The Physicist

A physicist creates a working time machine. But will it help him discover what he did wrong?

    A well-known physicist, having earned the Nobel Prize for discovering how gravity works, now sits in his basement lab pondering over a large device in front of him.
    He holds his hands cupped in front of his face, as if in a tight prayer. A clock ticks away time behind him. Suddenly he smiles and spins his chair around in half a circle, kicks off from the floor and glides to the other side of the basement.
    Along the painted black walls of his homemade lab are shelves stacked with books, notebooks, and various instruments he uses to magnify the astronomical world. Lab tables are organized and cleared, leaving space for any immediate project.
    The basement lights flicker as the physicist glides right to his desk where a notebook lay open and a pen rests at ready on top. He begins writing a couple thoughts down when he hears a knocking sound from the top of the staircase.
    Without looking up from his scribbled notes, he curves his lips to invite the source of the sound to enter. But before his voice could sound off the walls, there is a squeak of the first step as the guest descends the stairs.
    The physicist continues scribbling down his thoughts.
    “Honey, dinner is almost ready,” his wife says as she completes her journey to the basement by taking one last step onto the black painted floor.
    “Could you send one of the kids down with it for me? I’m in the middle of a thought.”
    His wife sighs and turns her attention to the device across the room.
    “This time machine is taking up a lot of your time,” she comments.
    Now the physicist finally looks up from his notes. A smile curled his lips at the mention of his latest project.
    “Ironic, isn’t it? But once it’s successfully running, I’ll have all the time in the world!” he announces.
    His wife gave him a weak smile. “How much longer do you think it’ll take?” she asks then steps toward the metallic box with knobs and buttons she couldn’t begin to understand.
    “Well,” the physicist begins. “Not long now, Sweetheart. I’m just fiddling with the design but I’m proud to say that it’s ready for it’s first test trip through time.”
    “Oh! That’s lovely, dear,” she says and reaches out to squeeze his arm in approval. “Then perhaps, you could take a break and spend this evening with the kids?”
    The physicist pulls away gently from her. “Oh no…. Not yet. I’m this close. Very close to discovering the secret of time!” He returns to his desk to scoop up the notebook. “I’m so close, it’s unimaginable! And my critics think it’s impossible. Hmph, I’ll show them impossible!”
    “Well, that’s good for you dear. I’m proud of you and the kids are too,” she walks to where he stands with his notebook and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “And once you take a trip through time and come back here, please, do share with me, what you had done wrong.” She turns and walks back up the stairs. The squeaks of the staircase were soft and sure, rhythmic and precise. Just like the insistent ticking of a clock.

Author's Note

Please comment on what you liked, what you didn't like, what could be improved on and all that jazz. : )

Reviews

[SR Urie]

Hi Merry,
I liked your story. The way it's put together almost makes the device conceiveable - in time. But what makes the text really enjoyable is how your words flow smoothly, the tone and rythym interesting enough to want to read more, to hear what happens when the physicist actually mashes the buttons and turns the knobs and begins a journey, hopefully not falling on his face or blowing his house up.

If I may, dialogue sometimes contains full sentences between statements, requiring captialization at the beginning of the sentence. Aside from that one little grammatical error your text is perfect, and it seems to be a great start to a book, a prologue if you will.

Good job, ma'am. Keep it up!
BZ