so poorly when Ernest yelled.
“Look.”
The children both turned abruptly. Ernest pointed at an old farmhouse with a wraparound porch which sat not thirty feet from where the children had landed. As soon as they saw the farmhouse, they knew it was from another time. They were silent.
A boy of about twelve came out the front door and stood on the porch step. He was wearing a white Stetson hat and looked to be chewing a toothpick. After a minute or so, another younger boy came out. He seemed about eight years old, and he too was wearing a Stetson hat.
“Shore is still,” said the younger boy.
“Yup,” said the other one.
Abigail and Jacob recognized the accent. They were in Texas.
“Nothin’ to see or hear for miles,” commented the younger one.
“Nope,” said the other one.
The boys were looking directly at our children, who were, in turn, looking at one another.
“We’re invisible,” announced Ernest.
“Invisible?” said Jacob, slightly choking on the word. “Is that all right?”
“I don’t think we have much choice in the matter,” Abigail pointed out. “Shh!”
“If they can’t see us, they probably can’t hear us either,” said Ernest.
“No, I want to hear what they’re saying,” said Abigail.
“We’ll bring ’em over to the southeast pasture. I think they’re safer from coyotes there,” the older boy was saying.
“Coyotes?” gasped Jacob, choking and blanching.
“I know what to do with coyotes,” said Ernest.
“No, you don’t!” cried Jacob.
“Aline!” called one of the boys on the porch.
“SHH!” hissed Abigail.
“He doesn’t know a thing about coyotes,” said Jacob.
“Stop it!” ordered Abigail.
“Aline!” called the other boy.
“Just a minute,” came a girl’s voice from inside the house.
“Mema was Aline,” recalled Abigail. “That was her name.”
“Mema?” asked Ernest.
“Grandpa’s mother,” said Abigail. “She died before you were born, Ernest.”
“I’ve seen pictures of her,” said Jacob.
“What is it, Garland?” A girl stepped out the front door. She seemed to be between the two boys in age, but the most startling aspect of her appearance was her apron. She was wearing Ernest’s superhero apron and Ernest wasn’t. The girl gazed out over the prairie, directly at our children.
Our children stared back at her.
“She isn’t old,” said Ernest.
“We’re in the past, Ernest,” said Abigail.
“We’re time travelling. We’re really time travelling!” said Ernest, realizing it for the first time.
“Everything E. Nesbit wrote was true,” said Jacob.
“Maybe not everything, Jacob,” said Abigail with a slightly superior tone in her voice. Those who knew her would tell you Abigail was a little uneasy with what was going on.
“Ohmygosh, the apple sauce is running over.” Aline hurried back into the house.
“Raymond, you go saddle up. Aline, we’ll be back by supper,” said the older boy.
“Garland . . .” Aline’s voice called from inside.
“Afternoon, sister,” said Garland, walking away from the house. “The men have work to do. Father’ll have our hides if any more of the herd goes missing.” He disappeared into the barn with his brother.
“Let’s go with the cowboys, Jacob,” suggested Ernest.
“How are we going to do that? We can’t run behind the horses, and we can’t get on the horses without them knowing it. And we’re invisible,” said Jacob.
“We’ll figure it out. Come on.” Ernest grabbed his brother’s hand to pull him toward the barn.
“Oh, no!” The children heard a wail from inside the house.
“What’s wrong with Mema?” said Abigail.
“I want to fight coyotes. Hurry up, you guys!” cried Ernest.
“They’re not going to fight the coyotes, Ernest. They’re going to move the cattle,” said Jacob.
“Right. Well, let’s do that then,” proposed Ernest, tugging at Jacob persistently.
Jacob shook himself free. “I don’t know about you, but this being invisible makes me a little nervous. Not to mention going into the past. We don’t know what’s happened or how it works or anything.”
“I’m going with the cowboys,” announced Ernest.
“You’re wearing your pyjamas,” said Abigail.
“I’m invisible,” said Ernest.
“Maybe not for long. Who knows?” said Jacob.
“What’s the point of time travelling if we can’t do something fun?” asked Ernest. “They’re going to ride away.”
Garland and Raymond had led their horses out of the barn, ready to mount and ride off.
Ernest started after them. Abigail grabbed him.
“I want danger and excitement,” Ernest declared, trying to pull away from his sister. “I want to see some cows!”
“Stop!” cried Abigail, holding fast to her brother. “We’ve never even been to the corner store to buy candy without a grown-up. And here we are in the middle of Texas a long time in the past—we don’t know how long ago—and you want to go fight coyotes and they’re not going to fight coyotes and I don’t hardly know who those people are and the answer is NO!”
“Grrr,” growled Ernest with his fiercest animal growl.
“At least we know Mema,” said Abigail, in an effort to calm down.
“Here they come,” announced Jacob as Raymond and Garland
