Little Timmy cycled down the hood to the place they called their hideout, which was literally Bob's backyard. He looked both ways, then pushed his bicycle into a nearby bush after gripping hard on the break and making a quick C curve to stop. He pulled himself over the backyard's fence then landed across like Spiderman.
Three boys were already there, other than Bob: Mike, Rodge and Duke. They were all seated on the grass.Bob was getting his trainers pair knotted, Mike and Rodge were playing an arm-wrestle game, while Duke appeared to be the careful spectator, though more a referee.At the moment, Rodge's arm was bending to the pressure from Mike's."Get that arm back up, Rodge, you've got this!" called Duke with a serious face.Timmy watched as perspiration formed on Rodge's forehead. His eyes watched closely as sweat lined on the folds of the forehead, then slipping down his sideburns, making its way into his singlet, and finally down the hidden parts of his interior shirt."Bingo!" called Mike, raising his arm to the sky with a clenched hand in victory, attracting Bob's attention.Duke covered his face in disappointment, muttering some uneven words to himself."Give it up for Lord Duke!" Timmy said, announcing his presence. Timmy smiled, Mike had never been defeated."Hey Timothy!" waved Bob, raising from the floor. Mike waved his hand as well."Howdy mates!" the young boy replied, exchanging handshakes with each of them."How long have you been here?" asked Rodge.Timothy acted as though he were thinking, then said, "Well, I've been here long enough to watch you lose to the arm-wrestle."Bob snickered."Welcome dude, why're you late? We agreed on meeting at exactly the usual time, remember?" asked Mike.Rodge smiled, saying, "He probably slept off and woke up ten minutes after the meeting time-"Timothy shot him a wicked look. "Shut up, Rodge!""You want to tell us what happened, bruvver?" Bob asked, calmly."Yah, Old Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins called over at our house."They all raised themselves up from the grass and arched themselves in front of Timmy, waiting for an explanation; arms folded."Yo buddies, calm down. I didn't waste so much time for nothing, I've got good information you'd probably all like.""Good information, you say?" asked Rodge."What d'you mean, lad?" Duke asked."Let's settle down, I'm going to tell you all about it-""Right away, amingo!" said Bob.They all ran, together, to their favorite spot in the backyard. They called it their meeting spot. It was where they gossiped about this boy or that who's creepy, or how to unravel the secret behind a "mysterious kid" in the neighborhood. They called themselves the "Creep Hunters".They put head together, listening to Timmy's narrative."I knew it those dudes were creepy!" said Bob."But the thing is, we have got to understand why they were at Harry's home," Timmy said in an air of importance. "Anyone has an idea?"Duke raised a smirk. He had something rising in his head, at least he thought so."I do-""Well, let's hear it, lad," said Rodge, arms folded."I say we get his every movement tracked after school hours."They all nodded their approval to this. Mike raised his hand to interrupt their individual thoughts."And how do we do this?"They all ceased a moment to reflect on the posed question.Duke wasn't ready to let this one cut off his moment of praise. He stroked an imaginary beard, then said, "How many are we?""Five, dummy," said Rodge, emphasising by extending out his fingers at Duke's nose."Five. Perfect!""How is that?""Since five is an odd number, then I'll be the captain to this mission, while the remaining four of you would split yourselves in twos-""Hey, this is my mission!" Timmy interjected."But I'm the brains here," said Duke, crooking his forefinger to his forehead."Well, he's got a point there," agreed Bob."Naw, not you too!""Have you got a better idea?" asked Bob, calmly."Well, yes! We could umm. . .umm. . ." Timmy sighed as he couldn't think of even a single plan to "outbrain" Duke. He sighed and threw his hands up: "Whatever!"Ignoring this, Duke looked at the others."First things first; we get ourselves some tools, then we get 'crime hunting'."His words rattled in their ears. They nodded silently and began conceiving exciting thoughts to themselves.* * *
Anderson had been rolling on the bed for over two hours but could not find himself some sleep. He so badly wanted to experiment with the Time Machine just a stone throw away from where he lay, as soon as possible.His Smart Watch had been acting normally, but Andy was sure that there had to be a mighty upgrade he just hadn't yet noticed. He'd already noticed the version was unusually too high. He just couldn't pinpoint the difference with the former.He pushed the blanket away from his body, after wearing his glasses, then turned on the room light. The light was blinding, but it wasn't an obstacle. He walked to the point where the big machine lay then drew off the blanket.The machine was as beautiful as when he first saw it; it was beckoning. He went to his door to cross check if it was locked; locked. Remembering what Harry said about Jake and the cyborgs, he had to peep through a curtain to see if there were signs of anyone; none. Host clear.On second thoughts, he threw his pyjamas off his body, and wore something more casual.He knew it was stupid, but he was willing to give it a try. He was willing to time travel.Settling down on the single seat at the front roll of the Time Machine, Andy began to ask himself what time he'd love to visit, or who he'd have loved to see in person. The answer propped up, almost at the same time the questions played in his head.Smiling, still not understanding why he was doing what he was doing, he checked his time. It was 00:31. He connected his Smart Watch to the machine the way he was shown by Nelson. It could even connect without any of the parts of the Smart Watch touching the Time Machine.He connected the time to the generation of the 1920's. He typed the connection carriers to Germany, attaching a name to connect with: Albert Einstein.Slowly, yet with a resolved heart, Anderson pushed the green button of the Time Machine after his Smart Watch had shown success in the destination details.A glass winded over his head to shut his surrounding atmosphere from him."Welcome to the Time Channel, Professor!" said the machine.Anderson could feel a heavy vibration from within, he quickly pulled some switches, as Nelson had demonstrated. Nothing happened. Everywhere was silent, until. . .Woosh!* * *Jocelyn had been lying on her stomach reading one of Jane Austin's book, her favorite. The lamp on the desk shined a weak light on her book, just how she preferred it. She was warmed up in her thick duvet over her shoulders.She took to reading because she couldn't find some sleep that night. Reading was always how she compensated her boredom and sleep loss.As she read, she paused when she noticed Andy's room light turned on.He's also awake?She pushed the sheet over her shoulders away. A leg before the other, she snuck up to her window, hoping to get a silhouette of the lad. She couldn't.She turned off her lamp, swiftly.She watched carefully. Everything was silent for a while, but she kept her vigilance.Next, she thought she heard something, or someone, speak. Almost simultaneously, there was a strong vibration from his end, making her eyes turn wide. She feared something was wrong, she almost screamed, but had to second the thought when she realised she had, literally, nothing to back up her hypothesis save for fear.Einstein adjusted his black necktie for the third time after knotting it over and over to no avail. He cursed the stars for his folly of loosing the knot in its first place. Frustratedly, he pulled it off his neck and threw it away from him. He rolled his eyes over the hundreds of clothes in his large, German cabinet. His eyes were particular fixed on the hangers. It moved slowly, over the neatly hung clothes, till his eyes stopped on an hanger with lots of neckties. Stretching forward, he ran his hand, a little, over the ties, then reached for the hook of the hanger, pulling it out to properly observe what was hung. "I knew I should have listened to my butler about the pick of more black neckties to mixed coloured." His eyes stopped to a bow tie of just the colour he needed for the outfit. "Ah, and I thought I could avoid you for long." He raised the flap of his shirt collar up, placed the bold tie around his neck, hesitan
"I want to get something straight, you're from the future?" asked Einstein in the most comic face ever. His voice was rising, despite how he was trying to lower it. "Yes, you've got to believe me—" "And then what? Is this some kind of a joke 'cause I have something very important for my wife today, I wouldn't want to miss that. You can see she's waiting. . .you might just want to wait till we're back. Go back home—" "Please, Professor," pleaded Anderson, "there is no home. Please, believe me. I'm serious when I said I landed with the aid of a time machine. . . although not on my feet—" "Nonsense! I shan't speak with you any further. And if you press on this, I'll have to call the police on you—" "But—" "Save it," he interjected, turning against him to the taxi. "Honey, anything the matter?" asked Marić, concerned. "Nothing too serious, the child's nut!" He sl
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" came a sleep-disruptive cry over Andy's head which got him startled. Brushing his eyes, he retorted, "Dad, what was that for?!" "I'm not your father, lad, it's me — Albert Einstein the great," came the reply, with a slight chuckle. "Albert what?!" Andy threw his hand under the pillow over his head and fished out his glass case. He placed his spectacle on his nose, sluggishly. "Oh, the Time Machine—" he muttered to himself. "Get your bath, immediately, we've work to do today. I got you some clothes that could take you for a couple of days," said Einstein, pointing to a waist-length drawer. He added, "When you're done, grab a quick meal from the kitchen, Marić's in the dining. I'll be at the laboratory, just so you don't get mixed up with the apartments in this house, ask my wife to show it to you." Anderson's head was processing his words, quickly.
Day 2 in the Past; Second Hour in Time. "So tell me, what's the worst thing that has ever happened to you. . .and hand me that screwdriver over there, will you?" Andy sighed and kept his hands working on the internal wires of the robot. He stole a glance at Einstein, wondering why he broke the "official silence"; at least that's what Andy called the silence he loved to maintain during working period. The same one Harrison everly broke. For Einstein, Andy saw him as just the best person to work with, he was in every way just like him. Einstein's theme was: "Speed and accuracy." "What's the worst thing that has ever happened to you?" he asked again. Andy passed the screwdriver, slowly. As indifferently as can be, he said, "Losing my mum." Einstein asked, "Losing by divorce or death?" "Death." Without going through the common process of begging pardons, Einstein continued — eyes still untu
Day 3 in the Past; Third Hour in Time.There are certain times in life when all that matters is never to give up, but just to keep pushing. That's one lesson Andy, himself, had learnt to live with.Inventing was cool and funny, but none ever denied the fact that it was also very stressful. Nevertheless, never a reason to let go even when it seemed impossible.And as his mother had always put it, "If you've got a goal, never let up on it, pursue it till you know you've had it in your hand. And after having it, make sure it was worth the stress." He never forgot those words. Even after so many years, they still remained valid to him.Balancing his teenage life with his goals had never been an easy score for Andy. Yet, he still managed to pull through. He was weird, the whole school knew he was, yet another truth for sure was that this weirdo was one cherished weirdo.Every time Andy failed on something he was working on, he always found his failure as a challe
Dingdong! "Don't worry, Honey, I'll get that," said Hanson, wiping his hands with a towel. "Who could it be?" asked Elizabeth. "You don't have any unfinished businesses on Sunday, now, do you?" Hanson smirked and walked out of the kitchen to see who rang the bell. He was sure it was Anderson, again. Quickly, he grabbed the knob of the door and pulled it in, only to behold an entirely different person. "My!" said Hanson. "Surprise, Dad!" "Surprise, Grandpa!" Right before him was Edward (his son) and his grandsons. "Oh, Edward!" he threw an arm around the shoulder of his son, while with the other hand he used in pulling his grandsons to himself. "Grandpa, come look what we got you!" Erickson was saying, pointing to the car with a finger. "Yeah!" agreed the ever excited Edison. "Okay, okay!" said Hanson after having unlocked from the brace.
"Mike, why would you even think of doing such a thing?!" Amanda Edgeton thundered."Look, I don't need your permission on how to do my stuffs, so face off!" came the reply of Michael Edgeton.He paced about in the room, and slowly raised the cigarette in-between his forefinger and middle finger to his mouth. Then, he deeped his hand into his waistcoat and fished for his lighter. Unsuccessful with that pocket, he moved to the other, then to his trouser pockets where he found it in the left side of it.Amanda Edgeton stared at her husband in confusion, hatred and hopelessness mixed with love and pity, still holding the single documented file in her right hand."Yeah, that's what you've been saying: not ever wanting a permission. Whereas all I've ever wanted was your love and consideration, even if it's not as from your wife, but at least as the mother of your teenage son, for crying out loud!"As Michael lighted the cigarette, he shaded the fire from the light
Dave Buttigieg paced around the garage with a spanner in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. He muttered a curse to none in particular then uncapped the bottle, gulping down the water in a steady rythme. Turning around, he jerked at the sound of a container that was kicked. "Why're you alarmed?" asked his brother Luke, just walking in. Dave screwed his eyes at him. "And where are you coming from?" Luke advanced towards him. "Is that a question for a question, now, li'l' bro?" Dave looked the other way. "Thing is, I'm in fear these days. I do not trust that bloke." Luke smiled. "Why exactly? Can't you be a man for once?" He got closer to Dave and observed the swell of Dave's right eye, then added: "Just 'cause you were a total failure to Jake's mission doesn't mean you can't do be'er." Dave heaved out, but it wasn't that of relief.