The Colony that Vanished

The Colony that Vanished

Suzanne Marsh

“Kyle Vaughn, please remain after class,” Kyle noted the determination in Professor Daniel White’s voice. Kyle heard rumors about the Professor building a ‘time machine”. Time travel was an up-and-coming thing in the scientific world. The science classes that Professor White taught were vastly more interesting to Kyle than to some of the students in the class. Once class let out, the professor and Kyle went back to his office. The professor unlocked the door to his office, motioned Kyle inside, then followed him. The center of Professor White’s office was not a desk but an odd-looking box, with levers, dials, and control panels. Kyle was stunned as he stammered, “Professor, what is that thing?

The professor smiled: “That Kyle is a time machine. I want you to return to the sixteenth century. I must find out what happened to the Roanoke Colony. My ancestor, Governor John White, returned from England with supplies only to find that one-hundred and seventeen people had disappeared. I will monitor the time machine from here while you are exploring Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. Kyle, be sure you dress accordingly; you can’t arrive in shorts and a muscle shirt.” Kyle looked dubiously at the professor: “You mean I gotta wear what you have here? The frilly white shirt, the knickers, the leather vest? Ah, come on, professor.” Kyle knew the professor was right and began to change his clothes. He was ready, and he stepped into the time machine. The professor took his place at the control panel. He set the dial for 1587. Kyle could feel a change; the warm breezes on Roanoke Island felt wonderful after months of wintry weather here in Maine. He smiled to himself as he thought about this lost colony. Just exactly what did he know, only what Professor White told him. After the time machine came to a jarring stop, twirling all over the place, Kyle found himself deposited in a small clearing. He opened the door of the time machine. He studied his location; he noted thatched roofs with either weathered wood or stone down to the foundation of the homes. Kyle decided to change his name from Kyle to Kip, because Kyle was to modern a name, and he did not want to make himself conspicuous in Roanoke. He stepped out of the time machine, and he began to walk down a path that he hoped would take him to the colony itself. He was reluctant to find a room to rent and hoped the professor had thought of a coin purse. Kyle felt around in the first pocket; there were some coins, and the other pocket contained a coin purse. Kyle walked on, then he found a wooden structure, the name painted in white was Blue Goose Tavern. He entered the building, the tavern keeper:

“What can I do ye fer?” Kyle began: “I have journeyed far and am in need of a room.” The tavern keeper, being the nosy sort: “You can share a bed with Bert, he’s a sound sleeper.” Kyle had no desire to spend a night in a bed with someone named Bert: “Sir, I want a bed to myself, I can pay.” The tavern keeper thought a moment: “You don’t understand, sir, that is the only bed available.”

“I guess I will take it. Where is it?” “Room one, top of the stairs.” Kyle climbed the steep wooden staircase, opened the door to Room One, and glared. In the middle of the bed was the largest man he had ever seen. He hoped to get at least a quarter of the bed! Kyle thought: ‘The man snores like an old buzz saw! How am I supposed to get any sleep?’ The smell of mutton filled the air. Kyle returned downstairs to the tavern and ordered a plate of mutton. He looked around the tavern while waiting for his dinner. The men milled around the bar, but he didn't see any women. This would bear investigation. If there were no women, how was the colony to grow? He decided first thing in the morning to explore the entire colony. He strode toward a larger croft, where he met Governor John White. The Governor, a hospitable man by nature, beckoned Kyle into his home. Kyle, strode into the croft, looking around: ‘There are no women in this colony, perhaps that is why it vanished, I wonder.’ He was about to raise the question to the Governor when he heard a knock on the door, and a man of small stature entered:

“Governor White, I am Captain Tom Steele of the HMS Juliet. I received orders to transport you to England Sir. The ship leaves in three days time.” The captain turned on his heel, leaving Kyle and the Governor staring at his back. The Governor turned to face Kyle: “I must prepare for my journey, if you are planning to stay, you may use this croft. I must go after supplies from England.” Kyle truly appreciated the offer: “Sir, I can’t just use your croft. What do I do upon your return?” The governor thought for a moment: “I will be gone at least a year, Kip. There are no crofts available now. I appreciate that you are an independent young man. I need someone to watch my croft. With you in I don’t think anyone would steal from here.” Kyle smiled: “Very well, Governor, I would be happy to oblige you, Sir. Kyle told the Governor he was thankful more than anyone would ever know. Kyle walked with the Governor to the waiting ship. The Governor boarded the ship. Later that evening, the Juliet disembarked, her journey toward England. John White arrived in England only to find that his return was delayed for almost three years, as the Anglo-Spanish war trudged on. Kyle began to notice that there were fewer people at the tavern. Why, he wondered. A young man about Kyle’s age, eighteen, strode over: “Hey mate, have you heard? We have no supplies, some of us are going to Hatteras Island, to see if they have any extra supplies we could purchase.” This began to make Kyle think that maybe the men here on Roanoke, intermingled with the Hatteras people, at least they would perhaps find them friendly and willing to help their neighbors. That seemed the most logical thing to do. The following morning, several Algonquin Indians appeared, and a chief who spoke broken English began: “We come to help white men, we see you have nothing to eat. Come to the village, we help. Kyle trusted his own instincts; he was going to stay. If the governor did not arrive shortly, he was going to climb back in the time machine and return to 2026, where he belonged. Several of the men from the colony went with the Algonquin Indians; they never returned. Kyle thought that they stayed with the Algonquin; at least there were women there in the village. Several days later, there was no one left in the colony. Kyle made his way to the time machine he was ready to return to the twenty-first century. Once he returned, he informed the professor that he knew what happened to the lost Roanoke Colony: “out of the 115 men, a group went to Hatteras Island, where they mingled in with those people, the Algonquins, I think murdered the men that went with them, they never returned. Governor White returned in August of 1590 after almost three years in England. The only clue I could leave him was Croatoan. I carved it into a wooden post where I knew he would see it.