Microwaves and Oranges

300-word story: A man discovers that he can travel back in time and cause pretty cool consequences.

Last week I discovered that I can travel backwards in time and return to the exact moment I departed from, so that was cool.

When I do it there are no noises or special effects or anything like that, I just appear there. I'm really glad that I don't materialise inside a wall or with a horse-drawn cart cutting me in half, as that would really spoil the experience. What happens to the dust floating around the space I suddenly enter is anybody's guess, but the fact that I haven't dropped down dead due to air bubbles in my bloodstream proves that there's some kind of natural safety mechanism in place. Pretty awesome, yeah?

I think what's possibly even more fun than visiting the past is coming back to the present and seeing what's changed. Like on my first trip, when I went to 1602 and bumped into Shakespeare. He was alright. Anyway, I transported back home and everything's as it was, except there's this weird box in my kitchen. Apparently it's called a microwave and considered a common household appliance, but it's the first I've heard of it. It's useful though – perfect for heating up leftover pizza.

On another occasion I witnessed the age of the dinosaurs, only to return and find that blues aren't called blues anymore, they're called oranges. And get this: they actually are orange, including the juice that comes out of them. Crazy.

​But yeah, long story short, I'm a time traveller. So far the only consequences of my adventures are the invention of an oven that uses electromagnetic waves and accidentally changing the colour of a popular fruit. I think the next thing I'll do is go see what my grandma was like as a young woman. What's the worst that could happen?
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Copyright © 2020 Rich Sutherland
​Image: Nick Fewings

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