Christmas Time Traveller- Short Story by Warren Brown

The world’s largest retailer of innovative scientific creative products on the web, has stepped into the realm of Time Travel, with the launch of its latest “Time Traveller’s Utility Pack and Travel Kit”. Moonshine Universe which is the largest seller of creative science items on the web in the 21st century released its latest inter-dimensional travel pack for the adventurous traveller in the year 2018.


The Time Travel pack comes in an ordinary looking box, by special 10 minute courier delivery no matter wherever the person is located. The delivery service for the pack is provided by that other exceptional Instant Deliveries Worldwide Network, “Safely Delivering Real Products Instantly”.

This rare Time Travel Invention pack is delivered on the 24th of December and is effective for three days only, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The reason for this time limit is due to the changes in the fabric of time, over the Christmas period, when Time Travel into the Past and Future is possible. A Time Traveller is allowed to meddle with events during this time, without having to suffer any dire consequences in the present, as this is the Christmas time zone.

CHRISTMAS EVE

It is Christmas Eve morning. Sam heard the sound of the mailbox and of letters being thrown through his door. Sam was still bleary eyed, after having returned home late from work on the 23rd of December.

Sam picked up the slim box from Moonshine Universe and took out the DVD pack. There were three instructions on the Time Travel Pack. The first was that the DVD could only be played once a year on three days, 24, 25 and 26 December. The second rule to note was that the person who viewed the DVD needed to remember three years to go back in time. On the 24th of December, you could go into your Past. On the 25th of December you could go back into some other person’s past. On the 26th of December, you could view and change your future.

Since it was Christmas Eve Sam decided to go back into his own past, the year being 1990. Sam slipped the DVD into the player and rested comfortably back on his sofa.

The fabric of Time in his present began to melt and the past was before him……

“Sammy, Sammy, have you seen my car keys?” yelled Sam’s father Rick.

“No Dad” said the ten year old, with a glint in his eye, “You must have dropped it somewhere.”

“I remember keeping the keys on the side table as I came in last night”, said Sammy’s father.

“Rick, are you ready yet”, said Jane, Sammy’s Mother, who was busy dressing up to go to for dinner and the cinema with her husband. Sammy was going to stay at home with the babysitter, Susie who had arrived ten minutes ago.

“Call a Cab, if you cannot find your car keys, dear”, said Jane, as she walked down the stairs in her green dress and white pearl necklace. “Jane, you look beautiful”, said Rick. “Now don’t delay Rick and call the cab fast or we’ll be late for the movies”, said Jane with her lovely smile.

Rick dialled the Cab company. “Yes, and how long will it take to arrive? In ten minutes, great!” said Rick on the phone.

“I wonder where I kept those car keys!” said Rick still searching for it. Sammy was just hoping that the Cab would take time to arrive. Sammy had hidden the car keys to make sure that his Dad and Mum did not use their car that night.

“The Cab has arrived”, yelled Susie the babysitter. Rick and Jane got ready to leave as the cab pulled into the drive-way. “Take care of Sammy”, said Jane, “You got our numbers to call in an emergency”, as she rushed out of the door with Rick going ahead.

Sammy spent the evening with Susie watching a few old cartoons on television, after he had his dinner. Sammy was anxiously hoping that everything was okay with his parents. It was eleven in the night and his parents had not yet returned…

The DVD stopped working and Sam was brought back into his Present Time. Had he succeeded in saving his parents who had both died in a car accident, in 2000AD when he was just ten years old?

Sam looked around his bedroom nervously to spot for any evidence of their presence in his life today. There was nothing.

Sam rushed to look at the card rack in his living room, near the Christmas tree. He feverishly looked at the row and neatly placed in the corner was a colourful card, “Merry Christmas Son!”

Sam breathed a huge sigh of relief and said loudly, “Thank God for Christmas and when Miracles are possible!”


CHRISTMAS DAY

Today is Christmas Day. Sam woke up from sleep and was ready to go for Mass at the local Church. The events of the previous day were wiped out from his memory.

Sam was at the Christmas Mass and as he looked around he felt the Spirit of Christmas fill his mind and his heart. He thought of his girlfriend April who was working as a volunteer for a social service organization in Africa and would arrive back home in the New Year.

Suddenly Sam thought about April’s teenage brother Nick who had disappeared from home a year ago and who was still missing. Maybe if he could go back into the past a day before the disappearance he could prevent Nick from disappearing from home.

When Sam returned home, he slipped in the Time Travel DVD and set off to 2017 back in Time to find Nick. Since Time Travel did not take much time, he would be gone from the present for a few minutes only.

As the DVD started playing, Sam watched his Present dissolve in the Past…..

It was the 14th of June and Sam was with April at her home, with her parents. Nick was nowhere around.

“Sam, will you and April come for Lunch”, said Hillary, April’s Mum. Sam and April who were in the living room, walked into the dining room, where April’s Dad and Mum were waiting to start their meal.

“Where is Nick?,” said Sam who was wondering where the teenager was, as he needed to prevent his from disappearing the next day. Sam and April sat down to have their meal, which was a delicious meal prepared by April’s Mum who was a great chef. The rest of the evening passed off uneventfully with April’s Dad, telling them jokes and her Mum telling them entertaining stories about the old days.

Before Sam left April and her family, he told them to tell Nick that he was going to take him fishing the next day. Since Sam did not see Nick that day, he hoped that he would get the message. Nick was very interested in fishing and this was an offer which he would not be able to resist.

When Sam came back from his Time Travel into his present, he was excited and anxious to see if his mission to save Nick was successful.

Sam checked his Christmas cards and photographs to see if Nick was in any of them. Then as Sam was about to give up, he glanced at the Travel sheet which was on his desk. On the flight plan was mentioned the Arrivals of two passengers, April and her brother Nick, who had accompanied his sister on her trip to do voluntary work in Africa.

Sam had succeeded in saving Nick, his Time Travel Kit had worked. Sam’s Time Travel had only taken ten minutes and he was ready to leave for the Airport to meet April and her brother Nick on Christmas Day! Merry Christmas and the gift of Time Travel, where we can relive all the happy Memories of the past!

BOXING DAY

Sam woke up early on Boxing Day. Today is Boxing Day, thought Sam to himself and the last day to try his Time Travel Kit for the year. Sam was going to see the future and change the future if possible. Would Sam like his future and could he change it?

He ate his breakfast and then decided to relax for a while in his living room. Sam needed only ten minutes to time travel into his future in 2028. He did need to get back in time to rush to meet his parents and then to meet April for a trip to the amusement park.

Sam slipped the time Travel DVD into the machine and then watched his present vanish before his eyes…. into the future…..

The time traveller looked around worried as everything seemed unfamiliar. He saw wild animals in cages, he saw a pretty blonde woman he did not recognize, he also saw two young children walking in front of them. “Sam darling”, said the blonde, “you look like you’ve seen a ghost”. “No, I’m fine sweetheart”, “my mind was just drifting away.” She gave him a kiss affectionately and slipped her arm around his waist. Sam looked down at her adoring eyes, and spotted her pendant with “Anna”, in gold letters shining brightly.

He wondered why he had arrived into this future in Time and as he looked ahead of him, he knew why!! Sam was shocked to see his young son walking along the narrow ledge over the crocodile pit in the zoo. “Anna, stay calm, as I walk slowly over to him”, said Sam. “Oh my God,” whispered Anna, “go slowly towards Adam, catch him before he falls.”

Silently he moved, it seemed like in slow motion, Sam moved towards Adam. But, as Sam was a few feet away from Adam he saw the boy slip over the ledge. He moved fast. Sam lunged forward and managed to grab onto the end of Adam’s shirt. “Hold on, Adam, I’ll get you out,” yelled Sam. He could hear a lot of movement in the background as he struggled to hold onto the boy’s shirt which was gradually tearing with the weight of the child. Sam used his two hands and started to pull the boy from the ledge. He felt people holding onto him from behind. He just hoped he could save his son. The future began to shift and the scenery changed in front of Sam…….

Sam was back in the present and he had only lost ten minutes of his time. Sam rushed to get ready to leave for the Airport to meet his girlfriend April and her brother Nick.

As April rushed to meet Sam at the Airport, he could not help thinking about the future, the wife, the two children, was it real, was it Time Travel or was it just his imagination? Maybe he could again try his Time Travelling Experiment next year. Only Time would tell if he did change his future….. Have a Happy New Year!

An Original Short Story by Warren Brown
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