Black in Time • Part 2

by Ryan Hsu, 10

An April 2025 Monthly Story Challenge Winner

Check out:   Black in Time • Part 1 

Chuck and Barley were dazed as they stood frozen, staring down at the arrows still pointed at their chests. Their minds raced frantically to make sense of the confusing situation. They were in Ancient China? How could this be? This was a place and time that no one could ever have predicted that they would land in, let alone at the mercy of hostile bandits.

"I don’t know what’s going to happen next," Barley whispered, eyes still locked on the men standing around them. "But I do know this—if we don’t do something drastically fast, we are going to die here." His pulse thudded intensely.

Barley gulped nervously, eyes shifting between Chuck and the bandits. “This is really bad. Truly bad,” he murmured softly.

“You don’t say,” Chuck noted, his voice cracking. He was already calculating their odds—two men in clunky spacesuits against a gang of armed bandits. Slim to none,he thought to himself.

All of a sudden, one of the bandits gave a sharp command, and five of them advanced quickly toward the pair of astronauts. The bandits, had ropes in their hands, clearly planning to bind them together. Chuck’s eyes flashed to the equipment strapped to their spacesuits—the small tools they had on hand might offer some protection, but it wasn’t much against ultra sharp arrows and stone swords.

“We need to act quickly," Chuck panicked. “Barley?”

Barley’s mind swirled once again. He ran through the knowledge he had about the time period in history—the battles, the kings, the emperors. His eyes then flickered toward the sky, as if expecting an answer might come from the stars. And then, slowly a very intriguing idea formed.

“We have one chance," Barley stated abruptly, turning toward Chuck. "If we don’t do something drastic, they’ll kill us. We don’t belong here, Chuck. We can’t fight them directly. What we need to do is somehow convince the Emperor to spare us. He will have the power to stop this.”

Chuck looked extremely confused, but Barley continued. “We have to go to the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. The one who ordered the construction of the Great Wall. He’s ruthless, but he also was known to give an audience to anyone with the right message. I have no idea how we’ll get there, but we need to try now. This instant."

Chuck glanced at the bandits who were still closing in. “We don’t have a choice, do we?”

Barley shook his head. “Nope. We need to get ourselves an audience with the Emperor, or we’re dead.”

The bandits hesitated as they realized the two men were speaking in a language they couldn’t understand. Chuck took this brief opportunity to hit a button on his spacesuit. His golden colored facemask zipped closed across his face in one smooth motion leaving a mirrored image. His voice boomed maniacally over the microphone in his helmet. He screamed,“Aaaaahhhhh!” and the bandits covered their ears with great fear in their eyes as they dove to the ground. 

 With a swift, coordinated maneuver, Chuck and Barley managed to break free from their now angry captors, sprinting? toward what seemed like a path leading up into the winding hills. It wasn’t very long until the bandits recovered and began chasing after them, shouting in their ancient language.

The two astronauts ran as fast as they could, their awkward spacesuits and the heavy gravity pulling them down as they made their way toward the emperor’s palace. The air felt thick, and with every step, their lungs struggled to take in enough oxygen to survive. They didn’t know how long they would last in this strange environment, but they had to try.

By the time Chuck and Barley reached the entrance to the palace, the bandits were close behind them. They came to a halt as they were stopped by an iron gate in the middle of the path that barred their entrance. Barley had a brilliant idea to lock the gate firmly behind them, and did it with seconds to spare. With little time to waste, Barley, breathing heavily, rushed inside with Chuck, into the Emperor’s grand court.

Inside, the grand halls were dimly lit by glistening torches, and the sound of their footsteps echoed across the polished marble floors. Barley didn’t hesitate. They climbed breathlessly to the tallest tower and stepped forward through the intricately carved wooden doors. There, they found themselves in the magnificent Throne Room of the palace, decorated with golden blocks lining the floor along with marble statues and remarkable paintings throughout. They were astonished to find themselves in the presence of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, who was seated on a golden throne with many sparkling jewels. The Emperor, a towering figure with many sharp features, looked up in surprise at the two intruders. 

Barley immediately dropped down to his knees, and Chuck followed his lead. The Emperor’s guards had drawn their weapons, but the Emperor gestured with his hand for them to stand down. Barley spoke into his communicator which was set to translate to Old Chinese. 

"Great Emperor," Barley began, his voice unwavering despite the extremely tense moment. “We have come from a distant land, and a faraway time. You are our only hope. We have been transported through time by forces beyond our control. We are here to deliver a message, but more importantly, we need your mighty protection. If you do not help us, we will surely die at the hands of your fierce skilled soldiers."

The Emperor’s brow furrowed as he stared down at them, his eyes cold and calculating. Barley could feel his heart race in his chest. He was making the ultimate gamble, one that would either lead to their survival or their death.

"Who are you to ask for an audience, and why should I trust you?" the Emperor demanded, his voice thunderous and his tone with great suspicion.

Barley didn’t pause. "I am a man from the future, oh great and mighty Emperor. Your empire is very fragile, and in just a few years, the Qin Dynasty will fail and fall. If you don’t act now, you will soon lose everything. We have seen it all unravel."

The Emperor’s expression remained unreadable, but he motioned for the soldiers to step back a bit further. "Your own words carry weight, stranger. But I will not simply believe in tales of a future that I cannot see. If you are truly from the future, prove it. What do you know of my reign, the great reign of Qin Er Sh? What is it that you can show me to prove your own words?"

Barley’s mind raced as he thought about the facts he had studied. The First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty was Qin Shi Huang, who was famous for ordering the Great Wall of China and the Xi’an soldiers to be built. They had made a mistake about what time period they were in. This was his son, Qin Er Shi, the Second Emperor. He recalled the second Emperor’s use of forced labor to continue to build the Great Wall and the Second Emperor's eventual assassination.

"The wall you’re building—it will stretch from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert, but it will also lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of your people. You will be betrayed by your own generals, and your empire will crumble under its own weight." Barley’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And most tragically, you will die alone, far from your empire. Your reign will end in betrayal, and your legacy will be marked by your tyranny.”

The Emperor’s eyes slightly narrowed. "You dare speak of my death? You are either a fool or a very brave man."

Barley raised his gaze and nodded slowly. "I am only telling you what I truly know. But there is time, Emperor. You have the power to change the future."

For a long moment, there was silence. The Emperor appeared to be lost in deep thought. Then, in an unexpected turn, he rose grandly from his throne and gestured for his soldiers to leave. "Perhaps there is something to your words. You may stay for a time, but do not think you are safe. Four of my guards will now escort you to my headquarters. You may rest and stay there until I call you for dinner. I then demand you to tell me everything you know."

Chuck exhaled a long breath. They were alive. For now.

Barley turned to Chuck and whispered, “we’ve got a chance. But we need to be extremely cautious. The future isn’t set in stone, and neither is the past. We’ve got to make the right moves and figure out how to get back to the future.”

Chuck asked in wonder, “how did you remember all this history, Barley? That was astounding.”

“Didn’t you know, Chuck? I was a history major before I decided to become an astronaut,” Barley laughed. “Thank goodness for that!”

As the Emperor’s palace gates closed behind them, the two astronauts couldn’t help but wonder if they could truly change history—or if they were merely pawns in a game of fate that neither of them fully understood.

Works Cited

Bray, Barbara. “Qin Shi Huang.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang. Accessed 19 January 2025.

“Google.” Google, https://www.google.com/search? Accessed 15-21 1 2025.

Matisoff, James. “Old Chinese.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Chinese. Accessed 18 January 2025.

Mattos, Gilbert L., and Jerry Norman. “Qin dynasty.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty. Accessed 18 January 2025.

“Who was China's First Emperor?” National Museums Liverpool, https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/who-was-chinas-first-emperor. Accessed 21 January 2025.