Some time later, the parents came home, and as they walked up to their house, they noticed shadows in the big tree in front of their house. They thought the raccoons were back, and planned to call animal control. It was only once they were inside that they noticed something was wrong. All four children were missing. They ran outside for no discernible reason, probably to look for the children. Then they saw it, four bodies hanging by ropes from their large tree in the front yard. The children were hardly recognisable with the bite marks they had on their naked bodies. The last thing that passed through the mother’s mind before she fainted, was how much the children resembled apple cores.
Four little apples, hanging in the tree, take four down, and then there were... none.

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Contents for Time Travelling

1. Time Travelling Through History: Introduction
2. Time Travelling Though History: Sneak Peek: Temüjin and Börte

Genghis Khan, born as Temüjin, was the founder and ruler (Khan) of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire in history. He came to power by uniting the many nomadic tribes situated in northeast Asia. While nine years old, he was brought by his father to pick his bride. He chose Börte and promised her he would come back in five years when he was at the marriage-able age (12). On the way back from the neighboring tribe, the party stopped at a traditional resting spot and they found themselves eating alongside one of their common enemies. Temüjin’s father, Yesügei, followed the Mongolian tradition and exchanged food with the tribe. Although he greatly suspected the food to be poisoned, he ate anyway and died. Temüjin was still too young to rule the Borjigin (tribe), and the Khan’s advisors stole from their own king. They badly wanted to kill Temüjin, but according to tradition, it was forbidden to kill children. He was to be kept prisoner and be fed until he surpassed the wheel of a cart, which meant he was then no longer a child. Temüjin escaped and was recaptured, though he escaped again. When he was free once again, he went to collect his bride, Börte, only to lose her to the Merkits, an enemy clan of Temüjin’s father.

I instantly jumped into his skin and I knew everything. I knew where and who I was from the memories in my newest brain. I took the wooden bowl from the soldier beside me and settled myself more comfortably around the blazing fire. It was a rather chilly night and a wolf howled in the distance, although it was practically drowned out by the low-pitched singing of the drunk soldiers around the burning wood. My fingers curled around the bowl, and not being able to ignore my stomach any longer, I dug into the soup. I always drank the watery part of the ‘soup’ first, eating the tasty meat last. One of the soldiers from my Arav, Naran, had hunted down a rabbit who had run to its home in self-preservation, taking Naran to a burrow of several rabbits. He had also spotted a squirrel. We had to give our findings to Jamuka, our Khan, however, we kept two and a half rabbits (one was a baby) and a robust squirrel. It was a relief to end my hunger. I wiped my greasy fingers on the damp grass and stretched out my stiff legs from the long journey on horseback. Tomorrow we were to fight, and I needed my strength. I crossed my legs back underneath me and picked up my bowl of milk. This was very fine milk; the mare must have been very healthy. Whoever had fermented the milk did a very good job.
A hand slapped me on the back and I felt the milk slither down the wrong pipe and enter into my lungs. I coughed and spluttered. The milk came up, and I spat it out onto the fire, which flickered a little from the sudden attack. Nekhii laughed at me and let himself drop down heavily on the grass beside me. He let out an ‘OOF’ as he dropped, as well as a loud belch. He was obviously drunk.
“Hey! How are you Ogtbish?” he shouted into my ear. Nekhii was a friend from my Arav. There were ten of us and we were one of the ten Aravs that made up a Zuut (100 soldiers). He was always cheery and very optimistic. He also had a knack for trouble, fighting and drinking.
“Ogtbish is that dude over there. I’m Gansükh. Don’t you remember?”
Nekhii leaned in very closely to me and squinted his eyes. After a while he leaned back and shouted:
“Oh yeah! Sorry. Hey do you know why we’re off fighting the Merkits?”
“No, but you’re going to tell me aren’t you?” I rolled my eyes.
“How did you know?” He looked at me seriously as he said this. He was sidetracked but soon came back to his excitement of knowing something I didn’t.
“Well I heard from this guy who had heard from his brother who overhead Jamuka and Temüjin talking, way back at home. Well actually, I think it was the brother who heard from the guy and the brother told me, or is it the other way round?” He starting muttering to himself and tracing patterns in the air with his greasy fingers, going from one imaginary person to the other. This continued until I broke his trance and said:
“What did you hear?!”
Nekhii stared at me and finally said,
“Oh yeah, yeah. Right. Well, Jamuka, our, you know, Khan, tribe leader person…”
I cut him off.
“I know who Jamuka is. Just get to the point.”
He continued.
“Well, you know the way to be a Mongol, you have to be on horseback, or own a horse, be married, stuff like that.” I thought of my horse, Batkha number six and my two other “just in case horses”, Batkha seven and Batkha eight. I had forgotten to feed them, ah well, they’ll find something to graze. My mind jumped to my wives. I hoped they would be smart enough to cook my favorite meat when I returned. I turned back to Nekhii and nodded.
“Well you also have to have a blood brother. Hey, do you know how you become someone’s blood brother? Do you?” My mind wandered to when I was ten. Tömör and I were best friends, so we decided to be blood brothers. I shook my head with annoyance.
“Of course I know how to become a blood brother. Get to the point. What do you want to tell me?!”
Nekhii continued without paying attention to what I was saying.
“Well it’s basically when you cut your hand, and you let a couple of drops fall into a bowl of milk. Then the other guy does the same and lets the drops fall in the same bowl, and then the two of them take a sip each. So apparently Jamuka and Temüjin are blood brothers. And Temüjin is married to a girl called Börte. Okay, I know I lost you. Let’s start from the beginning. Temüjin’s father, Yesügei, went on raid in the Merkit territory. He stole a beautiful woman called Ho’elun. She was already the bride of the tribe leader, but she was married to Yesügei anyway. The Merkits swore they would get revenge. Later on, once Temüjin was nine years old, he was supposed to marry a Merkit girl to ensure the much needed peace.” Nekhii took a sip of his own bowl of milk, looked at the fire and then continued.
“So Yesügei took his son to the Merkit tribe, but they stopped at a smaller tribe on the way there and decided to spend the night. Temüjin tricked his father, and the little rascal chose a bride there; Börte. Then you know the rest, his father died, and he was replaced by Targutai, his advisor. Targutai stole everything from Temüjin and left him and his family to rot in poverty without a tribe. Blah blah blah. So then after Temüjin escaped for the second time from Targutai, he decided to fetch his wife. They got married, and he brought her back to his mother.” My head stooped and my eyes were closing very slowly. The moon was very high up in the sky. Nekhii’s voice had become white noise in the background.
“THEN!” I jumped up as he shouted to emphasize that he had advanced in his story. I tried to pay attention and keep my eyes open.
“Then! The Merkits heard that Temüjin got married, and they thought this was the perfect opportunity for revenge. They kidnapped Börte, and she was to be wed to the dude that had lost his wife to Yesügei.” Nekhii’s arms, in a quick jerky movement, gave himself a hug, representing the kidnapping.
“So then Temüjin asked our Jamuka and his father’s old blood brother for help to make war with the Merkits. We are fighting for a woman!” he cried out triumphantly.
My sleepiness went away in an instance.
“But we don’t go to war over a woman! It is not the Mongol way!” I was shocked that this one man got upset over a woman! Surely, at the snap of a finger he could have two more beautiful women instantly. Nekhii stretched his arms and said goodnight. I watched him return to wherever it was he had come from. I curled into my bed made of furs on the ground.
The next morning I woke from a kick in the gut.
“Get up! We have Merkits to fight!” While groaning, I got up and replaced my fur hat on my numb ears. Once the camp cleaned up, I attended to my horses. I prepared them and got my sword and bow and arrows. We made our way to the rocky Merkit territory, where we were ambushed by the hidden enemies. Their frightening masks must have caused several soldiers to freeze in fear, those fur faces with slits as eyes. They weren’t on horseback but could jump onto the rocks to attack you. My arms went on automatic as I aimed for everything with a mask. The world seemed to work in slow motion, yet everything zoomed by. My mouth opened itself and a yell came out.
I was suddenly falling, and I crashed into the hard ground, avoiding the rocks by an inch. My horse, that great big carcass, fell on top of me and knocked the air out of me. I was hidden from the enemies yet I was suffocating under the horse’s weight. Blood, sweet and rusty, trickled from the horse’s side, down his back and it fell onto my forehead, dripping to my chin. And then, everything was silent. The sound of a sword digging into flesh resonated for the final time, and victory was sweet in the air. I tried shoving Batkha off, crying for help as I did so. Nekhii came rushing up with blood on his arm and a missing hat. With his help I managed to be free. I looked around at the battlefield, and at the littered corpses.
In the distance, a man was stepping over the rocks and bodies as he guided a woman forwards. A servant ran up to Temüjin and gave him a horse he had found. Temüjin climbed onto it, Börte behind him holding on tightly.
We went back to camp to see what plunder we had earned, and we settled down and celebrated the victory. Jamuka took most of our earnings for himself and left the rest for Temüjin. Nekhii and I sat by the fire and discussed the battle and complained that we had fought as well and yet received nothing from the treasure collected.
“Soldiers!” Everyone looked up in synchrony at a man standing beside the pile of goods. He had a wide grin on his face and Temüjin was walking away in the other direction to the celebration of the leaders.
“Soldiers! Temüjin is good to us and shares his plunder with us!” At first there was silence, but it was quickly followed by cheers and claps. The news went around quickly, and soon a part of the pile had been sorted through and the best items were left for Temüjin as a sign of gratitude and the rest was given out to the soldiers. Separate piles were made for the families of the soldiers lost. I had gotten a rather good sword which I traded for a bow and a set of carved arrows. I tried out the bow, and it was perfect. Nekhii arrived with a new hat made with white wolf’s fur. It was rather nice. He sat down beside me, appearing to be genuinely happy. He wasn’t fully drunk yet, but he had drank enough to loosen his tongue. His eyes contained a hint of conspiracy. I immediately knew he was up to something.
“I am joining Temüjin.”
That one sentence created havoc in my head. Nekhii looked decided and his statement seemed to hide some sort of message.
“Do you want to come too?” There was the hidden message. It was madness, switching leaders on a whim. Of course it was allowed, but no-one dared to do it. I thought of what Jamuka would do to me if he found out. Then I thought of what he would do to me if I stayed.
“All right. Temüjin is good and fair, he’ll treat us right. Let’s do this. We’ll ask him in the morning as he leaves.” I nodded as I said this to my friend. We shook hands as if promising that should we go down, we would go down together. We settled to sleep and awaited the sunrise with impatience.
In the morning, as we had agreed, Nekhii and I asked Temüjin permission to join him. He smiled and agreed. He told us to get ready as we were leaving immediately. As we prepared our horses, we saw that we were not alone. Almost half of Jamuka’s men were preparing their horses as well. I gaped until one of the soldiers nearest me exclaimed:
“Did you think you were the only one that was tired of Jamuka?” I didn’t answer and simply continued to pack my things. I jumped onto my horse and followed the mass of people who were following Temüjin and Börte. We set out into the sunrise, leaving Jamuka and the rest still asleep behind us. I felt as if this was a great turning in my life, as if I had partially completed my destiny by going with Temüjin. My head ached and I felt suddenly dizzy. The bare greenness around me turned and turned and dissolved into brighter colours, spiraling out. I felt tugged and the reds and blues and yellows called out to me, beckoning me to them. I was sucked in and I was falling yet floating at the same time. Where will I go now?

This is one of the chapters of my book, given to you as a sneak peek. Check back regularly for updates on my book.

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Contents for Time Travelling

1. Time Travelling Through History: Introduction
2. Time Travelling Though History: Sneak Peek: Temüjin and Börte

Tina purred and rubbed her furry body against my legs. I gently shoved her away, and she stalked away in a mood. I needed to concentrate. One small drop. Just one. My face was so close to the conical beaker that condensation appeared on the glass surface with every short breath I took. My eyes were glued to the container I held carefully, tipping it inch by inch, waiting for that one drop to fall. I would have used my pipette, but it had broken the night before, and since it was the weekend, the school’s lab was closed. I received minimal pocket money, and my busy schedule didn’t allow for me to have a job. Buying a new one was not an immediate choice. The beaker’s bottom inched higher up, the yellow liquid inside moving, but no drop yet. This was crucial, it couldn’t wait for the school pipette. This was the breakthrough of my life, the breakthrough of my seventeen year old life.
Just a little bit closer, a little bit closer, just a teeny bit more…
“BOO!!” my sister jumped out of nowhere and my surprise made me add two large drops of liquid. I froze, unsure what to do. These were unstable chemicals. My sister laughed and rolled on the floor, thinking she had sure got me this time. With only moving my head toward her and keeping my arms frozen in midair, I screamed at her to get out. She realised I was serious and ran out crying, her voice getting mangled as she choked on tears. My head turned back to the conical beaker, it’s contents starting to bubble. I set down my arms carefully, and stepped back. I looked at my notes and realised that I may owe my sister my future Noble Prize. If my calculations were correct, this compound could break down molecules, and then put them back together in a different time: Time Travelling.
I sat back in my plush chair, and thought of the scientific necessities. Before I could present my idea, I needed to create the ‘antidote’, the compound that brought the molecules back together. I set to work, and the next day I had my two bubbling liquids right beside one another, one red, one blue. Now I had to find the perfect way to administer the liquid. I tried various ways on a plant, but everytime, the thing just got burned.
I went downstairs to the kitchen, and grabbed a slice of toast along with a ginger ale. I went back up to my attic space bedroom filled with scientific apparel. I settled on my chair with my food, and chewed it slowly while staring at my creations. I didn’t notice the ginger ale beside the two beakers, and I didn’t notice Tina, still annoyed, who jumped up onto the table to sniff the soda drink. I watched the ginger ale tip over and spill into both beakers as Tina mis-aimed her landing on the worktop. The ale and the red mixed up together, and the startled cat knocked the two beakers in her hurry out of the room. The toast fell out of my hand and I rushed forward to catch the beakers somehow. I fell short and the two beakers crashed onto the floor and the ale, the red and the blue merged together. There was an explosion.
My eyes were blinded with smoke and bright flashes of light. My mind was mostly shocked, but it still functioned, and the scientist within me commented on what had probably happened, and what would probably happen. The unstable chemicals, mixed with an unknown element in the ginger ale, created a reaction, and my body was disintegrating, while at the same time being exposed to the antidote. I prepared myself for the possibility that I would end up in the past, or in the future. The bright side was that these elements now inside of me were limited, and they were burned away with travel. I hoped the effects would wear off soon and that the antidote would kick in, bringing me back to my time before I could cause any damage to the time space continuum.
I felt myself disappear…

I will be releasing this as a book soon, visit this website regularly to keep updated as to when it will be published.

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In my opinion that was all hocus pocus. I didn't believe in monsters, ghosts or aliens. My mind was purely rational, or so I liked to think. Then why did I feel a shiver run down my spine? My hairs standing up. It was just an old, broken, creepy house.

It all started with a dare.
It was a bright yet shabby looking morning with a pale blue spring sky and light grey clouds dotted around. I had tried the usuals "I don't feel well today, I think I can't go to school." but my parents never fell for any of it. I grudgingly got prepared and waited for the school bus. It had started raining by the time the bus came and I was glad to be able to sit in a warm place, even if the seats were hard and cold and covered with chewing gum.
I quickly looked around the half-full bus and found the face I was looking for. I trudged along and almost forgot to watch out for any feet that were just waiting to trip me. The class tricksters did it to everyone just in case they weren't paying attention. I slumped into the seat next to my best friend and sighed. This was going to be a hard and long day. Jenni, my best friend, looked over at me and said:  "What's wrong? Today is pizza day. For once that we don't have tuna casserole from the cafeteria!" I stared at her round, freckled face was suddenly hit by the differences we had. She was enthusiastic, smart, pretty and had slightly curly blondish-orangery hair that she let loose around her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes contrasted with her rosy skin. I was the completely opposite. I was small, pessimistic, and dark-haired. My soft grey eyes were exceedingly pale next to my dark brown almost black hair. My skin never tanned, I had not a single freckle, and I was always deathly pale.

The bus stopped and we all got out in slow-motion. Shuffling our feet at every inch of space we got from the person in front. At last out of the bus, Jenni and I made our way to our lockers but we were interrupted by the school bully and his sidekicks.
The school bully was big. Very big. Most people weren't sure if it was because of his muscles or because of his fat. (Most girls thought it was because of the fat.) His sidekicks were the Brotherin Twins, renowned for the reputation of extreme stupidness and a taste for violence. Henry Jr. was the school bully's name but he changed it to "The Skull" for reputation purposes.
"Well, well, well, if it ain't Jenni and Emma." Skull sniggered. I just looked blankly at him in fear, but Jenni wasn't about to be knocked around by some stupid boy who's only way of communicating was with his fists. "Wow, Henry Jr." She put a emphasis on the Junior part. Skull had made it pretty clear to most of the first years that he hated that name and never wanted to be called that again. "Over eight words in one whole sentence, I'm impressed!" She let out a bell-like giggle as we saw the expressions on his face change. At first it was a frowning aggressive bully face, which quickly changed to confusion and then exasperation at not understanding. Then the dawning of understanding slowly crept across his face which just as soon turned red with anger. He jabbed his fat, stubby finger at her and said: "Oh yeah? Well, you ain't so great either Tinkerbell!" Tinkerbell was Jenni's nickname. She didn't really like it. It made her sound like a girly girl. She frowned. Skull looked satisfied and continued.
"I bet you couldn't even touch 24 Nutgove's door!!" My eyes widened almost in synchronization with Jenni's. She fired back at him with such aggressiveness that even I never knew she could stir up and unleash. "I could so! I could even stay in it for fifteen minutes!" She was glaring down at him and Skull had to be on tippy-toes to be at eye level with her. He answered back: "You couldn't stay in it for an hour!" .  "Is that a bet?!" Jenni's usual soft blue eyes had turned an icy blue yet they sparkled and almost seemed fiery. All I could do was stare between the two of them.

Let me skip ahead in my story. You probably know that by now Jenni had agreed to stay in the haunted house for a full hour, and just to prove her point, she said she would go at night. Of course Skull didn't believe her to be able to do it, but they had agreed the time and date.
It was taking place that night at 10 o'clock. The worst part was that I had been brought in to all this as well. I had to stay in the house for an hour as well as with Jenni, courtesy of Jim, one of the Brotherin Twins. He had asked me to marry him in Montessori but I had called him fat and stupid and I would only marry a white prince. I guess I hurt his feelings and this was his revenge.
The school day went past in a blur and before I knew it I was finished my homework and was going to bed. I got ready in my jeans and a hoody, it was cold outside. And I had no doubt I would be shivering for the whole hour, mostly out of fear, but I could never admit that. I slipped out of my window and climbed down the big oak that leaned against the side of our house. It was very useful for getaways. I stalked my way up to that terribly famous house. Jenni was already there. And she was prepared. She was wrapped up in a coat and scarf and had a torch in her hand. "Where's your torch?" She stared at my empty hand. I looked sheepishly back at her and answered: "You never told me to bring one." She just rolled her eyes and muttered we would share the one torch. Skull was in a dark corner not quite wide enough to hide him in its shadows. He held a timer in his hand. He nodded us forward and pressed a button on the stop watch with a gleeful smile sketched onto his face.

We entered into the haunted house.
If it looked and smelled stale on the outside, then the inside was worse. The first thing that hit me was not the great big spider web in the doorway with lots of insect corpses drained of blood on it but the moldy, dusty, stale, humid air. I wasn't sure if it could be called air at all. I shivered at the gloomy aspect and was frightened of the moving shadows on the peeling walls made by Jenni's torch. I looked out for her but I soon realised she was already exploring the nearest room. Light shimmered out of the nearest doorway. I inched forward whispering her name. The room was bare apart from a large one seater sofa and a very large painting of a woman hung up over an even larger black ornament fireplace. Jenni was examining the portrait of the woman with great curiosity. I looked at the sofa and gave a little shriek of horror which made Jenni jump and turn around to place the beam of light onto what had scared me. Only she was a fraction to late. All she could see was a tail swish out of view and the pitter patter of little feet climbing the walls. We both stood still until the eerie silence came back and disturbed us. I trailed behind Jenni who wanted to see what the kitchen was like. I stared all around me except at the floor in case I saw another rat. But this was a mistake.
My foot caught in with the debris and I tripped head first. I got up slowly, my head turning. Jenni paid no attention. She was too caught up in her world of discovery. Suddenly, a shadow flitted past me and appeared in the corner of my eye. My head still dizzy from the fall automatically turned to where the shadow had appeared. Nothing was there apart from a pile of irregular wood. That was when I noticed that it was very dark. I called out to Jenni but no answer came. I saw no light coming from anywhere. I closed my eyes. There was scarcely a difference in the level of darkness between my eyes and the room.

I felt my way around in the darkness in the general direction of the kitchen. I felt a doorway and stepped through. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the deep darkness that consumed me. There was a creak coming from behind. "Jenni? Jenni are you there? It's not funny. Please stop!" My voice practically whimpered.
Another creak. The soft yet obvious sound of one's person shifting their weight. I felt cool breath on the back of my neck. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. Every thing was silent apart from my beating heart and the slow even breathing of the unknown behind me.
I could hear the air shifting as something moved. I filled my lungs up with the stale moldy air. A cool scaly, dry finger brushed against the skin of my neck.
That was when I screamed.
I screamed and slapped the hand away when suddenly a brilliant cold light shone through. The clear harsh voice of someone who is extemely bored yet enjoys his work echoed out onto the set.
"Cut!!"
I ruffled up my hair and said to my manager,
"I'll be in my trailer if you need me."
And I walked out of the busy scene of cleaning up to go and refresh myself before shooting the next scene.

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