Loop-de-Loop (part 3)

"What has happened... Professor?" Wygstaff looked chagrined. Then, oddly,

he gave me a funny 'look'... I was back, in the Stasis Chamber, in the

still quite irritable (itchy) special suit he had me wear... here, in 2037.

Before I gave Wygstaff a chance to reply to me, I then blurted out:

"I was with Mary Beth and we had just..." suddenly, another voice

broke in, close by. "Ahem... what Mary Beth are you speaking of?"

I turned slowly, still a bit dizzy from being snapped back to the

present day (the Future), from whence I had just left - circa 2015.

"Excuse me, Miss... But, exactly who in Blazes... are You?" I said.

"Mary Beth Wolverton... ex-Forsythe. Don't you recall anything?"

Oh, my... What did I change... I had not married Her, it seems:

and now Mary Beth is the Prof's assistant... and me, a human

guinea pig? Oh, yes... I do recall a Thomas Wolverton. The

other man after Mary's affections... If memory serves.

And it seems the 'Better Man' won out... some how?

I tried to save face, and just explained that the

Time-Trip had left me a little... confused. Yes!

#

Was I now in a different parallel universe? One where Mary

had not died, and had married the 'competition'. Then, to

top it all off... She was not any artist anymore, but

a scientist-inventor! Switched, it seems? I was, in

this 'Future' - just an associate, and a 'volunteer'

for the Time-Displacement Experiment? Oh, Bollocks!

#

It took a lot of fast talking, once I felt like 'myself'

once more... Clever talk to Wygstaff and this Mary...

They soon agreed to 'Try Again' - and send me back

to 2015, or close to the Time & Place I had just left.

#

After a once-over (this Mary was also a gifted nurse),

I was back inside the Big Chicken (Time Manipulator),

in the Stasis Chamber. I said an unspoken prayer to

any guardian angel that possibly was there by me:

'Oh, sweet Angel... Help me set right, from wrong!'

Wygstaff: "Mary... Throw the final switch... Now!"

2037 soon disappeared. And where I soon awoke,

was even more of a puzzle... A veritable Paradox!

(End of part 3)