„It is all a big mistake. You have got the wrong person!“ The words left my mouth as I opened my eyes and saw a group of villagers standing in a circle around me, holding farm tools and torches. I was lying in mud, rain soaking through my clothes, clothes I do not even remember owning. As I looked around I did not recognize anything surrounding me. It all looked so different in a way I could not put my finger on. I could not really concentrate because my head was pounding from whatever just happened. I realized that I do not remember how I got here ...

Only that a few minutes earlier I had been standing in my apartment, testing out a homemade prototype of a time machine I have been working on. I had spent many sleepless nights and put a lot of effort in it. It was supposed to bend time, just a little. A few seconds, just enough to prove my theory. I vividly remember pressing the button and a flash of light, then nothing ...

At first, I thought this was all a dream and that I would wake up any second. I tried closing my eyes to force myself to finally wake up, but as the rain continued to pour down my face, I quickly realized this was s fight or die situation.

A man in a woolen cloak pointed his pitch-work an inch from my chest. „Witchcraft!“, he hissed, looking at me with terror. „Confess your dealings with the devil!“, he continued. The other villagers murmured, standing around me in a circle, interested, but keeping a distance.

„Witch!“, one woman yelled. I wanted to deny everything, but the words got stuck in my throat as I was still processing what I was being accused of, and what consequences would follow if I would not find a way out.

I finally managed to say: „I am not a witch. I am a scientist!“

„A what?“, the man looked confused along with the others.

„I study the knowledge of nature.“ I said, trying to explain. The people went quiet before they started whispering again. I knew this was not a good sign and that was only confirmed, when I heard a woman say: „She is speaking tongues! Burn her!“ My face went pale instantly as I realized my fate. There was no chance I would convince them otherwise at that moment. Everyone went quiet for a moment, before others began chanting along.

„Burn her! Burn the witch!“ The voices in the crowd grew louder, mixing with the heavy rain. The torches flickered in their hands. And I could see fear and hatred in the villager´s eyes. I stumbled back, but rough hands grabbed me. I tried to fight them off with all my strength, but I could not. I was dragged towards a wooden post in the middle of the square. The smell of smoke and wet straw filled my nose. My heart was racing. This could not be happening. Not after all the nights I had worked on my machine, calculating, building, hoping, .... Now, I might die here.

They tied my hands behind the post. The man in the cloak looked at me. „May God have mercy on your soul.“,he said. „I am not a witch“, I whispered in a desperate voice.

They did not believe me nor care what I was saying. The smell of smoke quickly filled my lungs. My skin burnt, my hands blistered, and the heat was unbearable. I tried to scream, to tell them it was all a mistake, but the fire swallowed my words. I could hear the crowd cheering, thinking justice had been served.

Then, my alarm clock went off.