September 14, 1893
9:20 PM PST
Emmett Lloyd Brown sighed - as he sat on the front porch, with a glass of lemonade in his hand. His wife, Clara Clayton Brown, was sitting next to him. He then realized that it has been one week, since he has taken his entire family to visit the future. He really had plans to move his family into the future, but that would take some real planning.
Suddenly, Einstein lay down next to Emmett. The sheepdog really seemed to adjust well to life in the past, to Emmett's amazement. After over eight and a half years of not seeing Einie, Emmett was so over-thrilled by the idea of having his dog present.
"I gather you must be thinking about the future," Clara commented, softly. As Emmett nodded, she added, "In all honesty, I'm simply feeling more than a little nervous about this. Even if the kids are excited about it, I... So, were you think of going to 1985?"
"Pretty much, yes," Emmett replied, in a near whisper. "I don't wish to leave Marty for too long, since I sure do understand how much he... cares about me. We will have to, at least, wait until next month - since October 27 was actually the last day that I... At least, I wish to keep all the important dates... synchronized... as closely as possible."
"I see what you mean, Emmett," Clara replied, softly. "We want to keep the important dates - such as our wedding anniversary, as well as our birthdays - the same." After a brief pause, she added. "What about your birthday, though? I'm certain that..."
"I'm rather not too concerned about that," explained Emmett. "I do have a calculation of precisely how old I am, somewhere - but I'm not concerned about... I've sure been used to the idea of my birthday being out of synch for a long time, now - that I no..."
"I suppose you do make a good point, Emmett," agreed Clara, as she patted Einstein's head. "Oh, I can see that Einie is quite warming up to us. So, did you see that Einstein was the name of a... a futuristic scientist?" As Emmett nodded, she added, "I was just thinking of what would happen, had you opted to name our children after scientists."
"Quite briefly, I considered the name Jules Eratosthenes Brown," admitted Emmett. "I rather decided against it, though - when I figured that it would be more meaningful to name him after Marty. After all, I sure was starting to miss that kid - so, as such, I..."
"I think that's so sweet!" gushed Clara. "I really wish we could've stayed, longer - but I know you didn't wish to attract unnecessary attention. I am very glad, though, that we are moving to 1985 - and not 2015. I mean, the year 2015 seemed a little too..."
"I do understand entirely what you mean," replied Emmett. "It really would be a major adjustment, even for me. I really did figure out a plan for us to move to 1985, with as much ease as possible. I simply did explain to you a little bit about my other close friend, Sabrina Palmer. There is one thing about her, though - that I never told you."
"You don't have to be afraid to tell me, Emmett," assured Clara, softly. "After all, I did witness plenty of... strangeness. For the lack of a better word. I am real certain that, whatever it is you have to tell me... I probably would not be fazed, in the slightest."
"Well, this one is a little different," Emmett pointed out, nervously. "But, all right, here goes. Sabrina Palmer is a... a witch." As Clara's eyes grew wide, he added, "She quite uses her powers to do good, though. She is not of the... the scary and evil variety."
"I'm not so certain of... of what to say," stammered Clara. "I mean, I told you I would believe you - and I just... Well, I guess I do believe you. You were right, though. This is real different from... the time machine. So, uh... Well, I am not going to judge her - and if she could help us with... with moving to the future. Well, I guess I am all for it."
"That's sure nice to hear," Emmett replied, softly. A sudden thought struck him, as he gasped, "Goodness! I just hope I didn't give Marty the impression that... I don't quite recall telling him that... Well, at the time, we hadn't yet made plans as to how we..."
"You could always arrive an hour later," suggested Clara. "In 2015, we've simply been mindful not to run into our future descendants - if we, in fact, had any. We did attend a concert that was performed by Marty McFly, and we even managed to talk a bit..."
"I know you thought that the music was loud," replied Emmett. "For me, though, I had taken it as a real positive sign that his future did... improve. He quite gave us a bunch of his old cassettes, along with... He sure was careful not to tell us anything about his family, or about... me. It is obvious that he understood the risks that went along..."
"Well, if the boys have taken a real fancy to the future," commented Clara, "I guess it would be for the best. As for me, though... Well, in all honesty, I sure might be a little less enthusiastic about the move. When you consider that I'm 38 years old, though."
"Sometimes, it is hard to believe that you are near forty," commented Emmett, softly. "You really don't look that old, and... You quite look to be about the same way as you were, when I first met you. In fact, I haven't even noticed any grey hairs - and I..."
"Thank you, Emmett," Clara replied, smiling. "So, any rate, you can understand why I feel less enthusiastic about the move - right?" Emmett nodded, as she continued. "I'm going to miss all of our friends, and... I can now see what you really meant about the loud music. I must admit, I am a little dismayed by how the boys took such a fancy..."
"Well, they are kids," Emmett pointed out, softly, "and kids are quite supposed to like rock and roll. Well, in the future, they are. Actually, I myself had grown quite fond of the music - even with bands such as, uh, Led Zeppelin. I came to like how they..."
"I rather have no clue as to who this Led Zeppelin is," replied Clara, saying the band's name as if it was a foreign term to her. "I never would've guessed you to be into that kind of music, though - even if you had mentioned that to me, before. It seems so..."
"Most people my age don't like rock and roll," explained Emmett, "even as of 1985. So, with all that considered, you're really not the first one to... Although, after not having heard the music for almost nine years... It seemed loud to me, as well. Well, there are also softer kinds of music. I don't know if you'd like pop, but it is a lot softer than..."
"On a more positive note," Clara commented, sighing, "if there simply have been some major medical advances, I would be so happy about that. I would love for our children to have the capacity to live longer lives, and I really... What about school, though?"
"I can't quite promise you that you'll be able to resume your job as a teacher," Emmett explained, nervously. "As I mentioned before, if you had wanted to become a teacher - you would be required to attend four years of college. I'm not quite certain if you..."
"Well, it is quite a disappointment," Clara replied, sighing. "I cannot very well go back to school, though - if I have children to be raised. By the way, would I be considered too old to attend college? I mean, isn't college a bit more for people who are... are in their late teens or early twenties. You said that people usually go to college right..."
"Well, not necessarily," Emmett replied, softly. "Some colleges really are more friendly to their older pupils, than others are. There might just be a community college for you to attend, which are generally more friendly to the... to people in your age bracket."
"I reckon I might try looking into it," Clara replied, softly. "On the other hand, I would not mind staying at home. I would have a lot to get used to. I quite wonder if I'll ever be able to drive one of those, uh... What do you call those... things? Automobiles?"
"That's right," Emmett replied, nodding. "The more common term for it would be 'car'. I would be more than happy to help you learn how to drive one of those. Well, I cannot presume to make decisions for Sabrina - but she might be able to help us come up with a way to... to make it so... so that you and I will have been married as of... of 1977."
"Why 1977, Emmett?" Clara asked, puzzled. She snapped her fingers, as she gasped, "Oh, I think I get it. We've been married for almost eight years, now - and, if you just came from 1985, then I... I guess 1977 would be eight year prior to that of 1985."
"Precisely," Emmett replied, smiling. "I rather will have to check with her first, though - and make sure that... that I'm not asking for too much out of her. I'm not very certain of what all capabilities she has, and... If that doesn't work, then it might be time..."
"I certainly do hope she is willing," Clara replied, softly. "I understand that you do not wish to make Marty wait almost ten years, and I... I just would not be fond of moving to a time period that would be futuristic... even to you. Well, I'm sure looking forward to meeting Sabrina - even if... I don't think I ever met a witch, before. It would be..."
"You don't need to be so scared of her," assured Emmett. "You also should take a look at her crystal collection. She quite has about the most beautiful crystals that I've ever seen. She also has an ability to travel through time in a... non-physical kind of way."
"That must be splendid," gushed Clara. "Well, I think you and I should hit the sick. I'm getting a mite exhausted, and... It sure is nice that we've had this talk, and the boys are looking forward to this. I just hope they don't lose sight of what their roots are."
Emmett nodded, as he followed Clara into the cabin. Einstein went in behind them. He had a rather good feeling that, even if Jules and Verne were quite enthralled with the future, they sure would never forget what life in the Old West was like. While he sure would miss the Old West, he also felt very excited with the prospect of coming home.
