The Green Bronze Mirror
by Lynne Ellison
She could have sworn that they
were Romans, exactly like the ones pictured in 'Roman Britain'
which she read in school last term, but the idea was so impossible
that she tried to dismiss it. How could there be Romans in this day
and age? Unless... unless the mirror had taken her back-about two
thousand years. But that was preposterous. Perhaps the men were
just part of some sort of advertising gimmick. Still, that didn't
explain the disappearance of the castle. Maybe the men would
explain that to her. She'd ask them.
She stood up and faced them resolutely, waiting for them to
come level with her.
The officer saw her first.
'Halt!' he bellowed, and beckoned imperiously to Karen. 'Come
here!'
Karen stood before him, feeling rather foolish in her shorts and
striped T-shirt. What if they really were Romans? And if they
were, how on earth had she been able to understand what he said?
'Who are you and what are you doing here?' asked the officer,
in a tone which implied that he wanted a prompt and businesslike
answer.
'N-nothing,' said Karen, trying to think what to say. 'Only
taking a walk: Golly! she thought. I think they must be real
Romans. She wondered with a growing sense of panic how she
could explain that she was from the twentieth century. The man
stared at her suspiciously from under thick black brows.
'Only taking a walk, are you? Where are you from?' Karen shut
her mouth defiantly. 'I won't tell you!' This was the easiest way of
getting out of it.
'Oh? And why not? You wouldn't be a runaway slave, would
you? If you were, you'd not tell me, naturally. But there are ways
and means.'
were Romans, exactly like the ones pictured in 'Roman Britain'
which she read in school last term, but the idea was so impossible
that she tried to dismiss it. How could there be Romans in this day
and age? Unless... unless the mirror had taken her back-about two
thousand years. But that was preposterous. Perhaps the men were
just part of some sort of advertising gimmick. Still, that didn't
explain the disappearance of the castle. Maybe the men would
explain that to her. She'd ask them.
She stood up and faced them resolutely, waiting for them to
come level with her.
The officer saw her first.
'Halt!' he bellowed, and beckoned imperiously to Karen. 'Come
here!'
Karen stood before him, feeling rather foolish in her shorts and
striped T-shirt. What if they really were Romans? And if they
were, how on earth had she been able to understand what he said?
'Who are you and what are you doing here?' asked the officer,
in a tone which implied that he wanted a prompt and businesslike
answer.
'N-nothing,' said Karen, trying to think what to say. 'Only
taking a walk: Golly! she thought. I think they must be real
Romans. She wondered with a growing sense of panic how she
could explain that she was from the twentieth century. The man
stared at her suspiciously from under thick black brows.
'Only taking a walk, are you? Where are you from?' Karen shut
her mouth defiantly. 'I won't tell you!' This was the easiest way of
getting out of it.
'Oh? And why not? You wouldn't be a runaway slave, would
you? If you were, you'd not tell me, naturally. But there are ways
and means.'
No comments:
Post a Comment