The car on an inevitable collision course slowed when it reached the top of hill over looking, among other things, the North Town museum.
-Have we come to a stop?
-Maybe.
-Almost.
-Nope.
Seph and Snow pushed back in their seats in a useless effort to hold the car back. But it had just too much momentum, and while it slowed going up the hill and stalled at the hump, everybody could feel in their guts that the car would go down the other side of the hill. Also, the presidents could still feel the gun wounds in their guts. Then Snow had easily the best idea she’s ever had.
-Wait. Seph. The emergency brake!
-Isn’t that bad for your car, said Mitch.
-You cut the goddamn brakes, Mitch! That was pretty bad for the car, too!
During this last point, the car started going down the hill, picking up speed every second. Like a roller coaster, the people in the seats started screaming in their seemingly free-fall. Unlike a roller coaster, though, nobody put their hands in the air. Seph put his hand on the emergency brake and pulled.
Going down the hill, Seph and Snow looked toward the museum. The emergency brake’s effect was less than they had hoped, in that the car was still rolling down the hill but now smelled like burning car ingredients. To stop the runaway car, they’d have to run into other cars, trees or the museum itself and even then risked the lives of countless civilians. Also everybody in the car could die, including two former presidents—which would then alter history. Seph and Snow’s predictions, expectations and guestimations were all thrown out the proverbial window when suddenly President Polk stopped trying to slap JQA and pointed directly ahead.
-Look out! Dog!
Seph changed his focus from two hundred yard ahead to ten yards ahead and saw the dog walking into the middle of the road he least expected to see this side of Lassie; Emmit’s dog: Bogart.
Seph swerved the car to the right and ramped onto the sidewalk, lost complete control of the vehicle and drove through an abandoned inner-city playground. The car missed slides and ladders by inches and flew into the sand-surrounded swing set. While the sand contained broken bottles, broken needles and a discarded sandwich, it combined with the emergency brake to slow the car down. Also the car ran into the stone exterior of the museum, which also helped stop the car.
Metal bent. Glass flew. Screaming was abruptly silenced.
Seph opened his eyes. He was bleeding slightly from the forehead but didn’t know what cut him. The deployed airbag had burned the side of his face and kept him propped in his seat. He unbuckled his seat belt and stumbled out of the car. The world was surprisingly silent, missing all the city ambiance Seph was used to. No sirens, helicopters, car horns or music. He didn’t linger on the ground for long though and made it back to the car and opened one of the back doors. JQA, who had never heard of a seatbelt, had fallen off the seat and was pressed against the back of the driver’s seat.
-I’m in an uncomfortable amount of pain.
-Can you stand?
Seph helped the president out of the car and put one arm over his shoulder to support some of the president’s weight. On the other side of the car, Snow fell out and threw up. Expectedly, she swore off mushrooms forever, again. She then helped Polk out of the car but Polk could stand on his own strength. The four people slowly hobbled away from the car.
Emmit, Lily and Blair had seen the car roll down the hill, swerve a dog, fly across a sidewalk, go through a playground and disappear around the corner of the museum. The sound of the wreck kept them all from immediately running around the corner to find the car, the presidents and their friends. After a moment though, Emmit broke away from the girls and ran from the front steps of the museum and around the corner. All his frustrations with Seph after the last few months, days and hours were completely ignored. The possibility of his best friend dying was too much guilt for Emmit.
Blair and Lily ran after Emmit and caught up just around the corner. Emmit stopped running and just let himself bask in relief. While obviously injured, Seph was able to help JQA walk away from the car toward Emmit. As an added bonus, Emmit saw Snow and that other president limping right behind them. Lily and Blair ran passed Emmit and up to Seph. Are you okay? Oh my God, what happened? You’re bleeding. Are you okay? Should we call somebody? Is anything broken? Seph shrugged off their concerns. Yes, he was bleeding. Yes, he was hurt. No, they don’t need to call an ambulance. Seph had a more pressing issue on his mind, and on his shoulder: the injured president.
-Where’s Todd?
-Over here.
Everybody looked at Todd the Wizard, who had walked steadily from the front of the museum to the group. He then spread his arms, creating a personal vortex of wind. Seph looked at JQA. The old battered man was ready.
-I’m sorry we couldn’t make the future perfect, Mister President.
-Seph. Perfection is a process, not a destination.
Todd summoned his powers, pointed his cardboard staff at President John Quincy Adams and sent the man back to the 1820s, leaving behind an inanimate wax statue in mint condition and in the original, nonchalant yet noble, pose.
Polk put a hand in his pocket and felt the money he had pick-pocketed from a number of different people when he wasn’t sure how long he’d be in the future. He had stolen a lot of money from a lot of people because he never knew how much he’d need. One bill had an extra zero written in all the corners, but Polk doubted that really made the currency worth $500. He considered giving it to Mitch or one of the others who had helped him, but then he decided to keep the money for two reasons. One, money could become a problem among the people. Two, the money would have some nice novelty value--as it wouldn’t be acceptable currency in the 1840s. And even if the money wouldn't go back into the past with him, these young people didn’t need to know everything about him and eventually somebody will just find it in his pocket.
Lily approached Polk and thanked him for his help the previous day, especially in dealing with Buchanan. She was impressed how calmly the president had dealt with extraordinary circumstances, and would remember him for it. Blair seconded the sentiment and gave Polk a goodbye hug. And for the second time in almost as many minutes, Emmit found himself jealous of another guy being the center of Blair’s affection. He then cursed himself for being so easily jealous.
-Seph.
-Yes, Polk?
-What were those things on your future doughnuts called?
-Sprinkles.
-Sprinkles! Marvelous.
Todd repeated the grandiose gestures as before and sent President James K. Polk back to the 1840s. And just like that, there were two life-like, wax statues outside of the museum. Across the street, there was the big sandwich place--which again, wasn’t exceptionally large, but rather sold large sandwiches. There, by the front window, one diner turned to his two companions.
-Told you he was a real witch.
-Guys can’t be witches. He’s a warlock.
-He’s Todd the Wizard, not Todd the Warlock.
-So what the hell do you call a girl wizard?
-Wizardress.
-You guys are both idiots.
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