They froze when they heard that voice.
Every breath felt heavy. Every heartbeat slammed in their ears."Should we run?" Eliza whispered, her eyes darting between the dark corners."That's the only option," Maria replied quickly, already scanning for a way out.
But then, Hawkings stepped forward, lifting a hand. "No. Let them catch us… We're still here. We can't keep running forever."
The others looked at him like he'd lost his mind. But before they could say anything, a figure stepped into the moonlight.
It was a man ; tall and broad, holding a lantern that swung slightly as he approached. His eyes narrowed as he saw them, and he tilted his head, clearly trying to figure them out."Hey! Children, what are you doing out so late?" he called out. His voice was deep but not harsh. He took a few steps closer and stopped.
His eyes widened. He stared at their clothes, their strange hairstyles, the glowing phones in their hands.
"What… what are those things you're holding? And your clothes… You all look so… different," he said, almost to himself.
There was a thick, uncomfortable silence.
Maria swallowed hard and stepped forward. "Far away," she blurted out. "We're not from here. We just came to… to study. Yes! We're just here to study."
She shot a desperate glance at the others.
"Yeah! Just study!" Vinci added quickly, forcing an awkward laugh and waving his phone like it was no big deal.The man squinted at them, still clearly confused but not angry.
He scratched his head. "Study…? At this hour? You kids are something else…" He paused, looking them up and down again. "Wait… where exactly are you from?"
Maria hesitated. "Far… really far. You wouldn't know it."The man sighed and shook his head slowly. "Well, you all look lost. And you shouldn't be wandering around at night. It's dangerous."
He glanced at the strange devices in their hands again, his brow furrowed.
"You know what… I think you need guidance," he muttered. Then his eyes lit up as if an idea had hit him. "I'll take you to Theophrastus — he's a brilliant scholar, a student of Aristotle. He might understand… whatever it is you're carrying."Vinci's eyes went wide. "Wait! Aristotle? The Aristotle?"
The guard blinked. "You know him?"
"Of course we do!" Vinci almost shouted. "Can we meet him? Please!"
The guard looked at them for a moment, rubbing his chin, then finally sighed. "Alright… I'll give you directions to Aristotle himself. He's the wisest man I know. Maybe he'll know what to do with kids like you."
He pulled out a worn, crumpled map and began tracing a path with his finger. "Follow this route at dawn. It's a long walk but it'll get you to his place safely."
They crowded around him, eyes wide, taking in every detail of the path.
When he finished, he folded the map carefully and handed it to Vinci. Vinci grabbed it like it was a treasure.
"Thank you!" Maria breathed out, relief flooding her face.The guard took a step back, studying them one more time. "Stay safe. And please… don't wander around tonight. You never know what could happen."
He turned and began to walk away, lantern swinging gently, his shadow stretching long behind him.As soon as he was gone, Eliza let out a shaky laugh. "He's… good. A caring one."
Vinci was almost shaking with excitement. "Can you believe this?! We came here thinking we might meet Alexander the Great, and now we get to meet Aristotle! We could learn so much… Maybe even help him create incredible things, inventions the world hasn't seen yet!"He paused, staring at the map in his hands, eyes shining. "But… if we do that, we could change history."
Einstein looked up at the stars, thinking hard. "We have to be careful. We didn't come here to rewrite the world. We came to learn."Maria nodded. "Tomorrow we figure it out. Right now… we rest. I don't think I can take another step tonight."
"I'm not even sleepy," Vinci scoffed. "It'll be morning before we know it."
They laughed softly, finally letting the tension fade for a moment.
They sat down in a quiet corner of the courtyard, huddled together. Maria pulled out her phone and connected her AirPods, playing soft music that drifted through the night air. Vinci and Hawkings scrolled through photos, whispering jokes and pointing at memes. Eliza leaned back against the wall, watching them with a tired but warm smile.
"I thought we weren't going to sleep," Maria teased."Yeah, yeah… we won't," Vinci muttered, already yawning.
But one by one, they started to drift off. The moon watched over them, and the music kept playing softly, blending with the night.
Vinci's head tilted forward. Maria curled up, her phone slipping from her hand. Einstein's eyes finally shut, his breathing slowing.
They had promised to stay awake, but the exhaustion of the night was too strong.
And before they knew it, they were all gone ; lost to sleep under the stars, dreaming of philosophers, ancient cities, and the adventures waiting for them at dawn.
Tomorrow, they would follow the map to Aristotle. Tomorrow, they would decide their next move.
But tonight, for a little while, they were just kids again. Tired. Brave. And together.
"A Map To Aristotle; Interesting"