coming into my head. I might have written some of it down.” She shook her head. “I’m just not sure.”
She turned back to the first page and held the book out to Ping. “What do you make of it?”
He took the book and reread the first passage. “This appears to be some kind of thesis statement for the book. That would be my guess. From the first time I heard it, I thought the use of the word ‘Continuity’ was an interesting one. The title wasn’t the Chronicle of Time or History, but Continuity. That implies not just time, but a specific configuration of time, a particular timeline. Now this verse speaks of providing clues without disrupting Continuity, so preserving this timeline must be a goal of the information provided in the book and, presumably, a desirable outcome.”
Diana called from the kitchen, “Is Mara out of her trance yet? Could one of you kids come give me a hand?”
Sam stood and said, “I’ll go.” Hannah followed him into the kitchen.
Mara watched them leave and turned back to Ping. “What kind of clues do you think it’s talking about?”
“Who knows? Hints from your future self to help guide you? It is your handwriting.” He flipped the page to look at the second passage.
“When I was in that tunnel, the thoughts that came to me were mine. It was like they were in my voice, coming from my mind, but they were being shoved at me somehow.”
Ping tapped the page. “Have you ever been interested in writing haiku?”
“What?”
“Japanese verse, typically, but not always, broken into three lines, with the first and last line comprised of five syllables and the middle one having seven. Five, seven, then five again. There are variants in the construction, but that is the most common form. Usually haiku will have a stark contrast or comparison in them—many reference nature, but not always.”
“I’ve heard of them, I guess, but I’ve not ever written one.”
“These appear to be structured as haikus,” he said, holding the book open to her, running his finger across the page. “Count the syllables. See? Five, seven, five.” He flipped back a page. “Even the thesis page is constructed as a haiku.”
“Maybe that’s just a coincidence.”
“Unlikely. You can even find contrasting concepts in each. In the first passage, you have ‘disrupting’ and ‘Continuity,’ and in the second, it talks of ‘seeking’ in the first line and ‘finding’ in the last. They don’t evoke the type of imagery you’d typically see in well-crafted haiku, but, nonetheless, they are there.”
“Great. I not only become a bad auntie who sends a five-year-old back in time to save my butt, but I become a bad poet as well. What does all this mean?”
“I’m not sure I’m the one you should be asking,” Ping said.
“Why not?”
He pointed to the book. “It says, ‘Ignore a dragon’s folly.’”
CHAPTER 7
On the kitchen counter, a half-skeletonized turkey with carved meat piled high on a serving platter, sat next to bowls of mashed potatoes, yams, green beans and cornbread stuffing. Because of the limited space on the dinette table, Diana announced that dinner would be buffet style, and instructed everyone to grab a plate and load up before taking a seat. She started the process by fixing a small plate for Hannah. Sam followed, with Mara and Ping forming a line behind him.
Mara turned to Ping, as they waited their turn. “If I am so concerned with maintaining Continuity, why would I send Hannah back in time?”
“Perhaps, from your perspective in the future, Hannah’s arrival at this time is something that has already occurred. Therefore, it is something that you needed to make happen to maintain Continuity,” Ping said.
“That’s insane. I sent her back because I remember her arrival?”
“Presumably you sent her back because it produced a desirable outcome. Otherwise, you would have tried to prevent it.”
“What if I tried to prevent it and failed?”
“Unlikely. Hannah seems to be under the impression that you intentionally sent her here with certain tasks to accomplish, including bringing the Chronicle of Continuity.”
Sam stepped away from the counter and took a seat at the table next to his mother. Hannah sat on a booster chair between them. Mara handed a plate to Ping and took one for herself. She forked a slab of white meat and then spooned potatoes onto her plate.
“And saving my butt the other night and prompting me to write in the book. Seems unreasonable to think such a little girl will get everything right. Why