Time Man
Chapter I: Getting Ready to Enter the Closet
The lights were dim in the quantum physics lab. The brunette teacher said, “Dismissed, guys. Remember, the final exam is tomorrow, don’t forget to study. If you see any of your friends that are absent, tell them that this isn’t high school anymore. You don’t get an extra day to study, or whatever. You’re at Stanford now, you don’t need extra days. Have a great evening,” said Dr. Caden Harvey.
“Excuse me, M-Mr. Harvey, can I talk to you?” asked Thomas McAleavey, one of the best students in the class with a GPA of 5.0.
“Of course, Thomas, I always have time for my best students,” admitted Caden.
“I know where the students went. I have been there. They aren’t coming back,” pointed Thomas.
“What are you talking about?” inquired the physics teacher.
“I know we went over this several weeks ago, but I found one. Even though you said it’s impossible,” stammered Thomas.
“Time travel?” he said with a tone of distress. “But that’s impossib…” He, then, started muttering incomprehensible phrases. He, also, started writing on the whiteboard a ton of math. Essentially, for all you math geeks out there, he tried to recreate the following problem to prove time travel.
“If you want, I can show you the portal. I think you will like where it takes you. Just leave all electronics before 1940 behind,” said Thomas with an excitement no one could control.
“Here you go,” said Caden as he handed a sleek space gray iPhone 6S, a $17,000 Apple Watch, and a pager that looked like it had been overused since the teacher’s childhood.
“Here is a walkie-talkie. I don’t see why you would need it, but here is one anyway. To get to business, here is some money and some other essentials you would need,” calmly stated Thomas.
He laid on the desk four things, an unsigned social security card, a Visa credit card, traveler’s cheques from American Express, and keys to a car.
“Sign the Social Security and the credit card. You are Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari, Inc. You drive a 1964 Jaguar E-Type, license plate California #3FD 25Y.” said Thomas with a deeper, more serious voice.
“Wait, wait. I found Atari, the major gaming system of the ’70s and ’80s?” asked Caden.
“Yes, now sign the stupid papers, god damn it!” yelled Thomas with a voice that almost sounded .
“Fine, can we go now?” asked Caden.
“Okay, first let me give you a wallet and a change of clothes,” said Thomas, sounding a little calmer.
He handed him a tacky suit and an alligator skin wallet.
“Go change and meet me in Classroom 212-B,” said Thomas, looking like he was about to explode.
Chapter II: Entering the Closet
“So, all you do is just walk through that closet and you’ll instantly be transported to the past,” exclaimed the student.
“Alright, I’ll see you later,” said Caden and he walked into the closet.
Everything was quiet until he heard his ears pop. Then, he heard talking. Lots of talking.
“Here’s another ‘man from the future’,” said the announcer.
Caden, now Nolan, walked through the “portal”, a bunch of streamers, and applause started all over.
“That’ll be one dolla’, pal,” muttered the announcer.
Caden pulled out his wallet and handed the announcer two dollars.
“Keep the change,” said Caden.
He walked off the stage and exited through a back door. That led him to the parking lot where he saw his beauty. A 1964 Jaguar E-Type, green with a California license plate. Just like Thomas had told him. He opened the door to find a modern Jaguar inside, along with his iPhone 6S, with the sign, “Universal Roaming Activated”. What the-? Caden thought to himself.
Chapter III: The Pawn Shop (or the Game Changer)
He hopped in his car and drove off. Once he saw a pawn shop, he thought, Maybe I could make some money on the side?, and stopped the car.
He walked in the pawn shop and a guy told him, “What can I get you, mi amigo?”
“I would like to bet on the Cardinal’s winning in the 1964 World Series for $8,000,000,” proclaimed Caden.
“That’s a lot of money, but hey, we’re in New York,” said the pawn shop person. “Can I see your driver’s license?” asked the man.
Caden pulled out his driver’s license and hid the address.
“Alright, I will see you tomorrow,” said the man.
As Caden is driving to the hotel, he notices a diner and pulls in. At the metal restaurant, he ordered a bacon cheeseburger, a side of onion rings, and a vanilla milkshake. It costed a cheap five dollars.
When the food came out, it looked like no one cared about health in the ’60s. You could see the grease dripping off the bacon. When Caden tried the milkshake, he could taste the pure milk, tasting the whole fat in the milk. He could also taste the cream in the whipped cream.
Chapter IV: The Mistake
The next day, Caden hops out of bed and races to the pawn shop.
“Mr. Bushnell, just the man I wanted to see,” said the man.
He handed Caden the eight thousand dollars and said he hoped to wish to see him later on in life.
Caden, just like last time, pulled into the Fair, and walked through the portal, but this time, he couldn’t get through, no matter how he tried.
“Shit, shit, shit! I just changed history,” said Caden. He thought he couldn’t get out, or so he thought?
The End for now…