“So what does it mean?”
“What do you mean, ‘What does it mean’? I think it’s pretty obvious.”
“Yeah, OK Terry. It’s ‘number three’. But what does it represent? It’s number three of what?”
“Well … the guy I bought it from said it was the third one ever made, so I guess that’s what it means.”
“Uh huh. Sure. I’ll accept that. Except what exactly is it?”
“What? I told you what it is.”
“No, Terry, you told me it was, and I quote, ‘one of the coolest things that I have ever seen‘, ‘something that I knew I had to have‘, and now ‘it was the third one ever made‘. None of which actually speaks to what, in fact, it actually is.”
“Oh, well, it’s a machine, of course.”
“And …”
“And what?”
“And what kind of machine is it? It sure as hell isn’t a blender. Or a sports car. What is it?”
“You’ll laugh and call me stupid.”
“I’ll do that anyway, more than likely.”
“OK, fine, Ralph. It’s a time machine. I bought a time machine.”
“A time machine …”
“Yes.”
“A machine for moving through time …”
“Yes.”
“And how, if I may be so bold, does this ‘time machine‘ of yours work.”
“Well, from what I was told, your set the dials and whatnot to the time you want to go to and then you press that big red button.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep.”
Ralph stood up and walked over to the machine. He peered into the window and pointed.
“Those dials right there?”
“Those dials. I’m just trying to figure out where I want to go. I would kinda like to go see a dinosaur.”
Ralph opened the side door and stepped inside.
“What are you doing, Ralph?”
“Checking out the dials ‘and whatnot’.”
“Well, don’t hit that button. I still need to figure out where …”
A loud click was immediately followed by the sound of a growing hum. Terry jumped out the window of the machine as it began to shimmer and shake. A moment later it vanished.
“What the hell, Ralph?! That’s my time machine? Where did it go?”
“I, uh, I set the dials … ”
“Ralph! What did you do?”
“I sent it to the future, apparently.”
“What, like tomorrow?”
“Um, no.”
“How long do I have to wait to go see a dinosaur?”
“Um … November 17.”
“That’s like seven months away!!!”
“Um … seven month and a few millennia … it’s November 17, 4261.”
Terry stood silent for a moment.
“Ralph, you are so stupid.”
“Yeah, I deserved that one.”