The Time Travellers by Sufiya Ahmed

Author:Sufiya Ahmed
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little Tiger Press
Published: 2024-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

“Mia!” I scream.

Ayaan is already at Mia’s side by the time I get to her lying on the road.

“Mia… Mia…” Ayaan’s voice is gentle.

Who knew the past could be so dangerous? An uneven footpath sent me flying and now a horse has knocked Mia over!

“Mia.” Ayaan is shaking Mia’s shoulders but her eyes remain closed.

“Let me help.” A woman speaks over my shoulder and I glance up. She has black hair and is dressed in a white skirt and jacket. A purple, white and green ribbon is wrapped round her hat. She looks vaguely familiar but I can’t work out who she is.

Ayaan, however, has figured it out immediately because he is staring at her, open-mouthed. “Excuse me,” he mumbles. “Are you Emily Davison?”

The woman’s eyes dart from Mia to Ayaan and she smiles. “Seen my picture in the newspapers, have you?”

“Kind of…” Ayaan is unable to take his eyes off her.

I too am fascinated as I stare up at the woman. This is the suffragette who’ll sacrifice her life for women’s right to vote. The one who will be killed under a horse, two years from now.

Emily ignores us as she focuses on helping Mia. Ayaan and I have been so enthralled with Emily that we didn’t even notice that Mia had opened her eyes.

“Let’s get you up,” Emily says gently.

Mia tries to raise her head but then lets out a groan and collapses back down.

“We need to move you off the road,” Emily says. “Come on now, let’s try to get you to your feet.”

Ayaan and I grab Mia’s arms and raise her up with Emily’s help. Mia is small and easy to hold between us. She drapes an arm over each of our shoulders.

“She needs a place to rest,” Emily says.

“I can take her somewhere,” Reena says, stepping forward. “Can she walk?”

Ayaan nods, noticing Reena for the first time. He looks just as surprised at her presence as I was.

“I’ll be on my way then,” Emily says. “Take care of your friend.”

Ayaan stops staring at Reena to turn his attention to the suffragette. “Yes, Miss Davison. Thank you, Miss Davison.”

I suddenly put my free hand out. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

Emily smiles and shakes my hand before turning to disappear into the crowd.

“I’m Reena Rao of Rajasthan.” Reena introduces herself to Ayaan.

Ayaan looks confused and replies, “I’m Ayaan from, erm, Leytonstone.”

“How do you two know Emily, that suffragette?” Reena asks.

“She’s one of the most famous ones,” I reply.

“Is she?” Reena frowns. “For doing what?”

Ayaan and I exchange a look over Mia’s head. What should we say? How can we tell her something that hasn’t happened yet?

“Emily broke Parliament’s windows last year,” I blurt out, relieved that I’d been paying attention when we did our worksheets.

“Yes, the suffragettes do a lot of that,” Reena says and then turns her attention to Mia who is still looking a little dazed. “Come this way.”

As we follow her, carefully supporting Mia between us, Ayaan finally bursts out with the question he’s been holding in.

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