gone for years. They can tell you people, places, and things they’ve seen – just like Reno.”
“Yea, but I wasn’t’ asleep or dreaming,” Reno stated emphatically.
Gentry shrugged. “Debatable. For all we know, you’ve been holed up in a cave somewhere after being knocked unconscious by a falling rock.” Seeing Reno’s offended expression, he continued his original train of thought. “And there are others who say people have stepped into fairy circles and vanished into thin air.”
King held up both hands. “Okay, okay. Let’s not wander down that garden path.” He rubbed his hand through his hair, making the ends stick up like straw. “Reno, I know you’ve been through something. I don’t know exactly what, but we’ll help you with these two tasks with no more questions asked.”
“Thank you.” There was nothing more he could say.
All of a sudden, Clay stood to peer at what lay in front of Reno. “What is that thing?”
At first, Reno didn’t know what he was referring to. Then, it dawned on him that Clay was asking about the plastic bag. After living with Journey for a month, he’d become used to seeing them. They’d packed sandwiches in plastic bags to take on picnics. She used them to hold open bottles of essential oils. Produce from the grocery stores was packed into the bags for transport. “This?” A smile came to his face. He’d been so upset he hadn’t considered there was something in his possession to prove he’d visited the future. “Oh, this is a plastic bag. A very common item in the future. People use them for all sorts of things. They put food in them to keep it fresh. Sometimes the bags are just used for storage, like Journey used it to protect these papers. She was probably afraid I might ride through a rainstorm and the bags are waterproof.” With a tiny smirk on his mouth, he passed the bag to Clay.
Clay accepted the oddity, rubbing it between his fingers. Mystified, he held it up to peer through the clear plastic. With wide eyes, he moved the zipper across the top, sealing and unsealing the bag.
“Give me that.” Gentry took it from Clay and repeated the thorough examination. “What is this made of? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I don’t know what it’s made from. That was one of the few questions I never got around to asking Journey.” Reno felt a bit vindicated as King took his turn examining the item in question.
While they were busy with the bag, Reno couldn’t help but unfold Journey’s note. He was so hungry for any contact with her that the few sweet words made him so homesick he could’ve cried. With a gentle thumb, he traced the closing salutation she’d written. Your loving wife.
“Wait, what else do you have there, Reno?
When he glanced up, he could see Clay was pointing at Journey’s note.
“This is a note from Journey. She slipped it in the bag with the other papers.” Unashamed, he passed the paper to Clay.
His friend didn’t seem concerned with reading the note. He was much more fascinated by the photograph on the opposite side advertising the helicopter ride he and Journey had taken over the city of Austin. “As I live and breathe…”
Reno wished he could kiss Journey about now. He had no idea if any of this was done on purpose or not. Either way, he was glad she’d included the bag and the note. “That flying machine is called a helicopter. We rode inside of it over the city of Austin. As you can see, in the future our capital is a big city with tall skyscrapers. If you look closely, you can also make out all the heavy traffic on the freeway.”
His three friends passed the photograph from hand to hand. All were equally amazed. Finally, Clay looked at his friend. “I think I owe you an apology, Reno. I don’t know how to explain it, but I believe you now. Somehow, someway, you’ve been to the future and back.”
* * *
After answering a dozen more questions, Reno finally made his escape. He was desperate for a few minutes alone. Picking up his things that he’d left just inside Fancy’s kitchen door, he carried them to the bunkhouse. On the way, he stopped by the paddock to check on Traveler. Ace, or someone, had taken good care of the stallion. Reno was grateful for this. He’d been so anxious to see his friends; he’d left the animal tied to