Cold Distrust

Once Norman had fallen back asleep, he had horrible dreams of Mandible landing hard on his back, then of the worm of 2009, and then of Mandible swinging his arms wildly at Norman with a vicious glare in his eyes. He dreamed of their time-journey to 2939, and of the whizzing light of Time as it flew past. Suddenly, a worm flew by the time machine as they were nearing their entrance to the wintry future. It roared in Norman’s face, and he woke up. He looked around the ice cave at his companions. All of them—including Mandible—were sleeping. Norman looked at Mandible, then thought of the dream. “What if it wasn’t just…” He opened his eyes wide as if a revelation had come to him. He laid his head back down to sleep, but his eyes remained open the rest of the night.

The next day, Dr. Pea went to work on the time-machine. Mandible followed him. Dr. Pea looked at Mandible, then at the machine and said with a smile, “Hehe, it’s worth a try.” He flipped the ON switch...and the time-machine came to life! “It works! Amazing, after all these years, it still works!”
Mandible looked back towards camp, and then said, “Are you sure? It seems very unlikely that it would just come on after all this time. I think someone must have fixed it last night.”
“That’s nonsense. Who else knows how to fix it but me?”
“Yes, who else...?”
Dr. Pea thought. “Norman? No, Norman couldn’t have...he...he wasn’t there when I made it.”
“But he did go on trips with you, did he not? He knew how it worked well enough. I think Norman took the time machine last night and transported the worm back to 1991!”
“Norman!? No, he wouldn’t do that—why would he?”
“Oh, do you really think all his nervousness about all the adventures you go on was genuine? Norman has a deep desire for adventure—you know this! Surely you must! You know him better than I do! Last night, he probably got up and got the worm to chase him. But he wasn’t counting on it almost catching him. So, naturally, he used the time-machine to escape. The controls were calibrated for 1991 still, and the worm followed him back to that year! He left it there and came back here, too ashamed to admit what he had done.”
Dr. Pea opened his eyes in sudden realization. “Now that I think of it...I did wake up last night and see someone running back to camp from the graveyard...”
Mandible turned and smiled a hidden smile, leaving Dr. Pea to think. He went back to the ice cave and found Jessie. “Where’s your dear Norman?”
“I think he went to his frozen house...he had some questions he needed answered.”
“So what do you think about all this worm business?” asked Mandible.
“I don’t really know what to think,” said Jessie, “I actually try not too think about it too much—it makes my head hurt.”
“Surely you must know that it has to be one of you that transported the worm back to 1991. And who knows time-travel better than...”
“Dr. Pea? No, Dr. Pea wouldn’t do that–”
“How can you be certain?” Mandible asked, “He is a scientist after all. It would fit his character, transporting a worm back to his present day for the sake of science.”
Mandible watched as Jessie began to think.
“But perhaps you’re right. Perhaps it wasn’t Dr. Pea. And naturally, it wasn’t you. That would only leave–”
“You.”
“Me?” Mandible gave a bewildered laugh, “my dear girl, it couldn’t have been me. I know nothing about time-travel. The only other person it could have been is your dear Norman. It would explain why he isn’t around right now when the time-machine is being examined for the first time in 948 years…”
At that moment, Norman walked up. He eyed Mandible suspiciously. Jessie looked up at Mandible and, without breaking her cold stare, gave Norman a hug and kissed him on the cheek. She walked off confidently to lend Dr. Pea some help loading the Xenon.
“Did you find what you were looking for, Norman?” Mandible asked, un-phased.
“Yes. I think I did,” replied Norman, tightening his jaw. The two stick-men stared at each other with a coldness that nearly matched their surroundings, “What were you talking with Jessie about?”
“Well...to be honest, about you.”
“Me?” said Norman, not entirely convinced of Mandible’s honesty.
“Why yes. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but she’s under the impression that it was you who took that worm back to 1991. Obviously it couldn’t have been you. You know, I think it might have been her that took it. She’s probably angry at you for taking her out of 2009, so she sent that worm back to–”
“She loves me, Mandible,” Norman said, the anger rising in his voice. Mandible snarled at the words. “You know, I did a lot of thinking at my frozen house just now, and I realized something: We never actually mentioned to you what year we were from.” The smile on the bug-creature’s face faded. “There’s more to you than you’re telling us.”
Mandible’s eyes narrowed. Norman moved closer, his jaw set, and he said very distinctly, glaring into those monstrous orbs, “And I wanted to let you know I don’t believe a word you say. Jessie and I know each other and love each other, and nothing you can say or do is going to separate us.”
Mandible opened his mouth, revealing ugly, sharp teeth. Norman wasn’t sure if it was in an effort to say something, or if Mandible was simply about to bite his head off. He never found out–Dr. Pea’s yell interrupted their increasingly heated conversation:
“We’re ready whenever you two are! Let’s go back to 2009 and end this winter!”
Mandible and Norman Bufort turned and walked to the time-machine, and the four traveled backwards through time in a chilling silence.