Day 489 of 246,786
16:00 DT
Doxopolis

Marty was feeling rather nervous, as he and the other visitors strolled over to where the food was being served. What if they served food that he was real unfamiliar with or that really looked unappetizing? He didn't want to seem rude, and he was hungry.

"I guess you folks must be new here," chirped a middle-aged woman. "Are you folks feeling hungry? Just help yourselves to our food. You might want to try our pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. We have tuna fish and chicken sandwiches, as well. To drink, we have orange juice, grape juice, and fruit punch."

"How much does the food cost?" asked Marty. "We really don't have any currency for this dimension. We have American currency from the reality we came here from."

"That will work," the woman said, smiling. She then got out her calculator and figured out the price. "It will just cost two dollars and 37 cents for each of you. You folks can eat all that you like. How are you enjoying yourselves so far? This is a great place to be, isn't it? I lived here for a little over thirty years. My life wasn't that good before."

"Well, we have a fairly good life where we come from," Alex said, smiling. "Still, this is a nice place to have a vacation. We came here entirely by accident, but I'm happy we came here. I must say I haven't seen so many different species of birds in my life - except for in a bird book. The flowers and butterflies are also real beautiful."

"I have to admit I don't appreciate nature as I should," Mallory sighed. 'Sometimes, it's easy to get so caught up in all the technology we have in our world."

"I'm guilty of the same thing," agreed Linda. "I mean, it's so nice to have advanced technology - but it's important to remember to appreciate the beauty of nature, too."

"Well, the two can exist in harmony together," Alex said, smiling. "I should admit that I sometimes worry about what the future will be like, though. Still, this really doesn't have to be a case of where we have to choose one over the other. It's about how all things should be in moderation. Anyway, we should go serve ourselves, now."

"Talk to you folks a little later," the woman said, smiling. "I must say you folks look so adorable. Just be sure that you folks enjoy your youth while you still have it."

"She's right, Alex," Mallory insisted, as she looked at her brother. "You sometimes do take life so seriously. You really need to kick back and relax, sometimes. In a way, I sometimes miss being a kid - and I sometimes envy Jennifer. Being an adult really is not all that it's cracked up to be. I sometimes do feel old at nineteen years old."

"I'm twenty years old," added Linda, "and I can really relate to what you're saying. I mean, I'm no longer a teenager. I can barely believe Marty's already eighteen. He is the baby of the family, and even he's an adult now. Where does all the time go?"

"Hey, what about me?" protested Alex. "I'm 21 years old, and I am the oldest of our family. Sometimes I look at Andy, and I think of how great it must be to be an infant - and not have a care in the world. You know, being the smartest kid in your class is not always all that it's cracked up to be. I mean, I remember how Mrs. Leahy would single me out in front of whole class - and she'd always point out how smart I am. I guess she meant well, and she thought I would be flattered. The thing is, I was only seven years old - and I really didn't like the way she would often pressure me."

"I guess I never really thought of it that way," Marty said, sighing. "I'm quite sure if you attended our high school, you would be one of the few students that Strickland wouldn't consider a slacker. I sometimes do wish I had your intelligence."

"Well, I'm not really complaining," Alex said, with a small smile. "I have to admit that my sister is right, and I maybe do sometimes take life too seriously. Some might be a little surprised to hear me say this, but I admit that I sometimes wish I didn't care so much about politics. Life would be a bit easier if we didn't have to worry so much about world events. Still, it's important to care - and life is sometimes tough."

"I see what you mean," replied Marty. Then he caught a glimpse of a man who was familiar looking. "Doc?" Marty gasped. "The Doc is here?" Turning to Alex, he said, "Come on! Let's go! I think this might be my friend, Dr. Emmett Brown! It looks a lot like him. I wonder what he's doing here, though. We should stop over and say hi."

"All right then," replied Alex. Then, turning to Linda and Mallory, he added, "You girls just wait right here. Marty and I will be back soon. Don't go anywhere without us."

Marty and Alex walked over to the man who looked like Doc. As the man turned his head, his eyes grew really big. Marty then knew that the man was his friend, Doc.

"Doc?" Marty asked, stunned. "Hey, Doc, is that you? It's me, Marty! Marty McFly!"

"Marty!" called out Doc, cheerfully. "What a surprise to see you over here! I've really missed you a lot. I mean, I really haven't seen you in over a year. Although, I did see you in Narnia - assuming that you are who I think you are."

"Yeah, it's me," Marty replied, stunned. "I was, in fact, in Narnia... a year ago. I sure remember how much fun it was. Anyway, Doc, how do you do?"

"As you probably well remember," explained Doc, "Clara and I are married. We have a baby, now. It was a boy, and his name is Jules. Guess who we named him after."

"Your favourite author, Jules Verne," replied Marty, smiling. "So where did you come from? Or, rather, when did you come from? You must still be living in the Old West."

"Precisely," replied Doc, smiling warmly. As he saw both Marty and Alex, he gasped, "Great Scott! How could there be two of you? How in the name of Sir Isaac H Newton did that happen?"

"Uh, Doc," stammered Alex. "I mean, Dr. Brown, my name is Alex Keaton. I'm really not sure of how to tell you this. I'm really not just another version of Marty, though."

"It's all right, Alex," said Doc, waving away Alex's concern. "Don't tell me anything about where you came from. It can have terrible repercussions on the space-time continuum. I came here from December 26 of 1886. Because I really don't belong in that time, I can come here whenever I like. Clara can't, though - because she does belong in that time. I'm not certain about Jules, though. Jules was born in that time - but I'm his father, and I'm from the future. Jules is chronologically older than me."

"Time travel can be very confusing," Alex said, smiling. Then, as he began to shake Doc's hand, he said, "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Brown. Marty told me so much about you. I heard you may be even smarter than I am. Is that sometimes hard for you?"

"Oh, yes, very much so," replied Doc, grimacing a little bit. "It's tough when quite a few people in your town regard you as a nutcase. I still remember the pain of, back when I taught third grade, there were parents who would pull their kids out of my class. At least my former students liked me, and they still remember me so fondly. It's rather sad to know that many of the kids are more tolerant of you than certain adults are. I mean, we really do hold adults to higher standards - and we expect them to be more mature and to be above the childish silliness. I enjoy it better living in the Old West."

"Maybe we just don't give kids enough credit," Alex said, shaking his head. "It's a bit ironic how much more open-minded many kids are over certain adults. The sad thing is, it's certain adults who'll teach their kids to hold prejudices about certain people."

"Fortunately, my family had taught me to love everyone," Marty said, sighing. "There have been many occasions that I felt like challenging adults about their prejudice of people like Doc - but, as children, we get taught to respect for our elders. Even if one is older, though - it doesn't mean they're always right. We really can learn a lot from the children. They're really not as dumb as we make them out to be."

"Have you boys eaten yet?" asked Doc. "The food here is wonderful. Being a father myself, I most definitely will raise our children to be open-minded people. I started building a time machine. I really did miss you a lot - and I really miss Einstein, too. Are you taking good care of him? You remember he only likes canned dog food, right?"

"Well, actually, uh..." Marty started to say. Then, realizing he shouldn't say too much of Doc's future, he said, "Right, of course! I can quite assure you that Einie is in good shape and is healthy. He gets walked twice a day, too. I guess Alex and I should go grab something to eat. We wouldn't want our sisters to be worried about us. They don't know about your time machine - so, after we go back home, we'll have to convince them that this was just a dream. It was nice seeing you here, Doc!"

"I enjoyed meeting you, too, Doc," Alex said, warmly. "Good luck with your new family. I know you'll make a great father. Don't let the negativity of other people get you down. Life can sometimes be tough, but it's best to make the most out of it."

"Thank you for the nice words of encouragement," replied Doc, as he threw his arms around Alex. "It's been a great pleasure to meet you as well, Alex. I guess we'll have to move back to your time, eventually - but I really do love living in the Old West."

"I would love to visit the Old West, too," replied Alex. "I would certainly miss some of the modern conveniences that we tend to take for granted - but it was certainly a wonderful time before all the pollution, and there was more emphasis on the family."

"I think Clara would be horrified by how superficial many people in the 1980s have become," Doc said, sighing. "In many ways, though, she is ahead of her time."

"Take care of yourself, Doc," Marty said, as he threw his arms around his friend. "Be sure to tell Clara that I said 'hi'. Also, take good care of the baby. I'll see you, soon."

"I'll really miss you, Marty," Doc said, as he squeezed Marty. "Once again, I'm glad that you've made it safely home. I meant to send you back to eleven at night!"

"Oh, it's all right, Doc," Marty said, gently. "I understand you never meant to put me in harm's way. You have really been a great friend to me, and I am glad that you're happy. I can tell Clara really cares a lot about you. I'll send good wishes your way."

"I wish you could stay in the Old West with me," Doc said, warmly. "However, I know you have a life in your own era - and it wouldn't be fair to keep you out of your era."

Marty and Alex both waved to Doc, as they went to look for their sisters.