Lost In Time

 

"There is only one way to escape. We need to leave this place." Said Saira. "How" Aditya interrupted to ask. "There is only one way to leave this place. We need to travel in time again." Saira said. "But..." Aditya interrupted. "Listen" Saira interrupted and continued "You need to give your right palm into my right palm. Basically, a handshake. That's it. Whenever they open our ropes, either one of us needs to grab the opportunity to do that." "Why did you..." Aditya began to ask, but on hearing approaching footsteps, he fell silent. 

Three men came in one with food and the other two with spades. They opened the ropes and checked on their wounds. The man who bandaged them opened them and bandaged them again. All of them happened in silence. Saira and Aditya remained in their positions facing each other's back. With the men standing so close to them, it seemed impossible to turn around and hold each other's hands. They knew that a spade would cut through them before they do that. 

Food was served, along with a pale of water. Saira lifted the pale of water with her wounded hand. Her hand wobbled and she slipped it backward with an ouch and held her hand at the wound. The water flowed over to Aditya's clothes. He stood up and ruffled his pants. He sensed the opportunity, took a jump to dodge over the spreading water. Just as he turned towards Saira, he bent forward and reached out to her right hand. Saira too stretched her right arm at that moment. Just as their palms touched, they disappeared from the spot, leaving the men perplexed. 

They reappeared in a while in a place that was unfamiliar to them. "You can travel in time. Then why don't you take me back to my time?" Aditya asked. "I have been trying to explain but you have just been refusing to listen to me." Saira retorted. "Okay, I apologize, I am listening, please help me understand?" he asked. "Yes, I can travel in time but there are complications to it. We are still early in this technology. Our condition is something like the early sea travelers who knew how to get a ship floating but the waves really decided which unknown island they would reach. We have the technology to travel but we do not have precision on how far back and forth we can travel." She explained. 

"You wanted to meet me, you reached me. How did that happen?" Aditya asked. "I had to make about fifty trials before I reached you," Saira replied. "What do you mean? Are we just going to keep jumping from time to time? You have no way, no plan to leave me exactly back in my time?" Aditya asked, sounding disturbed.