Tuesday, December 9, 2008

London’s Burning
The Vikings had tied a weight around the professor’s legs, and he sank quickly into the water. He didn’t feel the cold; he didn’t feel anything. The water was black, and he could feel himself being pulled down. Then the weight broke off, and the ropes around his arms and legs came free. James swam to the surface, and when he put his head above the water he saw that he was in the River Thames during the Great Fire of London, and everything was burning.

The year was 1666. A horrible plague had killed 75000 people in London, and now their city was burning. Everyone thought that they were cursed.
Once he was out of the river, James saw some people passing buckets of water from one person to the next trying to put out the fire. He decided to help them. He also told them that the city would be rebuilt in a bigger and better way.
“How do you know all this?’ one man asked suspiciously.
“Perhaps he’s a Dutch spy,” another said.
“Maybe he’s the one who started the fire,” the first man added.
England was at war with the Dutch, and many people thought that they had set London on fire. The people dropped their buckets and began chasing the professor.

He ran through the streets of London with the angry crowd chasing after him and buildings burning all around. He ran into dead-end street. There was a wall in front of him. All he could do was wait for the crowd to close in on him.

They dragged James to the palace. The professor also saw Christopher Wren, the famous architect who would rebuild most of the churches in London, and he was amazed at the historical significance of the moment. It almost made him forget the trouble he was in.

The charges against James were read out to the King, accusing him of being a spy and the possible cause of the fire. The King asked him if he had anything to say.
“Even if I told you the truth,” he said, “you wouldn’t believe me.”
The King told him he would be sent to the Tower if he did not answer the charges. James didn’t think they would believe him, but he told them it was the King’s baker who had started the fire by accident and that it had spread because of the wind and because all the buildings were made of wood. Everyone listened with interest. The King asked him how he knew this.
“I’m from the 21st century. I’ve been sent here by mistake,” he said.

Everyone began to laugh. The King was furious. He thought the professor was treating him like a fool.

When they placed his head on the block, James hoped that he would be saved again from death, but he didn’t feel sure. His heart beat wildly and his mind raced.
“I just want to get back to the 21st century,” he said. Then he heard a thud as the axe hit the block.








No comments: