Date: 1070
Location: Somewhere in Medieval Sweden
The ringing in my ears intensifies, scents and colors blending into an inferno. With a thud, I land on a meadow with grass up to my waist. The sun hangs high in the sky as I lie on my back, gazing up into a pair of large, black eyes. A wet and slimy tongue slathers my cheek.
I throw up an arm to protect myself and roll away from my curious assailant. A grazing cow stands, observing my flailing with mild interest.
It is early May, the year is 1070. Quickly, I jump to my feet, brushing off debris from my clothes. I adjust my trousers and jacket, place my glasses on my nose, and scan my surroundings to orient myself before my visit.
There are five cows in the pasture, grazing on the tall grass. Below the meadow, a kilometer-wide fjord of dark water stretches ahead. On the other side, the vegetation continues in dense thickets of trees and bushes. A wooden sign, bearing the inscription "Horn 8 km" in deeply carved letters, lies beside the road.
This should not be possible. According to the machine, traveling beyond one’s lifetime is impossible. Yet, here I stand.
Can I also alter history? Is the monk Erik still alive? Can I prevent the stoning of the bishop from England, who was tasked with converting the Norse pagans, led by Blodknut? According to historical records, he was stoned to death in Sweden in the year 1070.
Am I too late? Has the damage already been done, or is there still time to change fate?
I reach a bay, from where I can see a stone building perched atop a mountain on the other side of the strait.
How do I cross the water? Is there anyone who can row me to the other side?
A little further along the cape, a small boat rests in the reeds. A boy stands nearby, tending to fishing gear.
"Hello!" I call out. "Is there anyone here who can row me across the strait to Horn?"
The boy turns to face me.
"I can row you across if you wish," he replies. "One riksdaler is my price."
I reach into my pocket and pull out a TEED, handing it to him.
He raises an eyebrow, turning it over in his hands before scrutinizing me from head to toe.
"What is this?" he asks.
"The future," I say. "No matter where on Earth you are, it holds its value."
The boy weighs the TEED token in his palm and grins. He nods and gestures toward the boat.
Pushing the boat into the water through the reeds, he leaps in from a stone at the water’s edge. With strong, steady strokes, the boat glides over the strait toward a wooden pier at the foot of the slope leading into town.
May I be in time to prevent disaster.
To be continued…