Erasing Time has two sets of identical twins. Sheridan and Taylor are 18-year-old girls from the 21st century who are brought to the 25th century by scientists who are looking for a famous physics genius. Echo is a historian wordsmith from the 25th century whose twin brother Joseph was just killed by a mob-like group called the Dakine. Sheridan and Echo hit it off right away partially because they both know what it’s like to have a twin.
People love twins. We love seeing them in stories, but we also love seeing them in real life. I have a set of boy-girl twins and when they were babies I couldn’t take them anywhere without people coming up to look at them and to tell me that they wanted twins. This comment astounded me. I always wanted to say, “What part of having twins appeals to you—the sleepless nights, the constant crying, or giving birth to babies who had the combined weight of a small pony?”
But there is something precious and special about twins. I know it’s a cliché, but there’s a bond between them. Here’s an entry from my journal when my twins had just turned four. I’ve changed their names to Dinah and Moe to protect their identities.
The twins just had their 4-year-old well check. They were more than happy to chat with the doctor while he asked them all of those developmental questions to make sure they’re on track. When the doctor asked Dinah to count to five, the twins both counted in simultaneous rhythm to twelve. I wondered how much they were depending on each other to get the right answers, but the doctor seemed satisfied that they knew their numbers.
The sight test was a bit of problem. While Dinah was supposed to be reading the eye chart, Moe kept telling her the answers. “It’s a star, Dinah,” he’d call out if she hesitated too long.
And Dinah wasn’t any better when it was Moe turn to read the eye chart—except that she tried to whisper the answer into his ear.
They were separated for the hearing test, and while we waited for Dinah to get done, the nurse gave Moe his shots. He screamed as though he’d been viciously attacked, and when it was all over, he sobbed in my arms and told me, “I don’t want Dinah to get her shots.”
