8:30 AM PST
Land of Colour Universe
"Hey, wake up, you sleepyheads!" a small pink girl with purple curls called out. She appeared to be about five years old. "It's Christmas, and Mommy wants to take us out for breakfast. You should try the fruit soup at Larry's Diner. It's so delicious!"
"Okay, uh, I'm getting up," mumbled Marty, as he stretched his arms. Then, after he sat up, he added, "I'm still a bit tired, but I love fruit soup. My mom makes it, too."
"I'm getting up, too," mumbled Alex. 'I'll have to try the fruit soup. It sounds good!"
"It's very delicious!" assured the little girl. "Hurry up and get dressed, so we can go!"
"Are they getting up, April?" asked another pink girl, as she walked into the room with a purple girl. Turning to Marty and Alex, she asked, 'Why do you sleep late?"
"It's because we don't have the same stamina as you little ones do," replied Marty.
"What's stamina mean?" asked the purple girl. "Come on! It's Christmas morning!"
"Yeah, rise and shine!" insisted April. "Don't you want to open your presents, too?"
"Come on, April and June," prodded the purple girl. "Let's let them get dressed."
Marty watched, as the three little girls left the bedroom. Then he searched for some clothes to wear. He felt rather that he hadn't bought any presents for the kids. Marty felt a pang of nostalgia, as he found himself wishing he could be a kid again. The life of being a kid seemed simple, without being under so much stress. He then realized the irony of how so many kids - even himself - couldn't wait to grow up. It like you don't even realize what you have, until it's gone. Marty sighed deeply to himself.
"Are you feeling all right, Marty?" Alex asked, concerned. "You seem to have a lot on your mind, like you're worried about something. It's Christmas morning! You should be feeling cheerful! Would you like to talk to me about what's troubling you, Marty?"
"Uh, okay, sure," Marty said, sighing, as he sat down on the bed. "I guess I just find myself missing my childhood. I wasn't under so much stress when I was a kid."
"Why are you feeling so stressed, Marty?" Alex asked, as he sat on the bed and put his arm around Marty's shoulder. "Is it maybe all the time travelling you've done?"
"Well, that's part of it," replied Marty. "I don't want to offend you, since I know you'r passionate about politics - but thinking about political tensions tends to stress me out a lot. It's sad to think about all the wars that are going on in the Middle East."
"No offence is taken, Marty," Alex said, softly. "In an ideal world, everyone would be making at least 500,000 dollars a year. We would not have to deal with poverty in certain parts of the world. I truly am no big fan of war, but sometimes wars do have to be fought to fight against injustice. Like, take World War Two, for example. It was an awful time in history. Adolf Hitler was an evil man, and we needed to intervene - because of how all those poor Jews and other types of people Hitler hated were being tortured. Have you ever read Anne Frank's Diary? I've cried buckets over that book. She just had so much hope and joy in her, then her life was taken away."
"Oh, please, Alex," Marty said, sniffing a little bit. "You're going to make me cry. It's Christmas! It's like what you told me just a little while ago. We should be cheerful."
"I'm sorry, Marty," Alex said, softly, as he used his index finger to wipe a tear that rolled down Marty's cheek. "I guess I'm just explaining to you why it's important to think pragmatically. Some people will call me pessimistic, but I don't try to be that way. I desire nothing less than to have global peace and harmony. However, in order to acheive that, it requires that one thinks pragmatically. I wish others would see where I'm coming from. We need to take action to fight against evil in this world."
"I really see what you're saying, Alex," Marty said, softly. "Being politically moderate myself, I try to understand both sides of the political spectrum. I agree with you that we do need to take action to fix what's wrong in the world. We can't just sit back and hope everything will change by itself. Anyway, you make a very good role model to represent the conservative side. You're a very thoughtful person, and that's good."
"Thanks so much, Marty!" Alex said, as he gently squeezed Marty's shoulder. "I think it's important to be politically informed, and it would be nice if more of our generation cared about politics. One day, it will be up to us to make a difference in the world."
"Well, you're right, Alex," Marty said. "Still, sometimes I wish I could be a kid again."
"Yeah, well, we all have to grow up," Alex said, gently. "My sister, Jennifer, tends to only be interested in being a kid - and I sometimes worry about her. Well, anyway, let's head to the living room. It's Christmas, and we should be cheerful. So are you feeling any better, now?"
"Yeah, Alex, thanks," replied Marty, as he hugged Alex. "You're such a good buddy!"
oooooooooo
Marty was feeling cheerful later on, when he and Alex had stepped into Larry's Diner with the Greenwood family. The restaurant had a sweet and festive smell, while the walls were adorned with Christmas decorations. The speakers were also pumping out traditional Christmas music. Oh Little Town of Bethlehem was currently being played.
"Now that's what I call real Christmas music," exclaimed Alex. "Not the Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby crap! Screw songs like Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire!"
"I agree, Alex," Marty said, nodding. "That's really my idea of Christmas music, too - Christmas carols sung by a choir and played by an orchestra. This is festive music!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Alex, smiling. "You really agree with me! You know, this seems to be one of the very few things that my whole family can agree on! Maybe it's because this is such a festive time of year. Usually, Mallory and I tend to fight over music!"
"How would you guys like to sit here?" suggested Victoria. "Here we can look out the window, and look at all the beautiful scenery. Look at all these gorgeous flowers!"
"Oh, yes!" gushed Alex. "These are beautiful! Maybe we can pick them later!"
"I didn't bring any flower pots along," Victoria said, apologetically. "One rule we have in our family is, we don't pull up flowers. We dig them up by the roots and put them into a flower pot. That way, we don't kill them! We should respect nature!"
"You're absolutely right, Victoria!" exclaimed Marty. "I guess I've never really about that before. It is pretty hypocritical to gush over a pretty flower - only to pluck it out and kill it. Just imagine if we treated people of the opposite gender that way!"
"My parents feel the same way, too," explained Alex. 'I have to agree that it's really disrespectful to nature to kill the precious creations. Many just don't get it, however. Some people assume that, because I'm a Republican, I don't appreciate nature. I do find that attitude to be very insulting to me."
"You have a good point, Alex," replied Marty. He then looked at who was sitting a few tables over, and he was shocked by the sight he saw. "Linda? My sister?"
"Wait a minute!" Alex said, stunned. "That looks like Mallory over there! How did she get into this world?" Turning to Victoria, he added, "You've brought our sisters here?"
"Yeah, I did," Victoria said, quietly. "I wanted them to appreciate the value of family. I knew they were angry with you guys, and I thought I would teach them a lesson."
"Oh, poor Mallory!" Alex said, quietly. "She must have been frightened to find herself so far away from home - but it's amazing she ended up together with Marty's sister."
"Oh, gee, what are we going to say to Linda?" asked Marty. "She doesn't know about Doc's time machine - and I'd prefer if she didn't know about it. What shall we say?"
"Well, we didn't get here through Doc's time machine," commented Alex. "Maybe we can find a way to convince our sisters that this is all a dream. What do you say?"
"I have no objections to the idea," responded Marty. "We don't want them to worry, though. They'll be wanting explanations, and we can't exactly tell them that they're just dreaming. Maybe we'll think of something. Well, at least they seem fine!"
