Time Traveling Twins: The Further Adventures of Sarah and Anna Bryant by Bret Wallin

Everyone knows (especially past readers) that any good adventure
begins in one's pajamas and at one's home. This story is no different.

Sarah Bryant couldn't believe her eyes. First of all, the clock read a
big ole five double zero. She had been up this late before, for sure,
especially when cross-country roadtrips had called for it. But this
early? She couldn't remember the last time. What was going on?

"SAAAAAAARAAAAH WAKE UP!"

Sarah's right hand fumbled for her phone. A book. Elle Magazine. Any
projectile would do.

"SAAAAAAARAH IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY WE'RE TWENTY THREEEEEE!"

Anna Bryant skillfully dodged the flying pages past her head and let
out another yell.

"SAAAAARAH WAKE UP I'LL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING!"

Sarah peeked out from beneath her pillow. Her twin was wide awake,
fully dressed and ready to start the day. At 5:00 am.

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Sarah asked. From
underneath the pillow, her question didn't exactly sound like English.

Anna just grinned. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" An airborne pillow
landed harmlessly at her feet and Anna's smile only grew larger as she
watched her sister pick up the iPhone, think better of it, and set it
back on the night stand.

"Okay, so what do you want?" Sarah took a good long look at Ann. She
noticed the amused look on her face, an inside joke ready to spill
from her eyes. While Anna didn't exactly look like trouble... it was
hard to imagine that she was up to much good.

"Wellllllllll.... first get up. And I'll tell you in the car?" Sarah
buried her head in her hands. It was official. This WAS trouble. She
knew as much, but still, what do you do when your sister is probably
seconds away from banging pots and pans before sunup? You get out of
bed, shake the sleep from your eyes, and fix a smile to your face.
That's exactly what Sarah Bryant did. And besides, the younger twin
was starting to feel something more than tired. She was curious.

--------

"Alright, so what are we doing?" The two had driven in silence to the
nearest Starbucks - a shared, unspoken understanding - and the caramel
macchiato in Sarah's hands made the impending sunrise a little more
bearable.

"You have to promise not to laugh." The inside jokes in her sister's
eyes had been replaced with genuine concern.

Sarah took a long sip from her drink. "Okay, I promise."

"And you have to promise not to be mad."

Sarah took an even longer sip. "Okay," she agreed. "I promise."

Anna took a deep breath. She started a sentence - stopped it - and
then slowly began. "I had a dream last night. I bet you did too, but I
know you don't usually remember yours... So... I'll just say it. I
think we're supposed to go downtown before the morning rush. To
Millennium Park. To the Bean."

Sarah had no idea where to begin.

Anna continued, "And I know it sounds crazy. I thought it sounded
nuts, too, but I just know in my heart we're supposed to go!" She
looked over at her sister. "I just know we have to be there."

Sarah took another long sip of her Starbucks, the ice cubes rattling
against the straw. She slowly nodded. "Okay sure... but why?"

Anna looked down at the dashboard, then turned back to her sister.
"....I don't know how to say this. But I think... I think we're
supposed to meet Albert Einstein."

Silence.

"And I think it has something to do with our birthday."

"ANNA! ALBERT EINSTEIN IS DEAD!"

It was Anna's turn to stay quiet.

"WAIT! WHAT?!" Sarah didn't even have time to think. It all just came
out in a rush. "I mean, really?! Really?! You woke up me up at five
this morning - FIVE A.M. - to drive me to the Bean? To meet Albert
Einstein? Famously brilliant but terribly dead Albert Einstein?!" She
paused both for a breath and for emphasis. And then added, "That's
just weird, right?"

The sentence hung in the air. Neither knew exactly what to say next.

"No, you're right. It's weird for sure." Anna paused. "But! You
promised not to be mad!"

The slightly younger Bryant smiled. "No, you're right. You're crazy,
Ann. But you're right. And no matter what, I'm with you."

This made Anna smile, too. "Well good. And hey look, we're here!"

She was right, they had arrived. In true Bryant fashion, they pulled
their Jeep onto the sidewalk, put the flashers on, and parked
in-between the two towers of the Crown Fountain. "We should be good!"
Anna exclaimed. "I bet the fountain doesn't turn on for another hour."

Sarah was about ready to agree when she caught her breath. Yes, there
was the Bean. But there, too - there was a man still standing a ways
off with distinctively crazy hair. There was no mistaking it, either.
Einstein hair. "Anna look."

Anna raised her head in the same direction. "Well," she gulped. "We
might as well go see what there is to see."

Sarah agreed. "Let's see what there is to see. It IS our birthday, after all!"

The two walked steadily through the McCormick Tribune Plaza, up the
stairs, and towards both the man and the Bean.

"Vell hello cheeldren." The two stopped dead in their tracks. The old
man chuckled. "No no, I just thought that accent would be funny. To
help break the ice, maybe. I presume you know who I am?"

"You were in my dream," Anna said. "Probably my sister's, too, but she
doesn't really remember hers too often."

"I remember one about bees from a while ago," Sarah added. "It was terrible."

"You're right, Anna," the man said. "I was sent to both of your
dreams. Your dream state, if you will."

"So that means you're Albert Einstein?" Sarah asked. "But aren't you
supposed to be dead?"

"No offense," Anna offered.

"No offense," Sarah agreed.

Einstein just laughed. "No offense taken, my dears! And yes, Sarah...
that's one way of putting it. But I do think - maybe you're asking the
wrong question. Or maybe, how should I put this? The question,
instead, is.... do you believe in magic?"

There was no hesitation on either of their parts.

"Yes, very much," said Anna.

"Yes, and I always will," said Sarah.

"Very good, very good. Then how to explain this... there is no other
way than magic. It is your birthday today, no?" The twins nodded. "And
I was sent here... well, again, the only explanation is magic."
Einstein was pacing back and forth. "Do you know the real name of this
place, either of you?" The twins could only shake their heads no. "I
would not lie to you about this. What you Chicagoans call 'the Bean,"
the original artist Anish Kapoor... he named this piece the 'Cloud
Gate.' A much more dignified name, no?"

"A magic name, even," Sarah whispered.

"Yes exactly," Einstein agreed. And this Cloud Gate... like all of
Kapoor's work, it serves to frame and re-frame different points of
view. For the people passing by today, this means an intersection of
both the sky and the skyline reflected. A chance to examine how they
meet."

"But for us two?" Anna asked.

"But for you two..." Einstein smiled. "For you two, the Cloud Gate
will be.... the short answer, like I said, is magic. But the longer
answer... the Cloud Gate can also offer a different kind of
intersection. Yourselves and where you've come from."

Both girls fell silent.

"I'm sorry! No no no, I couldn't help myself again. We scientists have
this problem all the time. That was terribly vague of me, no? Mumbo
jumbo, if you will." He looked over apologetically.

The Bryants politely waited for Einstein to find himself.

"What I mean is!... Kapoor's Cloud Gate is a time machine. And today!
On your twenty-third birthday.... it's all yours."

Anna took a step away. "So what you're saying is...." She paused,
unable to repeat it back.

Sarah tried in her place, "So what you're saying is that the Bean's -
no, the Cloud Gate's author Anish Kapoor created a time machine and
hid it in plain view."

Einstein smiled, "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Anna took another try, "And you're also saying... that whatever magic
there is in the world... it settled on us for our twenty-third
birthday. And now we can spend the day traveling through time?!"

"You got it!" he replied.

"YES!" the twins exclaimed as they gave each other a high five.

Anna looked toward Einstein. "This is way better than The Amazing Race."

Sarah nodded. "You know Dr. Einstein, this idea of intersections that
Kapoor touches upon in his work... it loosely ties into the wormhole
model that you collaborated on decades ago. You remember, right? The
one you created to align itself with the paper 'Do Gravitational
Fields play an Important Role in the Constitution of Elementary
Particles?'"

Einstein's smile widened. Anna's jaw dropped.

"Please, call me Albert. And yes, you're right. There are interesting
similarities," Albert replied. "But you have no time to waste! The sun
is already hanging in the sky. Quick, to your adventure!"

Albert Einstein flourished his hand toward the Cloud Gate and -
there's no other way to describe this - but currents of metal began to
swim through its shape. Faster and faster until the entire thing
appeared fluid, a stationary river rapidly swirling in place.

Sarah instinctively put her hand out. A tiny metallic river was now
rising through the air toward her. It was impossible but the Cloud
Gate was creating an exact replica of itself in her palm. She heard
Einstein's voice over the rising hum. "Just hold onto the gate! Close
your eyes, decide the time and place, and you'll be there!"

Anna reached for Sarah's hand. Sarah gripped tightly to the Cloud
Gate. "BYE ALBERT!" they shouted together.

"Bye girls!" Albert shouted back.

Sarah closed her eyes. "Now where to?" she thought to yourself. In
seconds she was laughing. "Anna, you're going to love this."

--------

The Bryants opened their eyes. It was 1946, just as Sarah had planned.
Anna looked at her sister, then took a double take at their mid-20th
century attire. "Hey, we look pretty cool!"

Sarah agreed. "That Anish Kapoor, he sure thought of everything!"

There was no mistaking where they were. Sarah watched her sister as
the realization sank in.

"We're in Hapeville?? At the Dwarf House??" Anna was confused. "Albert
Einstein just gave us a day's access to the Cloud Gate and you took us
to Hapeville?"

Sarah laughed. "I just thought... someone must have eaten the first
Chick-Fil-A sandwich, right? Why not us??"

Anna's eyes widened. "Sarah Bryant," she paused. "You are a GENIUS."

"And no one should time travel on an empty stomach!" Sarah exclaimed.
"I'm just saying."

But it turns out she didn't have to do any more convincing. Anna was
already halfway through the door and Sarah raced in her blouse and
heels to catch up with her. She caught her reflection in the mirror
and Sarah straightened her gloves and adjusted her hat before
entering. Like a true lady.

"Sarah, quick!" Anna whispered. "You have to see this." Sarah made her
way inside and there standing before her was a terribly handsome
Truett Cathy.

"Well heya girls," Truett said.

"Well hi Mr. Cathy!" the girls responded.

"You two look friendly enough. How about you help me with an
experiment of mine?" Truett asked. He looked so young.

"Well of course!" Anna replied.

"See, I've been working on an idea of mine. We have this Ford plant
nearby and all these workers will be coming through in an hour or two.
I'd really love to give them a delicious meal at a reasonable price.
Something they could either enjoy here or take with them, you know?"

The Bryants were speechless.

"Now I think I can do that. I have this pressure cooker in the back
and I figure peanut oil might really help me up my production of
chicken sandwiches without any sacrifice in taste. The only problem
is... we ran out of condiments last night and all I have left are
these jars of pickles."

"Sir," Sarah interrupted. "I don't think that will be a problem at all."

"Yeah, just add two pickles to each sandwich!" Anna quickly added.
"You can't go wrong."

"Two pickles, huh? On every chicken sandwich? Interesting..." Truett
answered, lost in thought. "You know girls, I think you're absolutely
right. Here, give me a few minutes." He hurried to the back and
returned with two freshly made sandwiches.

"Here you go, you two. Thanks for the twin pickle idea... kind of a
strange tribute in a way, right? But if these sandwiches catch on,
I'll always think back to this moment."

"You're too kind, Mr. Cathy!" Sarah replied.

"Well go on, eat before it gets cold!" he exclaimed.

Sarah and Anna quietly counted to three and bit into their Chick-Fil-A
sandwiches at the exact same time. It was the absolute best. There was
no other way to say it.

"You know Mr. Cathy," Anna said. "You should really think about adding
some shakes to the menu."

"And nuggets!!!" Sarah added.

Truett just smiled. "I think you both are probably onto something. I
have this old polynesian recipe in my family that would make for a
great dipping sauce."

The Bryants finished their sandwiches thoughtfully. Their day had only
just begun.

"Well, I think we oughta be going," Sarah said. "Do you mind if we
take another sandwich for the road? For... a friend?" Anna gave her a
strange look.

"No, of course not! Here, just give me a moment," Truett replied and
went back to the kitchen.

"For a friend?? Who?? What are you thinking, Sars?"

Sarah couldn't keep a straight face. She wasn't even sure if she could
say it out loud. But the minute they had walked into the restaurant,
she had gotten the idea. Sarah leaned over and whispered to Anna.

"NO," her sister shot back. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"You have to admit. That would be the coolest thing ever."

"NO. NO WAY."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease. Please! Please! Please!"

Anna frowned. "There is no way we're taking a Chick-Fil-A sandwich 65
million years back to the Cretaceous Period so we can feed a T-Rex."

"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE. I WANT TO!"

Anna saw there was no way around it. "Fine, but if we're going - we're
going to do it right." Anna reached for the Cloud Gate as Truett
brought back their sandwich.

"Thanks again for the help, girls!"

"Thanks for the sandwiches, Mr. Cathy. Remember to keep the Sabbath
holy!" Sarah shouted over her shoulder.

"I will!" he shouted back. The two rounded a corner, Sarah reached for
her hand, and Anna held the Cloud Gate while closing her eyes.

--------

"THROW IT QUICK!!!!" Anna shouted. There in front of them was a
Tyrannosaurus Rex, the terrible lizard himself, fifty yards off and
closing!

Sarah ripped the sandwich from the wrapper and did her best Matt
Stafford impression, throwing the chicken patty, two buns, and two
pickles as far as she could.

"AHHHHHH!!!!" Anna screamed as the T-Rex grabbed the sandwich out of
the air. He still looked hungry.

Sarah was laughing uncontrollably. Anna reached for her hand and
closed her eyes.

--------

"That was SWEEEEEEET!" Sarah exclaimed.

"You are out of your mind," Anna laughed.

Sarah looked around. She didn't recognize where they were. "How did
you know where to find a T-Rex anyways?"

"Well, I just figured that since the Tyrannosaurus skeleton located in
the Carnegie Museum of Natural History was discovered by Barnum Brown
in Montana's Hell Creek Formation, it wouldn't be a problem for the
Cloud Gate to get us there."

It was Sarah's turn for her jaw to drop.

Anna continued, "Anyways, I didn't have much time to think once your
friend started charging at us... so I thought this would give us a
chance to catch our breath."

The ground slowly rumbled and Sarah's eye caught a fire in the
distance. "Are we safe?"

"We are, definitely," Anna answered. "Take a good luck. That's Apollo
11 taking off."

Sarah looked up and waved goodbye to the astronauts headed to the
moon. "Good luck Neil! Good luck Buzz!" The twins watched the space
shuttle fly higher and higher until they couldn't see it anymore.

Anna handed the Cloud Gate back to Sarah. "Alright, it's your turn.
Where to next?"

--------

As the day neared it's conclusion, the twins tried to write down all
they had seen and done:
Watched Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address.
Heard Martin Luther King Jr. declare "I Have a Dream."
Pointed Lewis & Clark in the right direction.
Threw a few bags into the Boston Harbor at the Boston Tea Party.
Panned for gold in California.
Went to Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium and watched the last few innings
of the World Series clinching game six of 1995.
Travelled back to Rome and spied across the street from a Common Ground show.
Went to Cave Spring and attended the Presbyterian Church's first
service in 1867.
Watched a soccer game in complete silence.
Sat in a car and watched their rascal parents walk together after school.

There weren't words to describe any of it.

So they didn't try. They just understood.

The day grew late.

"There's one thing we haven't tried, Sarah." Anna said as she looked
over at her sister. "We haven't tried visiting the future. Albert
didn't say there were any rules against it."

Sarah sat for awhile as they watched the Mayflower near the coast. "I
know... I've been thinking about it."

"But? ...It sounds like there's a 'but' coming," Anna said.

"Well, when we started out today it's all I could think about! You
know, besides Chick-Fil-A and dinosaurs. There are just so many things
I'd like to know. Of course... But after today - and maybe this sounds
crazy... but I think I'd rather not. It can't be an adventure if you
already know the ending, right?

"No skipping to the end of the book, Sars."

"Exactly."

The pilgrims were getting closer and closer and the two knew it was
about time to make their last jump before home.

"Well!" Anna exclaimed. "Where to?"

Sarah thought for a second, gave a small laugh, and shook her head.
"Happy Birthday, Ann."

Anna looked confused. "Well happy birthday to you, too. But where next?"

With another laugh, Sarah turned towards her sister. It just sounded
right in her head. "Surprise me?"

Anna nodded. That sounded right to her, too. She closed her eyes, gave
it a moment, and away they went.

--------THE END (for now, of course)