Bradbury Collection

Coal Complication (Bradbury Week 6)

529 words

Tilly knew Brad was from an alternate timeline. She also knew his Time Machine was parked in her backyard. He had gone through extensive detail on how to use it; it responded to voice commands. Brad was asleep.

It was just after midnight when Tilly snuck into the backyard and quietly slid the door open, and closed it silently behind her. She ordered the door of the Time Machine to open, and it popped out just as Bradley had described. She got in, and ordered the door to close behind her.

She took off three years into the past, and told the onboard computer to alter history, so that the politicians and corporations would shut down all the coal mines in the United States, and to shut down all of the coal power plants there, too.

When she got back to her backyard and parked the Time Machine where Brad had left it, she came in and turned on the television. A news reporter was mentioning that the depression was in its second year, with no hope of abatement.

Tilly was astonished; there had been no depression when she left earlier that night for the past. Obviously, she was somehow responsible. She wasn’t sure if she should awaken Brad and let him know what she had done. Would he be angry?

She pulled out her electronic tablet and got online. There were dozens of news articles about the depression. It was worse than the one that hit in 1929.

Tilly took a chance and awakened Brad. She explained everything.

“You think that’s something new?” Bradley asked. “There has been a depression in your timeline for the past two years.”

Apparently, Bradley was affected by the new timeline and didn’t recall how things were originally here in Tilly’s timeline.

She ran toward the sliding glass door to exit the house and return to correct the past, but Brad tackled her down.

“I don’t want you interfering with your timeline!” Brad shouted.

“I already did!” Tilly replied. “That’s how all of this happened! I shut down the coal mines and the coal power plants!”

“If you did, that was pretty stupid!” Brad replied. “You can’t make carbon steel without coal, and thousands of industries rely on carbon steel!”

“Can you at least check your time vehicle and see if anyone has been inside of it besides you?” Tilly asked.

Brad agreed, and walked with Tilly to the backyard. He commanded the door to open and went inside. Sure enough, the passenger log showed that Tilly had gone back and made changes to the recent past.

“I don’t usually fix other people’s screw ups, but for you, I’ll make an exception! Go inside, the present should be restored back to normal once I’m gone.”

Brad took off in the Time Machine, and Tilly went inside and turned on the news. All mention of a depression was gone; the timeline was restored. Tilly was tempted to get on her cellular phone and call her mother and explain what had happened, but knew she could possibly be put on a psychiatric hold, so she had to keep this little time travel adventure to herself.

The End