future, just to see what happens. I guess I’d have to make a
list.” His vision blurred for a moment as he watched Marty McFly struggle to
make it to school on time. “Wow,” he said. “This tequila is strong .”
“I brought you the good stuff,” Sally
said. “You feeling it?”
“I want to try some,” Jeffrey said.
“This would knock you right out,
little cat,” Sally said. “You’d need to gain about a hundred pounds of body
weight first.”
“Aw,” Jeffrey pouted.
Oliver had seen Back to the Future half a dozen times over the years, which was just as well tonight. In addition
to his intermittent blurred vision, he was starting to feel dizzy. The tequila
seemed to have no effect on Sally at all, though. She kept peppering him with
questions about time travel. “Just think about it,” she said. “ Think ,
Oliver. We’ve got a working time machine. We can do anything we want with it.”
Oliver rubbed his eyes. In the
distance he heard a faint noise that sounded like rushing water. He looked
toward the kitchen. Had one of them left a faucet going? “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Jeffrey asked. “I know I
can’t hear this movie, because everyone keeps talking.”
Oliver was sure he hadn’t left a
faucet on, but now the sound of the rushing water was growing louder. He
recognized the sound now, though. It wasn’t really water at all; it was the
same sound he’d heard every time he’d used his power to change things. He’d
heard it the night he’d given Jeffrey the power to speak, and again when he’d
destroyed the Kalatari. He looked at his margarita, unable to remember if it
was his third drink or his fourth, or maybe his sixth. “I think I’ve had too
many of these.”
“Is it water?” Sally asked. “Do you
hear water?”
Oliver nodded, then frowned. He
hadn’t mentioned that noise to her before. “How did you know about that?”
“I read your file.” She smiled at
him, but now her smile didn’t look friendly at all. She looked like a spider
that had just spotted a particularly juicy-looking fly. “The time machine,
Oliver.” She put a hand on the side of his head to steady it, forcing him to
look at her. “Think about the time machine.”
The sound of rushing water grew yet
louder. Oliver looked at his margarita glass again. “Did you drug me?” He was
aware that his speech was slurred now, and his tongue felt like it had doubled
in size.
“Of course not,” Sally smiled. But
her eyes said she was lying.
“You put the whammy on him!” Jeffrey
cried.
“Just think about the time machine,
Oliver. It’s real. It’s right there in the vault. It works. We can go back in
time.”
Oliver shut his eyes. “We can go back
in time,” he said sleepily. “We can go wherever we want.” The sound of rushing
water was loud enough now that his eardrums felt like they’d shatter. And then,
like a switch turning off, it was quiet again.
Oliver sighed deeply. He was
exhausted, for some reason. Too much tequila. He felt the world still spinning
around him, and then he promptly passed out.
Chapter 11
Oliver woke up on his couch with his
head feeling like someone had taken a hammer to his skull during the night.
Jeffrey lay curled up next to him, sound asleep. On the television the DVD menu
for Back to the Future played on an endless loop. It would probably keep
repeating until the end of time, or at least until someone shut the power off.
Oliver’s mouth felt dry and tasted as
if he’d been chewing on a dirty sock. He squinted against the sunlight coming
in through his living room windows. “What time is it?”
Jeffrey stirred on the couch, not
opening his eyes. “It’s too early for this,” he said.
Oliver picked up the empty bottle of
tequila and examined the label, as if doing that was going to answer his
question. “How much of this did I drink ?”
Jeffrey stretched out on the couch
and sat up to start washing his
list.” His vision blurred for a moment as he watched Marty McFly struggle to
make it to school on time. “Wow,” he said. “This tequila is strong .”
“I brought you the good stuff,” Sally
said. “You feeling it?”
“I want to try some,” Jeffrey said.
“This would knock you right out,
little cat,” Sally said. “You’d need to gain about a hundred pounds of body
weight first.”
“Aw,” Jeffrey pouted.
Oliver had seen Back to the Future half a dozen times over the years, which was just as well tonight. In addition
to his intermittent blurred vision, he was starting to feel dizzy. The tequila
seemed to have no effect on Sally at all, though. She kept peppering him with
questions about time travel. “Just think about it,” she said. “ Think ,
Oliver. We’ve got a working time machine. We can do anything we want with it.”
Oliver rubbed his eyes. In the
distance he heard a faint noise that sounded like rushing water. He looked
toward the kitchen. Had one of them left a faucet going? “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Jeffrey asked. “I know I
can’t hear this movie, because everyone keeps talking.”
Oliver was sure he hadn’t left a
faucet on, but now the sound of the rushing water was growing louder. He
recognized the sound now, though. It wasn’t really water at all; it was the
same sound he’d heard every time he’d used his power to change things. He’d
heard it the night he’d given Jeffrey the power to speak, and again when he’d
destroyed the Kalatari. He looked at his margarita, unable to remember if it
was his third drink or his fourth, or maybe his sixth. “I think I’ve had too
many of these.”
“Is it water?” Sally asked. “Do you
hear water?”
Oliver nodded, then frowned. He
hadn’t mentioned that noise to her before. “How did you know about that?”
“I read your file.” She smiled at
him, but now her smile didn’t look friendly at all. She looked like a spider
that had just spotted a particularly juicy-looking fly. “The time machine,
Oliver.” She put a hand on the side of his head to steady it, forcing him to
look at her. “Think about the time machine.”
The sound of rushing water grew yet
louder. Oliver looked at his margarita glass again. “Did you drug me?” He was
aware that his speech was slurred now, and his tongue felt like it had doubled
in size.
“Of course not,” Sally smiled. But
her eyes said she was lying.
“You put the whammy on him!” Jeffrey
cried.
“Just think about the time machine,
Oliver. It’s real. It’s right there in the vault. It works. We can go back in
time.”
Oliver shut his eyes. “We can go back
in time,” he said sleepily. “We can go wherever we want.” The sound of rushing
water was loud enough now that his eardrums felt like they’d shatter. And then,
like a switch turning off, it was quiet again.
Oliver sighed deeply. He was
exhausted, for some reason. Too much tequila. He felt the world still spinning
around him, and then he promptly passed out.
Chapter 11
Oliver woke up on his couch with his
head feeling like someone had taken a hammer to his skull during the night.
Jeffrey lay curled up next to him, sound asleep. On the television the DVD menu
for Back to the Future played on an endless loop. It would probably keep
repeating until the end of time, or at least until someone shut the power off.
Oliver’s mouth felt dry and tasted as
if he’d been chewing on a dirty sock. He squinted against the sunlight coming
in through his living room windows. “What time is it?”
Jeffrey stirred on the couch, not
opening his eyes. “It’s too early for this,” he said.
Oliver picked up the empty bottle of
tequila and examined the label, as if doing that was going to answer his
question. “How much of this did I drink ?”
Jeffrey stretched out on the couch
and sat up to start washing his
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