The Travel
Network
Allana stood at the edge of the crowd. No one noticed her instantaneous appearance, they were too focused on
the drama about to happen. The crowd roared and she looked over her shoulder as the throng of people gave way.
She stayed back, her attention riveted on the sidewalk where they would file past. When the crowd noise
soared again, she made her way forward, eager to get it over with. If she accomplished her mission, her life in 2095 would change, and she’d
never wanted anything more.
Two days earlier, Colonel Rupert Adams called her into his office. “We have a job for you, Allana.” He
hitched his pants and sat behind his massive desk. Everything about his office was massive, including the Colonel himself.
“Have a seat, my dear.”
Allana perched on the edge of the chair across from him and waited. She held her hands tightly in her lap to
mask her nervousness. This must be a special mission. He rarely called her into his office to talk about them, just sent her assignment to her
and waited for the results. “Do you remember the guest we had a few
weeks back? The man with the patch over one eye?”
“Vividly. He gave me the creeps.”
Colonel Adams chuckled. “Creepy or not, he has a job for us.” He leaned back in his chair, his beefy hands
linked behind his bald head. “I think it’s a travel job you will be very interested in. And, one the network is interested in as well.”
Even the United States government didn’t know of The Travel Network’s existence. Colonel Adams, so called
because of his tour of duty during the war of 2076, retired from his government appointment once peace was restored. He and a scientist friend
opened The Travel Network, one with the appearance of a very select and limited clientele.
“And why would I be more interested in this travel than any other I’ve done?” she asked.
“This could have a direct impact on your life.”
Allana and a few well-chosen employees didn’t travel for pleasure. They traveled back in time to change
things. Nothing major; the big, important events could not be changed or altered. Allana and her co-workers changed attitudes and actions. One
misguided bullet, one soft touch or a few words could make a difference. They brought about small changes, but those in turn affected the
future.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “Don’t all my jobs have a deep impact, not only on the human race, but on me
as well?”
“I think this one will be especially meaningful to you.”
“So, what is it?” She hated the smug look plastered on his face.
“You are,” he said as he leaned forward, “to stop the segregation of Central High School in Little Rock,
Arkansas in 1957. Seems our friend has a personal interest in this as well.” He leaned back again, a frown on his doughy face. “And as I said
earlier, so does the agency.”
“I can handle that.”
He laughed again. “I thought you could.”
Since the race wars of 2076, the year she’d turned seven, she avoided people of color. Her parents lost their
lives in that war and a cold, icy hole lay in her chest where her heart should have been. She’d known, even at the tender age of seven, her
parents fought a losing battle, their ideals of equality skewed and on the wrong side. They willingly put themselves and her in
danger rather than back down from their beliefs that supported all men’s right to reach for the stars—and the Oval Office.
“And if I stop this,” Allana said. “How will it change things?”
“The historical election of 2008 would never happen and our esteemed leader will not be in office today. No
black man will ever be allowed in the White House.” He paused and stared at her with an intensity that frightened her. “And the race wars only
a nightmare. One touch, Allana. If you touch the lead girl, she’ll break and take the others with her. That’s it. Just touch her.”
What this could mean to her jump-started her heart into overdrive. No race wars meant her parents would still
be alive. What would they be like today? The thought of her parents being around to love and support overwhelmed the senses and a wave of
dizziness washed over her. Would she now have siblings? She swallowed hard, her next words harsh with emotion.
“When do I leave?”
Colonel Adams smiled. “Tomorrow is the day they actually walk into the school. They’ve tried before, but this
time they’ll have an armed escort and they’ll make it in.”
“Not if I can help it,” Allana muttered as she got to her feet. “What time?”
“Be here at dawn,” the Colonel said. “We’ve got a lot of information to cover before you go and we have to
find you the right clothing.”
Allana spent a restless night. Before each travel, she tossed and turned, wondering whether or not they
should be changing even the tiniest event in the past. If they left things alone, would the world be a better place? Or worse? What gave them
the right to delve into righting the perceived wrongs of the world? If the bullet intended for John F. Kennedy missed its target, who’s to say
what the world would be now. Would the Camelot years carried its Utopia feel down through the centuries? That, however, was one of the major
events that could not be changed.
She shifted position, eyes closed and thought about her mom and dad. She remembered why they’d died, but she
couldn’t remember them, except the vague sense of riding high on broad shoulders, filled with excitement and fear. Of her mother, the strains
of a haunting lullaby without words flitted through her mind now and again.
What would it be like to never have known the fear and horror of an orphanage that cared nothing for their
charges? To never live with the heart-clenching sadness of being abandoned and alone? Tears soaked her pillow as she drifted to sleep.
Central High School boasted a long double sidewalk that curved around “The Reflecting Pool” to stairs on both
sides of the front entrance landing. The large, white Greek columns practically shouted, “No blacks allowed.”
The strange clothes she wore for the occasion were stifling in the warm September sun. Sweat trickled down
her ribcage as the heavy cotton dress and uncomfortable nylon stockings clung to her body.
The sun moved across the sky and washed The Reflecting Pool in a golden early morning light. Allana eased her
way through the screaming mob, hoping to get closer so she could carry out her orders. One touch would be all it would take to change the
course of history. She must be careful not to come in contact or interact with anyone but the black girl leading the way.
Once at the front of the crowd, she stopped when she saw the nine young people; their black skin contrasting
sharply against white, come into view. Nine. Six boys and three girls. Why weren’t there more? The girl in front held her head high, all her
attention focused forward.
Allana bit the bottom of her lip in an effort not to join in the chants and nasty remarks the white people
hurtled at them. If only you’d stayed in your place, my parents would be alive. When she completed
her assignment and returned home, they would be alive. Her heart soared in anticipation. She’d never
know what it was like at an orphanage alone and deserted. She’d dreamed of this day for nineteen long years. Nothing else mattered.
This would be the only opportunity she’d ever get to make things right. Whether they achieved their objective
or not, the doorway to this particular time and place would close forever. One chance.
The black girl’s back was ram-rod stiff and she clutched books tightly in one arm. She’s beautiful, Allana
thought in surprise. The simple white cotton blouse tucked into a starched and carefully ironed red-checked skirt, gave her an elegance most
women would kill for. The folds of the skirt swayed gently against long legs as she moved forward. She ignored the invectives of outrage
thrown at her from all directions. Something about her caused Allana to hesitate.
No! Allana couldn’t let anything stop her, not even her own treacherous thoughts. If this wasn’t done today, her
life would continue to be a lonely, empty existence filled with “what ifs,” would forever haunt her.
She calculated how long it would take the girl to reach the steps. Her hand on the girl’s arm as she passed
would distract her enough to break her nerve. If they never entered Central High School, Allana’s life would be as she’d always dreamed. Full
of love, laughter and a life path so much different than now.
A still, small voice in the back of her mind whispered, “Will this
really change anything? If not the race wars—what? If they did not get into the school, what change to the future would it bring? Something as
bad or worse? Would her life be wonderful—or just different?
She pushed the traitorous thoughts back into their ugly little hole. She must do her job whether it benefited
her or not. Only circumstances, not free choice, were acceptable to failure.
A loud voice to her right brought her back to the here and now. “Go back where you came from,” the voice
shouted. “You don’t belong here.” The black students ignored the jibes and cursing that filled the air. All looked straight ahead, depending
on the white soldiers to lead them in safely.
They were closer to her now. The girl in front with dark glasses that covered a part of her determined, but
pretty face, never faltered or stumbled. So intent on watching the girl, her mission momentarily forgotten, Allana came to herself with a
jerk.
It was as though the girl took a carefree walk on a early fall morning. But it wasn’t an ordinary day. This
day made headlines around the world and brought about race wars in the future where people died and children were left alone and frightened.
This day started it all.
She stood with the crowd closest to the left-side stairs. Her touch would make the girl hesitate. When she
did, the milling mob would sense it and the nine would turn tail and run. With just one touch.
Within twenty steps now, Allana’s heart hammered in her chest. Soon she would see her parents, the black void
of childhood erased and she could go home to their loving arms.
A while girl stalking the black kids screamed especially filthy words, her face a mask of hatred and fury. It
was true Allana allowed those same words to enter her mind on more than one occasion, but this grotesque face filled with malice, spewing
obscenities, turned her stomach.
Could this be wrong? What she intended
to do here today—could she be wrong?
No, she refused to believe that. Weren’t having her parents back more important than any black kids? She
turned back and waited for the girl to draw close enough to touch.
What would her parents think of all this? Would they stare at her, condemnation evident in their eyes? It
didn’t matter.
They had made their choice. Now she must make hers.
Her hand shot out and withdrew all in the same fluid motion. This wasn’t right. No matter how she justified
her actions, she would steal something the United States was built upon—freedom. The freedom to want more; to dream the impossible. Tears
stung her eyes as her hoped-for-future walked passed. She’d missed an opportunity that would never come again. This could not be stopped—it
had a life of its own and neither she nor The Travel Network had the right to interfere.
The girl who dressed so carefully for this momentous occasion walked with determination to lead her
generation to a better life no matter the cost.
Allana hung her head, ashamed of how close she’d come to breaking the girl. How she’d almost made the shouted
insults of “you don’t belong here,” come true. She made her way free of the crowd and stopped across the street. She watched as the nine
courageous black students disappeared through the front door and into a better future.
Through her tears, she smiled. Even though her parents were lost to her for all time, she knew they would be
proud of her today. And maybe that was all she needed—knowing they would be proud of the person she’d become in spite of their absence.
So what if her life had been hard without them. That girl who stepped into an all-white school, into the
frightening unknown, never knew an easy life either. How hard must it have been for her to ignore the hate surrounding her, to walk through
such a crowd, to hold up her head and keep going no matter how deep those words sliced into her soul? This young girl made history on this
day. Whether it might turn out good or bad wasn’t important. What mattered was that she stood up for what she believed in even when the odds
were against her.
This girl had opened the door to the Oval Office.