Read The Unlikely Time Traveller for Free Online

an eyebrow and stared at me. “Pretty?”
    “Yeah, like, seriously stupid.”
    “Really?”
    I didn’t miss a beat. “Really.”
    “Though I do feel pity for your… friend,” he said, patting one of the old horses.
    If he met Robbie he’d change his tune. “Anyway, I’m not strange,” I told him. “Actually, I’m quite normal. Just a traveller.” And I waved my hand, like I was vaguely gesturing towards London or Inverness or somewhere. “From, um… quite far away.” I pulled the zip of my hoodie up to cover my skateboard Made-in-China T-shirt.
    Ness stared and took another small step back at the sound of the zip, but he nodded. He gave the uneaten half of his carrot to the rubbery-lipped horse, and said to it, “This, Tinder, is traveller Saul, who is sorry for the disturbing.”
    “We already met,” I said. “Yeah, sorry,” then I laughed. I laugh when I’m nervous, I can’t help it. Thankfully Ness, who had been all upset and serious till then, laughed too, and the way Tinder was neighing and baring big yellow teeth, you’d think it was joining in as well.
    “Tis muckle good to laugh.” Ness rummaged about in one of his many pockets, brought out another dirty-looking carrot and offered it to me, but I shook my head.
    “Thanks,” I said, “keep it for Tinder.” Then I plunged my hand in my pocket and brought out a few peanuts. I held out a palmful, but Ness just gaped at them.
    “What is this?” The way he was staring, you’d think I was offering him fossilised animal droppings.
    I quickly put the nuts back next to the torch, the toffee, the Mars Bar wrapper and my dead phone. It was getting busy in there. “Um, nothing,” I muttered. “Maybe this?” I pulled out the pack of cards.
    Ness stared at it. Shaking his head in what looked like amazement he took a step back, then a step forward. He gasped. He clapped his hands, then bowed. Acting like I had offered him a thousand pounds instead of a pack of cards, he finally reached out and took them. He looked so delighted I thought he might cry.
    “They’re just an old pack of cards,” I muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed at how touched he was.
    “I do thank you,” he said, running a finger across his sleeve then slipping the pack carefully into the pocket that suddenly appeared. “Traveller Saul, you have lost your friend, and your I-band, also your way, but you have not lost your kindness.” I was beginning to relax. There was something about this guy I liked. “I would do better to forget this awful speech,” he said, suddenly grinning at me. “Your arriving with muckle clatter has assisted me to put it by. I was tangled in nerves.”
    “Glad to help,” I said, guessing he had to give a speech somewhere and was dreading it. “Anyway, Ness,” I said, speaking slowly so he would understand me, “I’d better go.” Then I did the little bowing thing again, and was turning away, when he lifted a hand.
    “Wait Saul,” he said. “Two can search better than one. I, a found friend, will help you find the lost friend.”
    So I nodded, smiled at him, and felt relieved that I had someone from the future to help me look for Robbie. Who was a prat and a numpty sometimes, but I needed to get him home.

10
    “Thanks a lot, Ness,” I said, thinking we would head off and search for Robbie right away. But Ness just stood there, frowning at me.
    “You can’t wander hereabouts like that,” he said. “Perhaps where you come from it is different, but not here. Wait one moment.” Then he turned, leaving me under the yew tree, and sprinted down the garden. I thought I was a fast runner, but Ness was way faster. Maybe he had super-springy shoes on? He reached the building and I heard a door swing open. While he was gone I quickly dropped to my knees and patted around under the tree for anything that felt like ancient Astroturf. Could our time-capsule tin have survived? Next moment I heard Ness pounding back up the garden. I got to my