Strange reflection – Me myself and I

“You don’t understand. You think you do, but it’s obvious you don’t.” the old guy looks at Travis with an intensity that seems to bore right through him. They have been at it for over an hour and he feels like he’s no better off than when they started. He understands it’s experimental. It also stands to reason that it’s dangerous as a result. However, there must be some room for an exception. And, as if reading Travis’ his thoughts, the old guy starts again.

“There is no going back. It’s a one way trip. Although this is the short version, that’s how they learned to avoid one of the key paradoxes. Going back, means only one way,” he looks at Travis with that intensity, it’s like looking in a mirror. There’s still much he hasn’t shared with Travis. Won’t share. Says it’s against the rules. And that’s where they hit the sticking point. If it’s one way, who’s going to know? So why all the secrecy? Furthermore, it’s maddening because he’s arguing with himself.

There’s no way to win an argument with oneself. One side or the other is already in control. It’s that inside information his old teacher Mr. Robertson used to talk about. However, he feels certain his old teacher wouldn’t have considered this possibility. An internal debate was one thing. A physical encounter was another. The only thing either Travis knew for certain was that they didn’t have to worry about being in the same room together. So far no one imploded or blinked out of existence. Yet.

Strange Reflection

The only thing Travis knows for certain is that he is a blockhead. And he can’t ever remember being this dense. In fact, he has always been pleased with his ability to be open minded. So open minded, he changed everything with just one decision. Furthermore, there is more at stake here than he can possibly convey in the short amount of time he has on this trip. One way indeed. He wonders if it’s even fair to call it a trip. There was so much riding on this.

He remembers everything from twenty five years ago. Including the decisions he will make five years from now. The ones that will change his life. However, that isn’t why he returned to his own past. It’s not like there weren’t other options. However, none of those had any chance of changing anything. Additionally, the technology he used to get here, is very new and limited to only a few. Likewise, there was the agreement to consider.

The agreement is simple. It’s a one way trip. No matter when the traveler chooses to go, it can only happen once. And surprisingly, that’s almost the only paradox. Turns out all the super strange things only happen when trying to move ahead in time. Ten years from now the first discoveries begin to happen. From there everything is on a fast track. Especially right after first contact. Humanity changes dramatically after that.

Me Myself and I

Travis sits in his former garage remembering the days he spent here. The odd thing is, he has no memory of meeting himself. However, that is another of the misconceptions. Those, and a few other myths, quickly vanished as the technology of time travel advanced. For example, the misconception that it was impossible for him to communicate with himself in the past. Or that he couldn’t come into contact with himself in the past, because he would cancel himself out.

In fact, those things couldn’t be further from the truth. Due to the fixed point theory, time actually is relative. To certain fixed points. Then of course there are pages of mathematics that support everything. The point is, he can communicate with his past self, and not get cancelled out. And it’s possible to influence a timeline. However, it takes a considerable amount of planning and effort and there’s no guarantee any of it will work.

Because it’s a one way trip? His skin breaks out in goose bumps as he thinks about what happens at departure time. He had to get through to himself. It is incredibly important. However, he has no choice but to abide by the rules. And there are rules. Some might even consider them consequences. Subsequently, that’s how he knows that he doesn’t understand himself. However, he remembers his old garage. Being here again, after all these years, feels bittersweet. A reflection of home.

My Reflection

He just needs to trust himself a little more. Furthermore, why wouldn’t he? After all, he is talking about his own self. If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust? Likewise, he doesn’t doubt what is happening here. He’s always had an open mind. He didn’t believe himself at first, and it wasn’t because he didn’t trust that technology couldn’t advance so far in his lifetime. It was because he couldn’t accept that he turns into such an ass in the future.

Except that wasn’t it either. While it’s true he just spent a couple of hours arguing with himself over stupid things, he actually feels impressed with himself. Impressed with this older version of himself. The one that is now residing in his garage. He must do okay for himself, in the future, since he can afford to time travel. It’s a one way trip. The words echo in his mind. They’re his words. And for some reason they feel ominous now. He knows he has an agenda. Just not what it is, or why.

Trust

With this in mind, he thinks he just needs to trust himself a little more. He grabs the last two books and leaves the attic. He isn’t sure what his future self wants with these family records, but apparently they are almost priceless. Another mystery, but there’s no real time to worry about that at the moment. No time for reflection. There’s very little time left. Another of his older self’s cryptic statements. It makes no sense. He’s a time traveler. He should have all the time in the world. And that’s when the door to the garage explodes inward. Then all hell breaks loose.

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reflection

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