AUTHOR'S NOTE: If anyone is wondering, Vincent's car is a 1957 Plymouth Plaza 4-door sedan (Sheriff Johnson's patrol car is the same model because Plazas were popular with Law Enforcement agencies and the original price for a 4 door Plaza in 1957 was $2,155.00, which was cheaper than a new Ford 4 door, and they were the domanit in the law enforcement market), Heather's car is a 1957 Chevolet 210 2-door Coupe, Bull McCann's car is a 1956 Ford Thunderbird 2-door coupe convertable, and young Albert has a 1955 Chevolet 3100 pickup truck.

Chapter 4:

Written by Vincent B. Berkan and Heather Trousdale

Friday, March 8th, 1957

Lincoln woke up the next day with the smell of pancakes, bacon, sausage and eggs. He followed the scent towards the kitchen and found Heather making breakfast. She found him on the doorstep. "Ah, you're awake", she said. "Something smells good", he said. "So where's everyone?" "Stanley and Julie are at school, Mr. Perkins is at work. Averell is currently in his crib", she said. "Thanks for making breakfast Mrs. Perkins", Lincoln said. "You're very welcome Lincoln, I bet it's not this quiet at your house in the future," said Heather. "You have no idea how loud it can get Mrs. Perkins", replied Lincoln. "Say Lincoln, after breakfast, do you think you can give me a hand around the house?" asked Heather. "Sure, I do lots of help around the house", said Lincoln.

After they ate, Lincoln got dressed (Heather laid out some clothes for him on his bed) and helped Heather with the laundry. "Do you do the laundry at home?" asked Heather. "Well Lori does the laundry, I usually take out the trash", said Lincoln, "Each sibling is given a specific chore". "I see, Stanley takes out the trash and Julie does the laundry. Sometimes it's hard being a mother." said Heather. "It's also being a brother too", said Lincoln. "I can imagine", said Heather, "1 boy against 10 girls, that's quite a load". "Well, the laundry is done, thanks for your help, Lincoln." said Heather, "Would you like to come with me into town to help me run errands?" "I love to, Mrs. Perkins." said Lincoln. "Great. Let me just get Averell ready." said Heather as she went upstairs. She later came back down wearing a coat and carrying Averell. "You ready to go, Lincoln?" asked Heather. "Yes ma'am".

They walked outside to her car. Lincoln admired it. It was a 1957 Chevrolet 210 2-door coupe, painted baby blue with a white top. "Nice isn't it?" asked Heather. "It's beautiful", said Lincoln. "You should see my husband's sedan, it's a new '57 Plymouth Plaza, painted in red and white. Before that, we owned a '42 Chevy. But it started to age so we traded it in for the Plymouth. Vincent also decided to buy me a car as well." "That was very nice of him", said Lincoln. "He's the greatest husband any gal could have." said Heather.

Lincoln followed Heather into the car. She put Averell in the car seat and she started the car. Lincoln tried looking for a seatbelt, but couldn't find it. "What're you looking for?" asked Heather. "The seat belt". "Seat belt?" asked Heather. "Yep, every car where I come from has a seat belt for safety reasons. So in case you end up in an accident, you won't be thrown through the windshield", said Lincoln. "Hmmmm, sounds like a good idea." said Heather. "Most new cars where I come from also have airbags." "Air bags? For sickness?" "No for cushion. When you crash, your body is thrown forward. But luckily when that happens the air bags shoot out of the steering wheel and the grove compartment to cushion you from hurting yourself". "I see, there must be a law for those things." said Heather. "I don't think it became a law until much much later", said Lincoln. "I think I can wait", said Heather, "Anyway, let's go". Heather turned the ignition, and drove away.

They drove around for a little bit until they arrived at the grocery store. "Hmmmmm", said Lincoln, "Apparently Super Mart has been longer than I thought". "Really? Super Mart is still open in 2017?" "Yessiree ma'am", Lincoln said. They both got out and Heather got Averell out of his car seat. Heather got a buggy and put Averell in it. Then Lincoln had a thought. "Mrs. Perkins, won't people get suspicious if they see me with you?" "If anyone asks, you're an orphan me and my husband agreed to take in and look after for a friend. We're even gonna forge a fake birth certificate to back this up". said Heather.

Heather and Lincoln went down the produce aisle. "Let's see, one head of lettuce, two tomatoes and-Averell!" Averell was about to grab a jar of pickles, but it suddenly began to fall. Luckily, Lincoln caught it in time. "Thanks Lincoln", she said. "No problem he reminds of Lily", said Lincoln. "I see, now we need some more meat." said Heather. "I can help with that", said Lincoln, "Just tell me what to get and where the meat is". "Thanks Lincoln. It's by the end of the isle in the back. Go get me 2 steaks please, 8 ounces each". "Yes ma'am", Lincoln said.

Lincoln followed the directions and found the deli. But as he was heading towards it, he suddenly slipped on some spilled water and skidded across the floor, bumping into a man, and falling back on his rear. "Ow!", he said. The man turned around and saw him. "You alright kiddo?" he asked. "Yeah, yeah I'm-" Lincoln's eyes widened. There in front of him, stood what appeared to be a young version of his grandfather. "Pop-I mean. Can...can you help me up please?" he asked. "Sure kid". The young Albert then grabbed Lincoln's hand and pulled him up. He then turned to the butcher. "What'll it be son?" he asked. "A steak please. 12 ounce." "Good choice", the butcher said. The butcher then gave Albert the meat and he left. "See you around kid", he said.

Lincoln watched as Albert walked to the check out. "Uh kid? Are you gonna order?" "Huh? Oh! Right! Um, two 8 ounce steaks please". "Okie dokie", he said. The butcher then chopped up some steaks, rolled them into some parchment paper and gave it to Lincoln. "Thank you sir", he said. Lincoln then took the steaks and went to find Heather. He found her talking to one of her friends. "Oh, there you are, Lincoln." she said, "Did you get the steaks?" "Uh Y-yeah, yes I did", Lincoln said nervously. Heather was puzzled. "Lincoln is there something wrong?", asked Heather. "Ah, so this is the young lad you're talking about", said the other woman. "Yes, it is, Savannah", she said. "I must say, this is a fine looking young man. Although his white hair does make him look a little...interesting", she said. "I'm an albino madam", said Lincoln, "It means I don't have enough pigment in my body to make hair color". "I see", said Savannah, "Well I must be going". And the woman left.

"So are we done now Mrs. Perkins?" asked Lincoln. "I think we are", said Heather, "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" "Mrs. Perkins, I think I ran into my grandfather". "What?" "I'd recognize him anywhere. I've seen pictures of him when he was young". "Really?" said Heather. "Yup", said Lincoln. "Can we head back to your place now?" "Of course sweetie", she said. They then walked towards the checkout and found a young man there paying for his steaks. "That's him", Lincoln whispered, "My pop-pop". "Really?" asked Heather, "He looks like a handsome young man". "I can't believe how young he looked back then", said Lincoln. "Didn't you say your grandfather bumped into your grandmother?" "Yes, but that was while he was reading a strip of the Birchwells on the corner of Franklin Avenue and 14th Street. So I shouldn't be worried. As long as I stay far away from him, everything should be alright", explained Lincoln. "I see." said Heather. Soon, the younger version of Albert left and they took their turn at the check out.

Soon, the groceries were paid for and they walked towards the parking lot where they heard something. It looked like the young Albert was being tormented. Lincoln recgonized his tormentors! "That's the guys who tried to pound me!" said Lincoln. "Ol' Bull McCann?" asked Heather. "Bull McCann!?" "You've heard of him?" "He used to bully my grandfather all the time!" "Ouch". They went back to watching the scuffle. "C'mon Bull! Give me back that steak!", he said. "Oh, that poor boy, somebody better do something!" said Heather shocked. "You go take the groceries into the car", said Lincoln, "I have a plan". Lincoln then ran off towards them. "But what're you going to do kid?" asked Heather.

"Look Bull! I'm not in the mood for games, now please gimme back my steaks or else-" "Or else what shortly? Gonna pound us?" "Well...I…" "As I thought, just pathetic", said Bull. "You're the one whose pathetic!" shouted a voice. Bull turned to see the same white haired kid that scratched his car. "YOU!" he shouted. "Leave him alone you big jerk!" "Who you callin' a jerk runt!?" At that moment, Albert suddenly grabbed his meat from Bull's hand and ran. "HEY YOU!" Bull shouted, but Albert got away. Bull then turned his attention to Lincoln. "Uh-oh", said Lincoln nervously. "You're gonna pay for that runt!" Bull suddenly grabbed Lincoln by the collar. "Oh nuts! I'm screwed!", said Lincoln. "You're gonna die runt!"

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HIM, YOU RUFFIAN!" Bull and Lincoln turned to see Heather carrying Averell in her arms. "How's this runt? Your mommy?" teased Bull. "Put him down right now!", asked Heather. "And are you gonna stop me? Oh I'm so scared," laughed Bull. "No, but he is!" "He?"

WWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

"Uh-oh!" "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Lincoln looked behind Bull to see a familiar looking police car pull up to them, with its red rotating light flashing. The cop inside it got out and looked sternly at Bull. "Bull McCann! Put the boy down! Now!" "Uhhhhhh, yeah, sure Sheriff", Bull said as he gently put Lincoln down, who then ran to Heather. "McCann, you know better than to bully little kids around. May I remind you and you are over 21. If I catch you harming a minor again, I'll drag your sorry a** to the clink! Understand!?", the sheriff said. "Uh yeah. Yeah we do sheriff", Bull said. "Good! NOW GET OUTTA HERE!" The leather jacket things then ran towards their convertible, with the scratch still visible on the side of the car.

The sheriff then walked to Lincoln. "You alright kid?" "Yeah, I think so". "Say, I don't I've seen you around these parts", he said, "What's yer name?" "Lincoln sir". Heather walked up to them. "He's an orphan and Vincent are looking after a friend, Sheriff", she said. "I see", said the Sheriff before he turned to Lincoln. "You're in good hands kid", he said. "So how's everything?" "Fine, just fine. Last night was odd though". "Why?" "I was chasing an unknown vehicle down the road from Ketchum Park. You shoulda seen it, it had a lot of weird gadgets on it. This thing was fast too. I tried to catch it, but I lost sight of it". "Now that is out of the ordinary", said Heather. "Yep, well have a good day Heather, say hello to Vincent for me", the sheriff said. "Have a good day Sheriff Johnson", Heather said. "Sheriff Johnson?" whispered Lincoln. He then watched the sheriff climb back into his patrol car and leave.

"Sheriff Johnson? You mean as in Sheriff Irving "Slick" Johnson?" asked Lincoln. "Why yes! You've heard of him?" asked Heather. "His granddaughter teaches my class! In fact, she introduced us to him on grandparents day. He even showed us his patrol car." "Granddaughter? I never knew Irving was the family kind of man. Then again, you'll know when you've found the right person when you know it", said Heather, "Come on, let's go home". "Okay", said Lincoln.

Heather put Averell in his car seat, Lincoln climbed in and she drove them home. As they got there, they stopped at a red light. Lincoln looked out the window. "Hey, Franklin avenue. That's the street where I live", he said. "I heard they're building new houses on that street", said Heather, "I think you might be living in one of those houses in the future". "Really? I never knew my house was old", Lincoln said. Then the light changed to green and they went back home. Once they arrived, they unloaded the groceries and went inside.

Soon it was lunchtime. "What would you like Lincoln?" asked Heather. "A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, please." said Lincoln. "Okay then",said Heather as she got out the jar of peanut butter and jelly out of the cabinet. After Heather fixed Lincoln a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she gave Averell a bottle of formula. After Lincoln finished his sandwich and Averell had been burped. Heather and Lincoln were in the living room when Julie and Stanley came home from school, Stanley had a friend with him. "Hey Lincoln", said Stanley. "Yeah?" "I brought a friend over". "Cool", said Lincoln. "Cool?" "It's an expression we use in the future", said Lincoln. "I see", said Stanley. Then Stanley's friend came in. He wore a red, green, blue and yellow beanie complete with a propeller on his head, freckles on his cheeks, a blue shirt with a white stripe, and blue jeans. He had some Ace Savvy comic books in his arm. He also had braces on his teeth. "Hi there", said Lincoln, "I'm Lincoln". "Wilbur, Wilbur Higguns", said the boy.

Lincoln was taken aback. "W-Wilbur Huggins?" "Yup", said the boy. "Are you okay, Lincoln?" asked Julie. "Yeah, you don't look so good," said Stanley. "I'll explain it to you later", said Lincoln. "So wanna read comic books?" asked Wilbur. "Yeah! You like Ace Savvy?" asked Stanley. "Of course! Ace Savvy is my favorite!', said Lincoln. "Come on, I'll show you", said Stanley. Lincoln followed Wilbur and Stanley towards Stanley's room where they took a look at the comic books. In one of the issues he read, Lincoln learned that Ace Savvy trailed Wild Card Willy into the year 2005. Lincoln chuckled at the illustrations of what people thought the future would look like. "Little do they know", he thought.

Soon, Wilbur went back home and it was time for dinner. The Plymouth pulled up in the driveway and Vincent climbed out and came through the front door. "Hi, honey, glad you're home,'' said Heather as she greeted him with a kiss. "Thanks dear", he said, "What's for dinner?". "Steaks", she said. "MMM-mm", said Vincent, licking his lips. At the dinner table, "How was your day, honey?" asked Heather. "Fine, it was fine. The head editor was pleased about my work. But he says there's something missing in it". "What's missing, Mr. Perkins?" asked Lincoln. "I don't know son," he said, "But inspiration will hit me". "I actually once entered a comic book in a contest and it won. Maybe I can give you some tips", said Lincoln. "Really?" "Yup, it was an Ace Savvy comic book contest. Me and best friend Clyde drew a comic book and I created some new heroes alongside Ace." "Who are they?" "There's High Card, The 11 of Hearts, Night Club, The Joker, The Strong Suit, The Eight of Spades, Royal Flush, The Queen of Diamonds, Card Counter, and The Deuce".

"Where did you find the names for those guys?" "I got the inspiration from my sisters. I based each one of the characters on them". "Now that's inspirational", said Vincent. "Maybe we can collaborate on some ideas". "Sounds like a good idea", said Lincoln. As they sat down and ate dinner, Julie asked Lincoln, "Lincoln, why did you get nervous when little Wilbur said his name?" "You're not going to believe this", said Lincoln, "But Wilbur Huggins is the principal of my school!" "He is?!", said Heather, surprised. "That ain't surprising", said Stanley, "He's had the perfect attendance record for lord knows how long". "Speaking of which, why don't we enroll you at Royal Woods Elementary for a while, until you figure out a way to get back home?", asked Vincent. "Uhhhh sure", said Lincoln, "I always wondered what the place looked like in the 1950s". "They'll like you, Lincoln!" said Stanley, smiling. "It's settled then. Unless you find a way home, you'll start schooling on monday", said Vincent. "Okay Mr. Perkins", said Lincoln. "Hey dad, can I watch Dragnet tonight?", asked Stanley. "Sure", said Vincent.

After dinner, Lincoln and the Perkins family watched Dragnet that night and went to bed. As Lincoln laid in his bed, he suddenly had a sad thought. What if he wasn't able to find a way home? What if he never sees his family again? Will he be stuck in 1957 forever? Lincoln decided to look into a way home tomorrow, so he fell asleep and headed off to dreamland.

To Be Continued...