Elsewhere in this dimension, events caused by Jon's 'Something Interesting' wish were playing out here.
Back in the field, DTH Jon was continuing his explanations into the operations of the DTH to his sister. "Just the very act of existing continues the branch."
Somewhat accepting of this explanation, Zoe looked around. "Seems pretty boring here."
"Think yourself lucky," Jon scoffed, "arriving in a new dimension isn't always so peaceful."
She rubbed the thin black fabric covering her arms. "It's a bit chilly too," she added, "I wonder what time of year it is."
"It's probably the Spring." he said as he looked at the tree then the ground.
"It might be after the summer," Zoe suggested.
"There's no leaves on the tree or much leaf litter on the ground. The grass has been growing a bit though. I'd estimate March, perhaps April."
Zoe silently nodded in agreement, not wanting to admit verbally that her brother's intelligence may have actually increased. He had taken little interest in nature previously and here he was reading clues like an experienced tracker.
Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a vehicle engine approaching from the distance. A nearby hedge ran along the road next to the field. Zoe ran over and quickly ducked behind it.
Jon followed and kneeled down beside her. "Why are you hiding?" he asked feeling somewhat confused.
Zoe immediately shushed him. "Keep your voice down," she whispered.
"Why?" Jon asked, reluctantly complying.
"We're in the past right?"
Jon nodded, "A version of it."
"Look at me," she said as she pointed to her dark clothing. "I don't want to get drowned or burned at the stake."
Jon couldn't help but laugh. "I'm fairly certain witch hunters didn't drive about in cars."
"You'd be surprised, especially a rural area like this. I've heard stories," the genuinely worried Zoe told him as the engine grew in volume.
"Fine, we'll keep undercover but I think you are being paranoid."
A few seconds later a red, beat-up vintage pickup truck drove slowly past them. It had continued a long distance down the road before either of them spoke.
Zoe turned to her brother. "You definitely will think I'm crazy now but I'm sure you were in that truck."
"You aren't mad, I saw him, err, me too," Jon confirmed, sounding unsurprised.
"Huh? How could you be here in whatever year this is supposed to be?"
"Judging by that pickup and its state of repair, I'd guess the late 1950s or early 1960s," he said as he got back on to his feet.
Zoe stood up herself. "This makes sense to you?"
"In a way," Jon pondered the matter for a few seconds. "The more I use the DTH, the more I'm convinced..."
"Convinced of what?" Zoe asked.
Jon looked her straight in the eyes. "How would you feel, if I said I think I am being guided by fate."
"What do you mean fate?"
"It could be a coincidence of course. Maybe it is some greater power at work that I just don't fully understand. Fate is a good placeholder term, for now."
"Okay, I guess." Zoe accepted that he accepted it but was still confused.
Jon could see that in her eyes. He could tell she needed more of an explanation. "When I first started using the DTH. Karyn and I ended up helping different versions of myself and those people close to me. Karyn made it our 'mission statement' that using the DTH, we'd help get those displaced copies back to their own branches. I agreed with her but, I didn't take the notion too seriously. I thought it was just random chance we'd been in that situation. Since then though, it has happened multiple times."
"So you think we're here to rescue that Jon in the pickup?" Zoe asked.
Jon noticed that Zoe had used 'we'. It seemed to imply that she was willing to assist him. "Possibly, we definitely need to speak to him."
"How do we find him again though?"
"The road goes to town."
Zoe looked in the direction of the town. "Might not be as large as it will be but that is still a lot of ground to cover."
"I got a good look at the driver and memorised the licence plate," Jon said with a grin, "I'm sure someone will know the owner." Jon sighed loudly. "I could still do with your help."
Zoe's eye's narrowed cynically. "I'll think about it but only if you tell me everything."
"Like what?"
"Like how exactly, an alternate version of you became part of history."
It was crunch time. Jon knew he could no longer hide this aspect of his adventures from his inquiring sister. "Somehow, he wished himself here."
