Adam had visited the castle with his uncle several years ago, but he had refused to go up because heights scared him, despite his uncle’s promises that it was completely safe. Uncle Henry had given up visiting the castle after that.
The castle came into view. The three-story structure, with its impressive turret and walls, belonged more to a fairy tale than a modern-day park. For a moment, Adam felt his younger self whimper, felt a familiar tug at his chest. But he cast aside the fear. Slowly, using the snow globe for strength, he went up the narrow steps.
He emerged at the topmost level. The park and surrounding cityscape sprawled before him under a quiet blanket of snow. If it weren’t for the branches in the distance, it was near impossible to tell where the sky ended and the ground began. He stood near the edge, breathlessly taking in the view that normally only birds could see, the distant trees no bigger than his thumb.
For the first time, Adam understood why his father and Uncle Henry liked this place so much.
There were a few other people enjoying the sights that day on top of the castle, some with cameras pointed at the scenery, some simply taking in the view.
“Well, heya, it’s you,” said a voice behind him. “The time traveler.”
He turned and saw a dark-skinned woman standing beside one of the stone railings, bundled in a flared gray coat and carrying a matching briefcase. Crinkles appeared in the corners of her eyes as she smiled at Adam. He knew that smile.
“Francine?” he said in disbelief.
“I was just taking a little lunchtime walk before going back to work,” said Francine.
Adam had a mountain of questions, but what came out was, “To sell candles?”
Francine chuckled. “I don’t do that anymore. Haven’t for a long, long time. I work in an office now.”
“Francine, what—what year is it?”
Francine answered. They were in December of 1960.
“I guess you came to comfort me,” she continued. “That snow globe is truly magical, isn’t it? It knows.”
Adam was afraid to ask, but he swallowed hard and asked, “Is…is Tito okay?”
“Oh, it’s not about Tito. He passed more than twenty years ago.” Francine smiled sadly. “Shortly after the last time you visited.”
Adam felt a wave of sadness clench his chest. “I’m sorry.” He made a mental note to somehow obtain a polio vaccine for Tito the next time he traveled back far enough. That would be his goal after he safeguarded Candlewick. And after he rescued his parents.
“It’s not your fault, Adam.” Francine’s expression was kind. “You’re not the only one who’s tried to save him. But magic can’t solve all the world’s ills.”
“Huh?”
Francine motioned to a nearby bench, and the friends sat. “Believe it or not, you weren’t the only time traveler to visit me in my childhood,” she said. “In fact, I was visited by two others, several years before you came along. They were very kind. They wanted to cure Tito, among other things.”
“Who were they?”
“I don’t really know. They never told me much about themselves.” Francine closed her eyes. “But they were a married couple. And they were from the future, just like you.”
Adam desperately wanted to learn more, but his original goal weighed heavily on his mind. He didn’t want to waste any time. The scene in the snow globe could vanish any second.
“Francine, before anything else, there’s something I have to tell you. I need to warn the people of Candlewick about their future.” Adam placed the snow globe on the ground, then rummaged inside his backpack for the file. “You need to give this to the police,” he said, handing the file to Francine. “The Candlewick candle factory will burn down in seven years. A bunch of townspeople will die. And in 1992, my parents—my parents’ plane—”
Francine examined the articles. “Nobody will believe this.”
“They will,” insisted Adam. “Please, Francine.”
“It’s not that simple. The past can’t be changed. My sharing these with the police won’t make a difference.”
“What do you mean, the past can’t be changed?” Adam was reminded of what Victor had said. “How do you know?”
“I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Adam. The other time travelers thought it could be, too. They tried to bring back a polio vaccine for Tito but could never get the timing right. There was no cure yet from their time period, you see, only a preventative vaccine, and Tito was already sick each time they visited. They tried to help him, and they tried to help me, too…but they couldn’t.”
“Help you how?”
Francine took a deep breath. “The first time the travelers met me, I was very young. It was before my parents passed. I was living in New Jersey at the time. The time travelers warned me that my parents would die at the carnival. They said they had been there—witnessed the whole thing. They wanted to prevent the tragedy.”
For a moment, the only sound was the wind whistling in their ears.
“I was scared,” said Francine, her voice quieter. “When the carnival came to town, I begged my parents not to go. And, seeing how upset I was, they didn’t. But on the last day, the carnival invited everyone in for free. We didn’t have a lot of money, you know, so we went. My parents and I went on the carousel. Slow and easy. But it turned out that was the ride that malfunctioned. I survived. Many others did not.” Francine looked at her hands. “I remember the accident as if it were yesterday. I was seven at the time.”
In the back of Adam’s mind, he saw Francine as a child again. He could imagine her after the accident, numb and confused, same as he had been when he’d heard the news of his parents’ plane crash. She’d likely have been in denial the first few nights, thinking her parents would return home any second with big smiles and saying, “Tricked you! We’re all right!” Fast-forward a few years,
