LOOKING around, the Beatles noticed something odd about the city: Where are the all modern apartments, the cars and the airplanes, and where is the airport? Vienna looked like the 19th century with all it’s citizens dressed like it.
“Johnny,” said Ringo, “Are you sure we’re in Vienna?”
“I’m positive.” said John, “Maybe there’s some festival going on. Let’s ask.” John went to the nearest citizen and asked “Mich, aber sind entschuldigen irgendeine Art des Geschehens hier weitergehend?” Which is German for “Excuse me, but is there some sort of happening going on here?”
“Nien.”
“Dann warum wird jeder wie es ist das 19. Jahrhundert gekleidet?”
“Weil es das 19. Jahrhundert ist.”
“Versuchen Sie, lustig zu sein?”
“Nein. Und warum sind Sie gekleidet so lustig?”
“Well, John?” asked George.
“Well there’s no festival and he thinks that he’s in the 19th century.” said John.
“So that’s why everyone dressed like that.” said Ringo, “Just to humor the guy.”
“John.” said Paul, “Are you sure we’re in Vienna? It might be an amusement park instead.”
“If it is,” said John, “We should go looking around to find the famous mouse.”
++++++
Meanwhile, Clara and Calpurnia changed into the clothes that they appropriated and covered the limousine with tarp.
Then Clara gave Calpurnia a pair of binoculars and a walkie-talkie saying “We’ll use the limousine as the hub of our search. Fan out.” And they did.
Clara first went into a tavern where she wasn’t greeted very well.
“Fräulein.” said the bartender as Clara turned on a translator she was wearing, “We do not like lonely women coming into bars soliciting fun.”
“Actually I’m looking for four men from England.” said Clara, “They have this strange hairdo resembling a mop. Have you seen them?”
“No I haven’t.” said the bartender. “Now…”
“McFly!”
Clara turned around to see who it was. It was a man resembling a Tannen. Buford Tannen? she asked her self.
The man resembling Biff was talking to someone. “I thought I told you never to come in here.” he said.
Not wanting to tinker with an incident in the past, Clara left.
++++++
The Beatles were walking down a street when Paul said “Look!”
The others did. It was a mansion.
“This is it!” said John, “It’s gotta be. Let’s drop in on Astrid.”
Immediately, the four went up to the door and pulled a cord ringing a bell.
A man popped out of a hole in the door and demanded “Wer schellte diese Glocke?”
“Wir!” said the Beatles.
“Nicht lasen Sie das Zeichen?” asked the man in door.
“Was Zeichen?”
“Das Zeichen auf der Tür so deutlich wie die Nase auf meinem Gesicht.” said the man in the door hole, “Das Zeichen, das sagt…” He looked around for one before saying “Tsk, tsk.” He reached down and produced a sign that read
Bell
außer Betrieb.
Bitte Klopfen
Which is German for
Bell
Out of Order
Please Knock
So they knocked and the doorman said “Das ist mehr wie es. Geben Sie jetzt Ihren Zweck an!”
“Wir sind hier, Astrid zu sehen” said the four.
“Astrid wer?” asked the doorman.
“Astrid Kirschner.” said the John, “Sie wissen, die berühmte Frau, die unser Haar tat, während wir in Hamburg waren.”
“Ich weiß nicht niemand durch diesen Namen.” said the doorman, “Und wer sind Sie?”
The four looked at each other. Then John asked “Nicht wissen Sie, wem wir Mann sind?”
“Nein. ” said the doorman.
“Hey Herr.” said John, “Wir sind, daß berühmtes Band das Beatles benannte.”
The doorman laughed. “Ich hörte von sie nie.” he said.
John turned to his comrades and said “He’s never heard of us or Astrid.”
“He hasn’t?” exclaimed Paul.
“No.” said John.
“What’s going on here?” asked Ringo, “People dressing weird, a doorman who doesn’t know who we are? It’s like we’re not in Kansas any more.”
“Ringo you surprise me.” said John.
“In what way?”
“Quoting the famous Dorothy.” said John, “Or was it the famous wizard?”
“Listen, John.” said Ringo, “Because I’m a drummer doesn’t mean I don’t delve into the old movies.”
“Alright.” said John, “That’s enough.” Turning to the doorman, he said “Hören Herr. Wir sind vier Musiker von…”
“Musiker?” exclaimed the doorman, “Warum nicht sagten Sie das an erster Stelle? Innen angegangen.”
The door opened to let them in as John said “Now that’s what I call a horse of a different color.”
Immediately, they entered.
++++++
“Come in, Clara.” she said.
“Clara here.”
“I found the Beatles. They’re entering this huge house.”
“Where?”
Calpurnia looked around then spotted a street sign.
“It reads Kahlenbergerstrasse 26” she said.
“Kahlenbergerstrasse 26.” repeated Clara’s voice, “Alright. Wait right there. I’ll circle back to the limousine and fly over there.”
“Roger!” said Calpurnia, “Calpurnia out.”
Tucking the walkie-talkie underneath her blouse, she went up to the door and knocked. A small hole in the door opened and a man stuck his head out.
“State your purpose.” he said.
“Excuse me.” said Calpurnia, “But I’m looking for four men with this strange hairdo…”
“Fraulein.” said the doorman, “Why are you wasting my time? I’m a doorman not an investigator. Why don’t you go locate the nearest constable for help?”
“Mister.” said Calpurnia, “You don’t understand. These gentlemen entered this house…”
“Listen, Fraulein.” said the doorman, “If you’re finding a way to get into this house, you’re wasting your time. Goodbye.” And he closed the hole.
This is getting to be more difficult than I thought. Calpurnia said to herself.
She went back to the side of the road and waited for Clara. Then, she looked back at the side of the house she saw the four enter and saw some woman coming out to dispose of some waste. She was dressed in something that made her look like a housekeeper. Extracting a sleep inducer that Clara gave her, she snuck up from behind this lady in rendered her unconscious. Then, she dragged her victim into a shrub and pulled of her clothes. Then, she took off her own clothes and put on the clothes her victim was wearing. Afterwards, she found an open door and entered the house. Once inside, she started her search for the Beatles.
Friday, May 7 1824
9:15 a.m.
Vienna, Austria
When the light dissipated, Clara looked down for Calpurnia but couldn’t find her. Immediately, she produced her walkie-talkie.
“Calpurnia come in.” she said.
“Calpurnia here.” said her voice.
“Calpurnia.” asked Clara, “Where are you?”
“I’m inside the house I saw the Beatles entered.”
“Calpurnia. I told you to wait outside for me to come.”
“You said ‘wait there’. ‘There’ could be the house or it’s vicinity. You said nothing about staying out in front.”
“Alright, never mind. Go to the nearest window facing the street and stick your head out.”
“Roger.”
Clara looked down at the mansions looking for her fellow time traveler. Then, her walkie-talkie beeped.
“Clara.”
“Clara here.”
“Stick your head out the window and wave. I’ll look up to see if I could locate you.”
“Calpurnia. That’s risky. Suppose someone else looks up and sees me sticking my head out in mid-air.”
“Clara. It’ll be alright. Just stick your head out the window and if I see you, I’ll guide you over the house until you see me wave.”
“Alright. By the way, how did you get into the house?”
“I saw someone come out with some garbage and I sleep induced her. Then, I took her clothes and put them on.”
“What about the clothes you were wearing before you changed into the ones your wearing? Where are they?”
“I left them out there with the woman I rendered unconscious.”
“Calpurnia. This is important. We’ve got to return the clothes we took from those two bathers.”
“How are we going to do that? We don’t know where they live.”
“We’ll tackle that problem when we get there.”
“Alright, Clara. And I’m at the window facing the street. Can you see me?”
Clara poked her head out of the window and looked around.
“I don’t see you.”
“But I see you. I’ll have to wave. Just keep looking until you see me.”
Using the binoculars, Clara looked until she saw someone wave. It was Calpurnia.
“Alright, Calpurnia.” said Clara, “I see you. I’m going to land the car now. Go to the door you entered and wait for me. I assume that the woman you rendered unconscious is still out. I’ll look for her and pick up those clothes. Clara out.”
“Roger Clara, over and out.”
Pulling her head back in, she put down the walkie-talkie and prepared for a landing which was going to be easier said than done. Looking down she saw some people on their knees looking skyward as if to pray. Then she remembered sticking her head out the window. Now these people think that they saw her as a vision in the sky.
++++++
The Beatles were looking around for Astrid.
“Where is she?” asked John.
“John.” said Paul, “Are you sure we’re at the right place?”
“I’m positive.” said John, “We’d better ask around.” He approached the nearest servant and said “Entschuldigen Sie mich, Sir, aber wir suchen jemand genannter Astrid.”
“I beg your pardon sir.” said the man.
The Beatles were startled.
“You speak English?” asked Paul.
“Of course.” said the man, “I’m from England.”
“England?” asked John, “Now that’s something. What are you doing here in these necks of the woods, man?”
“Nursing a broken heart.” said the man, “You see I used to have this band and now someone else does.”
“Mister.” said Ringo, “I hate to be rude but Rory Storm you’re not.”
“Who’s Rory Storm?” asked the man.
“Well then, who are you?” asked George.
“Fred Pepper at your service.” said the man.
“John Lennon at your service.” said John, “This is Paul, that’s George and he’s Richard Starkey, aka Ringo.”
“Glad to meet you all.” said Fred as he and the Beatles shook hands.
“Anyway,” asked Paul, “how did you lose your band.”
“It was a long time ago.” said Fred, “It was twenty years ago to the day that I organized this orchestra…”
“Orchestra?” exclaimed Ringo.
“What else?” asked Fred, “Anyway we were going in and out of style guaranteeing to raise a smile. But one day England decided to go to war and I was drafted. I made it far as sergeant when it ended. When I came back, someone else had the band to perform his symphonies.”
“You poor thing.” said John, “I think it’s up to us to help this Billy Shears. What do you guys think?”
The others agreed. “Let’s go find this sucker.” said Ringo. And they were off.
++++++
Calpurnia was halfway back to the door where she entered when she came across a room where a young girl was at a piano playing and singing. The girl had a nice voice too.
Tell me what love is, what can it be
What is this yearning burning me?
Can I survive it, will I endure?
This is my sickness, is there a…
She stopped her playing and singing when she caught sight of Calpurnia who hushed her. However, she was busy playing another tune.
“Why did you stopped singing?” asked Calpurnia, “You have a such lovely voice.”
The girl stopped her playing and asked “You know why.”
“No I don’t.” said Calpurnia, “Go on. Keep playing and keep singing.”
“You mean it?” asked the girl.
“Of course.” said Calpurnia, “Don’t let me stop you.”
Immediately, the girl played and sang again as Calpurnia headed towards a door on the other side of the room. But that door opened and another woman came in causing the time traveler to hide.
“I told you to stop that singing.” she said.
The girl looked up and said “But mother you just said keep playing and singing.”
“You’re to only play.” said the mother, “You’re not to sing.”
“But mother…” insisted the girl, “you’d said…”
“Do you wish to have supper tonight?” demanded the mother.
“Of course I do.”
“Then, stop this lying.”
Calpurnia who heard this stepped out of hiding and said “Excuse me ma’am but it was I who encouraged her to sing.”
The woman turned around to face her giving Calpurnia a chance to see her face. To her shock, the mother looked just like her. Calpurnia was startled.
“Oh the gods.” she said “I’m pregnant!”
And she passed out.