Excerpt: Traveling Time

“Magnus!” An echo carried the call down the hallway. “Magnus!”
From an access tube in the aft wall a head appeared from below decks. A pair of goggles covered the upper half of the begrimed face, and a gloved hand rose up to wipe futilely at the lenses. “Donuil, what is it now? I’m trying to fix this steam junction before twelve bells. Unless I get it fixed up, the captain will have my head and we won’t reach Smallport in time.”
A young boy came skidding around a corner in the hall, dark hair bobbing with the panting which shook his entire frame. “Magnus, I think I found something important.” The eager face of the youngster beamed as he waved a bound volume in front of him. “Lookit, this was in the scoop. I ran right here to show you.”
Removing a glove, the older boy moved his goggles to his soot dusted blond hair, and reaching for the book. “If this is another Hellboy comic book, I’m going to report you to Master Dimmick for grease trap duty.” Magnus’ eyebrows quickly rose as he opened the book and looked through the first few pages. Whistling a low note, he swore under his breath. “This just came through?”
Delighted at Magnus’ reaction, Donuil grinned, “Yeah. Fall right into my lap almost.”
“And you ran right here?”
“Yep.”
“Then who’s watching the scoop!? Get back there right this minute!”
The young boy paled, his freckles showing green against his suddenly pallid skin. “B-b-but,” he stammered.
“Listen Don, this might be the most important thing you will ever find, but you can’t abandon your post. If the Captain finds out, he’ll have us both tossed out at the next port. If he doesn’t decide to do it right this minute! Get back there, and I’ll take this to the Cap when I get done with this. Actually, come find me when you’re done with your shift and we’ll show him together. Now git! We both have work to do.”
Donuil scrambled backwards under the realization of what he’d done. Swallowing tightly, he started breathing again. “Jumping gyros, you’re right! Gotta go!” And he took off back the way he came.
Magnus shook his head, and looked down at the book in his hand. “So there you are boy. We weren’t sure if we’d ever see you again.” Reverently, he tucked the book carefully into his shirt, under the leather work smock he wore, and headed back into the bowels of the ship. “Wait ‘til the Captain hears about this.”