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Only the sound of the leaves crunching beneath his feet marred the stillness. Off to his left and a short distance away he could see lights. He rubbed his arms and blew on his hands. Dressed as he was he needed shelter soon. Deciding to head for the lights, he began walking. A surge of energy coursed through his limbs. Instead of walking, he found himself running effortlessly. Moments later he reached the edge of the park, a least a mile from where he started, without even being out of breath.
    He stood under streetlights next to a paved street dotted with colonial style houses. Modern cars parked randomly on either side of the street, and in driveways. Lights glowed through curtained windows. Joshua looked up and down the street trying to decide what to do next. He had an odd sense of déjà vu . This street, even the houses looked familiar somehow. He turned right and decided to walk down the street a ways to see if he could find a street sign or some other indication of where he could be.
    Half a block later, on the left side, he came to a stop. It couldn’t be . He stared for a long time at the house in front of him. He recognized this house, and the yard with the large oak tree out front. He knew that the white picket fence, peeking out under the ivy behind the tree, encircled the back yard. He’d been here before. This was his grandfather’s house.
    Boston! I’m in Boston? How did I get here? I remember thinking about coming here. How could I possibly get from Guatemala to Boston?
    He opened the hand holding the crystal. Maybe this crystal is some kind of transportation device. He shook his head trying to make sense of what he was seeing. There had to be a logical explanation for why he found himself alone in Boston outside his grandfather’s house, without any memory of how he got there.
    What if it is a transporter? Can I return just as easily? I wonder if all I have to do is think about where I want to be and voila, I’ll be there. It’s worth a try.
    Standing across the street from his grandfather’s house and holding the crystal in both hands, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and thought really hard about being back in Guatemala.
    When he opened his eyes, he was still in Boston. If it was a transporter, then it took more than just thinking about it. Okay, what now? I don’t have any money or warm clothes and I can’t stay outside in the cold. At least I know where I am. What do I tell my grandfather? I can’t very well tell him the truth. “ Hey, Grandpa I don‘t know how I got here. One minute I was on a dig with my parents and the next I was here. I think I teleported here. Can I stay with you, until I can figure out how to beam back?” Yeah, that’s not going to work. I did it and I don’t believe it. I guess I could come up with a plausible story, but Mom always says I’m a terrible liar. Okay, so I stick to the truth as much as possible without looking insane. I could say I must have amnesia, because I don’t remember how I got here. That much is true. What if he decides to take me to a doctor? How do I explain? If I just show up on his doorstep without offering any explanation, he’s going to think I ran away. Well, I did sort of. So let’s go with that. I ran away, I didn’t have anywhere else to go so I came here. I just hope it’s still the same year and Grandpa still lives here.
    Joshua took a deep breath, crossed the road, and knocked on the door. He finally exhaled when he recognized the short, heavyset woman with gray hair who answered the door as Mrs. Stewart, his grandfather’s long time housekeeper. Dressed in a dark dress and low-heeled shoes, she stood in the doorway wiping her hands on a white apron.
    “Mrs. Stewart, you may not remember me, but I’m Joshua Carson, Joseph Carson’s grandson. Is my grandfather home?”
    Even though Joshua was standing one step lower, she had to look up to him. “Joshua? You’ve grown a bit, but, yes, I do remember you. No, your