Free Rewrite Redemption by J.H. Walker

holding the most spectacular tree house I’d ever seen. Oak leaves blazed like fire around the structure. Standing on the porch was a beautiful woman, mid-twenties, with auburn hair cascading over bare shoulders almost to her waist. A green sheet wrapped around her torso, leaving her long legs exposed. Piercing amber eyes stared into the camera from a solemn, soulful face. She looked like Eve surrounded by nature in the Garden of Eden.
    The woman held a naked baby with flawless skin and tufts of honey-colored hair. Her tiny hand grasped a branch pulled tight to her chest as she peered over the flame-red leaves. She looked straight into the camera, as though she knew how important the moment was…that her birth had made a statement to the world.
    So this was A.J. Jones…born in a tree house.
    Interesting.

Awareness morphed in slowly…one sense at a time. First, I felt my body, heavy on the ground. Then the tingling faded and I struggled for consciousness. It took a moment before my eyes would open. When they did, I sighed with relief. Maybe I was back in time. But I was still home—and earlier version of the tree house—the best possible scenario.
    I got up slowly, avoiding the windows in case someone was in the yard. Afternoon light filtered in from the stain glass windows, casting rainbows across the room. Outside, the leaves were green—summer. The desk held a picture of my mom as a teenager standing with her grandfather, Charlie. A thin sheen of dust covered everything, and when I opened it, I found an empty fridge. Mom was at college, yes!
    No one would be using the tree house. I was safe for the four or five hours till time sucked me back home. Fate was on my side this time. All I had to do was lay low for a while. An earlier version of the tree house was my usual jump destination. But sometimes, I ended up in the middle of nowhere, away from any signs of civilization. Those were the scariest jumps, the ones that really freaked me out…lions, tigers, bears, and all that.
    One of the scariest jumps happened when I was five. We’d gone on a picnic to see the fall aspen leaves. I had been running from tree to tree, looking at the dark “eyes” found in the white aspen bark. As I stopped and stared into a particularly life like “eye”…tingle, blur, bam…I was gone. 
    I woke in an aspen grove. But the trees were newly budded so I knew things had changed. I didn’t understand yet about time travel. I just knew that strange things happened to me. I sat for a moment, rubbing my arms because it was cold, wondering how long I’d be there.
    Suddenly, a face peered out from behind a bush. I startled, scrambling back against the tree. A boy, with reddish skin, stepped out into the clearing and just stood there, looking at me. He didn’t seem to feel the cold at all. He was wearing only moccasins and leather pants and had a couple of feathers in his long, dark hair. I would have been more afraid, but at first I thought he was just a kid in costume and was simply wandering the woods like me.
    Then I noticed that he had a bonelike knife stuck in his belt and was carrying a string of fish. Suddenly I felt a flash of fear. He was the real deal, like in the olden days. He didn’t act dangerous but I was petrified.
    He said something to me in a high, rapid voice. He waved his arms and looked around, as if he was searching for someone. I just stared. He looked around again, laid his fish down, and walked over to me.
    I stood up quickly, wanting to run. But I was too scared to do anything. I had acorns from my tree in my hand. They fell to the ground.
    The boy crouched down, observing me as if I was an animal in a zoo. He picked up the acorns, looked at them, and put them in his pouch. Watching my face, he slowly reached out and gave my red sneaker a poke. When I didn’t move, he pulled on the Velcro tab. It tore apart making a ripping sound, which startled him. His eyes got wide, and he hesitated a moment before