Time Travel
The gist: Ranvir, Yuvaan, Nandini, and Priyanshi are test subjects in an experiment conducted to learn more about time travel.
Index:
- The Experiment Begins
- The Gods Take Their Greatest Forms
- A T-Rex Almost Gets Dinner
- The Pyramids are constructed
- The Mayans Disappear
- Birbal Becomes The Teacher’s Pet
- Mesmerizing Radio Speeches
- The Experiment Ends
The Experiment Begins
“So, we’re part of a big time travel experiment. You guys excited?”, Priyanshi asked her friends, with a nervous smile on her face.
“Excited, but very nervous. It’s a big opportunity, so I’m happy that I’m a part of this. I just hope everything goes alright.”, Nandini replied.
“Well, I read the texts that the scientists gave us. To me, it looks like everything will be executed perfectly. At the end of the experiment, we’ll definitely come back safely. So, there’s nothing to be worried about.”, Yuvaan assured them.
“Oh, it’ll be a piece of cake. I don’t know why you guys are so concerned about this. It’s just going back in time. Think of all the cool things we’ll see!”, and that was Ranvir. The other three rolled their eyes at him.
The friends had been selected by the biggest university in their city to be a part of an experiment about time travel. The reward was money and some new equipment for the science labs at their school. They had taken some time to think but had agreed after the university informed them that it was a perfectly safe project.
They walked up to the university and went inside. Everyone wore white lab coats, to match the plain white walls.
“They look so serious.”, Ranvir whispered.
“Not the type of people you’d hang out with, right Ranvir?”, Yuvaan joked.
The group walked to the lab that they had been told to come to.
“Welcome, kids.”, they were greeted by the head scientist, Dr. Kapoor. He was a middle-aged man, and a wise one too. He had previously helped the kids in some of their school projects. When his team built the time machine, he knew that he had to recommend the kids for the experiment. They were enthusiastic, passionate, smart, and obedient.
“Hi, Dr. Kapoor!”, the kids greeted him.
Dr. Kapoor welcomed them, “I hope all of you are doing well. Let’s start preparing for the experiment, shall we? Now, you see that huge cubicle over there? That’s actually the machine.” He took them near the cubicle.
“Wow! It looks so cool!”, Priyanshi was amazed. The rest nodded in agreement.
“It really does. Now, I want each one of you to step inside the machine one by one. There are seats to sit on, and we’ve made it as comfortable as possible so that you don’t face any problems. Before you do that, please hand me any electronic devices that you’re carrying. They could mess with the working of the machine.”
The kids handed in their cell phones and headphones. Then, they stepped inside and sat on a seat.
“I will now explain to you how this machine works and how you use it.”, Dr. Kapoor began.
“The whole process has been simplified for you. There is one lever in front of you that you have to pull to start the machine. The locations and eras have already been set for you, so you do not have to worry about that. I don’t have enough time to explain where you’re going, but the machine will do so on its own. There is a help button on the machine that you can use when you need to contact us. There will also be a few walkie-talkies that you can take on the go. The machine has information on every place that you visit. You can use it to know more about your destinations. You have plenty of food and snacks for your journey. The time taken to travel will be extremely short but will still differ depending on how far apart the eras are. There is only one EXTREMELY important thing you need to remember. You must NOT disrupt things when you are in the past because that will change the way things happen in the future. You cannot tell anyone about the future or where you come from because that will change the future completely. You are only going to explore and make general conversation with anyone you meet. Understood?”
The kids nodded.
“Good. Any questions?”, Dr. Kapoor asked.
“Nothing right now.”, Priyanshi responded.
“Good. If you have any doubts or face any difficulties, you may contact us using the machine or the walkie-talkies. We’ll now start the machine. Good luck, kids!”, he said. He smiled at them and closed the door of the machine.
“10, 9, 8…” A robotic voice began counting down.
The moment it reached '0, the lights went off, the beeping sounds stopped, and the machine dropped. Or at least it felt like dropping to the kids who yelled at the top of their lungs. Their stomachs flew up to their throats, and they felt like they were on a rollercoaster.
Suddenly, the machine stopped. The lights came back on, and the beeping noises resumed. The kids felt a little normal. That had been the scariest experience of their lives. Ranvir tried to stand up.
“I feel nauseated.”, he complained. Yuvaan, Priyanshi, and Nandini stood up too. They were wobbling around, and all of them felt sick.
“You have arrived at your first destination.”, the robotic voice was back again, “You are in the era of the Greek gods. This is a time where people did not exist on Earth. You may now step out and explore your surroundings."
The kids looked at each other and nodded. Nandini opened the door of the cubicle, and all of them stepped out.
The Gods take their greatest forms
They were surrounded by tall pillars made out of white marble with intricate designs carved out on them. The floor was made of the same kind of marble. The place was like a huge palace.
Yuvaan looked down at his hands to see that they were changing!
“Guys, look at your hands and legs!”, he exclaimed.
“What’s happening? Why are we changing? Did something go wrong?”, Priyanshi had a worried look on her face. Her skin was turning green.
“Relax, Priyanshi. We’ll just call Dr. Kapoor and ask him.”, Ranvir said. He walked into the time machine and grabbed the walkie- talkies. He had become taller, and his skin was turning blue. He switched on one of the walkie talkies
“Hello? Dr. Kapoor?”, Ranvir called him.
“Kids, you have reached safely. Don’t worry. And no, nothing has gone wrong.”, the scientist’s voice was interrupted by static as he spoke, “The changes in your appearance are occurring because you are transforming into new creatures for some time. The way you look or dress normally may not be fitting in some eras. That is why your appearance will change so that you fit in with the surroundings. Right now, you are turning into forest and water nymphs. If your skin is green, you are a forest nymph, and if it is blue, you are a water nymph. I cannot talk to you for a long time, so I suggest that you continue now. Good luck!” And his voice was gone.
“Okay, now we need a plan. We’re supposed to meet the gods, but how are we going to do that?”, Nandini asked.
“I think we have a pretty good disguise, so we can move around as we please. Let me see what the time machine says about this place.”, Yuvaan said and stepped back inside the cubicle.
“We are in Mount Olympus where the Greek gods reside. We’re supposed to go and meet them. We are disguised as nymphs who have a complaint about someone wreaking havoc in the forest and destroying our homes.”, Yuvaan announced and came back outside.
“Well, that makes things easier. How do we-”
“Who are you?”, someone’s voice interrupted Ranvir. They turned around to find a tall, angry-looking man, dressed in armor, with a spear in his hand. He was probably a guard.
“We..we are nymphs, sir.”, Priyanshi stuttered, “We were supposed to meet the great Gods.” She explained not entirely sure of what she had to say.
“Oh, yes. Follow me. I shall take you.”, the guard said.
They walked through the palace-like structure and entered a giant hall. Upon entering, they saw several lavish thrones that surrounded the room. Each throne was built differently with gems and jewels of different colors decorating them. On these thrones, sat people. Completely normal, regular-looking people. Except, they wore the most lavish clothing with robes, armors, and heavy jewelry. These people had a sense of royalty about them, and they looked important.
“My lord, these are the nymphs that were supposed to meet you.”, the guard bowed down in front of one of the people - probably Zeus, the king of gods- and introduced the kids.
“Uh oh,”, Nandini whispered, “What are we supposed to do now?”
“Hello, my lord.”, Ranvir began and bowed down in front of Zeus. The others followed him still unsure of what they were supposed to do.
“What is it that you want, nymphs?”, Zeus asked them. He seemed impatient.
“My lord, there has been trouble in our forest. Someone is wreaking havoc, and we do not know who.”, Ranvir continued.
“They are destroying all the plants and trees, and the forest nymphs cannot do anything to solve this problem.”, Priyanshi tried to convince the gods.
“I can agree with these nymphs, Zeus”, another god spoke up. He was Poseidon, the god of the seas. He said, “The water nymphs have been telling me about this as well.”
“Alright, then. Hermes, I want you to go to the forest, and catch whoever is causing trouble.”, Zeus told another god.
“Yes, my lord. I shall do that.”, Hermes spoke up.
“Whoever it is must be stopped at once. I do not want the plants and harvest to get affected by this.”, a female spoke up. The kids recognized her as Demeter, the goddess of harvest.
“Oh Demeter, would you just calm down? I am sure it is nothing to worry about.”, another goddess spoke. She had a wise look on her face, and she looked like a warrior. It was Athena. She was the goddess of wisdom.
“Now, now. I do not want any of you fighting.”, Zeus scolded them, “Nymphs, you may leave now. Your problem shall be looked into.
“Thank you, your highness.”, Yuvaan thanked the gods, and all of them bowed down in respect. They walked out of the hall.
“Wow, what an absurd encounter! I don’t think we had enough time with them.”, Nandini said.
“Whatever! I just want to get out of here. Let’s go back to the machine.”, Ranvir looked exhausted already. They found their way back to the machine and got in. They found themselves transforming back into humans.
“Okay, where are we headed to next? I hope I can eat something before we reach there.”, Nandini spoke. Yuvaan checked the location on the machine.
“This next one’s going to be fairly tricky. We are going to visit the dinosaurs now.”, he informed them.
“Oh, yay. First, we go look at strange people that claim to be Greek gods. Now, we’re going to visit giant man-eating lizards. Could this be any better?”, Ranvir’s voice was heavy with sarcasm.
“Somebody’s moody.”, Priyanshi teased Ranvir.
“No time for bickering right now. I say we get started. Is everybody buckled up?”, Yuvaan asked.
They nodded their heads.
“Good. I’ll pull the lever now. Hopefully, we won’t have to go through all the stomach-churning again. Ready? 3..2..1, and Go!”, said Yuvaan and pulled the lever down. The lights went off, and so did the beeping. The falling sensation began again, and the machine hurtled itself through what seemed like an endless tunnel. The kids yelled again, but not the same way they had yelled the first time. They were starting to get used to feeling sick and weak every time they traveled. They knew it would repeat every time they got into the machine, so why complain?
A T-rex almost gets dinner
After what seemed like five hours, although it had been only five minutes, the machine came to a halt. It landed on hard ground and shook everything inside it including the kids.
“Ouch! That hurt.”, Yuvaan groaned as he got up from his chair.
“I think I stubbed my toe somewhere.”, Nandini came up to them hopping on one foot.
“Oh no, are you okay?”, Priyanshi rushed towards her and began looking at the wound.
“Yes, Priyanshi. I’m fine. What about you guys? Are you okay?”, Nandini turned to her friends.
“Well, I’m in an unknown land, with people who know as much as I do. I’ve heard that there are dinosaurs here which increases my chances of getting hurt. I’ve felt my stomach coming up to my throat twice in the span of just a couple of hours, and I know that it will continue to happen many more times. Oh, and I just bumped my head against the ceiling of an abnormally small cubicle that I will be living in for god knows how long. So yes, I’m absolutely fine. Thank you for asking.”, Ranvir ranted. The others stared at Ranvir like he was some alien species. He grinned in response to show that whatever he said was just a joke. After a few moments of silence, Yuvaan finally spoke up.
“So, let’s get going. I wonder what creatures we’ll be transformed into.”
They opened the cubicle and stepped outside. The sun shone brightly, and they could see plants all around them.
“Hey, am I shrinking, or are you guys just getting larger?”, Nandini spoke up. They all looked at her. She had turned into some sort of a snake!
“Of course this was going to happen. I’m sure all of us will turn into snakes soon, so we better call Dr. Kapoor and ask him why this is happening.”, Yuvaan explained, and then went inside to grab a walkie talkie.
Yuvaan pressed a button and asked the doctor, “Hello, Dr. Kapoor? We just witnessed Nandini turning into a snake, and we know it is going to happen to us as well. Can you please explain why snakes?”
“Yes, of course. If you become a snake, it’ll be much easier for you to roam around and go unnoticed. Instead of a snake, if you were another dinosaur, you would be noticed and attacked easily.”, Dr. Kapoor explained. His voice wasn’t very clear. It sounded like one of those audio interviews that would play on the radio in a car.
“Now, get back to your work. Call me if you need anything else. Good luck!”, said Dr. Kapoor. And they couldn’t hear his voice anymore.
“Hey look! I’m turning into a snake too!”, Ranvir exclaimed, and right before everyone's eyes, he kept becoming shorter and shorter and eventually became green and long.
“Yuvaan, both of us are transforming as well!”, Priyanshi pointed out. Yuvaan quickly closed the door of the machine and turned into a snake.
“Now that all of us are in this form, where do we start exploring?”, Nandini asked.
“I suggest that we stay hidden behind the bushes and not wander off far away.”, Yuvaan said. He had a valid point.
“Yes, I agree with you. And, two of us should stay in the front while two stay behind. It’ll be easier to move around, and if there is any danger, it’ll be easier to escape.”, Priyanshi said, “What do you think?”
“I don’t think you can see it, but I’m shrugging. That means yes.", Ranvir replied.
“Alright. Priyanshi and Yuvaan, both of you go in front since you’re better with directions, and you know more. Ranvir and I will stay behind you and look out for trouble.” Nandini said.
The others agreed and began looking around. They found a trail and started to go on it.
“These plants are beautiful. Too bad we can’t take any with us.”, Priyanshi observed, her soft voice almost getting drowned by Ranvir's and Nandini’s laughter and chatter.
“True. I’m just praying we don’t run into any dinosaurs.”, Yuvaan chuckled.
They continued slithering and talking. The weather was pleasant, almost like a nice summer day. Suddenly, Priyanshi and Yuvaan heard a shriek from behind them. They turned around to see, that their friends were gone!
“Oh no! They’ve disappeared! Quick, follow their voices!”, Yuvaan yelled. He and Priyanshi slithered as fast as they could.
They followed their friends’ shrieks and screams. They took many turns but didn’t pay any attention to where they were going. After about five minutes of chasing, they finally saw where their friends were. They were against a bush cornered by none other than a T-Rex! The tyrant lizard, ready for its next meal, was slowly creeping up on them. Yuvaan and Priyanshi could see their friends trembling. They needed to create a distraction so that the T-rex would leave Nandini and Ranvir alone.
Yuvaan turned to the nearest bush and grabbed a leaf with his teeth. He shook the bush vigorously and created a rustling noise. The T-rex stopped where it was and slowly turned around. They could see its massive teeth, as sharp as daggers, lined up perfectly in its mouth. It narrowed its eyes, focusing on Priyanshi and Yuvaan. It had a happy expression on its face, the kind of smile a kid gets when he's offered four chocolates instead of two.
“Priyanshi, it’s going to charge. We need to lead it to another dinosaur. Follow me.”, Yuvaan hissed his plan in Priyanshi’s ear, and she nodded in response. She was terrified, but she needed to save her friends.
The T-rex began advancing towards them. Yuvaan yelled and began slithering down the path. Priyanshi followed him. They could hear the stomping of the T-rex’s feet behind them, but they didn’t look back. Yuvaan and Priyanshi cut through bushes and came in an open field. They slithered forward and kept an eye out for another dinosaur. They didn’t have much time. The T-rex was right behind them inching forward to pounce on its prey.
“There!”, Yuvaan screamed, looking at another dinosaur. Both of them slithered as fast as they could towards the dinosaur.
It was far away, but they would get to it in time. It was a stegosaurus. They followed the large plates on its back. The T-rex was still chasing them. The commotion startled the stegosaurus, and it looked up at the T-rex. It looked afraid for a second but soon began bracing itself for a fight. It charged at the oncoming T-rex and took no notice of the prey that the T-rex was chasing.
“Priyanshi, move to the side! NOW!”, Yuvaan yelled, and they both slithered in opposite directions in the nick of time. Both the large dinosaurs clashed against each other and fought. The T-rex wasn’t prepared, for its focus had been only on its prey. But, it was quick enough. It attacked the stegosaurus and dodged its attacks.
Priyanshi and Yuvaan didn’t stick around to watch. They got out of the field as fast as they could and rushed back to their terrified friends.
“Guys! Are you okay?”, Priyanshi asked and moved towards Nandini and Ranvir. Yuvaan joined her, catching his breath.
“We are fine. Thank you for saving us.”, Ranvir replied.
“We don’t have enough time for thanks. We need to get back to the machine as soon as possible.”, Yuvaan ordered.
They began their journey back to the machine. They weren’t sure of what path they’d taken, but after half-an-hour of searching through the bushes and trees, they finally found the time machine. They climbed in and immediately returned to their human forms. They sat and put on their seatbelts.
“Phew! After that encounter, I’ll never complain about time travel sickness ever again.”, Ranvir said as he leaned back and closed his eyes.
“Okay, I’m pulling the lever. 3...2...1, and go!”, Yuvaan said and pulled down the lever, and they were once again traveling through time to a new era.
The Pyramids are Constructed
The time machine landed on slightly soft and uneven land upsetting nothing but a few loose things on the floor. The team got up and stretched. They were thankful that they didn’t get hurt.
“Okay, where are we now, Yuvaan?”, Nandini questioned.
Yuvaan checked the location. He informed, “We are in the Giza Plateau, Egypt. Over here, we will be looking at how the pyramids were built. We’re also going to talk to some of the workers and see how they live.”
“What do you think we’ll turn into? Humans existed during the time of the Egyptians, so there’s no need to turn us into animals.”, Priyanshi wondered.
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to find out.”, Yuvaan shrugged and opened the door of the machine.” All of them stepped out. The midday sun shone brightly into their eyes. They looked away from its blinding light. What they couldn’t avoid was the sweltering heat of the desert. The kids were immediately soaked in sweat, and their hands never left their foreheads.
“Wow! I didn’t realize the time machine was air-conditioned until we came here.”, Ranvir pointed out.
“It’s so humid. I don’t know how we’ll be able to check things out in this heat.”, Priyanshi exclaimed.
“Hey! I think we’re changing now!”, Nandini said. Everyone looked at themselves. They were growing taller and older. Their casual clothes changed to a whole new set of outfits. Yuvaan and Ranvir wore a kilt-like skirt, and a shawl was draped around their shoulders. Priyanshi and Nandini wore a tight-fitting sheath dress. They had kohl and eye shadow on their eyes, and their lips were tinted a bright red.
“I think we’ve become adults.”, Yuvaan’s voice had become deeper.
“This is a little weird. But at least we’re not animals.”, Nandini said, “Yuvaan, go get a walkie-talkie and ask Dr. Kapoor why we’re like this.”
Yuvaan nodded and stepped inside the machine. He returned with a walkie-talkie in his hand. He pressed a button, and Dr. Kapoor’s voice could be heard,
“Hello, kids! Great job on distracting the T-rex and saving yourselves! I’m so sorry you had to go through that, and I can assure you that you won’t face that kind of danger again. Anyways, you must be wondering why you’ve been turned into adults. Well, the way you are dressed now shows that you are merchants in Egypt. Being disguised as an adult merchant makes it a lot easier to travel through deserts. After you finish talking to me, look behind the time machine. You’ll find two camels. They'll help you commute. Now, get back to your adventure, and call me again if you have a doubt. Bye!” Dr. Kapoor hung up.
“Whoa, camels? Awesome!”, Ranvir was thrilled, and he ran around the time machine to the back.
“Wow! Check this out! They’re even decorated!”, Ranvir exclaimed. The others followed him to the back. The camels looked grand. They had jewels and tassels all over them, and colorful saddles decorated their backs.
“These do look nice. However, there is a tiny problem. None of us know how to ride a camel. What are we going to do?”, Priyanshi asked.
“Priyanshi, don't worry. Dr. Kapoor said that we would be safe. Besides, do you remember that fair we had at school? We had camels there, and each of us took a turn on one. The fair happened pretty recently, so I’m sure we remember some of the instructions the instructor gave us when we went riding.”, Yuvaan had a point. They climbed onto the back of the camels. Yuvaan and Ranvir sat on one camel and Priyanshi and Nandini on the other.
“Let’s go!”, Nandini said. Her camel started walking. Yuvaan and Ranvir followed them. They traveled for a solid half an hour through the barren desert. The heat had only gotten worse, and each of them wished that they had a small fan beside them. The makeup and getup weren’t helping either. In fact, it had only made them feel more suffocated. When they had wanted to remove the makeup, Yuvaan stopped them and told them that it was a necessary disguise. They were still riding the camels when they spotted a group of people carrying large blocks to a location.
“There! Those must be the workers that we are supposed to talk to! And I bet they’re constructing a pyramid!”, Yuvaan got excited and made his camel move a little faster towards the workers. He cut in front of Priyanshi and Nandini and would've gone far ahead had they not stopped him and calmed him down.
“Now remember! We are just supposed to talk casually to them. Unlike the incident with the gods, Dr. Kapoor has not told us what we are supposed to talk about. So, make sure you don’t give them too much information, otherwise, we’re dead.”, Nandini warned them, with glaring eyes and a stern voice. They nodded in response too scared to say anything.
“Hey, you! What are you doing here?”, a voice came suddenly. A worker from the group stood next to the kids. “What is a group of merchants doing here, eh?”, he asked. He spoke loudly and gathered the attention of his fellow workers. The kids looked around at each other. Yuvaan spoke up confidently,
“Hello, my friend! We are just an ordinary group of merchants. I am afraid we got a little lost and found ourselves over here. Would you mind terribly if we stopped here and rested for a while?” His tone was persuasive, and he managed to convince the worker. The worker nodded in agreement and started chatting with the kids.
“So tell us, kind friend, what is it that you and the other men are working on?”, Yuvaan asked casually. He didn’t seem too desperate, and the worker wasn’t suspicious at all.
“Well, we are working on a pyramid. We have been working for the past five years. I believe it is supposed to be a tomb for King Khufu.”, the worker explained. Priyanshi nudged Ranvir and Nandini and whispered, “Pyramid of Giza.”, in their ears.
Yuvaan nodded.
“It seems like hard work. How do you live like this? It must be a difficult task.” Yuvaan’s voice was heavy with false pity. The worker believed his act and continued to tell them about his life.
He shrugged and said, “It is a hard life indeed. We have to lug these giant, heavy blocks over great distances. Thankfully, our group of workers is not responsible for building the actual pyramid. We just have to transport the materials to the site. Our friends who are employed to work at the site have excruciatingly hard lives! In fact, I am still shocked that they haven’t broken their limbs yet. But they do it for the money and the welfare of their families.”
“Ah, I see. But I am also interested in your job. Tell me more about what you and your friends do.”, Yuvaan asked the worker. In return, the worker perked up at a chance to boast about his occupation. Priyanshi, Ranvir, and Nandini watched in amusement, as Yuvaan kept getting information out of the man.
“Our work is still extremely hard. We report to one site early in the morning and spend the rest of our day tying ropes around giant blocks and pulling them across the burning desert. Then, we reach the other site. Sometimes, if we still have time left, they make us take waste materials from the main site and throw it far away. We return to our small homes in the worker’s village late at night and immediately fall asleep after eating a heavy dinner. We barely get anything to consume during the daytime, so we ensure that we eat plenty at home for energy.”, the worker explained with a sense of pride. Yuvaan complimented the worker’s energy and determination.
“Well, I believe we have rested enough. Thank you, my friend, for letting us sit with you. We had a very interesting conversation. Good luck with your construction!”, he bid the worker adieu. The kids got back onto their camels and started heading back to the time machine.
“Wow, Yuvaan! I didn’t know you were that persuasive!”, Priyanshi was truly impressed.
“Well, I didn’t really do anything. These workers are fairly lonely, and they jump at any opportunity that allows them to talk about their work. I just took advantage of that fact and got information.”, Yuvaan smiled and explained.
They reached the machine and left the camels outside. They got in and sat down changing back into their original forms.
“I’ll pull the lever now. Ready? 3..2..1, go!”, Yuvaan said and pulled the lever down, and they were off to a new location.
The Mayans Disappear
The machine came to a halt, and all the lights and noises resumed. The kids got up and started walking around.
“We are in the era of the Mayans. Today’s date is August 13, 1521. Today, Cuauhtemoc will surrender to the Spanish Conquistadors.”, Yuvaan informed.
“That’s one complicated name.”, Ranvir said.
“Well, what’s so special about today, Yuvaan?”, Nandini questioned.
“After the king surrenders, the Spanish will completely destroy the Mayan civilization. To sum it up, we are about to witness the cause of the disappearance of the Mayans.”, Yuvaan explained in a dramatic tone.
“Oh. Well, that’s sad.”, all of them were at a loss for words.
“I wonder who we’ll turn into.”, Priyanshi tried to change the conversation.
They opened the doors of the time machine and stepped out. Yuvaan came out last with a walkie-talkie in his hand. As soon as each one of them came out, their outfits began changing. Armors appeared on their chests, and they wore clothes that were made to be worn for battle. They found themselves holding spears, bows, and arrows.
“This is some cool stuff!”, Ranvir exclaimed examining the spear in his hand.
Meanwhile, Yuvaan had pressed the button on the walkie-talkie, and Dr. Kapoor’s voice could be heard, “Hello, kids! As you know, you are in the era of the Mayans. You are disguised as soldiers, and you will be a part of the Spanish conquistadors for now. At the moment, Cuauhtemoc has already surrendered to the Spanish. In a short while, the destruction of the Mayan empire will begin. Be careful with the weapons you have as they could injure you badly. I believe that is all you need to know. Reach out to me if you need anything else! Goodbye!” And the line went dead.
“Wow, destroying cities at our age? That’s something that only a few kids get to do.”, Ranvir said with a worried expression on his face. The others were concerned too. They didn’t know how to fight, and they certainly didn’t want to fight. After a few moments of silence, Yuvaan cleared his throat and said, “We need to get this done one way or another. We should hurry up. Let’s go.”
He began walking. They began to take notice of their surroundings. They had landed behind a cluster of houses in a village. The atmosphere seemed depressing as if it were reflecting what was going on in the city. They got in front of the houses and saw a group of soldiers in the center of the village armed with weapons just like the kids were. They quickly joined the group and camouflaged themselves.
“We will be receiving orders any time now. Make sure your weapons are ready. We have to take every inch of this place down. No Mayan should survive.”, said a tall muscular bearded soldier as he addressed the group. The kids guessed that he was the leader.
“The Spanish will probably send signals to different groups located in different areas. Then, they’ll destroy everything.”, Yuvaan whispered to the rest.
“Oh god, I hate this. Why do we have to do this?”, said Priyanshi whose face had a greenish tinge to it. She never wanted to participate in anything related to violence.
The soldiers had been waiting for a while when, suddenly, they heard a loud noise. The kids couldn’t comprehend where the noise came from, or what it was. However, they understood that it was the signal when the leader yelled “CHARGE!”.
The soldiers began running around obliterating everything in their way. They hurled rocks at the homes and at the property in the village. They attacked anyone who tried to stop them. There was yelling, shouting, and screaming. The soldiers roared out their battle cries.
“I don’t think we need to do anything! We can just let the other soldiers do their work, and we can watch!”, Ranvir yelled to his friends. They nodded in response.
After about half an hour, the soldiers calmed down. They stepped back and proudly showed off whatever they had destroyed. The kids could see bodies on the floor. They looked away in disgust. What had once been homes were now piles of broken walls and roofs. The kids could see pieces of crockery and furniture in the rubble.
“Let’s just get back to the machine. I don’t think I can watch this any longer.”, murmured all of them in unison. They slipped away quietly.
They ran to the time machine and didn’t look back. The whole event had saddened them, and they couldn’t even talk about it. They quickly got inside the machine and shut the door. Yuvaan just waited for everyone to sit down and pulled the lever down. For the first time, the kids were relieved when they felt the rollercoaster sensation. They were just glad they had made it out of there on time.
Birbal becomes the teacher’s pet
The time machine landed on hard ground, and everybody inside it was shaken up badly. Priyanshi got up wincing in pain.
“I didn’t want that to happen again. I think I’ve hurt my neck.”, she complained.
“My elbow hit something when we landed, and it hurts really badly.”, Ranvir rubbed his elbow and got up. Yuvaan and Nandini were up as well stretching and complaining about the hard landing.
“Yuvaan, where are we right now?”, Nandini questioned. Yuvaan checked the location on the time machine. He said, “We are in the era of Muslim rule in India. Right now, we are in the time of Akbar in a village called Fatehpur Sikri which was founded by him. We are supposed to dress as subjects from his kingdom and explore. Apparently, Akbar and his wise minister Birbal will be taking a walk through the city today. We are supposed to observe them from far away. I guess we have to see if Birbal really is as clever as the stories claim.”
“So are we going to be adults again? Can’t we just be kids?”, whined Ranvir. They stepped out of the time machine. They had landed behind a shop in the village market. They could see people moving around buying things for themselves.
“Hey, look! Our clothes are changing!”, said Priyanshi pointing to their clothes. They saw that instead of their t-shirts and jeans, they were wearing Indian ethnic wear. Their kurtas were bright and beautiful with gorgeous embroidery all over them.
“I’m so relieved we’re not turning into anybody else. I don’t think we need to call Dr. Kapoor for this one.”, said Ranvir as he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Okay, let’s hurry up now. We need to make sure we’re outside the king’s palace on time otherwise we’ll miss him.”, Yuvaan rushed them. They began quickly walking through the busy market. Fruit sellers were beckoning customers to their carts by showing off their scrumptious juicy fruits. Some stalls had jewelry on display. The kids could see beautiful bangles and lavish necklaces all decorated with fake jewels and gems. The kids walked until they reached an open road. Over there, they stopped and asked some villagers for directions to the palace. The villagers showed them the way, and they started walking towards the palace.
They had been walking for around ten minutes when they began to see the grand palace. It looked majestic. The red walls stood out where the sun shone on them. The palace was huge. To the kids, it looked like it had infinite rooms and chambers. It was one of the most luxurious buildings they had ever seen.
“Let us stop right here. We can see the entrance to the palace, and we’ll know if Akbar and Birbal come out.”, suggested Yuvaan.
They waited patiently for almost twenty minutes. Then, they saw the king and his minister coming out. They were surrounded by armed guards. They walked slowly possibly because the king was an old man. He had a white mustache and beard. A turban was placed on top of his head. It matched the robes he wore. They were definitely handmade sewn together only by the best tailors in the kingdom. They had intricate designs all over them, and jewels, that were most likely real, were embedded all over them. Next to Akbar, stood another man. He was taller and much younger. The kids guessed that he was Birbal, the smartest of the Nine Gems and Akbar’s favorite.
The kids waited until the king and Birbal had gone ahead of them and then began following them slowly. They could hear their conversation clearly.
“Birbal, sometimes I wonder how many crows are there in my kingdom?”, Akbar asked his minister.
“Oh, I’ve heard this one!”, Ranvir whispered excitedly.
“Your Majesty, I think there are ninety-five thousand, four hundred, and sixty-three crows in your kingdom.”, Birbal replied confidently.
“What? Are you sure you are correct?”, Akbar was astonished.
“I’m sure of it, Your Majesty.”, said Birbal and smiled.
“Well, what if I were to count all the crows in the kingdom, and they turned out to be less than what you said?”, Akbar asked trying to find a way to prove his minister wrong.
“The only possible explanation for that, Your Majesty, would be that the remaining crows have gone to visit their relatives!”, said Birbal and surprised the king again.
“And what if there are more crows than you had said?”, Akbar asked.
“Then, Your Majesty, it would mean that the relatives of the crows are visiting them from another kingdom!”, replied Birbal. This time, Akbar started laughing.
“Birbal, your cleverness will always be unmatched! You have truly impressed me!”, Akbar exclaimed, and Birbal bowed in respect.
“Okay, we can leave it here. I think we’ve seen enough.”, Yuvaan stopped the others.
“Birbal really was quite clever! And to think that he faced even trickier challenges than this and still managed to solve them successfully!”, Priyanshi said in awe.
They started going back to the time machine. They walked back to the village and went through the market again. They went behind the same shop and got into the time machine. Immediately, their clothes changed back to normal.
“Is everyone seated properly? I’m going to pull the lever now!”, Yuvaan said. Everyone rushed to their seats, and put their seatbelts on.
“Ready? 3..2..1...Go!” He pulled the lever down, and they were off to their next location.
Mesmerizing Radio Speeches
The time machine landed on what seemed like concrete. This was the worst landing the group had gone through. They sat for a few minutes because they were too hurt to get up.
“Okay, guys, let’s get up now. We need to finish this as fast as possible. It’s our last location. After this, we go back home.”, said Yuvaan. He got up and started reading about the location. The others got up too.
“We are in the time of World War 2. For this location, we don’t have to fight or anything. We just need to observe Adolf Hitler and how he works.”, Yuvaan read out from the screen.
“Oh no! Another war? That is so 1521.”, Nandini rolled her eyes. The last war they had seen was from the Mayan era, and none of them was prepared to fight another battle.
They opened the time machine and stepped outside. Their outfits began to change quickly. They were now wearing military uniforms and had guns and weapons with themselves.
“I think we’ve got the gist of what we have to do, so there’s no need to call Dr. Kapoor. And, let’s be really careful with our weapons. Don’t put anyone in danger.”, Yuvaan told them sternly.
They looked around, and observed where they had landed. It appeared to be the back of a warehouse. It was a rather short building and wasn’t very attractive. There were moss and mold on the walls, and patches of paint were peeling off. The paint used to be a bright pink color, but with time, it had become a dirty and ugly shade. The kids walked to the front of the warehouse and entered the building.
“Hello, soldiers. We have been expecting you. Go join the rest of your team in the room on the second floor.”, said a strong-looking man pointing them towards the room. They guessed that he was the head of the team that was based here.
“Come on guys, let's do it.”, Ranvir encouraged the others. They climbed up the stairs to the second story. The inside of the building had a damp and suffocating smell as if there were wet clothes hung all over the walls.
They reached the floor and saw a room. The door was closed, so they knocked. It opened, and they faced a tall, lean woman. She had a strict expression on her face. With a nod, she let them come inside. The kids walked in and stood against the wall behind the rest of the soldiers.
“Soldiers, you know that your post is here. From here on, you will not travel to any other post or location unless you are asked to do so by your leaders.”, she began, “Right now, we will be listening to the radio. Pay close attention to what Hitler says as we will need to act based on his announcements. Understood?” She looked around. All the soldiers, including the four, nodded their heads in response. The woman switched the radio on. They could hear a faint static, and then a voice began speaking.
It was Hitler's. He said, “Good morning, my people. Today we are here to discuss an important issue. As you all are aware, we are amidst a war, and we need to form a plan. We need to have tactics so that we can establish our control over many regions and claim what is rightfully ours! We must fight for what we deserve! Our efforts shall not be wasted!”
The kids realized something. He was one of the best orators they had ever heard! In each and every line he spoke, he included emotion and really convinced his audience to listen to him. There were battle cries erupting from the radio. It was a public event, and the audience was cheering and agreeing with what Hitler had said.
Hitler continued, “We shall win this war! We shall fight for ourselves! Our ancestors will look down upon us and be proud of us for restoring the right in the world!” When Hitler ended his speech, loud clapping and cheering could be heard from the radio, and some of the soldiers clapped along with them as well.
The kids stared at each other in awe.
“So that’s how he got people to do what he wanted them to do? Because he was a fantastic public-speaker?”, Ranvir couldn’t believe what he had heard. He had never thought of public-speaking as an important thing. Until now of course. He learned that it could be used to start massive wars between the most powerful countries.
The speeches had changed their view of Hitler a little bit. He had put so much emotion on the parts that mattered. They could only hear him, so they imagined him gesturing with his hands to add drama to his speeches.
“Wow, this was an experience.”, Nandini finally spoke up.
“It really was. But, I think we’re done. Unless you guys want to stick around for the gory parts?”, Yuvaan said and looked at them. They immediately shook their heads. They quietly snuck out of the room and went down the stairs. The found a back door on the ground floor and went straight to where the time machine was. They quickly climbed in, shut the door, and settled down.
“Whoa, we’ve finished our last adventure. Our next stop is home.”, Nandini said heavily. Everyone looked at each other, and smiled.
“Then, let’s get back home, shall we?”, said Yuvaan. He grinned and pulled the lever down.
The machine dropped again but this time no one felt uncomfortable. They realized that they would be experiencing this situation for the last time in their lives. They tried their best to cherish the moment so that they would remember it.
The Experiment Ends
The machine came to a halt. The lights came back on, but the beeping noises didn’t. It was because they had finished their mission, and the time machine didn’t have to perform any functions anymore. The team stood up and stretched. They smiled at each other once again like one does when they reach home safely after a long, tiring journey. They looked around the time machine. Then, taking in one last good look, they opened the door and stepped out. The bright lights of the lab were harsh at first, but then they got used to them.
“Hello, kids!” It was Dr. Kapoor’s joyful voice. He stepped forward and greeted them individually, “You were extremely smart, and brave, and clever out there! Congratulations on successfully traveling through time! Come here, and sit down. You must be tired. I’ll get someone to bring you refreshments.” They sat down on four comfortable chairs.
“So tell me. How was your experience?”, Dr. Kapoor asked with a bright smile on his face.
“I don’t think any of us can describe it in just a few words.”, Priyanshi said and laughed. The others nodded.
“I completely agree with Priyanshi. It was absolutely wonderful. We have learned so much, and we’d like to thank you for choosing us.”, said Yuvaan. He got up and shook the doctor’s hand.
“Well, I can see it left you at a loss for words. That’s definitely a good sign.”, said Dr. Kapoor as he walked over to a table and picked up four thin files. He continued, “Here you go. These are a few sheets that you will have to fill up so that we can analyze the results of the experiment. Don’t worry. It’s nothing too heavy. Just a few questions about each place. And you can give it to me within a month. Take your time to fill these out, and make sure you remember your experiences while doing it.” He handed the kids a clear, plastic folder each.
“Would you kids like to go home now? It was a long, hard journey, and I think you should definitely get some rest.”, Dr. Kapoor advised. The kids got up, and made their way out of the lab. They bid adieu to the doctor and went down the steps of the giant university.
“That was an exciting voyage, wasn’t it?”, Priyanshi looked at her friends excitedly.
“Yes, it was! I had a lot of fun with you guys. I just want to thank all of you for going on this adventure together. We make a good team, don’t we?”, Ranvir looked around at their faces.
“We really do, Ranvir. We really do.”, Yuvaan and Nandini said.
The kids walked home together. Each of them was a smarter and more mature human being than they were just a few days ago. The smiles on their faces reflected the happiness and the knowledge they had gained from their adventure. As they returned home, with more experience and pride, they also learned that they had obtained other skills such as teamwork that would be very helpful in the future. They had also found friends for life.
Written by: Sia Thilakar
Edited by: Aanchal Agrawal
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