
above. The reddish sun filled a large portion of the sky. As for the year, there
was no way to tell. The time machine was inoperable. Its many read-outs
were blank as though it had been drained of every last drop of power.

Gravity seemed to be similar to Earth's, and there was a breeze filled with
aromas, some almost familiar, some not so. The air seemed dry and the
terrain arid. A few scattered bushes dotted the landscape and dust devils
danced in the distance. Mountain ranges seem to encircle the entire valley
and the white caps of the taller peaks told him that there would be water
there. He could see the glitter of a reflective object off in the distance.

Having no compelling reason to go in any other direction, he gathered his

few belongings from the machine and headed off in the direction of the
mysterious object. The temperature was uncomfortably warm and he soon
removed his jacket. Not knowing if he would need it again, he tied the sleeves
around his waist, since there was little room in his backpack. The ground
was dry and cracked like mud in a dry river bed. There had been water there.
Perhaps this planet had seasons similar to those on Earth. “I hope this isn't
winter,” he thought.

Aaron was in his mid twenties, a few years out of graduate school. His
studies in physics and bio-electronics had led to his discovery of a power
source capable of distorting space time. Traveling relatively short distances
into the future had helped him refine his discovery. This was to be his first
attempt at a leap back in time, but obviously something had gone wrong. He
had checked and double checked his circuits. He could find nothing wrong
except for the fact that the power source stubbornly refused to function.

Aaron had been pretty much a loner, with his research taking up almost
all of his time. He had a few female friends from his days at the university
but never had time for a serious relationship. It wasn't that he didn't want a
serious relationship. This jump would probably have been his last. Had
things gone well, he would have sold his patents to the highest bidder and
retired to a life of leisure.

1
 The cracked mud soon gave way to dust as the floor of the valley gradually
but steadily climbed to the foothills of the mountain range. No bushes or
vegetation of any sort grew in this dust covered stretch of arid wilderness.
With each step he kicked up a cloud of yellow dust that seemed to linger long
after he had moved on. Aaron sat down on a lone boulder and removed a
water bottle from his backpack. As he took a sip from the bottle, he thought
he saw some motion out of the corner of his eye.

As he looked around he saw a small dust cloud. Ahead of the dust cloud
and headed in his direction, the level of the dust rose and fell as something
was obviously moving just below the surface. Aaron drew his feet up onto the
boulder just as the motion stopped a few feet away. Suddenly another cloud
of dust erupted and drifted in his direction. “Damn,” said Aaron. “Who cut
the cheese?”

Suddenly a bright orange colored creature resembling a bull frog poked

its head and forearms out of the dust as it climbed up onto the boulder.
Aaron watched as the creature inhaled several times, growing larger with
each breath. Then the familiar dust cloud erupted from behind as it deflated
back to normal size. “You have got to be kidding me,” said Aaron. “You didn't
just do that again. Death by asphyxiation. I didn't see that coming.”

As the creature inhaled again, Aaron quickly hopped up and continued

his trek toward the foothills. As he approached the mysterious object, it
became obvious that it was some sort of vehicle, not unlike his time machine.
The occupant was nowhere to be found and like his machine, this one
seemed to be powerless. The instrument panel was quite different from his,
but the writing was obviously English. Aaron looked around for tracks but
the dust made tracking impossible. He couldn't even see his own tracks.

“Surely he must have headed for the foothills,” he thought. “I wonder

where and when he's from.”

The sun was low in the sky now and Aaron put his jacket back on. “I'll
sleep inside the machine,” he thought. “It'll cut down on the windchill
tonight.”

The shell of the machine was a glass bubble and Aaron could see the stars
and moons getting brighter by the minute as the overall sky darkened to a
deep chocolate brown. Then he saw the vortex rising slowly above the peaks
of the mountain range. “What in the world?” thought Aaron. “A temporal
vortex. I should have listened to my professor. He said time travel to the past

2
would somehow be impossible. The paradox would not be permitted.”

Now that Aaron knew how he had gotten here, the real question was how
was he going to get home. Why didn't his machine function? Maybe the
traveler that arrived in this machine will have some answers. On second
thought, if his machine is still here, he hasn't found the answers either.
Aaron could only hope that maybe he had found the right questions and
together they could answer them.

Aaron ate a small snack and was nodding off when he felt a sudden cool
breeze. The door was open and a shadowy figure stood before him. “Hello,”
said Aaron. “Don't be frightened. I mean you no harm. I thought your
machine was abandoned.”

“How long have you been here?” asked the stranger in a feminine voice.
“Are you from Earth?”

“I am,” said Aaron. “I just arrived today. How long have you been here?”

“Forever, it seems,” she said. “I lost track years ago.”

“You don't sound that old,” said Aaron. “Come on in. It's got to be cold out
there. You are going to allow me to stay, aren't you?”

“I'm Sybil,” she said as she climbed in and closed the door. “Scoot over.”

“I'm Aaron,” he replied as he tried to make room. “You must have found
food and water.”

“You don't need it,” she replied. “Time has stopped here, or at least aging
and other bodily processes we associate with time. It's as though the clock is
reset with each new day.”

“Do you remember every day?” asked Aaron.

“As well as I ever did back on Earth,” said Sybil. “My mental process
seems to be unaffected, although I do spend a lot of time talking to myself.”

“I can understand that,” said Aaron. “I've only been here one day and I've
already gotten into several arguments with myself. Did you build this
machine?”

“It was my dad's,” replied Sybil.

3
 “Did you try to go back in time?” asked Aaron. “Is that how you ended up
here.”

“Don't be silly,” said Sybil. “The paradox. Surely you know about the
paradox.”

“I knew something would prevent it from occuring, but I had no idea this
would be the result,” said Aaron. “So how did you end up here.”

“A stowaway,” said Sybil.

“I beg your pardon,” said Aaron.

“I had traveled to the future and didn't realize that several frogs had gotten
into the ship while I was there,” said Sybil.

“Bright orange frogs that smell like rotten eggs when they fart,” said
Aaron. “I've already met one of your friends.”

“Well, when I tried to go back to the present, it meant the frogs were going
into the past,” said Sybil.

“But we must have brought all sorts of microbes back every time we
traveled,” said Aaron. “Where does the paradox draw the line?”

“I don't know,” said Sybil. “Like I said, my father was the time expert.”

“Have you done much exploring?” asked Aaron. “Surely there are others
like us that have ended up here.”

“It's a big planet,” said Sybil. “I never venture far from my machine just in
case it starts working again. I think it's the temporal anomalies here that
prevent it from working.”

“And they might be affected by the position of the vortex relative to the
planet and moons,” said Aaron.

“If you say so,” said Sybil. “I'm just too stubborn to give up.”

“It might be time to think about giving up if it hasn't worked after all this
time,” said Aaron. “Would you be willing to help me explore?”

4
 “What the heck,” said Sybil. “It'll break the monotony.”

“Aaow!” said Aaron. “Did you just pinch me?”

“Just checking,” said Sybil. “You wouldn't be the first one I dreamed up.”

....................

Aaron awoke as the sun was rising. He could feel her head resting on his
shoulder as she breathed almost silently. Her golden hair glistened in the
sunlight as it lay softly against his neck. “Are you awake?” he asked softly, not
wanting to wake her if she wasn't.

“It wasn't a dream,” she said. “You're really here. I'm not alone.”

“You're not alone,” he said. “Did you rest well?”

“I'm sorry,” she said as she removed her head from his shoulder. “I slept
very well. Did I disturb you?”

“Not at all,” said Aaron. “I slept like a baby.”

“It's a little crowded in here,” said Sybil.

“Since you've been here a while, maybe you can tell me,” said Aaron.
“What are the seasons like? Is this summer?”

“Early summer,” said Sybil. “It's gonna get a bit hotter before it cools down
again.”

“How cold are the winters?” asked Aaron.

“It never gets down to freezing here,” said Sybil. “But you can see from the
snow on the mountains that it gets pretty cold up there, even in the summer.”

“Have you found any passes through the mountains?” asked Aaron.

“A few that are ice free this time of year,” said Sybil. “But it's still a pretty
good climb.”

“What's on the other side of the mountains?” asked Aaron.

“I've never gone that far,” said Sybil. “But I'm ready if you are.”

5
 “The last time I heard those words, I was in the backseat of a volkswagon
beetle,” said Aaron. “You think this is crowded.”

“A volkswagon beetle?” asked Sybil. “Is that some sort of transport

vehicle? I hope you didn't waste all of your time talking about it.”

“You're right,” said Aaron. “We should get going. What year are you from
anyway?”

“3525,” said Sybil. “How about you?”

“2015,” said Aaron.

“You may be too old for me, by about 1500 years,” said Sybil. “But you
haven't lost your sense of humor.”

“Have we met before?” asked Aaron. “Do you come here often?”

“Maybe I spoke too soon,” said Sybil.

....................

As they followed the winding mountain path, Aaron was amazed at her
agility and speed. “I can't keep up with you,” said Aaron. “Give an old man a
break and slow down before I break a leg or something.”

“Sorry,” said Sybil. “Didn't people keep in shape in 2015?”

“Some more than others,” said Aaron. “I spent most of my time thinking.”

“Not about exercise, I hope,” said Sybil. “That doesn't work very well.”

“About time travel,” said Aaron. “Was your father in as good a shape as
you?”

“I see what you mean,” said Sybil. “All work and no play. Well … You know
what they say about that.”

“You can afford good doctors,” said Aaron.

“Yeah, right,” said Sybil. “That's what they say.”

6
 “Can we slow down a little?” asked Aaron. “What's your hurry?”

“Why are you carrying that heavy backpack,” asked Sybil. “You don't need
most of that stuff, just some extra clothing in case we get cold. And if we
hurry, we might not get stuck up here tonight.”

Aaron pulled off the backpack and began to remove the food and water.
“You're sure we don't need this?” asked Aaron.

“You'll just have to trust me on this one,” said Sybil. “Or you can carry it
around like dead weight until you figure it out for yourself.”

“This is a lot better,” said Aaron as he put on the lightened backpack.

“Maybe I can keep up now.”

....................

“I'm getting thirsty,” said Aaron. “I thought you said ...”

“It's all in your mind,” said Sybil.

“Well yeah,” said Aaron. “I think I'm thirsty.”

“Think about something else,” said Sybil.

“Now I'm hungry,” said Aaron.

“Give me a break,” said Sybil. “You'll be fine. When you wake up tomorrow
you'll be as good as new.”

“What about now?” asked Aaron. “I'm hungry and I'm thirsty.”

“Think about sex,” said Sybil. “Anything to get your mind off of food and
water.”

“Really?” smiled Aaron. “Are you thinking about sex?”

“I've got a headache,” smiled Sybil.

“Damn! Now I'm thirsty, hungry and hor… What!” said Aaron. “Don't look
at me like that.”

“Shut up and keep up,” said Sybil. “We've got a long way to go before

7
dark.”

....................

“I've been thinking,” said Aaron.

“Not again,” said Sybil. “What is it this time?”

“No. I mean about time travel,” said Aaron. “While we have a fixed path
through time and into the future, I'll bet we always have the vortex lagging
just behind the present, preventing us from going back in time.”

“So how does that help us get home?” asked Sybil.

“It doesn't yet,” said Aaron. “But I've found that the more you understand
a problem, the easier it is to solve.”

“My father always said Don't dwell on the past,” said Sybil. “Live for the
present and embrace the future.”

“Sounds like your father was a wise but impatient man,” said Aaron. “Like
me, he didn't just wait around for the future.”

“My mom always said Be prepared,” said Sybil, “and meet the future
halfway.”

“What do you always say?” asked Aaron.

“Shut up and keep up,” said Sybil. “I'm only kidding. What else have you
got?”

“That's it for now,” said Aaron. “But hey, it kept my mind off of sex for a
while.”

“That's a shame,” smiled Sybil. “And just when my headache was getting
better.”

“Wait a minute,” said Aaron.

“Shut up and keep up,” said Sybil.

“I'm trying,” thought Aaron. “Believe me, I'm trying.”

8
 ....................

“I didn't expect this,” said Sybil. “I guess we'll have to slow down.”

“I can't see ten feet in front of me,” said Aaron. “If this fog gets any thicker,
we'll have to stop.”

“We certainly don't want to do that,” said Sybil. “It's practically midday
and it's still cold. Imagine what it will be like tonight.”

“Do you think we're near the top?” asked Aaron. “Maybe we should turn
back.”

“I say we give it another hour,” said Sybil. “We can still turn around then if
things don't look any better.”

....................

“It's been an hour and the fog hasn't let up at all,” said Aaron.

“But we've been going downhill for the last half hour,” said Sybil. “And the
fog is getting warmer.”

“You're right,” said Aaron. “It's got to let up any minute now.”

“Do you hear that?” asked Sybil. “That hissing sound. It's coming from that
direction.”

“Let's check it out,” said Aaron.

....................

“It a geothermal vent,” said Sybil. “That's pure steam coming out of that
hole.”

“That explains the warm fog,” said Aaron. “There's a small stream running
off in that direction. We should follow it in case we need to backtrack. It will
lead us downhill.”

“Why would we want to backtrack?” asked Sybil.

“You never know,” said Aaron. “The valley where we left our machines
may be the garden spot of the entire planet.”

9
 “That's a depressing thought,” said Sybil. “But we may need to get back to
the machines someday. Let's do it.”

“Look,” said Aaron. “There's another stream merging with this one. Try to
remember we need to take the one on the left if we backtrack.”

“We should mark it somehow,” said Sybil. “Help me pile up some rocks.”

“There, that should do it,” said Aaron. “Are we ready to continue?”

....................

“Another stream is merging,” said Sybil. “We'd better mark our way
again.”

As they squatted down to pick up some rocks, their heads were below the
fog. “Wow,” said Aaron. “There must be hundreds of vents. They look like
Grecian columns supporting a ceiling. What's causing that reddish glow?”

“We'll find out soon enough,” said Sybil. “Look at that pool just ahead. It
looks like a jacuzzi. Do you realize how long it's been since I've had a hot
bath?”

“I didn't want to say anything,” said Aaron. “But ...”

“Aaron!” said Sybil.

“I know,” said Aaron. “Shut up and keep up.”

“Aaron! What are you doing?” asked Sybil as Aaron began to pull off his
pants.

“Taking a bath,” said Aaron. “You want me to keep my clothes on?”

“They need washing too,” said Sybil. “You can kill two birds with one
stone.”

“I wasn't thinking about killing birds,” said Aaron.

“I'm not ready to get to know you that well,” said Sybil.

“Whatever you say,” said Aaron as he dipped his toes into the warm water.

10
 “Isn't this wonderful?” asked Sybil as she waded into the water, her fog
dampened clothes already clinging skin tight against her beautiful body.

“Amazing,” said Aaron. “Simply amazing.”

“You're not even in the water yet,” said Sybil. “What are you waiting for?”

“I'm worried about how we're going to find a way out of here,” said Aaron.

“Worry later,” said Sybil. “Come on in. The water's fine.”

“It is, isn't it?” said Aaron. “I guess it could be worse.”

“Whatever happens, I'm glad you're here,” said Sybil as she took his hands.
“Promise you'll never leave me.”

“Leave you?” said Aaron. “You're the only good thing I've found in this
world. It looks like you're gonna be stuck with me for a long time.”

“Things could be worse,” smiled Sybil as she kissed him. “I don't know
about you but I'm getting sleepy.”

“Let's go check out that red glow,” said Aaron, “or it's going to bug me all
night.”

....................

As they continued across the valley, the floor of the valley dropped farther
and farther from the ceiling of fog. A wide crevice appeared in the distance. It
seemed to stretch all the way across the visible floor of the valley.

“It's getting warmer,” said Sybil. “My clothes are already dry.”

“Mine too,” said Aaron. “Come on. We're almost there. The glow seems to
eminate from the crevice.”

“It's lava,” said Sybil. “Molten lava. I guess we don't have to worry about
getting cold tonight.”

“I guess we won't have to snuggle,” said Aaron.

“We don't have to,” said Sybil. “If you don't want to.”

11
 “I didn't say that,” said Aaron. “I simply meant we don't need to snuggle to
keep warm.”

“There might be a draft, and we just got out of the water,” said Sybil. “We
wouldn't want to catch a cold.”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Aaron as he removed his blanket from his
backpack. “I think I just felt a chill.”

....................

“You were right,” said Aaron. “I feel completely refreshed. And I'm not
hungry or thirsty.”

“I told you,” said Sybil. “It's a new day. What are our plans for today?”

“Well, we can't cross the crevice. At least not here,” said Aaron. “I say we
go in the direction of the lava flow, away from the volcano.”

“Makes sense to me,” said Sybil. “The crevice will probably narrow, the
farther we get from the volcano. Just in case we need to cross it.”

“And it gives us a path to backtrack,” said Aaron. “We need to leave a

marker here, just in case we come back this way.”

“It would be worth coming back, just for that hot bath,” said Sybil.

“If you're all packed, I'm ready to get started,” said Aaron.

“I'm right behind you,” said Sybil.

....................

“The crevice ends here,” said Aaron. “There's no landmarks to follow from
here on out. Which way do you want to go?”

“We were headed in that direction before the crevice diverted us,” said
Sybil. “I say we go that way.”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” said Aaron. “Let's do it.”

....................

12
 “We're going to be back in the fog before long,” said Sybil. “It's been a long
morning. I think we should wait until tomorrow before we enter the fog.”

“I guess there's no real hurry,” said Aaron. “Tell me a little about Earth
where you came from.”

They spent the rest of the day talking about their worlds. It was the same
world of course but separated by 1500 hundred years in time. It was
fascinating to think that a world could change so much yet the people had
changed so little.

....................

“Wake up, Aaron,” said Sybil. “The geothermal activity has stopped and
the fog has lifted.”

“Thank god,” said Aaron as he looked around. “We never would have
found our way out of here if we'd continued in this direction.”

“That way looks promising,” said Sybil. “What do you think?”

“Let's go for it,” said Aaron. “Lead the way. Maybe our luck is changing.”

....................

As they topped a rise in the mountain trail, they found themselves

overlooking another large valley.

13
 “It looks a lot like the original valley where we left our machines,” said
Aaron. “I guess we'll just continue on and see what the next one looks like.”

“Race you to the bottom,” said Sybil.

“Wait a minute. Is that a lake in the distance?” asked Aaron.

“Where?” asked Sybil. “Hey. No fair. You got a head start.”

....................

“Now who's not keeping up?” asked Aaron.

“You cheated,” said Sybil. “Even then, you just barely beat me.”

“The key word there is beat,” said Aaron. “Nobody remembers the one that
came in second. What was your name again?”

“You're funny,” said Sybil. “but looks aren't everything, you know.”

“Do I detect a sore loser?” asked Aaron. “Next time I'll let you win.”

“I got dust in my eyes,” said Sybil. “Or I would have beat you last time.”

“You mean you've got lead in your feet,” laughed Aaron.

“You're just mean,” sighed Sybil.

“I'm sorry,” said Aaron. “I was just teasing you. Do you forgive me?”

“No!” said Sybil. “Not until you get on your knees.”

“Forgive me,” said Aaron as he knelt before her.

“Race you to that boulder,” said Sybil as she left him in the dust.

....................

“What took you so long?” asked Sybil. “Get lost trying to find a short cut?”

“Very funny,” said Aaron. “Are we even now?”

14
 “Whose the best cheater?” asked Sybil.

“You are,” laughed Aaron. “You win.”

“Oh yeah,” said Sybil. “And what was your name?”

“What's that?” asked Aaron. “I thought I heard something.”

“Look up!” said Sybil. “What is that?”

“It's coming down, whatever it is,” said Aaron. “I think it's some sort of
spacecraft.”

“Should we run?” asked Sybil. “They may be hostile.”

“You may be able to outrun me,” said Aaron. “But that thing looks pretty
fast.”

As the spacecraft slowly descended and then hovered a few hundred yards
away, Sybil and Aaron stood silently and watched. Three support legs and a
transparent cylindrical tube descended the rest of the way to the ground.
They watched as something or someone seemed to drift to the ground within
the tube. As it reached the ground, the tube retracted leaving it's occupant
there on the ground.

As it began to walk in their direction, Aaron and Sybil walked forward to

meet it halfway. “Kloc yar noy!” said the stranger.

“What did he say?” asked Sybil. “What language is that?”

“No idea,” said Aaron. “But it seems friendly.”

The alien used it's slender fingers to press a few button on some sort of
device it wore on its wrist. “What name you?” it asked.

“I think it wants to know your name,” said Sybil.

“My name is Aaron,” said Aaron. “What name you … I mean what's your
name?”

The alien made a few more adjustments to the device. “My name is D'pryn.
We saw your dust. Are you in need of assistance?”

15
 “What sort of assistance?” asked Sybil. “Are we in danger?”

“Who are you?” asked Aaron. “Are you native to this planet?”

“No one is native to this planet,” said D'pryn. “We're here to study the
temperal anomaly.”

“What sort of assistance can you offer?” asked Aaron.

“We can help you find others of your kind here,” said D'pryn, “and we can
remove you and your machine from the anomoly so that you can go home.”

“How is it that your machine functions here?” asked Aaron.

“Ours is not a time machine,” said D'pryn. “We're from this time period.”

“Are we in any danger?” asked Sybil. “Assuming we decide to stay here.”

“As you get farther from the anomaly, your bodies will syncronize with the
time frame here.” said D'pryn. “You'll begin to age and require sustenance.”

“Can this planet support life?” asked Aaron.

“Why don't I let you see for yourself,” said D'pryn. “Then you can decide if
you wish to stay.”

“Would you stay with me,” asked Aaron. “Otherwise, we might as well go
home now.”

“You'll have your machines with you,” said D'pryn. “You can leave any time
you're ready or stay as long as you like. It's entirely up to you. We only ask
that you not return to this area.”

“I'd like to give it a try,” said Sybil, “if you would.”

“I told you you were stuck with me,” said Aaron. “Nothing's changed as far
as I'm concerned. I'm gonna get on my knee's again if you'll promise not to
run away.”

“I promise,” said Sybil.

“Will you marry me?” asked Aaron. “Make me the happiest man on …
What's the name of this planet?”

16
“We call it Erathnia,” said D'pryn.

“I will,” said Sybil, “on any planet you choose.”

17