As I stood there on the MIT East Campus soaked from the rain and somewhat disorientated I started looking around to where more and more people were. I saw ahead where people were trying to get into the Time Travel Convention to hear the guest speakers. There were other people passing by running trying to get out of the rain. As I walked near I saw the convention was also on the outside. I saw from a distance the DeLorean from the movie Back to the Future that they had on display, and they also had a small landing zone roped off for any time machine that might be stopping by. I guess with some snacks off to the side if the travelers were hungry. The Time Travel Convention seemed more tongue and cheek than serious. I walked up to the entrance and asked to get in.

The guy looked at me and he said “I already told you there’s no more room inside.”
“What you already told me?” I asked.

He responded “Listen I’m sorry but you can not get in unless you provide actual proof that you’re from future i.e. a cure for aids or something”.


I immediately pulled out of my pocket the Space Zipper documents. As I held them up they were soaking wet and the pages stuck together. The document was starting to fall apart. I held it up to the guy and he could see my face was full of despair. He looked at me and said “Sorry man you know how many people been saying they’re from the future with some crazy documents made up of fake math problems, your name isn’t Tidor by chance? “ “No” I said too quickly without thinking. Then I pulled out my wallet “Here” I said. I showed him my ID without thinking. It was from 2004 a year before the convention. I showed him my military ID, also I found out from 2004. I said ”Listen see it says active duty. Look at how young the face is, actually right now I’m in Iraq, see”. He said “No man, you’re going to have to do better.” I walked away looking in my wallet.


I saw a recent receipt that was destroyed beyond reading and a number of stupid club cards without dates on them. I found one that said 08 and another that said 07 but it had a bunch of random numbers around them. I couldn’t believe all my Damn cash was from 2001 and 2003 (look in your wallet). I told a couple people walking around I was from the future and couldn’t get in. They were nice to me but nobody believed me. I told somebody “Do you believe Bush gets reelected?” and they informed me he already was reelected. I told them about McCain but there was no way to prove it.


I walked around outside trying to think of ways I could prove I was from the future. I found a plastic bag to put the Space Zipper document in hoping it could be salvaged. I stood around sulking in the rain and questioned the whole paradox argument that if I actually got through to somebody would that create a paradox that would change all future events not leading me here, hence nobody will most likely believe me. I tried to think of cool inventions that were made in the near future that would surprise somebody. It’s not hard to guess at an X box 3 or a PlayStation 4 or that Microsoft would come out with an MP3 TV thing that holds lots of gigs though.


The convention ended and no time travelers showed up and people stole all the time traveler snacks. Hope finally arose though, when I heard that one of the speakers who was a teacher, was headed to Dunkin Donuts down the street with some students to keep chatting and having fun. The word was they were going to be there all night because it’s opened late. Somebody else said the convention host Amal Dorai might be going to a place called Hi Fi Pizza but I asked around and nobody else heard that, and it sounded a lot farther away than Dunkin Donuts. I thought now that all I had to do was cause some ridiculous scene. I didn’t need to prove to these people I was from the future. I just needed evidence that I was here for the people already in the future. If I freaked out a famous guest speaker they might talk about it later if interviewed.


Walking in the soaking rain on the way to Dunkin Donuts I was pissed off that I wasn’t able to wear the suit. The suit would have totally proved I was from the future. Why would wearing a suit stop me from getting here? Maybe the equation meant me not being allowed to prove who I was. As I was pondering if I was being played for a sucker again, I was suddenly pushed out of the way. I turned to look to see a person who was me running with a book bag on. Stunned I paused then thought to yell out my name “George?” the other George (George 2) turned and looked at me quickly and told me “Shut Up!’ I continued my pace confused and somewhat offended as he kept running. Then another George appeared at my side he looked at me and had red eyes “Sorry you have to see this” he said, as he pulled out a gun with a silencer on it and pointed at the George running in front of me and shot him twice in the back.


George 2 with the book bag fell and hit the ground, and from his book bag a bunch of papers fell out and I could see some books inside. Then the George with the gun, told me to “Get down man!” He looked across the street and looked at the bushes and a tiny tree. From the bush I heard “No, death c’mon.” George with the gun shot twice at the bush and out fell another George with a book bag on.