‘That’s a remarkable tale,’ said Gazza. He studied Jupiter’s Niho Taniwha pendent. ‘And you think it’s the blue stone that’s causing the effect?’

Peter sat in the lab with Dr Leigh who had chased the rest of the lab techs and graduates out to talk alone with Peter.

‘It’s all true. Though I can’t tell anyone. Who’d believe me?’

‘That’s a good idea. I would not give your story any credit if I had not seen the effect this blue shard had on the nuclear clock.’

‘The worst of it is that there’s no reason to tell anyone. It’s not like I can ever go back. No matter how many things I left undone.’

He had not told Gazza how he had left all his friends trapped in the temple at Naz’naska. How the Air Lord’s skyfort had been about to ram through the portal and probably destroy it. How much he ached to think his manta friends still faced torture, death, and the annihilation of their race because of the Empire’s greed for skyships.

It’s too late now anyway,’ Peter said. ‘Too much time has passed. Only a month there, but three years back.’

‘I’d like to run some tests on this stone, can I…’ Gazza said as if he had not heard anything Peter had said.

Peter reached over and took the pendent from the old professor and put it back around his neck. ‘This is more than a curiousity to me. It’s my grandfather’s, properly gifted to me by my aunt. It’s a family taonga. And maybe more. Eoth changed it somehow.’

Just like Eoth changed me. It’s in me now too.

‘Work with me on it though?’ Gazza said. ‘I can see where your multiverse ideas have come from now. There’s work to do to. This could change everything because we have something that we can test. We will need a whole new physics. It’s amazing.’

Peter fell silent. How to explain the impossible sense of mana and connection he felt with the pounamu and zharaqsa around his neck?

‘How do you think Maggie got back to her own time?’ Peter said instead. ‘Isn’t that time travel?’

‘The arrow of time gives us the illusion of reality passing in a flow, like a river. But some believe that the whole of space and time exists as a mathematical entity. Structured in a way so time cannot exist without space. That they are the same thing within a finite mathematical model. Einstein called the intertwining space-time. So to pluck yourself out of time would be the same as pinching off a portion of space. Or rather separating a bit of space-time from the hypergraph or mathematical equation that is the universe.’

‘Except how does the pathway to Eoth work then?’

‘As I said, it’s a remarkable tale. With bold implications. And ones we should be compelled to explore.’

‘So assuming it’s true. As I described it. Could we consider the time travel problem as one of Einstein’s thought experiments?’

Gazza fell silent. Then took a breath. ‘If your friend…’

‘Maggie.’

‘If Maggie came from 1940, or whenever, and you came from 2024, but meet in the context of this other multiverse, then there is no time travel occurring. The pinching off of space-time that allowed you to step between Earth and this other place could achieve the trick without time and causality being affected.’

‘Except when I met her I sent future information back in time when she returned.’

‘Yes. That’s a conundrum. I see you’ve thought about this.’

‘Yeah. That’s how I came to those ideas about the conservation of metaverses. The wave function collapse works to ensure there is not a proliferation of multiverses but instead emit Dark Energy. There’s no contamination because our timeline is already well established within the structure of this mathematical universe, hypergraph. So any effect that future information had on our timeline’s past sort of collapsed away.’

‘Like a single ripple on a pond not affecting the waves already on the water’s surface,’ said Gazza. ‘Because the waves already existed. It’s a sort of conservation of timelines.’

‘I’m sure Maggie always went to Eoth in our timeline. It’s what made the timeline we’re in possible. I saw her morse code signals before I went through to meet her from her past.’

‘So you answered your own question. She did travel through time but it did not matter.’

‘Because she did not change things enough for the ripples of that future information to affect our timeline.’ Peter sighed. ‘Which means I can’t change her history.’

‘In this timeline? No. That is something we must always hold as a truth. There are no do-overs. You cannot undo the past.’

‘Because the apace-time hypergraph will resist you.’

‘Better to think of the spring-back more as a constraint embedded into the reality of the hypergraph. Like the arrow of time creates the sense of a the separateness of space and time.’ Gazza sighed. ‘But it is also a maxim to live your life by. We all have regrets and want to have our time again. But we need to keep moving forward. That’s another burden the arrow of time imposes on us.’

Peter got up to go.

‘I want to work with you on this Peter. You’re an undergraduate, so you need to keep your grades up. But I’d gladly be your supervisor for any post-grad physics degree you’d like to pursue.’

‘Sure.’

‘You don’t sound enthusiastic.’

‘It’s not that. I just want to get going sooner.’

‘Nothing stopping you starting your post-grad early. If you can handle the extra work. And still pass your exams.’

‘I’d like that.’ Peter tucked the niho taniwha pendent into his shirt where it lay against the ragged remains of Zaj’s talisman.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

That summer he took his younger cousins to Sumner Beach where they climbed Cave Rock.

University exams had ended and his aunt had jumped at the chance to get her kids out of the house. She had volunteered Peter to do the outing.

He didn’t mind. A break from the grind in Gazza’s lab would be just the thing he needed. Experimental physics did not grip him so much as the free ranging what if of theorizing about the nature of life the universe and zharaqsa.

The cycleway ran past the Estuary Yacht Club and they had a wind at their backs as they pumped at speed along the foreshore below Redclifs. The moa cave caught his eye. It had been Maggie who had dubbed the dhomqari moasaurs. The Ostrich-like dinosaurs that pulled carts on Eoth.

That happened to him a lot. A flash would remind him of the now remote past, and he would be taken back. Even the research with Gazza circled around Eoth. The impossibility of getting beyond that short period of time nagged at him.

‘It’s almost like PTSD.’ He laughed at the absurdity of that.

‘What’s so funny?’ said Walt. The youngest of the cousins Peter kept pace with him while the older two shot ahead.

‘Just thinking how much of a slog its going to be cycling home back into the wind.’

‘Oh my days, I’d not thought of that,’ said Walt.

‘Always sail upwind first. You can always drift home on the breeze.’

‘Is that a famous saying or something?’

‘No. Do you think it should be?’

‘Nah. We can let Jan and Tiz can wear themselves out and be too stuffed to cycle home.’

‘Good idea.’

Peter like Walt. He might be the youngest but he always came across the most thoughtful. And. with a nickname like Tiz, the older male cousin definitely did not seem the intellectual type.

Cave Rock came into view below the cliff at Scarborough. The flagpole and hut always seemed to Peter to be always bigger than he remembered, or the rock smaller. The world had scaled down from when he had first scrambled up it when a small boy.

A lot of things had diminished since then. His mother, his uncle Jeff, and his future prospects.

Gazza’s wise words came back to him.

‘Move forward. No regrets. Time’s arrow will spear us all in the end.’

They locked the bikes up next to the beach cafe and found a bit of sand to sprawl over. While the cousins swam in the sea Peter kept one eye on the water, the other at the two girls sunning themselves on their towels and giggling. Every once and a while one would catch his eye and the giggles would turn into a smile.

He’d watch the sea for a bit then, keeping an eye on the kids in the water.

Can’t be distracted.

The nor-west wind rose in a flurry over the sand which hissed as it flowed past him bouncing across the surface. He shaded his eyes with his hand.

Finally the three cousins had had enough.

‘Come in,’ said Jan as she ran up. She took up his hand. Tiz took the other. The oldest of the three, Tiz had the rangy appearance of a boy who grew feet first but had to wait for the rest of his body to catch up. His long legs made him look like a baby deer.

Jan, although younger, already looked fully grown even if she did not act it. Peter flicked his gaze over to the girls now deep in discussion but with their an eye on him.

‘Someone’s got to look after the stuff,’ Peter said.

‘Why don’t you ask those girls to keep an eye on things,’ said Jan pointing directly at them. ‘They’ve been doing it all afternoon anyway.’

Peter felt his face grow warm. ’Ice cream,’ he said instead. ‘Need to cool down for some reason. Then we can explore the cave.’

‘Ice cream. We all scream for…’ Walt rugby tackled Tiz. ‘Ice cream.’

And Peter stood up free of both the cousins grip. They dusted themselves off, gathered towels and clothes, then trouped off along the promenade towards the ice cream shop talking about which combo of homemade flavors they would get.

Peter looked behind. The two girls stood with hands on hips staring at him as they shook their heads.

‘Sorry. Duty calls,’ he said under his breath. But he had a grin on his face as he said it.

They climbed towards the top of Cave Rock. Peter remembered how brave he had felt the first time he had climbed the rock on his own without his mother holding his hand.

He had done a lot of that in the past few years. Getting on with life on his own. His mother had visited of course. But she had settled into life in Canada with a new boyfriend, skiing the Rockies, and teaching at UBC in Vancouver.

The vertigo hit him halfway up. He clutched at his niho taniwha pounamu pendent with one hand, closed his eyes and calmed himself as he felt ice cream drip down between his fingers.

Just focus on the now.

He took a breath and looked up. The cousins had climbed up to the top and had disappeared around the upwards curve of the slope. The hot dry nor-wester tugged at his T shirt and shorts. His back slick under this backpack.

Turning, he made his way back down the few meters he had climbed up. All of 20 meters if that. The rock had never been much of a climb, but he had to take a break.

Walt popped his head up. ‘Come on slow coach.’

‘See you on the other side.’

Peter walked around the side of the rock and peered into the openings that led into the cave that gave the rock its name. The remains of a lava tube eroded away until just this last mound remained. And bits of it still fell on occasion.

He nearly bumped into the two girls.

Now it was their turn to blush red. Peter smiled. And sidled past.

‘You babysitting?’ asked one.

‘Yeah. I guess. Though not really babies are they?’ Peter said, Then kicked himself for being argumentative. ‘I mean. We’re just hanging out really.’

‘Is she your girlfriend or something then?’ said the other.

‘What? Jan? No. She’s just a kid. Fifteen.’ Peter crossed his arms, then uncrossed them and took a lick from his ice cream cone.

‘Hey. Haven’t I seen you at CAP?’

Peter recognized her then. ‘Vanessa?’

‘Yeah, yeah. Been a while then,’ said Vanessa. ‘Not worked the lift at the Adventure Park for a couple of years now. At least.’

‘We never did run Oberon together, did we?’

‘No. We never did,’ said Vanessa. ‘Hey. Um. We should though. Don’t you think?’

‘Definitely. Yeah. Sure.’ Peter nodded and licked his ice cream. The hokey pokey candy flavor suddenly seemed childish.

‘What’s your number?’ Vanessa said.

He pulled his phone from the backpack and fumbled putting her number in as held the remains of the ice cream in one hand and the phone in the other.

‘Hey. I’ve got to keep an eye on the cousins,’ he said. ‘Oberon. Definitely.’ Then he turned away and walked fast around the rock.

The girls giggled as his phone pinged with a message.

He found Tiz and Walt poking around one of the rock pools. Jan still licked at her cone as she stood aloof on a rock watching them.

‘They’ve blocked off this end of the cave,’ said Walt.

‘We can get through I reckon,’ said Tiz.

‘It’s too dangerous,’ said Jan.

‘As if.’ Tiz walked up and made to go through.

Peter felt the vertigo return, he closed his eyes and finished off the last bite of his ice cream cone.

‘Come on.’ Walt dragged on Peter’s hand and he stumbled forward.

Maggie had come here to Cave Rock too. They had spoken of it as something they could share from their lives growing up in Christchurch. Cave Rock seemed like something that would always be there, and yet part of the roof had collapsed. Tiz slipped past the mesh barrier that others had pulled aside. Walt and Jan went after.

Peter put his hand to the red brown volcanic rock and edged into the opening. He had not climbed to the top so it would not be a great look for him to chicken out here too.

Besides. I’d have to walk past Vanessa and her friend again.

He caught up with the three just inside the cave.

Tiz cupped his hand and hooted like an owl while Walt tried to copy him. The hooting echoes rebounded around the rocky cavern as the white nose wash of the breakers hushed a lonely undertone. Peter heard the warbles of manisaurs in the chaos of sound. Ahead the cavern opened up to a high vault with light from the other end of the lava cave creating a path through the damp sand.

Jan took up his arm and led him forward.

‘I’ve got a favorite spot. It’s just here,' she said. She took them to one side of the cave, on the inside of the gentle curve in the cave. A small opening had been breached by the sea. Tiz and Walt pushed behind him.

‘Go through,' said Tiz. 'It’s cool.’

Peter had not recalled the opening being there when he had been small. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled along the sandy ground, his cap bumped on the knobs of volcanic rock. The three cousins laughed and pushed him in the butt.

‘Hey guys, cut that out,’ Peter said.

Then suddenly his vertigo returned. The ground disappeared from under him.

He fell

Somelsewhere