Jelani GrantI was heading to my bus stop ready for school, hoping that I didn’t leave any homework at home, because if I did then I’d be in for it. I had got on my bus greeting each person at the back of the bus, wondering “If Rosa Parks let us sit wherever we want, why I am in the back?” Soon we were off to school and I was prepared for whatever my teacher threw at me.
We got to school and as always my science teacher asked, “Did you do your homework.” I did it, I just didn’t know if I had it. Before I could answer the bell rang for us all to get to class.
English, seemingly the easiest subject you could do, but surprises you every time you do it. We had to read a book on Canada’s history.
After two very long periods of English I got out to recess and felt like screaming, “Free at last, free at last, thank god almighty I’m free at last.” But just as I thought I was untouchable a voice behind me (my teacher) asked if I could help her with something. I was hoping it wouldn’t take long because I wanted to have some fun outside. She wanted me to go down to the basement of my school and pick up a few math text books.
I go down looking for the text books when I find a phone booth. I go inside where there was a dim light, a shelf, a watch and an atlas. I put the watch on my wrist and pick up the atlas. Curiously I flip to a random page in the book. “Africa.” I say quietly while looking at the page. Soon the dim light becomes bright and I hear a voice say “destination confirmed.” Soon the bright light above me begins to blind me. When it dimmed I realized that it got much warmer than the school basement, and when I opened my eyes I was in the middle of a road, but not any road I recognized.
There were gasps all around me. It seemed that I was in Africa, which part, I didn’t know yet but either way I was going to be remembered, a young man doesn’t always just pop up in some ones face like that and if they did then I would have been more comfortable. They seemed to be preparing for a battle of some kind; I could tell this probably wouldn’t be the best time to show up, so I began to slowly back into the phone booth hoping that it would automatically take me home. But before I was in the booth a man slowly and cautiously came over to me with a spear and shield. At that time I couldn’t tell who was more frightened; me or him. He was trying to tell me something and it seemed to be urgent I would have done what he said in no time but it was in Swahili so I didn’t understand him. But he seemed to be trying to give me the spear and shield. I took the items, they were fairly light. Suddenly he grabbed me and took me into a house where I was dressed into the same outfit that everybody else had. Was I going to be in there battle, and if so, who was I fighting?
Soon all the warriors in the village had begun to move south, towards our enemy. All I could think was why this happening to me was. I figured I could have just left and went back to the phone booth, but for some strange reason I wanted to or needed to stay and fight although I really didn’t fell up to it. Then I checked the watch which was still on my wrist. January 1879. That date seemed familiar, and then I realized that on this very day was the most memorable date in African history. This was the day that the British attacked the Zulu tribe. Now I knew where and when I was. All I needed to fine out was how and why. Either way I was in for a true fight.
While we walked to our battle and victory, I pondered what happened before I flashed to the village: I checked an atlas and said Africa, then me and the phone booth……..the phone booth was a time machine! Realizing this I checked the watch for something, anything, there must have been a reason a watch was in a time machine. There was a menu button but no buttons to scroll up and down. So I press the menu button and to my surprise and others around me a hologram popped out of the watch, “Good afternoon sir,” the hologram said, “Is there something I could do for you?” I was surprised but still I answered quietly “yes, what does this watch do?”
Normally the hologram listed a bunch of commands that I could do. They were all voice commands so if my hands were full I could say what I wanted. Through all this time I hadn’t realize we were only a few yards from the British, the same person that had given me the clothes and weapons had stopped me from going any farther, he seemed to watching out for me, I hoped I could pay him back.
The battle was about to begin. The leader of the British had been ordering them to aim and fire, but before the bullets hit I yelled “stop!” I few people had looked at me but everybody but me was frozen. I was happy that nobody was shot, yet. I went over to the British and started placing their men in front of us. Soon the British team covered all of us from the in coming bullets. I yelled “go” and at the command British men fell. At seeing this both sides were confused but the Zulu used it to their advantage and threw their spears killing many British men.
We seemed to be winning this battle but by the end the British had managed to bring cannons to the field. As soon a as I saw this I said “Swahili” and told my comrades what was occurring. Seeing this most of them stuck their shields in the ground to cover them. Others kept fighting only to be killed by the cannons. In fury I threw my spear at one of the cannon men and killed him seeing this I yelled “back” and the spear landed back in my hand.
I threw it again hitting another man. The Zulu seeing this began to throw their spears either missing or killing another cannon man. Happy, I looked around for the leader who had already retreated with some of his troops. I yell anti-gravity and so I start floating and heading toward the leader spear in hand. With one quick throw the leader falls and I hear joyful yelling and screaming coming from the Zulu warriors.
Happy with our victory we walked back to the village where I got back into the time machine and left to go back to my school.
Back in the basement of my school, I started to look for the math text books although I was probably in my third period by now. I was kind of surprised that nobody came looking for me, so I started up the stairs. What I just went to was one of the most interesting things I’ve ever done and if I wished that I could do it again. Then I thought about it, if I could go years in the past, I’m pretty sure I can go back to the start of school so I went back to the time machine about to say school, 8:35am when I thought maybe I could check out a few more things in history, just to find out what it was like to be there. So I went back to the time machine and said December 1 1955, and like before I was zapped out of the basement, but this time not in Africa, but in a bus, the bus that Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up. When I got on I made sure to be not in the back but close to the middle not to raise suspicion that’s when I saw it all, them yelling at her, her being taken away. It was awful seeing that occur but still it was my choice to see it and I knew that if I messed with it then something in my present would change.
Too disgusted to stay, I was heading off the bus, but then it started moving. I was now feet or miles away from my trip home, and if I had to stay here, I would barf. As soon as the bus stopped I would be off of it. And so it went, so I got off the bus about to ask somebody for an easier transportation, but I figured I wouldn’t get it so I didn’t. Then I remembered the watch on my wrist, so I ran behind a tree hoping not to be seen by anybody and checked the menu for something that could get me back. I saw it, a hover board. Although I was horrible at skateboarding I was hoping that this would be easier. About to call the command a voice behind me called, “you ain’t suppose to be back here, boy” I could already tell I was in for it but the fact that he called me ‘boy’ was insulting. I turned to find a tall Caucasian male standing in front of me, by the looks of it he was an officer and not a very friendly one at that. So I responded “I’m sorry I’ll be leaving now”
“Oh you’ll be leaving, but not in one peace, you’ve just invaded private property.” He said to me. I was ready to pull out the hover board when I saw him pull out a gun. I gasped in shock that he might be cruel enough to shoot me down, while he pushed me down the street to a tree where I saw people hanging by their necks. That’s when I saw him pull out a rope. That’s when I got scared and yelled “stop.” As everything but me froze I said “board” and as usual the hover board came in my hands and I was off to the time machine. Before I had left, I decided to unfreeze time wondering if this would all affect history or not.
Again in my dirty, old and dark school basement I step back into the time machine and say Monday, May 1st. at saying this I end up in my bedroom in my sleeping clothes. I checked the time seeing that my dad would be making breakfast now. I got dressed put on my deodorant ate my breakfast, brushed my teeth, everything I would do before school. I left to get to my bus but instead of sitting in the back I sat in the front of the bus, knowing how privileged we are to sit wherever we want.
We get to school and when my teacher asked me if I wanted to get her text books I told her that maybe she should check there herself. Not that I didn’t enjoy most of my little trip, still I don’t think she knows what else is in that basement.
Third period and we had gym I enjoyed gym, and when we had to practice javelin, I knew that trip to the Zulu village would pay off. And so as I threw that javelin I thought about it, if I was transported back to my room does that mean that the time machine was in my room? Either way I didn’t care, I just beat the school javelin record and that was because of our black history, next time we have history class, I’ll teach it.
