In a magical place called Time Trek Land, there once lived a tortoise named Tommy. Tommy wasn’t just any tortoise; he was known for his wisdom and had a curious spirit that often led him on adventures. This wonderful land was unlike any other. In one part, you could find dinosaurs roaming about, while in another, you might see knights clad in shining armor preparing for battle. There were also busy towns buzzing with people wearing clothes from long ago, libraries filled with scrolls, and vibrant places where dances and festivals brought joy to everyone.
One sunny afternoon, while exploring Time Trek Land with his friends, Tommy happened upon an unusual tree. When he looked closer, he discovered something truly astonishing—it was a time machine! Tommy knew immediately that this was a remarkable invention. With it, one could travel to places they’d only read about in books. However, he pondered, “Should I be the one to use this magical machine?”
Tommy shared his find with his friends—Hilda the Hummingbird, Benny the Bunny, and Freddie the Fox. They were all very excited about the time machine too, and each had their own thoughts on where they might go. Hilda, always dreaming of the skies, declared, “We must see the day when the very first airplane flies!” Benny the Bunny, always entranced by old tales, added, “I long to see the first rabbits come to America on that ship called the Mayflower.” Freddie the Fox, who had a penchant for games, suggested they go “way back to watch the first soccer game ever played!”
After much talking, they decided it would be best for all of them to use the time machine together. To make it even more thrilling, they chose Tommy to be the pilot, even though he was not much of a flyer. So, they all climbed aboard and, with a few turns of some sparkling knobs and a push of a big red button, the time machine whirred into life.
With the whirring settling down, the machine stopped at exactly the right time. And when the door opened, there stood a great big bird. Hilda cried out, “Oh! It’s a dodo!” The dodo extended its wing and directed them down a path lined with huge trees that seemed just as amazed to see the travelers as they were.
Before long, they reached a large field where the great bird pointed with its wing and said, “Here is where the first soccer game is to be played.” And sure enough, Tommy looked out and saw all the players gathering in their old-fashioned uniforms. They were just as he had pictured them—brave and strong. “But where are the goals?” wondered Tommy.
“They will be put up soon,” replied Hilda. “This is only the first half.” The friends stayed to watch but forgot to bring their comic books. Luckily, Tommy found time to read a few pages.
When Freddy cried, “Oh look! Here come the goals!” there came marching strong men carrying two big wooden frames. “Why, those must be the goals,” said Tommy. But to their surprise, each man placed his frame on the ground next to two trees that stood rather close together, and they were not as big as the goal posts Tommy was used to.
The men took some bumps and bruises, and the rabbit lent a hand and hopped right up the tree where he scratched his name. The old tree must have been two hundred years, for it sure was a big one for rabbits in Tommy’s time—and no, it was not Easter or the holidays—and Benny found out later the tree was older than that, but the date of its exact age he could not tell. And so, as the men knelt down, Benny scratched his name alongside Freddy’s in the hard trunk of the tree.
Then away hopped the rabbit, and “The business of the day,” he said, “is over! I hurried over to see you! I for one rushed right into the game, and I’m glad to see you fellows, especially you, Tommy! A tortoise, as they say, can be as popular as a rabbit, sometimes. Look me up sometime!” Benny bowed low, as did all his friends, and that parting gem of wisdom, which qualified both Benny and Tommy to be good friends to each other, the honest rabbit gave repeated fun and amusement to all.
“Hark! The kick-off!” called Freddy, and all turned to see the first soccer game under way. Freddy Little Fox, the well-known soccer player, seemed to take the keenest interest of all, and soon, when the first excitement of the game was over, all turned to see how the crowd was enjoying themselves, and it was amusing to see the boisterous fun of the judges, who made their calculations not with a paper and pencil, but by adding up numbers hashed just like their pictures with their heads bent over in their own little huts on poles, with the bright holes in the sides through which to look at the players.
When it came time for Tommy and his friends to go, the dodo showed them the way to the time machine with its curved wings. Once back within the machine, Tommy boldly turned the switch just a wee bit! Everybody asked excitedly where they were going to next! And all agreed no matter where they traveled or how far they roamed, they would settle and agree upon one place where the dodo said the big sign post was all felt and no wood, for the ancient tree was dozens of years older than Columbus or one’s great, great, great grandmother!
With this great event in happening, all agreed that time was melting away faster and faster, and so every moment from now on counted twice or thrice as the famous dodo described it. And it surely was exciting to find out what one of the oldest ships ever floated was like!
“Where are the dungeons inside?” inquired Tommy, as he held the dark lantern carefully as they descended down within the old ship afterward.
When he learned that no wretched criminals or beasts were chained, he gave a little sigh of relief. When he did look outside, he was glad not to see a long line of real live prisoners chained one to the other.
“I do hope we meet lots of hind stars!” exclaimed Tommy after a while with a child-like innocence. So funnily said was the remark, all of Kandy took a little extra look here and there at the trees close within the city. There were several dozen or so streets and so many odd-shaped islands about, Tommy felt puzzled about Mermaid Land, for he thought he must try and recall it. Now somewhere, winding or straight, over or under ground, many of them must surely lead to Kandy.
“Yes,” said Freddy, the intelligent little fox, “and here is where a dodo and tortoise can learn just as much as the rabbits, even if they do wear spectacles!”