The Director of the new, top-secret Chronos Project must sort through a group of applicants who want to be time travelers: some are wild and crazy, some are eccentric and quirky, some are brave and brilliant. One of the best, Emily Baker, meets a famous 19th century author when her ride through time goes awry. Nicholas McKenna later goes on a mission to stop an evil political leader from ascending to power. Along the way, Nick encounters other time travelers who are attempting to solve a time paradox. Midway into his mission, Nick experiences a paradigm shift that precedes several surprising plot twists. In this science fiction novella, Nick learns that both the forces of good and evil can be found on the great river of time. Excerpt: from "Nick's Tale": As I rode the turbulent torrents of time, I tried to relax and enjoy the ride. I closed my eyes and imagined myself on a raft on a river. At some point in the journey, I must have passed out because I had a dream in which I saw a beautiful blue river that flowed down toward its delta. Along the riverbank walked a man dressed like a shepherd, carrying a staff. His gaze encompassed the whole river, its origin and its ending equally present to him. Although he looked out upon the entire river, he walked steadily toward the river’s end. Upon reaching the delta, he bent down and set the staff upon the grass, extended his arms, and held them in that outstretched position. The river stopped flowing and expanded outward to form a seemingly endless sea. As sea and sky and stars began to glow, the man turned toward me. His face looked familiar. Excerpt from "Emily's Tale": In a riverfront park on a Mississippi riverbank, there was an explosion of light. I tumbled onto the hillside. Breathing heavily, I collapsed onto the grass. A few seconds later, a middle-aged man approached me. He had a moustache and wore a white suit. He looked exactly like Mark Twain because he was, in fact, Mark Twain. “Are you all right, young lady?” Squinting, I tried to clear my vision and focus upon the person speaking. I rose to a sitting position. “Yes, thank you. I just stumbled.” “Stumbled out of the sky, I’d say. I saw the whole thing. One second, you weren’t there. Then came a burst of light, and there you were.” “Yes, well, it’s very complicated.” “I might be a bit brighter than I look. I’d like to hear your tale.” “Thank you for your interest, but I shouldn’t say anything more. Just consider me a magician practicing new tricks for my stage show. This trick didn’t go as planned.” “I’ve only seen one magician ... back east in Philadelphia. He shuffled and dealt playing cards in a way that would get a man shot in some towns. If you’re a magician, I’m Ulysses S. Grant.” “I need to rest here for a minute or two.” “Are you a Martian or from the moon?” “No, I’m from Missouri.” “Missourians have apparently changed in quite extraordinary ways during my absence.” “What year is this?” “1875.” “And where is this?” “Hannibal, Missouri.” “Wow! Wrong time and wrong place! Way wrong ...Oh, my gosh, are you Mark Twain?” “Well, that’s my pen name. My actual name is ...” “Samuel Clemens ... Yes, Mr. Clemens, I know. I took a college class devoted entirely to your writings.” “Apparently, university classes have dramatically deteriorated if I’m what’s being studied.” “Your writings are delightful and insightful ...and you know it.” ********************************************************************* Joseph Rogers has other novels and novellas including: Sentinels at the Gates: A Telepathic, Thriller Realm of Haden: A Space-Age Fantasy, Maiden of Orleans: A Bayou Thriller, The Snow Maiden: A Suspense Thriller, Moonlight Warriors: A Tale of Two Hit Men, The Powers Unseen: A Supernatural Thriller, & The Chronicles of Caroline Casey The author’s website is JoeRogers.homestead.com