Forever Rocking by Gary Whitmore - HTML preview

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Chapter 8

 

The next morning arrived, and Danny woke up in Dr. 'Youngblood's basement.

He got out of his sleeping bag and looked at the computer monitor. He saw the ''21 days, 9 hours, 05 'minutes' Time Remaining on iTravel 1 'Mission' message. He hoped that Dr. Youngblood was okay and did not actually vaporize in thin air.

He yawned and stretched. He looked around at the glass booth, and a crazy idea suddenly popped in his head. ""Nah, forget it,"" he said then walked away toward the stairs.

Danny gathered up his backpack. He looked at the computer console for a few seconds. He walked over to the console and opened up the drawer, he removed the iTravel 2 device and shoved it into one of the pockets of his backpack. He felt it was safer in his possession than left alone in the basement.

He headed over to the stairs.

A little while later, Danny had Dr. 'Youngblood's house locked uptight, and he was back in his Corolla heading back to MIT.

A little while later, Danny walked down the sidewalk on with his backpack in hand. His thoughts were on witnessing Dr. Youngblood vanishing back to 1928.

He turned down another sidewalk and headed in the direction of the library.

A little while later, Danny had a book off the shelf on the life of Thomas Edison. He chooses that one because it was filled with pictures of 'Edison's life.

He rushed over to a nearby table and immediately started checking out the photos.

His eyes widened the second, he looked at some photos of 'Edison's Fort Myers winter home.

One of those photos showed Thomas Edison sitting on his wooden dock fishing into the Caloosahatchee River. And to his left sat Dr. Youngblood in a chair. The caption for that photo labeled Dr. Youngblood as an unidentified friend.

""It actually works. He made it,"" Danny called out in joyous outburst.

Numerous other students hushed Danny from nearby tables irritated from his loud outburst.

Danny got up and placed that book in a bin to be restocked on the shelf.

He did a little victory dance while he made his way to the front doors of the library.

When Danny walked five feet down the sidewalk from the 'library's front entrance, he saw Bobby sitting on a bench on another sidewalk. Bobby but this Time, Bobby was chatting with a petite cute girl with short black hair. Danny thought nothing about it thinking they were in the same class.

Danny rushed off down the sidewalk.

An hour passed, and Danny was back inside Dr. 'Youngblood's basement.

Danny rushed over to the computer console and drops his backpack to the floor. He did not notice his "The Day They Died Mystery" book that fell out of an opened zipper of his backpack.

He sat down at the console and thought about Cindy. ""Now, when did she want me to help her study?"" While he thought, he glanced down at his backpack. He saw his book on the floor.

He looked at the console monitor and saw the ''21 Days - 4 Hours - 03 Minutes Left on iTravel 1 'Mission' message.

He glanced back at his book on the floor.

He glanced back at the counter on the console monitor.

He got up from the chair and went over to his backpack. He picked up his book and sat back down in the chair.

Danny opened up the book to the final chapter and started reading. He glanced up from the book back at the computer console and looked like his curiosity was peaking in high gear.

Danny shoved his book back in his backpack pocket and zipped it up.

He headed back to the stairs with his backpack in hand. He was on a mission.

A little while later, Danny was in the Caffeine Palace on MIT campus with his MacBook Pro laptop and a cup of coffee. He had an hour to kill before his class in American History.

He munched on a muffin while he navigated on the YouTube website. He started a search for The Rocking Tones videos.

Then a video of the Ed Sullivan Show with the Rocking Tones played with "What If They Lived?" caption.

Danny watched the video and looked very determined.

After his American History class where he kept his eyes off of Cindy, Danny headed out around Cambridge for some shopping.

Then at eight that night, Danny went back to Dr. 'Youngblood's house with his backpack stuffed.

He immediately went inside the bathroom on the first floor and started to prepare for his mission.

A little while later, Danny rushed down the 'basement's wooden stairs of Dr. 'Youngblood's house.

He was dressed in blue jeans, penny loafers, plaid shirt and had his hair slicked back like a 1960s kid. He also had the iTravel 2 device in his hand.

Danny rushed over to the computer console and sat down in the chair. He saw the ''20 days, 23 hours, 30 'minutes' Time Remaining on iTravel 1 'Mission' message on the monitor.

""'He'll never be the wiser,"" Danny said while he clicked on the Earth icon.

Then after he typed in the password, he typed in October 4, 1964, 2230 for the start date and then typed in October 5, 1964, 0200 for the return time in the Travel Times window.

After the Google map appeared, Danny typed in '''Walter's Diner, Route 39, Pennsylvania in the search block. Nothing appeared from the search. 'Walter's Diner no longer exists.

""Crap,"" he said while he stared at the Google map. Then another idea popped in his head.

Danny got up from the console and made a beeline to the stairs.

He ran up the stairs.

Once he got upstairs, Danny ran through the first floor, looking in all the rooms. He finally found a den with an iMac computer.

He rushed over to it and powered it up. As soon the iMac was available, Danny started an Internet search on 'Walter's Diner.

It did not take him long to find the information he needed. He powered down the iMac then ran out of the den.

Danny ran down the wooden basement stairs in a hurry and almost tripped. But he quickly grabbed the handrails and prevented him from tumbling down the rest of the flight.

He ran over and sat back down behind the computer console. He immediately typed in ""'Han's German Restaurant, Route 39, Pennsylvania in the search block.

It was a long few seconds while he waited for the search results. Then the location of that German restaurant appeared on Route 39. ""I hope this is the location,"" Danny said while he locked in the destination at the rear of the restaurant.

Then after he had the iTravel 2 device connected to the computer and everything downloaded, he was ready. He looked at the ""Time Ready to Commence"" button then he glanced at the glass booth.

""I hope I 'don't get vaporized into thin air,"" he said while he walked over to the glass booth.

He opened the glass door of the booth and stepped inside and closed the door.

He pressed the ''Time Travel Ready to Commence'' button on iTravel 2.

He then pressed the ''Time 'Travel' button that was on a small pad on the inside of the booth to the left of the glass door.

He anxiously waited.

Then he heard the whirring sound from inside the booth.

Bright lights filled booth like fireworks.

The booth started to vibrate.

Psychedelic colors illuminated the inside of the glass booth. There were blue, red, orange, yellow, lime green, and blue that appeared in abstract shapes.

The colors slowly started twirling around.

Then they started twirling around at supersonic speed.

The booth started to spin. Danny looked and saw that the basement was nothing but a blur inside the booth. Then pain like thousands of needles hit every inch of 'Danny's body. ""Ahhhh! He screamed out in pain.

Danny disappeared in the booth with a flash.

The booth stopped spinning.

The psychedelic colors dissipated in a flash.

The booth stopped vibrating.

The bright lights fireworks dissipated.

The whirling sound whined down.

The booth was empty, and the basement was quiet except for the low hum of the bank of computers.

Meanwhile, it was a beautiful crisp morning back in 1928 Fort Myers, Florida.

Dr. Youngblood found a room in a motor court down the road.

He walked back to McGregor Blvd and headed back over to the Thomas 'Edison's house.

He was nervous while he walked to the front door of Mr. 'Edison's house.

He hesitated, and for a split second, he felt like turning around and running away.

He got brave. He knocked on the wooden screened door.

A few seconds passed, and he heard footsteps walk across the wooden floor of the home.

Then Dr. 'Youngblood's eyes lit up the second he saw Thomas Edison walk up to the door. ""Yes, can I help you,"" Thomas Edison said.

""Ah, Mister Edison, my name is Doctor Phillip Youngblood, 'I'm a physic professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.""

""I heard of your university. How may I help you?"" Thomas Edison asked and looked a little curious.

""I took a vacation to come here to meet you. 'I'm a huge fan of all your inventions. I was hoping to spend some time with you.""

Thomas Edison looked extremely leery of Dr. Youngblood. ""I 'don't like people spying on my work,"" he said and started to close his front door.

""I traveled in time from the year two thousand and fourteen,"" Dr. Youngblood blurted out as a last resort without thinking.

""Are you crazy?""

Dr. Phillip Youngblood reached in his pants pocket and removed his iTravel 1 device. He held it up.

Thomas Edison looked at the iTravel 1 device, and it was nothing like any device 'he's seen during his lifetime. His curiosity got peeked. ""Welcome to my home,"" he said then opened up his screened door and stepped aside.

Dr. Youngblood entered Thomas 'Edison's home with a smile. His mission was starting off on the right foot.