5.

At Jackie's burial service, Jean stood next to Ollie and held his hand.

'You can do something about this can't you?' asked Jean after the service had ended.

'It is possible yeah, but I can't.'

'What? This is your mum we are on about here' Jean looked Ollie in the eyes.

'I know, but maybe I will be able to explain it better at another time.'

Ollie vanished and just like at the ice rink Jean seemed to be the only one who noticed. She had been speaking to him when it happed, of course, though Vicki approached Jean soon after the disappearance.

'Have you seen where Ollie has got to?' asked Vicki.

'I am not sure, but I think he has gone to find a loo' responded Jean not knowing quite how she was supposed to respond. She has no idea of who else may know of Ollie's travels so the less said the better.

'Well, if you see him in the next few minutes can you tell him to follow me over to the car park, we will be heading off soon.'

'Will do.'

It didn't take long before Ollie returned.

'Your aunt has just been looking for you.'

'Where is she?'

'She says that you are to follow her over to the car park. I take it she doesn't know?'

'That would definitely be a no.'

'I am not quite sure what exactly it is that I know.'

'We will talk soon' spoke Ollie as he began to make his way over to meet his aunt.

'Yeah, sure we will' Jean spoke slightly disappointed, though Ollie had gone and was not to hear what she had said.

6.

Celebrating a birthday is usually a happy time especially if it is a landmark birthday like a twenty-first or a fortieth but for Ollie; well, he was not looking forward to his eighteenth birthday at all. He did not want a fuss to be made especially since he is not in control of his 'travelling' but a fuss was what he was going to get. A party was being organised for him, so whether he wanted it or not ... he was getting a party.

The one thing Ollie had in his favour was of course, Jean. The two had become more than close. Jean was always there for Ollie, not only for during moments where cover for a sudden disappearance was needed, but she was also someone he could talk to about what happens while he is on his travels.

Sitting on the town's riverbank during the afternoon of his eighteenth birthday, Ollie would think out loud bouncing his thoughts off of Jean. The day so far was bright and quite warm. The river, only fifteen feet in front of them, moved quickly almost, as it seemed to Ollie, chasing its own moment in time. It was becoming difficult at this stage not to relate almost everything in his life to the passing of time. The incline of the riverbank was not a steep one and it led up to a wide-open space.

After a moment of silence upon their arrival to the riverbank, Ollie would speak first.

'You know that I am not looking forward to this evening, right?'

'Yeah, I know but you will enjoy it trust me. It is alright to do that every once in a while, have fun that is.'

As Ollie had done on many occasions prior to this one, he had a journey to tell of, a tale to share with his friend.

'I have been thinking a lot about why I travel through time. I know that my older self ... warned me about the consequences of making alterations to my own life especially with saving my mother and the likes but he, the older me that is, never said anything about altering the lives of others. A couple of trips back I was unintentionally thrown in between an altercation between a man and a woman. I know nothing of who they were or are or as to their relationship. They could have been husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend or brother and sister but it was obvious that he was beating her ...

I appeared no more than fifty feet away from them. The man noticed me straight away. I could see his anger, his rage all over his face. Why he was so angry? Who knows? He just stared right at me for a bit. I had not done anything to anger him. My heart sank when he began to move towards me and when he began to run at me, I had no option but to run too. He was a big guy and looked like he could seriously hurt me quite easily ...

He chased me down alley ways, through side streets and across roads. We dodged cars, I dodged people, and he knocked some over without remorse. I kept running as fast as I could, and he kept on coming after me. When I thought I was trapped, and in for the beating of my life I cowered, covered myself up and waited. I expected the worst ...

A moment or two passed and nothing happened. Then I heard a female voice ask me if I was alright. I looked up. I was no longer outdoors. I must have had travelled again and it looked like I was just inside the entrance to a hospital. All I could do was stand up and respond that I was just fine, and I thanked the lady for her concern.

A couple of moments passed as I tried to get my bearings. A woman was escorted in through the entrance by two EMT's. It was the woman that the guy chasing me had been with. He had been beating her when I had arrived. I heard one of the EMT's say that she could have or even might have been killed if it hadn't been for a guy who intervened, causing distraction.'

'Wow' said Jean.

'Yeah, I know, right? So, was I guess I was supposed to save her? It was unintentional but I saved her all the same.'

'Well, to be honest all I can say is try not to dwell on it too much. It could drive you insane if you do.'

'The thing is Jean. What if the purpose, the reason that I can travel through time, is to save others? And maybe just using it for my own personal use is against the rules or something like that?'

'I can't answer that question. Only you can, or maybe even your older self can help you out with that.'

'It has been quite some time since I was last in contact with an older version of myself.'

'Then for the time being at least, just go with your gut, whatever you feel is the right thing just do it. You helped that woman out, but you did not make the decision to do that. It just worked out that way.'

'Yeah, in the instance I told you about ... I did not really have a say in how it all progressed so unless I am told otherwise, I will deal with each situation as it unfolds.'

'You know you have me whenever you need me. I am always here. So ...'

Both Ollie and Jean smiled. Smiling was not something Ollie got to do very much of. Whether his smile was due to Jean's statement or due to the fact that he always felt good in her company was a matter that did not need any debate.

7.

Ollie, his aunt Vicki, Jean, and a mutual friend, Kirsten, all arrived together at the town's sports club, the venue for Ollie's party. They were the first to arrive obviously enough. Ollie wanted to be there to greet the guests as they arrived and if something was to happen, he could count on Jean to cover for him. Ollie and Vickie got to talking to staff members at the club. Kirsten helped Jean out with finishing off the decorating.

'So, you and Ollie, what is up between you two?' asked Kirsten.

'Are you trying to imply that Ollie and I are more than just friends?'

'I am not implying or suggesting anything of the sort.'

'For your information, there is nothing going on. We are nothing more than just friends.'

Kirsten just stopped for a moment and stared over at her friend ... 'right'.

'What?' asked Jean reacting to Kirsten's stare with a smile.

'Oh nothing ... you are emanating a glow of positivity, that's all.'

'Emanating a glow of positivity? Really?' Jean spoke with an element of sarcasm and a slight giggle. 'Honestly, we are just friends despite the fact that there has been opportunity for more.'

It wasn't long before the sports club began to fill up. Family, friends, and friends of friends turned up and there were even two people who turned up who were of no affiliation to anybody who had anything to do with Ollie. Ollie noticed them as soon as they entered the club. These uninvited guests, one male and one female, smiled when Ollie looked over in their direction, the lady even threw a wave over at Ollie.

These two strangers were unsure as to if they should approach the young man whose attention they had attracted, but approach him they did. They appeared to know who he is and not only that, but they also seemed to be in awe of him.

'You are he, aren't you?' asked the man waving a finger in Ollie's direction.

'He who?' asked Ollie.

'You are, it is you. Isn't it?' asked the woman. 'We have to get a photo.'

'Oh yes, we have to get a photo' spoke the man.

'No. There will be no photos. This is a party. If the two of you would like to stay here, then go get yourselves a drink and take a seat.'

'Everything alright?' asked Jean who approached noticing that Ollie was becoming somewhat agitated. She was becoming an expert at reading his body language.

'Yeah, we just seem to have a couple of strange gate crashers' responded Ollie.

Jean watched as the couple moved towards the club's bar, when she turned back towards Ollie, he was gone, vanished. The couple at the bar turned to each other. They were happy knowing that they were definitely correct in their assumption.

'Ah crap' spoke Jean at not only the disappearance but the reaction of these strangers.

Ollie appeared down his local town village. It was bright and warm and as far as he could tell no one noticed his most recent of arrivals. He began to make his way toward the town centre. Only a moment or two after he began walking Ollie noticed her off in the distance. His mother was walking towards him.

His first thought was to warn his mother of what was to come in her life but then he remembered what his older self had told him. He then became sure that this is the moment he was warned of, the soon to be moment where her life is taken. If Ollie saves his mother, then that action would lead to the death of his aunt Vicki and also the death of his good friend Jean.

Ollie stood where he was until his mother had passed right by him. She glanced at the young man as she passed him, continued on her way then stopped and turned. It was almost as if she knew something, as if she knew that she had just passed by her son, but that is not possible, ... only it is. To her this cannot be for her son is years younger. However, when Jackie had turned, the young man had begun to walk away. Jackie continued on her original path. Ollie turned back and soon followed his mum, keeping his distance. He noticed on a newspaper in a nearby newsagent that the date was indeed the date within which his mother would be attacked and killed.

The moment came when Jackie took her bankcard out of her purse to use at an ATM machine. Ollie kept his distance and began to think.

'Why am I here if I am not to save my mother? Why do I have this ability, if I cannot use it? Do I really need to witness this? I do not have to be here. I can just walk away and keep walking until I return to where I should be.'

Ollie was about to do just that, walk away when he noticed a hooded man move up right behind his mother. Being compelled to watch, Ollie would be hit with a shocker. In the tussle between this man and his mother, the man's hood came off his head to reveal the man's identity. Jackie's attacker, the man who was about to kill her was the very same man and is the very same man who had chased Ollie when he had appeared near to another attack.

Jackie was not backing down, so her attacker took out a knife. Ollie called out a 'no', began to move towards the attack and vanished. He reappeared at his own eighteenth birthday party still shouting out 'no' as he was to fall flat on his face. Everything at the party came to a halt as attention would be directed toward Ollie.

'Oh boy' spoke Jean as she went to aid her friend.