Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
Kinda late for my Six Sentence Foreplay. May have to just try and see what I can come up with now, which happens to be 8:59 pm Wednesday. Actually this is a fairly frequently employed strategy, go for the ‘automatic writing’ SOC approach and leave it sit overnight. Sometimes there is a magical transformation overnight and I stay with the original, other times, well, I just come up with something.
For any new Readers: this is zoe’s Six Sentence Story bloghop. Every Thursday we are invited to write a story of 6 sentences (and only six sentences) based on/relating to or even using the week’s prompt word. This week the word is ‘back’.
“… for the last time, I assure you your harping on the dangers of temporal paradox are nothing more than the modern equivalent of the papal ban on Keppler’s work in astronomy, history is a tale of those who try to hold back the advance of science; only the fact that you contributed so much to getting to this point of having an actual time machine, ready to test, accounts for my inviting you here,” Dr. Philippe Spectorini looked lovingly at the display panel of the machine that filled the room where the two men stood.
“Philippe, I implore you, delay the experiment until we can at least develop a method to calculate the degree of risk of visiting the past,” John Case stood next to his partner, staring at the calibration wheels that would set the time jump, they showed the current time, much as would a digital clock, changing forward minutes at a time, “if we’re wrong about repercussions of moving back in time, how can we presume such power?”
“John, I’ve heard it all before, hell, just last century there was a group of scientists who believed that setting off the first atomic bomb would have triggered a chain reaction in the the oxygen of the atmosphere and destroy all life, thank God that didn’t prevent the real scientists from proceeding with the test, otherwise we would have lost the war, do you want to be the man who prevents the biggest advance in science from becoming a reality?”
John Case stood silently, looking at the Target Time calibration wheels and the single button marked, ‘Engage’.
“Now lets get this started, I can’t wait to see the face of Hitler when I show up in his childhood home,” Philippe Spectorini had the giddy enthusiasm most often observed in the very young, facing the prospect of driving a car, smoking a cigarette or having sex for the first time; before his partner could react, John Case reached to the panel, spun the calibration wheels back a little, a very, very little and, with the look of hopeful resignation seen on the faces of martyrs through the ages, hit Engage.
“… for the last time, I assure you your insistence that the dangers of temporal paradox are nothing more than the modern equivalent of the papal ban on Keppler’s work in astronomy, history is a tale of those who try to hold back the advance of science; only the fact that you contributed so much to getting to this point of having an actual time machine, ready to test, accounts for my inviting you here,” Philippe Spectorini looked lovingly at the display panel of the machine that nearly filled the room where the two men stood.
About clarkscottroger
First. And, wow.
thank you
(and) FRIST!
I wonder how many times they will repeat that cycle?
I believe (and I suspect zoe will disagree) the answer to your question is, forever
There are some powerful messages in this one, especially about sacrificing yourself for the greater good. How often people have the convoluted notion that their actions in life don’t have far reaching effect. I suspect that going back to change things, no matter how well intended, would only create other complexities and disasters, just as if we had the option to go back and change things in our own lives. Speaking for myself, there are things I would love to re-do, but I know that I would then just make equally foolish choices regarding something else. What is done cannot be undone, we can only learn from it.
The whole thing about time travel stories is the questions that they force on us, free will and such
if you enjoy that kind of thing, there is a movie in the last year or so that will totally amaze you ‘Predestination’ Ethan Hawke is in it and that’s all I’ll say. Even more amazing (having seen the movie) is that it’s based on a short story by Robery Heinlein science fiction giant and master of the time travel paradox story
Your intro sounds very elves and the shoemaker!
However there IS a small variance between the two time frames. Hmmmm…what will that change if anything?
Example?
(see my reply to Josie)
Great Heinlein story. Saw the movie on your recommendation….ex…the first sentence of the replay is worded differently.
damn my proofreading trying to edit!
lol
wait a minute! that was a one purpose!! yeah! the permutations of Free Will… clearly is what I meant!
;p
I really thought it was on purpose…like you were being subtle
yeah! absolutely!!
lol no, I simply missed the ‘Dr’ (hopefully that’s the only inconsistency), as the point is that by deliberately going back a few minutes would take him to making the same decision and going back etc…
but that movie! aiiyee (I won’t get specific because it would take the ‘holy smoke!’ out of anyone reading this first time watching it.)
Heinlein was amazing with the time travel stories
OMG I didn’t even notice the dropped dr. Its the very fist line…insistance vs harping…and yes, Heinlein the master!
Well done! Can we change anything? Or would we find out that we were part of the pattern of that past all along?
good point!
I’m a newcomer to this story. I’m intrigued, and waiting for more so I can get caught up.
Welcome to Sixville! fun (and aggravating) Thursday has totally become one of the most… significant days of the week! lol
Now that was a great trial by going back just a few seconds proved that it worked and proves that baby steps are best when trying something new. The interesting thing will be to see if he can return!
I might want to go back in time – but not really. I’d much rather travel into the future, or just stay right where I am and hypothesize.
hypothesize is good too… lol