#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 91: 1912 Titanic 2 of 2

#Wss366 Lean #TimeTravelAuthors 04/11. Point

[Continued from previous post]

I put down the first letter, picked up the second, and began reading it.

Today, I visited Dr. Faust to clarify some #points about time-travel.

I’m glad I don’t live in the Middle Ages. It was smelly and uncomfortable-looking. I wouldn’t eat anything there.

The doctor appeared only mildly surprised by my visit and proposed a question exchange, which I agreed to.

• Who or what are the ICE-Nine rabbits? He responded, “I don’t know what ICE-Nine is, but the rabbits are God’s guardians of time.” He seemed serious, though I doubted his answer. It’s more likely that they’re demonic agents. For heaven’s sake, according to that newspaper, they tortured and assassinated me.

• Have you ever tried to change history? He answered, “Unsuccessfully. I’ve tried saving my lover, Marguerite, several times, but to no avail. It takes something big to alter history.”

• Legend has it you sold your soul to Satan. What really happened? He laughed. “The devil, God—are they not the same? I have torn my soul loose from the world, but I have not sold it. I have sworn allegiance to the Illuminated Ones, and they have promised me knowledge beyond my wildest dreams. No matter what history says, I am not wrong. You should do the same before God’s wrath falls upon you.”

I stopped again. “I’m Glad we didn’t visit Faust. It sounds like he’s one of the bad guys.”

Emily waved her hand for me to continue.

There was a knock at the door just then, and my host said, “There they are now. You should leave or be prepared to swear an oath to them. God’s emissaries will show you mercy.”

I did the former. No good could come of dealing with the Illuminated Ones.

“That’s it,” I said, putting the letters down. “I guess we’ll never know how or why they murdered me.”

“Not the details, but I think you got into the soup visiting Faust. Let’s not make the same mistake.”

That was one major option out, so I suggested an alternative. “Given what has worked, I bet it’s possible to visit an opponent of the rabbits.”

“And end up meeting one of those prehistoric monsters we saw in the mural. Bad idea.”

“I wonder if saying ‘meet an ally’ would work better?”

“Might. I #lean in favor of that. But before we decide our next move, let’s get dressed and explore the ship.”

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 91: 1912 #Titanic 1 of 2

#Wss366 Lean #TimeTravelAuthors 04/11. Point

Emily nodded in response to my question, so I began reading the first letter.

This was my first trip, so I started conservatively and jumped ahead a week to find the newspaper I needed for Professor Skully. However, time-pressure swept me all the way to April 2026. Things haven’t improved there. According to a student paper, there’s a war in the Middle East. ICE-Nine was running unchecked and was pepper-spraying protesters and killing opposition figures. The newspaper claimed that i9 was behind my murder.

MY MURDER!!!

Why didn’t you guys warn me about that? If I knew more, maybe I could avoid being killed!

I stopped reading to say, “Burned.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Emily said, shrugging. She then rolled onto her back and said, “Continue.”

I went to visit Professor Skully to learn more about my death. However, I found i9 agents in our building, accompanied by the creepiest rabbits I’d ever seen. At least you warned me about them. Rather than risk being caught, I traveled home right away.

“What do you make of that?” I asked Emily.

“You can travel into the future, but it’s unreliable. You can return to your starting #point. And that you’ve stirred up the Illuminati/Knights Templar/Lapin Cabal. Whatever we’re going to do, they want to stop it.”

“Lapin Cabal, I like that.”

“Did you notice anything else?” she asked.

“Nope, that sums it up. Oh, there was the abbreviation for ICE-Nine.”

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 9: Post 90: 1912 #Titanic

#Wss366 Fare #MastoPrompt Hesitate #TimeTravelAuthors 04/9. Will your characters admit they're wrong?

“We want to go to an unoccupied first-class cabin on the Titanic on the afternoon of April 14, 1912, unless there’ll be a disaster on board before it reaches New York. If so, take us to the Golden Spike ceremony for the linking of the two sides of the transcontinental railway.”

This wish included several experiments: 1) a very specific location; 2) a conditional; and 3) complex instructions. Theoretically, we should arrive in the American West.

That wasn’t what happened; instead, there was a ripping sensation as red lights flashed before our eyes. I gasped in pain, staggered, and braced myself against a metal wall that had appeared. We found ourselves in a white room with two single beds, a carpet, a sink, a couch, and a writing desk. The steam pipes and painted walls were far less luxurious than I had expected. Still, after the Hindenburg, it seemed spacious. The #fare for this cabin probably cost a lot, though not as much as the wood-paneled suites I had imagined.

I sank onto the couch. “So only part of that worked. That’s too bad,” I said.

Emily shrugged and flopped down on a bed. As expected, she left no impression on the white sheets.

“I need to apologize,” I said. “I wasn’t supposed to risk the rabbits spotting us.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll both feel better knowing you tried.”

I spread the letters from the cache on the couch. That was part of why I’d scared Ms. Dubois, but I was glad Emily gave me credit for having nobler intentions. In hindsight, I could have grabbed the letters and ditched the professor. I #hesitated to give myself nobler intentions.

“There are only two notes here. We’ll never know what was in the one she was carrying,” I said.

Emily shrugged.

“Shall I?” I asked, holding up the first note.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 89: 2025 Arkham 2 of 2

#Wss366 Rabbit / Easter #MastoPrompt Boredom #TimeTravelAuthors 04/5. Games in your story

[Continued from previous post]

Once I was out of sight, I whispered, “We need to head Ms. Dubois off before they learn about the letter cache. Be ready to time-trip if the #rabbits spot us.”

It didn’t come to that. The rabbits were focused on the professor.

We were also fortunate that the path the professor was on curved down into a ravine and then backtracked to the statue. That meant we could dive straight through the woods using an unofficial trail. The extra time allowed us to be cautious.

Periodically, we glimpsed ICE-nine uniforms and hid. It was a grim game of hide-and-seek. It kept #boredom at bay but was nowhere near as fun as playing pinochle or bezique with Emily.

While on our way, I came up with a plan and manifested a loose-fitting trench coat, fedora, and surgical mask. I also doused myself with Old Clipper cologne to hide any unique smells. Sus, I am sure, but I figured in the dim light I would pass as a man, someone clearly not Henrietta Bijou.

I was ready by the time we stumbled out of the ravine onto the path. I leaned against a tree, panting. A new idea occurred to me, and I hurriedly manifested an empty bottle of cheap vodka. Then I waited for my living counterpart to arrive. As she drew near, she moved to the far side of the trail. Yeah, I was suspicious, definitely creepy.

A look of terror came over Ms. Dubois’ face as I lurched across the trail. “Flee! The rabbits are on to you,” I whispered. Finished, I staggered away, dropping the liquor bottle. Lurching explained.

To my relief, the professor turned back, hurrying in the direction she had come from.

I turned in the other way and rushed to the tree to fetch the notes that were already there.

Emily drifted up as I shoved the papers into a pocket of my coat. “That was a plucky move,” she said.

Bezique

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 89: 2025 Arkham 1 of 2

#Wss366 Rabbit / Easter #MastoPrompt Boredom #TimeTravelAuthors 04/5. Games in your story

By the time we had finished eating, the park was emptying as dusk approached. The effort of materializing meant Emily had to rest after finishing her cake. “But it was worth it,” she said.

I pointed to a collection of budding maples. “The statue is over there in that grove,” It was convenient that I knew where it was, but also frightening. What would happen if this new persona took over? Something told me I would forget about the rabbits, the Illuminati, and all that had happened to us. I might even forget Emily, a thought that made me sad.

“Isn’t that you?” Emily said, pointing to a familiar figure hurrying down the path ahead of us. “Let’s ask her about being absorbed.”

I nodded, brushed cake crumbs off myself, and stood up. We’d need to hurry; Professor Dubios was walking fast and glancing over her shoulder.

We had almost caught up when I spotted something lurking in the shadows of the maples. “Psst! Hide ICE-Nine.” I resisted pointing.

Emily nodded toward the nearby trees and slipped into the shrubbery underneath them.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 88: 2025 Arkham

#Wss366 Set #MastoPrompt Palm #TimeTravelAuthors 04/3. What kind of coffee/caffeinated beverage do your characters like?

“Want a sip of my coffee and see what it’s like? French Roast with chicory,” I asked, while thinking about the new mystery. “That is, if you don’t mind that I’ve already drunk some.”

“I don’t mind a secondary kiss,” Emily replied.

I began passing my cup to her, then stopped. “Secondary kiss? That’s a weeb term.”

I laughed, embarrassed. “Forget it. You wouldn’t know what a weeb is.”

“Weeb? It’s like being a Japanophile or an Orientalist, only interested in anime and manga. Wait! I shouldn’t know any of that! None of that stuff existed when I was alive!”

“We’re being absorbed into this time-particle, aren’t we?” I asked.

She nodded, took a thoughtful sip of my coffee, and #set it down, grimacing: “Bitter!”

“So, what do you think?”

“I think you're right about being absorbed. The coffee? I prefer the one you bought me, mellower or tea. I got a taste for it while I was in China.”

“Let’s get those letters and move on before we forget what we are doing.”

Emily held up her #palm in a halt gesture. “Let’s finish the cake first. It’s good.”

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri #Mystery