The Traveler

By: Stefan Bolz

Narrated by: Arden Hammersmith

"The Traveler" is the story of Tee, a 12-year-old girl who, every day after school, works as an apprentice in her father's black smith shop. From him she learns how to weld, forge, and make beautiful things out of ordinary pieces of steel and metal. When her dad has a stroke, and lying on his death bed, he whispers one last inaudible word to his daughter. Following it, Tee eventually discovers a notebook hidden inside his workshop. In it, she finds detailed instructions on how to build a time machine.

She longs to see her father again, and she wants to honor his last wish to build the machine. But deep down Tee knows that there is no such thing as traveling through time. Reluctantly, she begins to build what she believes is simply a means, set up by her father, to ease her grief and help her get through the darkest time of her young life. She doesn't know yet that her father's last gift to her will change her life in the most profound way.

©2016 Stefan Bolz (P)2017 Stefan Bolz

Critic reviews

"Stefan Bolz's writing is not merely inventive but lyrical, almost mystical. You can't help but fall under the spell of the worlds he creates, the characters he gives life to. He's one of that vanguard of authors bringing speculative fiction into a new silver age." (Samuel Peralta, award-winning author and creator of The Future Chronicles)

A grieving girl time travels on a personal mission

A twelve-year-old who is also the apprentice to her father, a master builder and welder, have a close bond. When her father has a stroke and dies, her father’s last word to her sets her on a mission to build something though she doesn’t exactly know what it is. Channeling her grief, she decides to do this despite not knowing if she will even be able to succeed. This poignant and captivating journey the reader is taken on is very primal, leaving me emotionally spent. And we’re given a heartfelt and extraordinary ending that made me misty. A powerful, moving and well-written story.

The narrator of this story does a beautiful job of capturing the grief and loss of the main character when her father dies. This adds an additional layer of richness to an already beautiful short story. It captures the emotions of the story so perfectly, you cannot help but feel the strength of it deep in your heart. I've read the story at least twice now and listened to it twice and each time, there is some additional nuance to be found that gets me choked up all over again. And that ending! It moved me to tears each time I've experienced it.

Most stories about time travel have huge stakes and life-altering events with consequences for the entire world that are the subject of a mega-blockbuster film. This story goes smaller, focusing on the huge stakes and life-altering events in the life of a twelve-year-old girl who lost her father. But it is so amazing, you feel the gut-punch of her loss and the ramifications it has on her life. This is a struggle anyone can relate to, especially if they've lost a loved one close to them.

This is a poetic and enthralling tale about a girl who goes on a very challenging journey and it is unforgettable.

A wonderful, must-read story!

  I know that I'm a sucker for a story dealing with time travel, but this one is special, I promise you! The Traveler captures a daughter's love for her now-deceased father, and the legacy which he passed down to her... He instilled within her with a passion for creating things, a love of reading, and he left a special gift for her...
  Arden Hammersmith captures this passion, this love, beautifully as she relates the story, and as an added bonus, it's also a perfect homage to H.G. Wells and a bygone era of storytelling... 

Incredible!

The narrator brings a whole new dimension to this beautiful story.

The story itself is a jewel because the writer Stefan Bolz is a gifted storyteller.

This is an emotional and spiritual journey of a young girl wanting to reconnect with her deceased father. Definitely worth listening too.

enjoyable read!

I really enjoyed this. great little story. however, the price was steep for such a short audio book.

Wonderful audiobook adaptation!

Quite simply the best short story that I have had the pleasure of reading in the last years!

It's a wonderfully told heartbreaking tale of pure love, stronger than death & time itself.

The audiobook narration by Arden Hammersmith is excellent and very touching.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ THE BOOK!

Sentimental & Profound

Any additional comments?

The Traveler is short and sweet, but leaves you with a sense of importance that is felt the whole way through the story. This is a coming of age tale in the tradition of Stand By Me with just of touch of science fiction thrown in for good measure. I loved it.

best hour I ever heard

This is a story of a daughters love for her father and the fact that it is so strong it can transcend time. It isn’t exactly a sad sorry at all, but a very powerful and uplifting story as her (Tee a 12 year girl) father left her a project (they worked closely together in his blacksmith forge as Tee was his apprentice) to get her through the rough part of his death. It was as if he knew he was going to die, but how? Like I said a very powerful and uplifting story of a love stronger than most. Even though this is actually a short story it packs quite a punch in its small size, it is well worth every page, Thank you Stefan Bolz and your most awesome narrator Arden Hammersmith for bringing this story alive for me it truly was the best hour spent in a very long time, thank you again.