The car sped along the country roads. Marilyn and Grandad laughed and talked in the front seats while Daniel examined his find. The bracelet looked just like the one he’d picked up in the hallway - Dave’s bracelet. He fingered the rows of neat, numbered keys - like a calculator - and set between them were small clear crystals that glinted in the sunlight. He turned the bracelet over in his hand. There were words on the back. Maybe it was the owner’s name. He tried to make sense of the letters - LEGENDWORLD. And there was a number - 29.
Daniel walked further into the empty schoolroom and pulled the bracelet from his pocket. Why were the keys all numbered? Maybe it was a calculator or even a miniature computer. He could try keying in a number and see what happened - maybe his birthday or any number. He pressed the bronze keys - 1888 - lots of eights. There was a series of bleeps and one of the crystals began to glow.
“Ahh!” something wet hit Daniel’s neck.
He looked round to see a small boy, holding an old-fashioned ink pen, grinning at him from the corner near the fire stove.
“Are you never going to sit down?”
There was a loud shout from the front of the room. Daniel turned back to see a tall, severe faced woman, wearing a long dark skirt, standing near the blackboard. And the room was filled with children.
“Well, do I have to come and get you?” The woman screeched over the children’s heads.
Daniel looked at the sea of faces. Was this a game set up by the museum? He wasn’t sure he wanted to play.
“Such impertinence!” The woman struggled to keep her temper.
“I shall talk to your parents. This is very out of order. Come and sit down now. This is your final chance. Come and sit down at the front!” What was happening? Daniel stared round at the children’s smirks. He didn’t want to stay here. He looked down at the bracelet. The crystal was still glowing. He rubbed it with his finger.
“It’s an old class room.” Voices came from behind him. Daniel looked up. Two more visitors were standing in the doorway. The boy with the pen had disappeared. There was no sign of the angry teacher.
“Bet you wouldn’t want to go to a school like this.”
The young woman at the door smiled at Daniel.
“Erh..no.”
Daniel certainly wouldn’t and he wasn’t staying in that room a moment longer.
“Excuse me.”
He edged past the young couple and darted out of the door.