The Time Traveler's Lover : Jack at 18 (1)
Inspired by The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
The characters belong to Annie Proulx.
Jack travels back and forth in time during the course of his life and encounters Ennis and himself - visits that change everything and almost nothing.
August 8, 1962
Jack tightened his grip on the lamb struggling in his lap and pried a tiny jagged stone from between the cleft in its hoof. The stench of scorched wool and rotting mutton wafted past his nose even though he'd moved the flock away to another hillside. He wasn't sure if this lamb would make it; it was born in late spring and wasn't fully weaned. Its mother had been one of the 40 or so victims of the lightening strike the previous night. Pain relieved, the lamb bleated softly. Jack reflexively glanced around before cuddling the creature. He knew what his father would have done with it.
As he stroked the soft fleece under his hand, his eyes scanning the rest of the flock, he became aware that the gentle mehs of the lamb sounded human and were coming from slightly to his right. He looked down at his lap. The lamb was gone and so were his clothes. Instead of an uneven rock against his back, he felt straight wood planks.
June 6, 1953
He turned his head. A few feet away, a young boy with short bristly hair was kneeling doubled over, facing the wooden wall Jack was sitting against, retching and weeping.
Jack watched the boy for a moment, could almost believe he had gone back to Lightening Flat and was seeing himself. That had happened once - had he been the visitor or the host? - but the encounter had lasted mere seconds, not enough time for him to help his younger self. This boy was a stranger, but his experience was familiar.
Jack raised his hand to comfort him, but the movement brought his head up and he saw Jack. Shock and panic flooded his eyes and he reared back, scrambled to his feet and ran away. As Jack watched his retreating back, the boy's white shirt became a lamb trotting back to the rest of the flock.
As he pulled on his clothes, he reflected that it was a good thing the tender had no real interest in livestock - he wasn’t from a ranching family, his father worked on a road crew - and didn't come up to visit him during the day. He would not like to be caught out naked like this by the dullwitted and talkative boy. If he did this again next year, he hoped he would be paired with someone quiet.
<< Jack at 15 | Jack at 18 (2) >>
The characters belong to Annie Proulx.
Jack travels back and forth in time during the course of his life and encounters Ennis and himself - visits that change everything and almost nothing.
August 8, 1962
Jack tightened his grip on the lamb struggling in his lap and pried a tiny jagged stone from between the cleft in its hoof. The stench of scorched wool and rotting mutton wafted past his nose even though he'd moved the flock away to another hillside. He wasn't sure if this lamb would make it; it was born in late spring and wasn't fully weaned. Its mother had been one of the 40 or so victims of the lightening strike the previous night. Pain relieved, the lamb bleated softly. Jack reflexively glanced around before cuddling the creature. He knew what his father would have done with it.
As he stroked the soft fleece under his hand, his eyes scanning the rest of the flock, he became aware that the gentle mehs of the lamb sounded human and were coming from slightly to his right. He looked down at his lap. The lamb was gone and so were his clothes. Instead of an uneven rock against his back, he felt straight wood planks.
June 6, 1953
He turned his head. A few feet away, a young boy with short bristly hair was kneeling doubled over, facing the wooden wall Jack was sitting against, retching and weeping.
Jack watched the boy for a moment, could almost believe he had gone back to Lightening Flat and was seeing himself. That had happened once - had he been the visitor or the host? - but the encounter had lasted mere seconds, not enough time for him to help his younger self. This boy was a stranger, but his experience was familiar.
Jack raised his hand to comfort him, but the movement brought his head up and he saw Jack. Shock and panic flooded his eyes and he reared back, scrambled to his feet and ran away. As Jack watched his retreating back, the boy's white shirt became a lamb trotting back to the rest of the flock.
As he pulled on his clothes, he reflected that it was a good thing the tender had no real interest in livestock - he wasn’t from a ranching family, his father worked on a road crew - and didn't come up to visit him during the day. He would not like to be caught out naked like this by the dullwitted and talkative boy. If he did this again next year, he hoped he would be paired with someone quiet.
<< Jack at 15 | Jack at 18 (2) >>