Far From Home

I am Dr. Julia Jones, the head scientist of New Jersey Research Station. Today, as I stand before the renovated laboratory, fragments of thoughts come flooding my mind.

In those days, I had just finished working on my Time Machine. A fine little thing to marvel! A silver round body with antennas and levers, two seats all the things required for a real time travel.... I had worked pretty hard building that. I remember calling a meeting with fellow researchers and scientists to boast about my creation.

How envious Jeffery was! He glanced and exclaimed,” Only this? It is smaller than an elephant!”

My fellow scientist, Jeffery, that day, had challenged my mettle. I swelled with rage and commanded him to try it for himself. I felt a little uneasy but entered into the machine. He sat next to me. With pulse racing fast, I adjusted the clock, pressed the buttons and together, set off for the unknown. The machine shook vigorously for sometime and stopped. The door opened with a flash! We saw ..... a huge Pterodactyl and some Brachiosaurs munching leaves of tall trees. I pinched myself to make sure if I was dreaming... no!

Jeffery pushed me aside and went ahead. “Are you seeing this, Jones?” I followed him quietly, not being sure of what to say. Suddenly, a T-Rex barged into the scene and I pulled him in and slammed the door!

I pushed a red button. Few shakes, then calmness.

Our door opened. A completely different Earth.... Huge machines were walking from here to there. “Where are the humans?” I shuddered. “Is this our future? Is it so that with us being less humane, our weaknesses are exposed and Machines have taken the upper hand!” I longed to return. But that Jeffery! He had to push me and go ahead. Within seconds I saw him touching a robot and crumbling into pieces!

Oh! What a scene! I ran wildly into my machine, pressed a white button this time and rammed into something. Before passing out, I somehow could see some humans picking me up.... Humans! Thank goodness!

I was back in present in the machine that had crashed onto my laboratory. In the following three weeks of my hospitalization, I kept thinking of Jeffery, the poor fellow. Also, of our bleak future that I glimpsed and the chance I got, to create a better one.