Time

Originally posted on November 14, 2023.

It had taken years of study and calculation, but Ivan was sure his equations were solid. And if they were, traveling through time would be theoretically possible. The catch was simple enough, matter could not be created or destroyed; he couldn't send his body to the past. However, he could send his thoughts back to inhabit an existing body.

Three months after completing his equations, he had a device that should work. He set it up to take him to December 3, 1953 in New York City for a period of 24 hours. A simple press of a button and soon he inhaled the smog in the air, saw the classic cars on the street, and heard the bustle of the City.

But he also heard the shouts of racial slurs. It took a minute or two to realize they were directed at him. There had been no way to calibrate the machine to specify anything about the body he would be sent back into. He probably wouldn't have picked being a Black woman in 1953, which is exactly what he was now. That was the exact situation he now found himself in. As the shouts grew louder, he felt like he needed to get out of there as quickly as he could. But he was stuck here for 24 hours, where was he going to go? And would they follow?