Liberty

I didn't know where the Statue of Liberty was. I lived in California, not New York, and I couldn't exactly ask people for directions, since, well, I was invisible. I saw a sign that told me I had landed in Liberty State Park. There was a lake, some trees. It looked like the middle of nowhere. That was the best I could do. There were, however, tons of people. So, I put up a little sign and attached a marker to the board so anyone could write the answer. It read, "Where is the Statue of Liberty? Very direct and specific directions only."

I just sat on a bench nearby my sign, and just waited for someone to come along and hopefully answer my question correctly. Obviously, I had no such luck. Finally, a gangly, pimply-faced teenager scribbled on the board. I tried to figure out why he walked away snickering. Then, I read his answer, "It's just over there."

I stared at the cardboard and down the walkways, past the flags, and out into the harbor. Yep, there she was. Now, I could get to my dad and get back to my own timeline.

Suddenly, something vibrated. I jumped so hard I almost fell off the bench. Someone texted me. Of course! My phone! I still had data in the United States. I whipped it out of my pocket. I could call a taxi, but not in the middle of the park. I walked over to a washroom and went to call, then thought of getting in a taxi. How was that going to happen? Maybe, I could get in the back of a taxi when someone else was grabbing luggage from the back, but that would be super risky.

Despite this, it was my best option so far. I started walking a little, which was really tiring since the metal time-machine—now in cube form and super heavy—was in my pocket. I'm guessing the weight also shrunk, but it was still around forty pounds.

Something caught my eye. A bright green taxi was unloading. This was my chance. I sprinted across the street, while also dodging incoming cars, and I waited.

When the passenger safely got her luggage out and was about to close the door, I dived in. There was a huge bump sound, and the passenger stared into my eyes. After a few seconds, I heard a faint, "Whatever, it's probably just me," from the taxi driver.

The back door slowly closed, and I was in the taxi, along for a ride. The car started moving. From there, I thought of a game-plan to escape when it got near the Statue of Liberty port. I checked my phone once again. Someone texted me. Stupid Gabriel. I thought.

There was a ding! I almost had a heart attack. I quickly turned it into silent mode, but before that, I could hear the taxi driver cursing himself about ghosts and poltergeists.

I checked Google Maps once again, and I could see that I was slowly getting closer to my destination. I waited five minutes. Then ten. The taxi then pulled up to a gas station. I mentally sighed, as the taxi driver hooking up the car to the pump, and went inside the gas station shop to buy something.

When he came back, I saw him holding two candy bars. One was a Snickers Bar, the other was a Caramel Crisp. I threw one in the backseat, and I slowly reached towards it. There. I grabbed hold of it, and prayed he didn't see a levitating chocolate bar in the rear view mirror. I quietly shoved the whole thing in my pocket, not caring if it was broken into pieces or not. I decided to save it for later.

After setting off once again, the taxi was getting really close to the port. We were just about there, when the taxi made an unexpected U-turn. No no no! I thought. We were now going the wrong way. I had to get out of the taxi, fast. I saw an emergency unlock lever on the back door, and pulled it hard. The back door immediately opened, and the taxi driver started mumbling and talking in confusion. The taxi screeched to a halt.

I jumped out. I dusted off my pants, and looked once again at my phone. The port was right in front of me.

"We are now arriving at the Statue of Liberty. Prepare to unboard the ferry." Finally, I was there.

There wasn't anything special about the statue at all. Yeah, it was huge and in the middle of the water and I was stuck back in time because of it. However, looked out of place. I crept into a quiet spot and called Bradley. His voice came loud and clear through my wristwatch.

"Hi Steven, make sure you eat that Snickers bar before it melts."

"Okay, I got here. What's next?"

He responded, "Find a way to destroy the Statue of Liberty."