Creating Futures: Time Travellers Trilogy, #3

By Linda Massola

While vacationing on a houseboat situated smack dab in the middle of a dry lake bed, the Stanton kids and their cousins discover a time machine that makes their lives a whole lot more interesting...and without a doubt more dangerous!

When the Stanton kids take a trip in the time machine into the year 3010, they meet up with a race of people called the Troikas who are intent on creating perfect human beings. Initially, the children are impressed with their abilities, but, after they realise that the Troikas aren't what they seem to be, they decide they better return to their time--fast. However, the Troikas have other plans. The children will need to employ every trick they can think of in order to escape. The year 3010 is not at all what they bargained for!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Writers Exchange E-Publishing
• Release date: Jan 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781920741129

Book preview

By Linda Massola

wee-words-horizontal

http://www.writers-exchange.com

Time Travellers Trilogy, Book 3: Creating Futures

Copyright 2015 Linda Massola

Writers Exchange E-Publishing

PO Box 372

ATHERTON  QLD  4883

Cover Art by: Josh Shinn and Jatin

Published by Writers Exchange E-Publishing

http://www.writers-exchange.com

ISBN: 978-1-920741-12-9

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

C:\Users\Sandy\Dropbox\WEE\BOOKS\TEMPLATES\Chapter Headings\midgrade books\5x8\1mid-grade-readers.png

"Liam and Madeline are coming to stay with us for the holidays; it's going to be so boring." Andrew, my brother informs us.

It's been months since Sonya, Andrew and I have been to stay with our cousins on the Houseboat on Lake Eildon. Mum and Dad say, No, you can't go to Mansfield this holiday, it's time Madeline and Liam had a holiday with us.

They'll be really bored at our house. Andrew predicts gloomily.

It won't be that bad, says Dad. We have a surprise for all of you.

A surprise?

We're going to take you somewhere very special, says Mum mysteriously.

Somewhere special? Where? We all want to know.

Mum and Dad just smile and say, You're just going to have to wait and see!

When Liam and Madeline arrive at the weekend, they are full of news about the Houseboat and the Resort.

It's so dry everywhere, says Madeline. The drought has really dried up all the water in the lake. The Houseboat is sitting on the dried lake bed again.

This time it's due to the drought, not you know who, says Liam. We all know who he means, but we don't worry about Mr Powers anymore. He's stuck back in 1960 and never likely to return.

Dad announces the surprise after dinner.

On Saturday, we are all going to Lake Mungo! he tells us.

Lake Mungo? Where's that? I ask him.

Never heard of Lake Mungo, says Sonya.

Me neither, says Liam.

Lake Mungo is where they found the Mungo man and Mungo woman. They are Australia's oldest human remains. Apparently, they are estimated to be about 60,000 years old. says Madeline.

I'm impressed, says Mum.

But we're not. We're used to Madeline being a walking encyclopaedia.

It's about 100k out of Mildura, Dad explains, so we will be away for the weekend.

We are going to have an Aboriginal archaeologist tell us all about it, says Mum.

We all agree that it's not as exciting as the Time Machine, but for now it seems interesting enough. We get picked up by an Aboriginal guide on a tour bus in Mildura. It's really hot as we make our way to Lake Mungo. Andrew is a real pain in the bus and keeps asking how long it will be before we get to the lake.

It's hot – I need a swim! he says.

People on the bus are giving him a strange look.

He thinks he's going to see water. Sonya whispers to me.

Yeah, I know. Should we tell him?

No, he'll find out soon enough, she laughs.

We finally arrive in a totally devastated place. Facing us in this dry wilderness are enormous cliffs of clay and sand which we learn are called The Great Walls of China. These cliffs surround part of the ancient dried up Lake Mungo.

Where's the lake? Andrew wants to know.

There! Dad points ahead. Seeing Andrew's puzzled face, the Aboriginal guide explains that approximately 45,000 years ago Lake Mungo was a huge water and food supply for humans, animals and plant life. After that, drought conditions caused the expansion of the desert and sand dunes. 25,000 years ago, the lake dried up. Plants and animals died and sand dunes just spread over the plains.

You mean there's no water here? says Andrew.

Gee you're thick Andrew, I tell him and we all laugh. Andrew starts to argue with us, and then Mum tells us to be quiet. She wants to hear what the Aboriginal guide is saying.

The lake was filled with shellfish, Golden perch, yabbies and Murray cod, he explains. Also, he tells us mysteriously. "According to Aboriginal lore, they believe that other world races originated