The Vestry Door

Here is a very short story from the time travelling world of Deeper Realms and the Unnatural History Museum - I love the concept of the reverse engineered time travel story in which people in the past encounter travellers from the future ... please let me know what you think!

13th February 1939, Fellows College Oxford

Dreary lunch with Tatton today after tutorials, weather even drearier. Popped into Chapel about four - saw the most peculiar thing, girl in chap’s clothes. Still nothing from Pentacost about the door.

15th October

Visited Chapel after dinner, god knows what Tatton makes of it. The young woman in chap’s clothes was there again, smiled as I came in. Spent quarter of an hour contemplating the door - what I saw - but couldn’t shake the feeling she was watching me. Spent afternoon working on lexicon. Things looking rum in Berlin, almost enough to make a chap give up listening to the wireless.

17th October

Spoke to the girl in chap’s clothes today. She’s quite well-read and very talkative - even if her tone is a little over-familiar - I would have taken her for an American if it wasn’t for her accent. She’s clearly cast every scrap of formality by the wayside. Was very interested in the Lexicon, speaks Old Norse herself. Can’t stop thinking about the door. More bad news in Europe.

18th

Had the most terrible shock. Was just settling down to work on Lexicon when the girl in chap’s clothes things took on a whole new dimension. Turned up at my rooms in quite a funk just after lighting-up time. Was wearing the most curious jacket, like a man would wear if he were to travel to the moon - short like a pilot’s, padded, made of some strange material - but queerest of all, her clothes had words on: a name near the collar and something on her blouse. I poured her a scotch and she pretty near downed it like a jack-tar. I shouldn’t see her like this, she said, told me I should stop looking into the door: it was none of my concern. To my shame I got a bit heated, demanded she tell me what was going on, why I saw what I did, but she refused - departed tearfully. Left me damned shaken.

20th Oct

Woke up in early hours thinking about the chapel. God knows what Pentacost’s doing with that wood sample – there must be a trace of something he can detect. Dreamt I stepped through that vestry door again. So vivid. Felt certain I lived those twenty minutes in Canute’s Kingdom; relived every word, every observation of how the Norse I’ve mastered differed from reality. There has to be something in that sample, some element or other, just something to explain what I experienced. Either that or its madness. Can’t stop thinking about the girl, why she’s here – and then there’s the situation with Germany. Must get some sleep.

22nd October, 5:00pm

Hang Pentacost. Went to chapel this am and the girl was there. Told me most fantastical story: events have taken a turn - war is coming – and she’s travelled from long after it! Bit much to take in. Says my going to Pentacost forced her hand. Seems the door is one of many, but must keep quiet, shape of “temporal reality” too fragile. Being drawn to where I’m needed most she says - my lingual skills are of paramount importance to the shape of the future - something to do with Arianism - but the window of opportunity is closing. Says she’ll return tonight. Made it pretty plain I had two choices: drop the door thing with Pentecost entirely OR step through and join her. God help me. May be my last entry.