a whirr, then total silence.
Oh no, Anzac thought. No, no, no. The inventor had disappeared with the time machine to the Qin dynasty.
Well, it looked like his mission had to wait.
* * *
In the Qin dynasty, a muffled thump sounded throughout a grass lawn near the Qin Palace. A flock of
startled birds took flight away from the lawn.
Sarah stepped out from the time machine, dressed in a Chinese costume she rented from a costume shop
downtown. Sarah dared not think about the cost of the rent for the costume when she went back to the modern
world. Well, first things first.
At that, Sarah set off on her mission to save the workers of the Qin Dynasty.
* * *
“
Heyup! Heyup! Heyup!” the cries resounded from the construction site.
‘
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ True enough. If the Qin Emperor could find that lump of mud
impressive enough to build an effective barrier against invaders, he does have a strange concept of beauty, Sarah
thought. Then, she realised that the version of the Great Wall seen in 20th Century had gone through many
changes.
The lump of soil being pushed by the workers wasn’t strong. It kept loosening up in different places. How
could that lump help the Chinese to defend against attackers?
Sarah’s eyes went from person to person, looking for the most authoritative person at the site. Her eyes
landed on a man with a beard, a tall hat and blue robes. Surely he was the person in charge.
Sarah approached him with her chin in the air. The man was positively afraid. Sarah said, “Do not fear. I
come in peace. I wish to see the Emperor,” The man, paralysed with fear, nodded and gestured her forward.
At the palace of the king, Sarah kneeled in front of the throne. After some time, the silent Emperor asked,
“
What is it that you are here for, lady?”
“
I am a prophet. I can predict your death and your future actions.” Sarah lied.
“
Ah. I do not believe you. Prove to me you are right! Or else…” the threat hung in the air.
“
Worry not, my king. I shall prove to you that I am a prophet. Indeed, you are thinking of going north to
slay the Huns, are you not? You are thinking of burning books that will be harmful to your reign, are you not?”
Sarah said.
His eyes widened. “Indeed, you are the almighty prophet! You must be here for a reason, and may I ask
what it is?”
“
It is that the Great Wall of China must not be built! It is the will of the Gods that you stop construction
immediately and ask all workers to go back home.” Sarah said.
“
If it is the will of the Gods, what can I say?” The Emperor said with a bitter laugh.
And Sarah’s mission was over.
She boarded her time machine, set the dial, and crossed through parallel worlds to reach the year 2013.
In 2013, the world hadn’t changed. Hong Kong was still an important financial sector. China was still a
booming industry. Most importantly, the Great Wall of China was still there.
It was not possible. She went on Wikipedia and searched ‘the Great Wall of China’.
The first words were these: “The Great Wall of China was built in the Qin Dynasty. A prophet had almost
dissuaded the king from building the Great Wall, but his efforts didn’t work and his advice was ignored.”
His? When did he become a male?
There must have been something wrong. Well, Sarah was in no position to change it, unless she gave her
secret to the whole world. And that would not happen.
Anzac checked in the window for the time machine. It was there! Yes! He could embark on his mission.
He stepped into the straight, oval chute, pressed the dial for the time when Sarah left town, and pressed the
button marked “GO”.
He was back in familiar surroundings, standing next to Sarah on the beach, just the way he remembered it.
Sarah was saying, “I’m leaving.”
He said, “I’m going with you.”
A look of pure joy spread across Sarah’s face. She nodded, told him to pack his stuff, then covered her face
in her hands and ran off before he could see her cry.
Thinking it was safe enough, he hopped back into the time chute and went back to 2013.
Nothing had changed. He was still single. Sarah was still single.