The Secret Manuscript
Page 50
Chapter Forty-Eight
The car pulled up to the hotel just past noon. With a hurried pace, Ben rushed through the front doors and dashed across the lobby as if he were late for a meeting. Frantically pressing the elevator button several times, Ben eventually opted to take the stairs. His room was on the third floor, and when he arrived he took out his key card and inserted it into the door.
“Hi, honey,” Vanessa said, greeting Ben as he entered the room. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine now, I just couldn’t wait to see you,” he said, walking over to her and giving her a hug.
“Ah, that’s sweet. I know we spoke briefly on the phone, but tell me everything that happened.”
“So as you know, that note wasn’t from me, it was the handiwork of my future counterpart. He tricked me into going to Calgary without you. I thought you were asleep in the backseat for almost two hours of the trip.”
“I was wondering why there were no pillows on his bed.”
“Once I found out you were not there, I forced him to pull over and we fought.”
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you fought yourself. Who won?”
“Well… I did.”
“So what happened after that?”
“He convinced me to go on without you. He said it was for the greater good of the mission and made me think that I didn’t really have a choice. I started thinking about my destiny and how he had experienced all this before, so I didn’t see the point in trying to fight with him anymore. After that, I just went along with everything he said.”
“What I want to know is when do you become such a devious trickster? I’m not looking forward to that. First, he made you believe you would have to kill your grandfather. Then he lied to you about me being in the back seat.”
“I’m not sure why he did that. Either he was just sticking to the script or it was his idea of a joke. Apparently my sense of humour changes in the next forty years.”
“So in forty years are you going to do this all over again — you’re going to play those same tricks on the younger you?”
“I don’t know what I’ll do,” Ben said thoughtfully. “I had a lot of time to think about it on the drive to Cold Lake. If I don’t come back here when I’m older, the younger me will likely die in that fire. It sort of forces my hand a bit, doesn’t it?”
“Where is future Ben now?”
“I’m not sure. He went his way and I went mine. He refused to tell me any details about the future, but assured me he will be seeing me again at some point.”
“How will he find you?”
“As long as he doesn’t lose his memory, he’ll know exactly where I am at all times. He’s already lived this life before.”
“So does that mean there’s no free will?”
“I don’t know. It certainly feels like there is, but I’m not really sure. Right now, I think it’s more like fatalism.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s like destiny in that certain events must happen, but other events are not as necessary. So the fire at my apartment may be necessary since other events are contingent on it, but the words I say and the minor day-to-day actions are not so strictly written in stone.”
“It sounds really philosophical.”
“It is and I’m not sure I really understand it, but I’m just going to live my life and not worry too much about it.”
“So what now?” Vanessa asked.
“The Ben of this time is probably asleep on a bus right now, heading to Calgary. A part of me wants to meet him at the bus depot and explain everything to him.”
“You have to let him have his own life and discover this organically, as you did. I don’t think it’s good to know the future,” Vanessa said.
“You’re starting to sound like future Ben.”
“I know, but he’s right.”
“Maybe,” Ben said, pondering the truth of her statement. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small object he had found in the secret room.
“Did he explain what that thing is?” Vanessa asked.
“It’s a time travelling device. He said to activate it, all we have to do is think about a place and time, and we’ll be instantly transported there.”
“Are you being serious?” Vanessa asked in amazement. “I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it.”
“A cousin of mine works as a flight attendant and gets to travel around the world for free, and I thought that was an awesome perk. Ben, this is incredible!”
“He was also very stern on the dangers of time travel, but knows I won’t abuse them. It’s important to keep this device protected since we cannot ensure others will be as careful as us.”
“Yeah, I can only imagine all the greedy and impulsive things a person could do if they had the opportunity to go back and re-write history.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not greedy and impulsive,” Ben joked.
“Riiight,” she said sarcastically.
“So right now, I came here to get you and take you back to our time. When we get back to Calgary we will have a much different life. There’s an account set up in my name with ten million dollars in it.”
“But what about the thugs and the bank robber?”
“I didn’t say we had to remain in Calgary. I have a plan to take you somewhere exotic.”
“Really, where?” Vanessa asked.
“Perhaps it would be better to ask, when?”
A Special Note from the Author
If you’ve read to the end, then chances are you’ve had a few comments, questions, or concerns about the plot. While time travel is inherently complicated, it has remained a captivating plot device throughout literature, television, and movies. I love time travel and grew up with Back to the Future, Quantum Leap, The Time Machine, Lost, and so on. Once I became a writer, I wanted to try to write my own time travel story.
Anyone who spends any time thinking, or writing, about time travel will inevitably run into paradoxes. The reality is there are no simple ways to resolve these problems. At a certain point, I had Vanessa point out the absurdity to the two Bens. I did this as a tongue-in-cheek way to let the audience know that I was aware of the absurdity. But as it remains, I never satisfactorily resolved the issue.
A potential solution to the grandfather paradox is posed as the Ben from the future discusses the alternate world’s hypothesis. However, later on young Ben cuts himself and it shows up as a scar on his older counterpart. Of course this isn’t compatible with the alternate world’s hypothesis, but it’s a cool scene so I left it in. As with most science-fiction, the reader must suspend a certain amount of disbelief for the sake of the story. I ask you not to look too deeply for plot holes and just enjoy the story at face value.
Lastly, if you enjoyed the book, please help spread the word by giving it a 5-star review on Goodreads, or wherever you purchased it.
Thank you for reading.
Edward Mullen
About the Author
Edward Mullen is a novelist, blogger, and podcaster from Vancouver, Canada. The Secret Manuscript is his third novel.
Born and raised in beautiful British Columbia, Edward developed a love for the wilderness. This love, combined with an innate curiosity about all things, eventually spawned a healthy imagination for storytelling.
Despite spending a lot of his time indoors writing, Edward continues to enjoy the outdoors. He is an avid tennis player, mountain biker, snowboarder, runner, and traveler.
For more information about Edward Mullen, such as his podcast, blog, or upcoming books, please visit:
www.EdwardMullen.com
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