An Old Friend
Chapter 2—Reunion
Phil was shocked at the sight of his newly rehabilitated friend showing up at his window, in the past no less.
"Kris, is it really you?"
"Phil? What are the chances?"
"I can't believe it. How is this possible?" Phil was dumbfounded.
"Let me in and I'll tell you all about it."
"Come to the front door."
Keely interrupted their reunion. "Phil, how do you know it's really her?"
Phil looked Keely in the eye. "The rings never lie. Once activated, they only work for one person, the wearer. We got them special so that they would only glow for us."
Kris walked around to the front door and rang the "primitive" doorbell.
Lloyd Diffy was about to answer the door when Phil told him that he would get it. Upon opening the door, the two friends hugged and cried for they had not looked each other in the face for years.
"Kris, I missed you so much. You have to tell me everything: how they fixed you up, how you got here, everything!"
Lloyd looked at the two of them and then at the rings. "Kris? Kris Turner? Last time I saw you, you were on virtual life support, in the future, well, our present."
"Hi, Mr. Diffy," Kris greeted him. "Wait a minute, should your friend be hearing this?"
"It's okay, Kris. She knows."
"Oh my gosh, this is incredible! Barbara! Pim! Come in here!" Mr. Diffy called out to his family.
The two of them came in from the other rooms.
"Phil, who's your friend?" Pim asked.
Kris was surprised at the sight of Pim. "Pim? Is that really you? Wow! You've grown so much. Last time I saw you were a little six year old. Now you're twice the age! Of course that was six years ago, or six years in the future come to think of it."
"Phil, I thought you had some crazy friends before, but this one takes the cake. She actually thinks she's from the future! Ha ha ha!" Pim made a fake laugh.
"She is. This is Kris Turner. You must have been too young to remember, but she was injured in an accident involving me and a pair of magnetic suction gloves. She was in a coma for a long time in a virtual life support system. Kris and I are best friends."
Upon hearing those words, Keely felt unwanted. She walked out the back door.
Back inside Lloyd and Barbara were jumping for joy over the fact that another person from their time had arrived in the past. "This means we can go home! We can go back to our own time!"
"Actually Mr. and Mrs. Diffy, you're still stuck here. I saw your broken-down time machine. I'm sorry, but I was a stowaway. I was discovered and kicked out. I fell through the time stream here. It is just a coincidence that you guys are here too. I'm sorry to get your hopes up."
The expressions on the Diffys' faces turned to disappointment. "That's all right," Barbara said. "At least now Phil has an old friend from our time he can hang out with.
Kris looked around. "Hey Phil. Where did your friend go?"
Phil looked around as well. "That's not like Keely to leave without saying goodbye. I'll go look for her."
"Phil, do you even have to wonder?" Kris asked him. "Keely was being ignored. She felt like you didn't need her anymore now that I'm here. When you find her, you better set her straight."
"You're right Kris. You can tell me all about your miracle cure later." Phil walked out the door to look for Keely.
After a few minutes of silence, Kris asked the Diffys a question. "So, where will I be spending the night?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh," the family said in unison. They were not prepared for this.