She’d shrugged and Jack—older now—thought she’d been wise to let him.Whenever his dad came back from this place, he’d always looked more relaxed.He grab Jack’s mom by the waist and swing her around…
It had been embarrassing at the time, but now it warmed him.He needed something to warm the cold chill the sight of this place gave him now.
“I hope you have a good explanation—” The voice behind them wasn’t as sharp as it might have been.And it cut off when Jack and Mel swung around to face him.
A loop of awe and remembered fear tightened Jack’s throat as he stared at his father.
His father’s eyes had widened in shock and he seemed unable to speak, either.
He was dressed in slacks, suspenders and an old sweater.The sweater he always wore when he visited here.His hair, everything about him spoke of a past that Jack barely remembered—though seeing him like this was bringing it back.
Mel cleared her throat, but didn’t seem able to speak either.
“Who…” Jack’s father tried again.He shook his head and said, with remarkable calm.“I wondered if someone would come, but I didn’t expect you.”
When Jack still couldn’t speak, his father added, “You must know I can’t leave now.”
“The grandfather paradox,” Mel said unexpectedly.
His father gave a look of almost respect.“You have studied time travel?”
“Let’s just say,” Mel stopped and grinned.“Let’s not say and I’ll admit that is almost all I know about the theories.”
His father grinned and then, as if he couldn’t help himself, he looked at his son.
“I have all these questions that I can’t ask,” he said.
“And I have one you need to answer, dad,” Jack said.
He started to shake his head, but Jack held up a hand.
“We’re all going to disappear if you can’t help me.”
“That bad?”
“Worse than that bad,” Jack said, grimly.
Mel had picked up a paper and was pretending to read it.He knew this because he knew her, and because she kept shooting worried glances at him.Then she stiffened and held up the paper.
“Your first name is Graven?”
Jack was startled.“Everyone called you Gray.”
Jack took the paper, saw the signature at the bottom.It was the single word: Graven, scrawled like a signature across the bottom.
“This is the only place I use that name,” his father said, taking the sheet from him and putting it back on the desk.His gaze moved between them, then he gathered papers off of two stools and gestured.“You’d better sit down.”
He sank into the chair in front of the desk and studied his hands.He looked up suddenly but his attention was on Mel.
“The name Graven means something to you?”
“I recently met something with that last name,” Mel said.“Rita Graven.”
His dad flinched.“I had a little sister named Rita.”
“Dad!”Jack jumped to his feet.“Are you from the future?”
His dad nodded, his gaze wary.
