The Invention

I looked around, there was no one. After I made sure the coast was clear, I ran to the back door of the Inventions and Creations Center. My dad worked here, and lately, he’d been staying later than he should because of a new project he was designing. When I asked him about the project, he would tell me that this information was confidential, meaning I wasn’t allowed to know. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and find out. I looked behind me as I quietly punched in the password for the door. My dad kept the password to the back door in his room for when he had to get something from the building after hours. I opened the door and walked inside. The floorboards weren’t creaky, but I was still careful. It was dark and smelled like a hospital. I opened my flashlight to the dimmest setting and looked around. I remember this place because my dad brought me here once and showed me around. I walked toward his lab carefully, but then I stopped right in my tracks. I heard two people speaking.

Luckily, they were inside a room. I could see lights from the crack at the bottom. I turned off my flashlight and listened. They seemed to be in an argument. The first voice that I heard was familiar. Slowly, I realized that it was my dad. The other person was probably a co-worker.

“No, I can’t tell anyone outside of this company about my invention,” my dad said.

“Why not?” asked his co-worker.

“It’s too dangerous. My son is a bit too curious. If he finds out, his life will be at risk,” my dad said in an undertone.

After hearing this, I got a little angry. Why couldn’t he trust me? I continued walking toward the lab.

When I reached the lab, I punched in the number code at the door. I remember that my dad once said that his company was really lazy. They had the same password for everything. He was right, and the door unlocked. I walked in. Whoa, I thought as I shined my flashlight around. This place is huge. I guess the tiny and insignificant door threw me off a little. You would have never guessed that this was the lab from the outside. I began searching for my dad’s invention. It should be labeled. After a while, I finally found one small box with the label ‘Dr. Caldor,’ who was my dad. I opened up the box slowly, a feeling of nervousness growing inside of me. Inside, there was a piece of paper. It was blank.

I was puzzled, but then, I remembered. My dad would put decoys around the lab. He usually stored his projects somewhere hidden. I thought, if I were him, where would I hide something I want to keep a secret? I would’ve hid it in plain sight. I was pretty sure it would be in the lab. I took a step back and accidentally bonked into a table and knocked it over. That was when I noticed something. The project didn’t fall off, it was sort of glued on there. I also noticed a button. It was the same color as the table, but you could see it if you looked closely. Of course, I pressed it.

The table made a whirring sound and started folding in on itself until I was looking at a box made out of metal. It was big enough to fit one person inside.

“What is this supposed to be?” I muttered.

It looked really useless. How was this supposed to be a threat? I was about to give up, but then, a female robotic voice vocalized, “Welcome to the year you wish you were in.”

That’s when it hit me, this was a time machine. I practically ran back. I opened the door to the machine and jumped in.

“What would 2500 look like?” I thought aloud.

For a while, nothing happened. That was when it struck me, my dad wasn’t done working on it. Dejected, I opened the door, ready to walk out. But as soon as I opened the door, a burst of light came in. I shielded my eyes. When the light died, I opened my eyes. I gasped, I wasn’t in the lab anymore.

I seemed to be in a factory of some sort. Everything was gray, and I could hear the sound of goods being manufactured. A conveyer belt full of metal scraps went by as I walked through the factory.

“Hey you!” I heard someone scream behind me. “What are you doing here?”

I spun around. A tall man with a hard helmet was running towards me.

“Where am I?” I screamed.

The man looked confused. He asked, “You don’t know where you are?”

I nodded.

“It doesn’t matter, all you need to know is that you are on my property,” he said in a gruff voice.

“Can you at least tell me the date?” I pleaded. The man got more confused.

“It’s July 3, 2150,” he answered with a puzzled look, “Have you been living under a rock?” he asked.

I didn’t answer.

“Well, you better keep out of my factory, ok lad?” he said.

I nodded quickly and ran out.

I was stunned when I ran out. The view was amazing. The sky was an amazing shade of cerulean blue, and there were a few puffy clouds, drifting lazily across the sky. Trees were planted all across the sidewalk, some saplings, some tall trees. The sidewalk was full of pedestrians, and this place really was amazing. That was when something caught my eye. There was one man who wore gray clothing and had gray skin. He was bald. What a strange man, I thought. I weaved through crowds of people and followed him. He walked into an alley way, never looking back. I hesitated before continuing to follow him. Was this man safe? He made a few turns down the alley way and then disappeared. I looked around. Where had he gone?