Conclusion to this story…

Iz could feel a hand graze her shoulder as she leaped into the portal but the force of the portal pushed the hand off as it sucked her in. Her heart was still pounding from both the run and the narrow escape. As the portal waited for her to decide where to go, she closed her eyes and tried to think of a place where she’d never get caught, where she would be free forever.

Squeezing her eyes shut even tighter, she concentrated on the place of her imagination. This time, when the portal opened again, eyes still shut, she focused on her other senses. First, she sniffed and could smell the dampness from a recent rain and the crispness of the morning dew. Next, she listened. Around her was silence – no bird chirping, no insects fluttering about, just silence.

Iz decided to open her eyes and discovered she was standing on green grass. Where am I? When am I? She wondered as she continued to inspect her surrounding.

Walking around, she discovered she was on an island – a strange island made of grass. No beach, no sand, nothing but grass and a gigantic metallic statue. Etched on the side of the statue was a message, “In the year 2250, the world lost 95% of the population in the war against the robots. This hand is here to commemorate that sacrifice. We, humans, never gave up, not even when we faced potential annihilation, we sought to defeat whatever obstacles that is stopping us from winning. We never gave up and should never give up. That’s what makes us human.”

Iz took in the message. She had traveled into the future. She has always heard that travelers can only go to the past, never the future as the future is too elastic and unstable to land in a solid spot. Then a thought occurred, does this mean I’m free from the traveler police as no one else can travel to the future?

For the first time in a long time, a smile appeared on Iz’s face. No more running.

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