I looked at the apparently simple looking chair that sat infront of me and wondered, ​"If I became the future in the future ? Would I remember, the past of my past..
The present which is future, yet be present in everyway..
I would travel through the time ofcourse, future, present and past
But will I be in the present, while I am remember my past. "

He turned his head , took off his spectacles and shook his hair of the tiny rain particles that has gathered in his hair.

"A pack of rubbish", laughed my partner at work. Fellow scientists he called himself. We were making the time machine together. "I can not speak for others but you ande fellow scientist and main scientist , we will remembered and become almost like Gods for breaking the barrier science have never broken."

Since childhood time machine was a thought I had. I wanted to travel, yet there was not adequate resources to travel. My mother ensured I was fed well and had all relevant education, rest was frivulous. That long suppressed dream of making a time machine resurfaced when I joined the physics department of the renowned University. But the grants all went towards the need of the hour, Mars and Jupiter rovers. There was never any thing left for my project. I looked at the million of paper I had put together to present the case yet never got a chance to.

Well the ambition to do something was more in him than me. I only dreamt, he actually made it happened. I was better at inventions but he was better with planning and pushing me forward. As we neared the end , I felt that I would not want this. May be I would but in a different form. These thoughts often crowded my mind. He knew and laughed and shook me a little to say, "No we will not stop so close to success."

The focus of all of the world was now on us, as was the intense pressure to deliver. I hoped I will not disappoint him and all. Somewhere between meeting him and working with him, I had fallen in love. He knew and teased me lightly for it. He was not interested and I knew that. He had someone, a lover or wife, in my careless scientist mind on time and loops, I did not know. She called often and they had their chats while I made myself scarce and cried a few tears. But he was always kind and pampered me but never really loved me. I could do with a little love too, if he had something to spare from his lover.. just a little. And I will forever live with that memory of this jolly man, brilliant scientist and everything else, even as we closed our assignment and he moved away to his next. He did say soft words to me , encouraging me, asking me to eat, move, take care but I knew he was just being kind.

As I worked day in and day out, I missed the time when I will not have him to joke even as we cracked another difficult problem. So I lapped up what we had now, light caring. He did want me to slow down while keeping the science and media interested but I wanted to close this fast. It was one thing to present a paper, but another thing to say that paradox of time now has a solution.

In love however , I worked well. I ate better and my sleep was better. Slowly the day came to draw a line to our innovation as now it will become everyone's. We were to present the innovation infront of a select members of science and many media people. He mentioned as we prepared and I tested with the ball, that went away to future unknown and came back, that we needed funding. I never had funds just brains, rest had been his till this level. I knew he had poured all his savings and taken loans to fund our invention. Atleast we have not failed..

Now was truly the time to showcase our brilliance, I assured myself..Because deep within something told me, I needed more time to test the machine.

The ball that I tested today morning had been wet. Yet it came back dry. My scientist partner raised his eyebrow and said, Hmmm. We will go ahead with the presentation..But instead of a ball, we will show on a flower, a naturally dew wet flower. Let's see.

I knew he possibly was not as much bothered with this anomaly. Yet in the machine when we selected the item to transfer to future and bring back, he insisted that we do not confuse the system by typing wet ball but just ball.

As we worked in silence for the last hour prior to the presentation, I wondered if there was no funding will be leave immediately. I did not mind really . Just worried myself a little when my foolish heart cried. He counselled me softly to be strong and trust the innovation.

That day she came wearing a flowing dress. The woman he loved. She sat in the prime chair and smiled at me, not kind yet proudly. Her smile said she knew she owned much in life, money , love, adoration..Someone whispered the name of one of the most illustrious families of the nation. She was their only heir. He did do very well in love too. I smiled as I looked at her pale complexion and cried at my infinite darker one.

Our paper and work followed. The palpable energy in the room was tense, one could cut it with a knife as everyone wanted us to stop and show the demo. The lady however looked emmersed in something else. He whispered, "Don't worry , she is not a scientist. She is listening to music.."

As the demo started of our time machine, I placed the flower, he had placed on my hand gently, touching btiefly with encouragement. As per plan I sent the flower to future and obtained it back as the same flower. The noise was deafening. Camera went mad , videos clicked were posted online immediately and he said, "We can now fine tune this for past and ensure you all have both the science and the ability for a quick joy ride too."

It appeared like the hall was throbbing.

Yet I knew, the demo was not exactly a success..The flower had arrived not perfect but almost perfect. It looked as if the dew drop that was on it resting gently in its inner petals, had been separated by force.

Early into the machine testing, I had realised that it was not possible to send something and get it back of the thing was dry. It was an anomaly I have not solved.

When I tested with an icecream, the stick had returned. He had laughed and said, " yes the ice melted .. it is not innovation but common sense." But since then I would add drops of water or soak the balls I tested on. Whenever we tested on a dry ball or other items, it would not come back . The machine would run, and something came back like a piece of plastic instead of the ball, or the inked numbers of a ruler.. till we soaked it with water and retested. Then it came back but dry..

I patiently explained to the majority of the crowd.. non scientific back ground .. that this was the start and not the end. I kept the water droplet for him to explain. Later if he had time..

Suddenly the woman came up and took off her coat. She wore a flowing mid thigh short dress and insisted on sitting on the machine like a photo oppertunity. My work partner asked me to turn the knob halfway so that she could feel the pull but not anything more. I immediately knew what he wanted to do. We have never tested on humans. He refused to look at mehe had tested on a cat, the cat came back dry and slightly angry. But I refused to be part of that, I guess I was afraid to harm a cat.

He had the alternate switch in his hands, even if I refused to play, he could start ..and looking at the news media , I knew they were aware this will happen. But they could not see what I could. I could see her sending him the looks. Looks that looked angry at him for putting his arm round me when the experiment succeeded.

Now he was away with media, explaining to them that she had volunteered herself for science. She spoke in a strong voice, " even if i do not return, i will live in future, love in future. that is definitely not bad..Send me there. Bring me back."

The scientific community looked in unhappy yet they commended on her actions. Someone spoke of a scientist taking cyanide to write the taste..

Slowly I turned the knob to one. I moved it to two. I could see the people at the back slowly move forward. Sixth sense was why I was an innovator. I deliberately stepped back as the pointer hung at two, one count away from the middle piece. This was their piece a bit of drama and sensation . I knew they had planned well so that she could disappear and then appear possibly a bit nude. A bit of nudity never harmed the funding. I knew what my scientist partner thought, it was not water, it was one element that got left behind. I know that could be a possibility too.

Her team came closer with light materials to cover her as everyone waited in anticipation of the grand disappearance and return. Someone whispered, "She wants to restart her movie career. He had always been slavelike in his dedication, even when she cheated." Did she ? Did he ? I had no idea.

I could hear the overall confusion as the knob turned to three. I looked at my partner as other looked too. This was not part of his plan , he wanted me to turn but ever the sales man he had stepped in, turned the full throttle.. The woman he loved, laughed and sat ready , a hunger on her face. For a second she lingered and she disappeared .

He eagerly turned back the knob to from six quickly to three and then more gently to two and one. The people he had arranged gathered near with lovely silk, they expected a Venus. Nothing appeared then suddenly there was an image of her clothes that hung in balance before falling on the seat in a crumble.

The noise I later realised came from me as I had howled and cried. In my worst dreams, this is what I had feared.

He had made a mistake.. screamed the papers next day. I slowly came to the front paper and saw the picture of me taking the dial from him. I had not known that I had been crying. The paper continued .. In his hurry of proving the magic of Time machine , he selected an undetermined period and space in future. His beloved disappeared. They stated how broken he was too and how the other scientist had to take away his knobs to the machine to stop his from following through..

Slowly I thought of the day. I knew what I had noticed yet had not. The drop of water on the flower , the sticker on the football we had earlier tested.. the football had returned.. not the sticker ..he was a far brilliant scientist than he gave out. The image of what to transport was unfortunately not many dimensional now, had no temperature or depth. Hence when transferring the football, only the football was pictured and understood by the machine. In its unique logic or rather logic of the universe, in exchange of energy, the sticker on the football was left behind, the wetness of the cat was left behind ..

When I sent the icecream, I had not pictured it well and the stick looked prominent. Did the picture of the lady show her dress only.

Slowly I thought of the food that he fed me , the pills he gave me to take care, the way he joked of my love for him , he would add.. naive and pure with a smile.. That was what I had noted on that day as she came. His smile was not been genuine , over eager.

I stood shivering even as the laboratory door opened. He walked in and noticed me , a deep concern flashed in his eyes before he replaced it with a slight smile. "It will be okay soon. I need to explain and showcase the tool to the Police . The scientists have seen it and the grant to you has been approved. "

I asked.."You?" He was banner from approaching this innovation till the investigation ended.

"Come .. you have grieved a lot. Let me feed you. Genny left all her money to me. Your innovation can be completed now, even when the fickle University withdraws their funds for some other urgent project of theirs.. Her sacrifice will be remembered for science . Let us fine tune the innovation now ? You start and I will help remotely. Let's forget the commercials and sales.. and remember science , but first you eat okay ?"
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