Image Description (cover image): A warm, richly textured illustration shows a glowing Family Circle biscuit tin floating at the centre of a swirling vortex. Around it spin various baked goods — jam tarts, bread rolls, cinnamon buns, shortbread fingers — all being drawn into the jamline spiral. The colours are rich reds, oranges and golden yellows, with a nostalgic, storybook feel. At the top, the words “Something’s Wrong with Time” appear in cream lettering. At the bottom, the title reads: “A Crumble in Time.”
Chapter Five – Crumbs Of The Future
The tin hummed.
But this time, it sounded… different.
Not the low, cosy chug of a jamline warming up. Not the biscuity tick of a well-tuned crumb rotor. This was sharper. Hollow. Like the rattle of a tin with nothing inside.
Lady Biscotti frowned at the readings. “This isn’t a usual destination.”
Sir Dunkalot looked at the jamline compass. “There’s no time signature. No historical pulse. Just… forward.”
Biggie shifted uneasily. Indy paced in a slow circle.
The tin pulsed once, then launched.
The jump was longer than usual. Colours smeared past the viewing pane like wet icing on a tilted cake. The hum stretched and thinned, until it sounded almost like silence.
Then they landed.
The lid opened.
They stepped out into… nothing familiar.
A city — yes — but silent. No market stalls. No bakers’ windows. No smell of bread or coffee or jam. The skyline was sleek and clean, but cold. Every building looked like it had been dusted with plain flour and left to rise without heat.
Lady Biscotti turned slowly. “Where are we?”
A nearby sign flickered weakly: Welcome to Norwich – Smart Zone B4.
Sir Dunkalot squinted. “Smart Zone? Since when did the city get zones?”
They walked through a plaza where once there might have been bakeries, cafés, tearooms. But now… just vending pods and hydration booths. Not a crumb in sight.
A machine nearby buzzed softly and offered them a flavourless square of nutrient foam.
Biggie sniffed it and sneezed violently. Indy whined and backed away.
Lady Biscotti pressed a button on the jamline viewer — it blinked red.
“No biscuit readings,” she said. “No cakes. No tarts. No proof of proofing.”
Sir Dunkalot shook his head. “This can’t be right. Even in the worst timeline, there’s always a jammy dodger.”
They approached a sleek grey kiosk labelled History Access – Archive Snacks.
Lady Biscotti tapped the panel. “Query: Biscuits. Confectionery. Baked goods.”
The screen flashed once. Then returned: ‘No records found. Term: “Biscuit” deprecated in 2094. Data purged.’
“Purged?!” said Sir Dunkalot.
Biggie gave a mournful growl.
A second message popped up:
“Historical Memory Fragment Detected – Displaying Now”
The screen flickered, then showed a grainy old photo: Lady Biscotti’s own scan of the Co-op Bakery — the same one she had back in her notebook. The cream buns. The hand-written sign. The smiling faces.
Lady Biscotti stepped back. “It remembers.”
“But only barely,” she added softly.
Behind them, another kiosk began to shudder. A small hatch opened and a slip of paper emerged.
Lady Biscotti snatched it.
It read:
“You let it crumble. The crumbs don’t stay unless you save them.”
Sir Dunkalot looked around the empty plaza. “You think this is the end of the jamlines?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s a warning. This is what happens if we fail.”
A soft chime echoed across the square.
A voice announced: “Hydration hour begins in four minutes. Please consume responsibly.”
Lady Biscotti turned sharply. “We’re leaving. There’s nothing for us here but silence and square snacks.”
They hurried back to the tin.
Sir Dunkalot paused at the door. “Do we fix the future too?”
“We fix the past,” said Lady Biscotti. “And hope it’s enough.”
The lid closed.
The plaza fell silent once more.
And the last recorded biscuit memory blinked off the screen.
Image Description (cover image): A warm, richly textured illustration shows a glowing Family Circle biscuit tin floating at the centre of a swirling vortex. Around it spin various baked goods — jam tarts, bread rolls, cinnamon buns, shortbread fingers — all being drawn into the jamline spiral. The colours are rich reds, oranges and golden yellows, with a nostalgic, storybook feel. At the top, the words “Something’s Wrong with Time” appear in cream lettering. At the bottom, the title reads: “A Crumble in Time.”
Blind Man Makes 