OK. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to write anything – it feels like a year, although I can’t be sure about that. I see the date of my last posting here is shown as July 2005, and the calendar on the computer I’m now using says it’s February 2007 – but between those two dates I’ve been in a couple of different worlds/time-zones or whatever is going on, so who knows?

I’m in what’s called a cyberbooth in Norwich travel centre (sort of combined rail/bus and rickshaw station). It doesn’t look much like the Norwich I remember. I’m not sure how long my credits will last, so I’ll keep going as long as I can, but may have to get back to you later.

A few weeks after I last posted I was arrested by the local warlord – I think I hadn’t kowtowed low enough, or something. The worst thing was that they took all my possessions – including my wristpad. So in a stroke I lost all my technology, and my main way of communicating with you.

At least the time in the dungeons gave me the opportunity to think, and I believe I’ve worked out four options for what’s happening to me. Whether I can do anything about it, and ever get home, is another matter, of course.

I got out of the cells when another sending took place. I ended up in a version of Earth which was, I would guess, about 18^th-19^th century. I’m not hot enough on history to be sure. Anyway, I got some labouring work and made a bit of money.

Then I was sent again to here – where the pennies I had on me weren’t going to get me very far. Then I had a brainwave – they might only be pennies, but they were two hundred years old, but still in mint condition. I took them to a coin dealer, expecting to get quite a bit of money. He laughed at me. He pointed out that they aren’t old at all – they are all dated from the turn of the twenty-first century. I may have been in a world which had technology from a few hundred years ago, but the date, it seems, was still the same.

A further shock came when he told me they were worthless anyway, because they are clearly forgeries. They show King Charles’ head on them, and apparently the monarchy has been abolished on this earth. They should have a footballer’s head on them, or something.

So, no coins. Anyway, the dealer explained (he was being very gentle with me – I suspect he thought I’d escaped from some sort of institution) that they hardly ever use real money these days. Apparently it’s all credits on a card. He was good enough to offer me some work, heavy labouring for him (carrying boxes a couple of miles – he doesn’t seem to have a car of his own) and then he gave me a temporary card until I can set up a bank account and get a proper one.

I’ve just seen that this computer seems to be eating up my credit faster than I thought, so I’m going to stop now. Get back to you as soon as I can.