CHAPTER TEN

Sleeping loosely, Mitchell stirred well before any sunlight hit the bedroom window and slipped into a mechanical mode of times gone by.

He fumbled blindly through the darkness to a desk constituting his ‘home office’ and flicked on the lamp. Instantly elongated beams grew up the wall dazzling him momentarily. Peanut roused with the abnormality and Mitch opened the back door to let her out, and the cooler air in. She diligently sat at his feet as he grabbed a pencil and began to scribe the notes of his sleepless night.

 Next Trip

•     Albert – a necessity

•     Peanut – a backup – bring leash

•     1 x red handkerchief

•     1 x green handkerchief

•     2 x alarm clocks – must have countdown timer

Planning

•     Shopping

•     Call Albert

•     Memorable thing to say

Timing

•     ASAP

•     Follow up next day

Purpose

•     Can it happen?

Those forty-five words took over an hour to write. Partly because Mitch had traced over some key words five or six times, but mostly because he’d thought long and hard about executing the plan. Could his theory be true? It wasn’t a blueprint schematic; however, the best he could conjure at such an hour.

The first hint of daylight was still an hour away and although Peanut was again sound asleep, Mitchell was wide-awake. Anxious to contact Albert and set his plan into motion. He went over the steps time after time; so much so that the little sheet of paper was almost black from the lead of the pencil. The words linked with countless arrows and loops defining all the possible variables no matter how unlikely. He’d tried to cover every angle.

‘I’m calling him’ came the voice in his head. Mitch had waited long enough. His phone was still by the bed, and on the way back down the stairs it read almost 7:00 am. He scrolled through the contacts finding Albert’s near the top, and with unbridled excitement pressed the ‘call’ button. The distinctive dial tone rang in his ear.

“Hello?”

“Albert, hi it’s Mitchell. I’m sorry to ring so early, how are you?”

“Mitchell, good morning. What time is it?” Albert replied in a more controlled tone than his caller.

“I need to see you.” Mitch apologised again for the timing of the call then blurted out his need to explain everything in person. “This can’t be done over the phone.”

How’s Your Day Bean? 10:00 am was agreed and Mitchell ended the call feeling perhaps the timing wasn’t as ideal as his excitement told him three minutes before.

It was Sarah’s day off which would prove a blessing given the enormity of the conversation. Mitch needed to focus. He felt guilty for not calling her since their last chat was cut short, and in truth, he’d all but forgotten his date with her. The last twenty-four hours were consumed by his recent discovery.

Laura the cafe junior brought two pre-ordered coffees to the table as Albert clicked his way to join Mitchell. He found his seat with ease and took time to settle, folding his cane with no clear urgency, resting it as always across his lap. For the first time Mitch could recall, Albert then removed his glasses. Striking, deep blue eyes, with pupils larger and darker than Mitch had ever seen stared through him. Albert placed the glasses on the table and smiled as widely as his companion. Despite the twitching of Mitchell’s right leg and his eagerness to open the conversation, he respectfully waited for Albert to settle.

“Mitchell, what’s happened?” he began with ever-present insight. “You’ve been to the plate, I know…I can tell.  What have you discovered?”

There was no denying it. Albert was intuitive; but Mitch was too energised to dwell on that. He seized the opening and spoke frantically while Albert enjoyed his coffee. Mitchell explained Peanuts disappearance, yesterday’s trip, and lastly his own movement beyond the plate. He then, and most importantly, detailed his hypothesis triggering todays’ early morning phone call. Mitch described everything save his dinner with Sarah and her words being the catalyst to this point. Albert returned his cup to the saucer and dropped his chin neatly into a ‘V’ formed by his hands as his elbows rested on the table. He looked through Mitchell deeply - which was a little off putting - remaining silent for an eternity.

“Mitchell, this is a fascinating discovery. Explains a great deal. I now understand your excitement,” Albert paused before venturing, “From what you’re telling me, when we go back to the past not only can we leave the confines of the plate, but you’re saying we can move around and remain in that time. Albeit for only ninety-nine minutes. Returning to the plate, and as such, back to the present”

“YES! Albert, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” Mitchell responded happily. He was thankful Albert not only believed him, but understood the concept. “Do you see what this means Albert? We can change the past!”

Mitchell was delighted by that more than anything else. He didn’t carry a list of regrets, nor many things he wished to change, there was however one thing he’d dreamt of more than anything. It wasn’t money or his job; it was Juliana. A chance to be with Juliana again. A selfish thought, but to Mitchell everything. He dare not mention that to Albert but it kept him awake for most of the night and believed was the reason the ‘plate’ had found him.

“Albert, by stopping Peanut stepping onto the plate, and ultimately entering the past, my intervention effectively changed the past.”

“And consequently, the future?” Albert added; his head still in his hands and eyes buried deep into Mitchells’. “So, what do you have in mind Mitchell? There’s a plan I can tell, and if you want me involved, you need to tell me everything. I’ll do what you ask. I’ve nothing to lose, but an old blind man needs to be prepared.”

Mitchell knew Albert was on board but to explain his early morning etchings, another round was needed. He caught Laura’s attention while the two friends began discussing his plan.

“Mitchell are you positive a return to the plate after ninety-nine minutes is possible. No matter where you are?” Albert asked for maybe the fourth time.

“Yes. I’ve seen it twice. Well I saw it once, and did it myself the second time,” Mitchell answered. To be sure though, he recounted his delirium of Peanut disappearing then returning to the plate seemingly from thin air. He didn’t have to think too hard about his own return.

“Are you familiar with the notion of ‘alternate realities’?” Albert enquired calmly, a little out of context.

“Not really. I’ve heard the term before. Isn’t it the belief that any changes made in the past, say at a pivotal moment in history, would trigger an alternate future moving forward?” Mitchell said like a schoolboy.

“Well done Mr Atherton. That is pretty much it; however, it can be explored further to suggest there are infinite parallel timelines that all life runs through. Any changes in the past of one timeline will set off a tangential timeline from that point forward. Now, while those parallel timelines coexist, they are not interdependent, and at no point do they meet. Basically, changes made to one timeline will only affect that reality moving forward. The original timeline from where the changes were made will still run the course it had been taking and remain unaltered.”

Mitch found the concept daunting to comprehend with little sleep, but the two coffees were beginning to help.

“Wooah!!! So that suggests any changes will alter the future, but only of that parallel timeline…and not the one you are living in now… It’s almost like you’ll never see the handiwork of changing the past in your present,” Mitchell surmised. He thought for a moment while Albert finished his coffee before adding.

“However, I read only days ago about Einstein’s’ theorem that time is relative. That is, the past, present and the future exist simultaneously, which completely disputes that idea. But to be honest, I struggled getting my head around it.” It was apparent both men had spent their last few days researching time travel and its related theories.

“Well, let’s do what Einstein couldn’t …lets test it out.” That was music to Mitchell’s ears.

“What are you doing today, can we try it out today?”

“No time like the present is there Mitchell,” Albert retorted.

Mitchell led Albert from the café to a nearby department store reading through the shopping list compiled earlier that morning. They meandered through the aisles to find the electrical department in search of an alarm clock. Well actually two. Mitchell read functions list printed on the box to Albert, both agreeing it would serve their purpose. They also bought a fresh set of batteries to ensure no failure in their experiment: they then searched the menswear department where they selected two handkerchiefs, one red and one green.

“Well that was the easy part Albert. You hungry?” Mitchell asked noticing the time was now past midday. His growling stomach confirmed the same. They bought a few sandwiches and began walking to Mitch’s house to enjoy their lunch. There they could go over the plan one more time. Peanut was delighted to see Albert again, enjoying his attention while Mitchell prepared lunch.

“No scotch today I’m sorry. But maybe when we get back,” he hollered through the kitchen window. “So, you’ve been doing some reading too Albert?” Mitchell teased before taking a large bite into his sandwich.

“Yes, Mitchell I have. Our discussion a few nights ago aroused greater interested in our little secret. Perhaps because I have you to discuss things with, or maybe there is more to this plate than I ever imagined. Regardless, when you said ‘there must be more to this’ it gave me new belief. I’ve been reading everything I could about time travel, seeking the opinions of those more expert than you and I,” Albert admitted in a complimentary way he hoped Mitchell picked up on.

“I didn’t know you were computer savvy Albert. Man of many talents?” Mitch again said teasingly between chews.

“You’re too one-dimensional Mr Atherton,” Albert taunted back. “Have you never heard of a library?”

There was a municipal library not far from the local shopping centre that Albert had been frequenting for years. As with all libraries nowadays, it was under patronised and often forgotten with instant access to reading and reference material on phones and computers. The library though had a large braille and ‘speaking book’ collection perfect for Albert. He’d spent countless hours enjoying all manner of subjects under the watchful eye of Ms Albright; the librarian whom he suspected was instrumental in gathering such a large collection. She had also over the years, and probably just for Albert, installed a computerised reference library with ‘text to voice’ capabilities enabling the visually impaired to type in a search topic; just like Google, however, the findings were ‘read out’ in an annoying computerised voice. Albert could often be seen parked in front of a flickering screen with large bulbous earphones adorning his head.

With lunch finished Mitchell opened their earlier purchases and loaded both alarm clocks with a new set of batteries. He toyed with the function button on one of them and explained the countdown timer to Albert. He adjusted the volume to high on both clocks but selected a different alarm chime for each. By now Albert was taking the plastic wrap from the green handkerchief and mockingly said,

“I’ll take the green one, I think green is my colour,” laughing very heartedly.

Mitch wondered if that was a lucky guess, a fifty - fifty shot, but now understood Albert better and wouldn’t put anything beyond the man’s capabilities.

The red handkerchief was similarly unwrapped and Mitchell ruffled both from their neatly folded squares. Only his shoes and Peanuts’ leash were left on the checklist and Mitch knew the sight of both would ensue a barking frenzy. He checked with Albert one last time to see if he was ready.

“As ready as I’ll ever be Mr Atherton. Let’s go see if Einstein was justified in his equations.”

Peanut bound to be out, and despite being tethered to Mitch showed unusual restraint. Mitchell noted that, convinced Peanut was aware of their plans. She was helping in her own way. After all, she was the one who made the breakthrough of crossing the plate in reverse. The odd trio walked the prescribe route discussing each of the planned steps with military precision. Things needed to run like clockwork. An antiquated phrase Mitchell thought when dealing with time travel. But timing was essential for this to be possible.

“You nervous Albert?” Mitchell asked, hoping not to show his own trepidation.

“Not at all Mitchell. Don’t worry, I know this will work because you have done it before and I trust you implicitly. I believe in what I’ve seen and learnt many things from my recent readings.” Albert’s words were comforting, and if he were nervous Mitch couldn’t tell. As his words ended, they reached the bottom of the hill. Six eyes, four of them working, looked up toward the rise and the plate waiting at the crest. Peanut lay on the path waiting while Mitchell took the plastic bag he carried and reached into it like Santa Clause. He gave Albert the green handkerchief, being his preferred colour of course, and watched him stuff it in his left pocket, the last of it showing like a rabbit’s tail. Mitch pulled out its red cousin and did the same. Albert green, Mitchell red.

Next were the two alarm clocks. Pre-calibrated to their highest volume and set to ninety-seven minutes on the timers. Mitchell looked to Albert and quietly told him, “I’m setting the timers now. Here we go,” and simultaneously pressed the start button on both units. The numbers immediately began their descent. What followed was the only part of the plan Mitch kept secret from Albert.

“Give me your hand Albert. We need to be holding hands.”

Albert looked quizzical but to Mitchell’s surprise didn’t argue. Mitch thought it might cause Albert some concern and why he hadn’t mentioned it before. But Albert rolled his left palm upward and Mitch grabbed it with his right hand. The party renewed the journey, Albert holding Mitchell’s hand and Mitchell holding Peanut’s lead. The seriousness of the situation was broken when Albert started whistling the Wizard of Oz classic, We’re off to see the Wizard, and the two men couldn’t help but burst into laughter. They were about thirty metres from the plate when Mitchell spoke his last instructions.

“Albert, time for your memorable saying.” Something Mitch thought essential to the plans’ success. He required a distinct memory point for the link between timelines and what better way than to have one generated from someone else to avoid any ‘future’ confusion. To know the exact moment in time it was heard. He had no idea what Albert would say and that was the entire point of the step.

Albert didn’t hesitate; he’d obviously planned his words and turned to look at Mitchell.

“I never had a son Mitchell, but if I did, I would want him to be just like you. I am very proud of you. See you tomorrow.”

The words took Mitchell completely by surprise. It was the sincerity in their delivery though having more affect. Brian Atherton was an old school battler who worked hard his entire life. In his day, men rarely expressed such emotion and the generation they reared weren’t privy to regular praise. It’s just how it was. The belief men provided food and shelter and the women comfort and support. Well that’s definitely how it was for Mitchell. Perhaps a longing to hear those words from his own father made Albert’s more impactful. Just eighteen when his father died, and unaware of the importance such encouragement would have to his development, Mitchell had never given it a second thought. Until now.

Mitch had no appropriate response other than a smile. He did though make a mental note to raise it with Albert when all of this was over.

“No matter what happens Albert stick to the plan. Do what we’ve rehearsed, and I’ll see you soon.” Everything was going according to script so the two men and Peanut kept walking toward the plate. And it was soon there. Sitting as it had for years in the middle of the footpath. Isolated, forgotten, meaning little to anyone until that very moment. Albert, Peanut and Mitch stepped onto the plate holding hands.

When they’d crossed the metal boundary Mitchell reminded Albert of their final task - to continue and simply sit at the bench.

“A bit of harmless fun Albert?” Mitchell finally ventured having taken their seats. “Ok, remind me. What colour handkerchief do you have in your pocket?”

“Green of course,” came the answer. Mitch dropped his eye to Albert’s left pocket for confirmation. He asked the same question of his own handkerchief and both agreed it was red. Mitchell then handed his phone to Albert telling him to hold onto it. Unbeknown to Albert, Mitch had recorded the last two minutes of their conversation.

They chatted for the next hour and a half about nothing of importance while Peanut played her role to perfection sitting patiently at their feet. She was still clipped to her lead but no longer in Mitchell’s hand. He’d looped it over the end of one of the bench slats anticipating it safer when the time came.

Out of the quiet conversation, both clocks suddenly rang in unison with differing tones. They sat for another three minutes just to be sure, before bidding their goodbyes and making their way to their respective houses.

Alone, and without a further word of discussion.

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