Mandible

If traveling through a time-warp is a strange sensation, falling through a worm-hole is even stranger. Norman Bufort could have sworn that his own physical structure was rearranged, inverted, reversed, and stretched all in the same moment.
But the smack of cold, soft snow on his face made it clear he had made it through without being eaten by the resident of the hole. He looked to his left as Jessie smacked into the snow beside him. Then came Dr. Pea on his right. And then, landing right on Norman’s back, the mysterious bug-creature fell out of the worm-hole just before it closed up.
“Ow! Get off!” screamed Norman. The bug-man obeyed and the three others stood up as well. Dr. Pea looked at their new-found companion and said in astonishment, “Who are you...what are you? And where are we? And how’d you know that worm-hole was safe—”
“Allow me to introduce myself,” replied the creature, “My name is Mandible. I am the sole surviving stick-man of the worms and their havoc they have wreaked upon this planet. I know I do not look like a stick man—it is because the harsh conditions of the environment have mutated me to the extent that I am only half-man, half-beast. But do not fear me. I mean you no harm. I only mean to help you in your quest. As for the worm-hole, I admit it was a risk, but it was the only chance we had at escape.”
Dr. Pea and Jessie believed this answer freely. Norman Bufort, though, had felt Mandible land on his back as if it was intentional, and he doubted the bug-man’s sincerity.
“So where are we?” Jessie asked, “When are we?” Norman ran to the top of a hill to find out. The others followed. There, at the bottom of the hill, was a frozen graveyard, and...
“My first time-machine!” yelled Dr. Pea. “It’s been there since the year 2009! We can go back to the exact moment when Mr. Burton brought the original worm into the year 2009, somehow dispose of the worm, and end this Future Winter for good!”
None of the others saw it except for Norman: Mandible had winced.
“How did the worm get to our Present, though?” asked Norman.
Dr. Pea replied, “I suppose it used one of the worm-holes—”
“No,” said Mandible, “I have been through these worm-holes many times before...running from the Vicious beasts, naturally...they can only breach distances in space, not time. We’re still in the year 2939.”
Norman wondered how he knew what year it was. The land looked much too barren and raw for time to be of any value to its inhabitants.
“Well, I suppose I better get to work on the time-machine—”
“No!” said Mandible, “It is almost night. You should wait until tomorrow. The...uh...the worms are most active at night.”
With that, they built a camp in a small ice cave and went to sleep. Norman awoke during the night and saw the light of a flash coming from the graveyard. It was too dark to see well enough, but Norman was sure of one thing—one of the members of their camp had gone. Norman ran to the graveyard just as another flash occurred. Seeing a figure walking toward him, he swiftly ran back to his bed and went to sleep.