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feet in time to see him running towards me with a green band flapping about in his hand.
    Not even out of breath, Ness stopped a couple of paces in front of me – he still didn’t look too comfortable being close – and tossed the green thing towards me. “It is an old I-band,” he said, “but has power in it still, and immunity.”
    “I-band?” I mumbled.
    “Of course. If you want to avoid the viruses and not have people thinking you are unnatural and infectious.” He laughed, like he couldn’t believe anyone wouldn’t know what an I-band was.
    I laughed too, in a nervous ha-ha kind of way.
    I knew about dangerous things that could happen to time travellers, and I’d thought about dangerous things that might exist in the future, but viruses hadn’t even crossed my mind. Maybe colds and flus had got out of control during the twenty-first century. Maybe I was going to catch the worst flu ever here in the future, and sneeze my own head off! What a way to go. Ness seemed pretty definite about this I-band thing so I took it, thinking probably humans had invented a better kind of protection than flu jags.
    I tied the band round my head expecting the Northern Lights to explode behind my eyes, but didn’t feel anything, except, after a moment, the last bit of time-travel shakiness leaving me. Maybe I was stronger too. The weather was summery: warmer than I’m used to, and I’d been a bit hot and sticky without noticing. Now I felt more comfortable.
    “Come,” said Ness. We ran down the garden to a large gateway. With the I-band on, my vision seemed sharper. I noticed birds in the trees, some I’d never seen before, and herb bushes around the verges. I even spotted a bee!
    Beyond the garden I expected to see the huge stubble field; the one I had cycled over on the way to the den a thousand times. Back in 2015 it grew nothing except weeds. Now I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were about thirty high-school-age kids in that field, down on their knees or bent over, all working. And there were loads of things growing in rows – veg I guessed.
    Ness waved at the others, who all had long hair, and most of them wore the onesie suits. Some of them glanced up at me, smiled, and did the little bowing thing, so I smiled and bowed back. I wished I had long hair. I wishedI was wearing a fancy onesie. I put my hood up, hiding my short hair, and cast my eyes about for Robbie, but couldn’t imagine him down on his knees pulling up carrots.
    “I have not field duties today,” explained Ness, “for I tend the old citizen horses and must practise my speech for the honours. The others, you do see, are busy picking for the harvest ceilidh.” Ness’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Where I must speak. Aye, but two more suns,” he said. Then, perking up, he went on, “What feasting we’ll have at the celebration. Butter-soft parsnips and plum jelly!” He rubbed his belly like he’d just said, “Three-layer chocolate cake and ice cream!” Food was definitely done differently in the future. If this was the future. I really needed to check.
    Ness was a bit taller than me. So I just stopped and asked him straight out: “Ness, I’m guessing you were born in the year 2099? Or 2100? Am I right?” I was out on a limb. If I’d come to completely the wrong century or they named the years differently now, he was going to think I was a total nutcase.
    He laughed. “You almost guess correct. 2101. I am fourteen summers in age.”
    Hey, we were the same age! Well, except I was a hundred years older or earlier or something. And not as tall as him.
    “I’m fourteen too,” I said.
    So it had worked! It had really worked. This was 2115, the twenty-second century. Where people grew their own vegetables. Let’s hope Robbie was here too.
    Me and Ness stood on the edge of the big field. I felt a bit lazy seeing all these people digging and me just standing there, but I really needed to get searching. I spotted the rooftops of Peebles