#fredporlock

I scan my surroundings 

Drip drip 

I’m in an old apartment, it’s giving 19th century (1800) style 

Drip drip 

What’s making that noise? 

Drip drip 

I stand up and close the tap 

“Finally”

I see my first aid kit and a duffel bag with my things in.

“What is going on?… How did I get here?… Where am I?”

“The body is in here sir”, I hear muffled voices on the other side of the door.

“Shit.” I put my bags on my back and move to the window.

I see I’m on the second story.

“Here goes nothing” I climb out the window and slid down the pipe on the side of the building 

“Hey! Where did the body go?”someone shouted from the building.

I ran away. As I’m running I take some clothes off a washing line and grab a pair of boots. I eventually get to a river and wash off the blood. I splash my face trying to clear my head.

“What the hell is happening? This place doesn’t look anything like Pietermaritzburg.”

I’m trying to make sense of everything that’s happening,

 Where am I?

I change out of my bloodied uniform and stuff it in my duffel bag.

Calm down, I breathe in and out trying to calm down 

It’s not working! 

I slap myself to get myself out of my panicking state 

Okay that’s better 

Let’s go and take a look around maybe I can find something to indicate where I am

I walk into the street and I see something shiny on the floor. I squat down to pick it up .

A shilling? Didn’t England stop using these in the 90s? 

There’s no way I would find one of these in South Africa, they stopped using these in the 60s.

 How would I even get to England? It’s a 10 hour flight at least.

When was this coin made?

I turn the shilling over

1871!

How is that even possible?

You know what. I need more evidence, I doubt I could have travelled back in time. It’s scientifically impossible.

I get up and walk into the street . The buildings are old fashioned, the people are wearing suits and dresses 

Okay this is getting ridiculous. 

Why is everyone wearing old fashioned clothes?

“Newspapers! Come get the latest news! Freshly printed today! Only one shilling to get the latest news today!”

I walk to the paper boy and give him a shilling 

“Thank you ma’am. Have a good day “ he gives me the newspaper.

“You too” 

I leaned on the wall of a nearby building and took a look at the newspaper 

5 June 1875

What?

How … is that even possible?

Did I really travel back in time?

But how? 

The last thing I remember, I was on my way to a heart attack victim in Victoria street…

Then we were on the bridge but what happened after that?

How did I end up in the 18 hundreds? In England?

How did I travel to another continent and back in time?

I… I… I don’t know what to do 

How… how 

“Ahhhh! Someone help! Call a doctor!”

I run to where the scream came from and see a crowd around a man on the ground.

“I’m a doctor” I say and the crowd lets me through.

“What seems to be the problem sir?” I ask as I put my bags on the ground.

“You're a woman? How could you possibly be a doctor?” The man on the ground says.

“Yes I am. I don’t see what my gender has anything to do with it.” I say, l now sir if you want help I suggest you stop worrying about my gender and more about what is wrong. Now what is the matter sir?”

“He was fine a moment ago and then he suddenly stopped walking, turned pale and fell,” the woman next to him tells me as she takes his hand in hers.

“My chest… hurts and my shoulder is… painful” he says as battles to breathe.

I put my hand on his forehead, I noticed he has a cold sweat.

“Sir, can you describe the pain in your chest please?”

“It almost feels full but it is very tight and my heart is racing” he says. I take out my stethoscope and check his heart rate, he is right, his heart is beating at an unbelievable speed. I take out an aspirin.

“Sir I need you to chew on this and then focus on your breathing”

“What is that?” He asks slightly sceptical of the tablet.

“It’s an aspirin, it will help calm your heart down”

He chews on it as I take out the defibrillator.

“What is that contraption?’’ l his wife asks.

“It’s a defibrillator for in case his heart stops but I doubt it will”

 I say as his heart stops, “never mind”

I begin to perform CPR to keep the blood flowing as I wait for the defibrillator to charge up.

“What are you doing?” The wife asks as tears form in her eyes.

“I’m trying to keep his blood flowing” I answer as I push down on his chest, “ma’am I’m going to need you to let go of him please”

“Why is he dead!” She shouts as tears flow down her cheeks, her makeup smudging.

“I’m going to shock his heart back into rhythm” I say in a monotone voice, “when I say clear, I need you to not be touching him at all”

The defibrillator beeps saying it’s charged up. I stop performing CPR and pick up the defibrillator pads and rub them together 

“1…2..3… clear’’ the shock doesn’t work.

“1…2…3… clear’’ the shock goes through, ‘’ come on work!’’

“1..2…3…clear’’ the electricity goes to his heart, he jolts awake breathing heavily.

“Thank you!’’ The woman shouts and hugs me. I freeze from the hug, I’m not used to physical contact.

“You saved my life. Thank you” he says. There is a flash of a camera and a reporter with a pen and notepad.

“What's your name miss?” the reporter asks as he gets his pen ready.

“Dr (name) (middle name) (last name)” I say. As I look up a camera flashes taking a picture of me. I see a street sign saying Victoria street.