Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 1

Mary sat at the table, next to John. She reached out to pick up her teacup, but as she did so, John reached over and took hold of her hand.

Margaret, standing by the sideboard, looked over and smiled.

“I guess he always was fond of you, Mary. You have known him for so many years, even with the recent gap. He doesn’t reach out for anybody else’s hand you know. People think he has no wits at all, but he must have remembered you, even though we haven’t seen you since ...”

Margaret stopped, looking across the room at the photo of her younger son.

“I mean, it must mean something, don’t you think?” Margaret continued, after a pause.

Mary was looking at John’s wrist as he held her hand. “What happened to the old watch that he found?” she asked. “He looked so pleased to have found it.”

“I put it in a drawer in his bedroom. I put it there on the night that he found it ... as I was putting him to bed. I suppose I must have forgotten about it ... you know ... since you haven’t come around for a few days.”

“I haven’t been very well,” said Mary. “Just a cold, but I didn’t want you to catch it. My mum’s had me tucked up in bed for days. You know how it is.”

Margaret smiled at the simple reference to a show of family affection.

“So, have you still got the old watch?” Mary persisted. “I think John would enjoy wearing it.”

Margaret put down her teacup and walked up to John’s bedroom. She came back holding the watch, handing it over to Mary. Mary briefly scrutinised the watch, but, looking up, she saw that John was holding his hand towards her. She didn’t know if it was because he wanted to hold her hand, or because he was waiting for her to strap the watch onto his wrist. Pulling John’s hand closer to her, she gently fastened the watch onto his wrist. As she did so, she felt an almost imperceptible electric shock. Like the static electricity you sometimes felt if you stroked a cat’s fur. She pulled her hand away in response, but then fearing that she might have upset John, she immediately took hold of John’s hand again with both of hers, the hand to which the watch was strapped. John was showing some vague alarm, so she continued holding his hand until his features relaxed.