Changing history again

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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On their way, they reached Coldburrow, and Bell tried to remember why that name sounded familiar. Then it flashed in front of her...that five mark essay in high school- The Coldburrow massacre! In the year 19xx after the death of general Tyson and loss of command on the west coast, the military government would try to set up a base in Coldburrow town and several people would be killed in protests.

That event would be known as the Coldburrow massacre in history and she distinctly remembered her grandpa narrating the event to her.

Bell bit her lower lip. Was it alright to change history? Was it even possible? She saw kids in the Coldburrow town playing in the snow, the whole town was ready to welcome Christmas, Imagine the festive season turning into a bloody nightmare for them! And those innocent kids playing in the snow..some of them would lose their family members in a few days, almost all of them would lose their homes.

"Stop the vehicle." said Bell.

"What now?" asked Alberto.

"Look, I don't know if you guys would believe me but the military would set up their base here within a week and kill hundreds of people of this town!" said Bell.

Alberto started, "You have been spouting nonsense from the time we met-"

But Leon stopped him. "Let her speak."

"You guys do not have to believe me, but I ought to do something, now that I'm here at this place and at this point in time, I can't pretend that I do not know." Bell let the words out of her mind.

Leon was now ever more curious about her, it was true that he had received classified information regarding movements of the military and the potential sites of their future war camps, but how did this strange woman know of this? How could she be so sure? She looked innocent and carefree but was talking dangerous things out loud without blinking an eyelid.

"Stop the car," said Leon. "Who on earth are you?" he asked looking straight into her eyes.

Your granddaughter! She wanted to say.

What to do? She had no idea about how to convince them...it was frustrating, they had been suspecting her for a while, the cold indifference of her grandfather was also bothering her. It was like he was a completely different person from the person she knew. Well, people change over the course of years.

She finally said, "My name is Wen Bell, that is the truth. Also, I'm on your side! I am on the side of good, please believe me."

"Why should we? And how can you be sure we are good people?" asked Leon. He sounded cruel and cold, Bell wouldn't be surprised if he raised a gun against her head right now. Should she have just kept her mouth shut? No. She couldn't. That was not the way she was raised. She remembered distinctly her grandpa's words.

---"...Little Bell, when good people keep their mouth shut evil would come to power...."

This man in front of her was that very same person who had taught her that.

Wen Bell drew a deep breath and said with all sincerity, "Listen, if there is a very tiny chance you can save innocent lives, will you take it up?"

Leon's face suddenly changed.

Alberto looked confused, he asked, "You are not going to believe her words are you?"

"She will take responsibility for what happens," Leon said getting out of the car.

Bell let out a sigh of relief and followed Leon while Alberto reluctantly parked the car and followed after them. They walked across some snow-covered buildings and made their way to the municipal office. After a brief wait, they were ushered into the Mayor's office. The plump Mayor who also seemed to be the richest man in town greeted them. There were wrinkles of worry on his forehead.

"Cut to the chase." He said. It seemed like he had a rough idea who these youngsters were. During these times he did not know whom to trust, but as long as somebody had the best interests in mind with regard to his hometown and his businesses, he would not mind listening to them, whoever they were.

Leon explained the situation to him, leaving out the source of their information.

"Coldburrow will become a military base?" the mayor gulped. It wasn't like he hadn't seen it coming, given the strategic location of the town. But he had thought of it as something that would happen in the distant future.

"Is your information accurate?" asked he, producing a towel and wiping away his sweat.

Alberto gave Bell a look. He did not understand why they were doing this and why Leon suddenly decided to trust Wen Bell. But when he thought about it, it made sense..if she was a spy why would she reveal such important info? If she was wrong wouldn't she be caught? Could it be that this person was also in some pro-democracy organization? That would explain her not revealing her identity. Alberto turned to Leon, who looked pretty calm.

"It is a gamble Mr.Mayor, the lives of the people of your town are at stake here," said Leon without blinking.

"What should I do?" asked the Mayor.

He stood up and went near the window looking at the snow-clad buildings. If this was true they would be asked to evacuate, if the townspeople refused, they would be killed...

"Cut out the water supply for a while," said Leon and the mayor turned.

"What? Will it work?"

"Only the municipal council can do it," said Leon. "Someone from the government would come to inspect the state of the town in a few days, tell them the pipelines are frozen and there is no water."

Wen Bell looked at Leon in admiration. Her grandpa was so cool! He could think up a plan and present it without a touch of nervousness.

Leon said, "Forget setting up a base, they wouldn't even set up a temporary camp."

Well said Grandpa! That was a good plan indeed, but will it really work? Will the Coldburrow massacre chapter really disappear from history textbooks? Wen Bell could only think one thing, at this very moment, this was the right thing to do, so she would do it! Maybe her Grandpa brought her from the future for this.

"I'll do it." said the mayor. He was elected mayor for a reason. His people trusted him. He would prove that he was worthy of their trust.