Forward

After uncovering the fabric of time, the scientist believed he had the key to time travel, if only forward.

The concept was brilliant and it faced only one problem: the lack of vision from the leaders.

And, with that, the lack of funding.

Why would anyone want to travel forward in time, they asked?

It seemed, quite literally, a waste of time.

Which was why the scientist had to work extremely hard to complete the research on his own and to assemble the machinery in secret.


When the power-up sequence began, it sucked all the power from the grid.

The glow from the machine brightened the whole city and the scientist disappeared.

He was never to be heard from again until the end of his journey, centuries ahead.

He traveled not to an arbitrary destination, but to the destination that was possible.

With this method, and with the current knowledge, the journey would always consist of the same amount of time.

And so he traveled. To prove that it was possible, and to chase the hope that the future would be kinder to him and that the leadership he would find would allow him to resume his research with additional resources.

He left behind extensive notes on his research, on his thoughts on how things should have been handled, and on his reasons for departing.

The world was now poorer, and it did not know.


The glow dimmed, the sound finished echoing, and the scientist opened his eyes.

Could this be the future?

Had it worked?

He walked a few steps and shouted:

- Hello?

There was an echo.

- Hello?

And nothing more.

He walked through debris in search of life.

He found none.


After the scientist had disappeared, his notes were found and others sought out his research as well.

With time, and with decreasingly available resources, the population diminished, and later on many left the planet.

This, the scientist would never learn.

He considered jumping again and went looking for the resources he required.

Nothing.

They had all been used two centuries after he left, when the remnants of humanity decided to let the Earth itself heal and took the jump themselves.

They would land two centuries ahead.

The Coin Man

Short sci-fi stories

José Alves de Castro

Written by

VP of Engineering by Day, Evil Magician by Night, now writing Science Fiction short stories by Twilight. https://www.patreon.com/CoinManStories

The Coin Man

Short sci-fi stories

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