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Short Story: Herman's Diary
A Time Travel Story
by Paul Pakusch

1945 - Rummaging through the debris of a bombed building, Army Air Corps Pilot Jim Meara was looking for German artifacts to take home as war souvenirs. He found a small vault, which had been blown open by the force of an explosion. Inside was a leather-bound diary written by a man named Herman. No last name was given.

  Jim took the diary and read it on the return voyage to the United States. Herman had been a disciple of Albert Einstein, who fled Germany in 1933. The diary contained notes on a secret weapon; one that Herman originally had hoped to help make Germany the greatest country in the world.

  The weapon was a time machine; Herman had documented plans, theories and tests of various components. The concept involved flying an airplane into a thunderstorm to harness its awesome power to propel the craft backwards or forward through time. With this flying time machine, Herman theorized that someone could change events to alter the course of history.

  The diary entries abruptly ended in September 1939 with no explanation. "The German invasion of Poland," thought Jim. "Maybe Herman disappeared for some reason."

  There was no indication whether the time machine had ever been built or tested or whatever had happened to Herman.

  As a pilot, Jim knew that flying into thunderstorms was dangerous. A storm could suck an airplane into its belly and spit it out in pieces. But Herman had written down theories on how to build great strength into an airplane to hold it together.

 

  Jim returned to a war hero's welcome in his hometown of College Park, Maryland. A great party was thrown for him; he was an Ace who had also conducted some daring rescue missions in occupied France. His wife, Doris, embraced him and so did other family members and friends.

  Suddenly, Jim's eyes met the most beautiful face he had ever seen. His heart started racing as this young woman reached out to hug him. Haltingly, he reached out too, but she could see by the look on his face that he did not recognize her. Laughingly, she told him that she was his neighbor, whom he had not seen since the war started almost four years earlier.

  Margaret! Of course! Now he recognized her. She was now 19 and had blossomed into a truly rare beauty. After exchanging some small talk to catch up, Jim turned to the remaining guests who were waiting to greet him.

  That night, Jim and Doris made love for the first time in almost four years. Jim had not been totally faithful while based in England as some of the young native ladies were all too willing to satisfy the desires of American fighter pilots. Jim had hoped he could put that behind him as a wartime casualty and get a new start with Doris. But on this night, he could only see the face of Margaret.

 

  Months passed as Jim resettled into life at home. Secretly, he studied Herman's diary. He was fascinated at the prospects of traveling through time, but dared to tell no one of his possession. He bought a surplus Piper Cub and used Herman's theories to build strength into it. This was a secret project; Jim had told no one about the diary. If it fell into the wrong hands, time travel could be catastrophic to the very existence of mankind. Using Herman's theories as a guide, he wired the Cub with hidden electronic gadgets designed to carry the aircraft and its occupant into the past or the future.

  The strength tests all appeared successful. Jim flew the Cub into mountainous areas on windy days to challenge its strength. It would need to be strong enough to survive the ripping forces of thunderstorms.

  When the Cub was finished and its tests passed with satisfaction, Jim watched for the signs of a thunderstorm. On the day a cold front was coming through, Jim could see the distinctive anvil shape of thunderheads in the distance.

  Launching his Cub towards the storms, Jim trembled. He was reminded of his first fighter escort flight into the thick flak over Nazi Germany. He tightened his seat belt and headed straight for the center of a cumulonimbus cloud, something no sane pilot would do. He turned on the switch for the time machine, which had been set for the year 1865. Plunging into the darkness of the cloud, Jim could no longer see anything outside the windows. The turbulence was horrendous. He could feel the plane shoot up hundreds, perhaps thousands of feet in seconds. Lightning flashed through the darkness and he was momentarily blinded. Was the Cub harnessing the storm's energy? Was the time machine activating?

  Suddenly, Jim was blinded by bright sunshine. The plane was in a spin. He recovered from the spin and looked around. Nothing but beautiful, white scattered clouds over a forested and rivered landscape.

  He turned back to the College Park airport. It wasn't there! And College Park was nothing like the small town be had left only moments ago.

 

1865 - In the distance, Jim could make out the shape of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington. He dared not venture there because he did not want to attract attention with an airplane. Airplanes did not exist in 1865.

  Finding an open field, Jim landed the Cub and changed into some 1860's style clothing be had purchased from a costume shop. He also had with him some vintage coins he bought at a coin shop.

  Jim walked a good distance until he reached Washington. It was Good Friday, April 14, 1865, and the city was in a festive mood. The Civil War had ended only days earlier. Jim walked the streets, observing the differences between 1865 and 1945. Knowing the fate that awaited President Lincoln that evening, Jim purchased a ticket to see the play, "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre. He sat on the second level near the flag-draped Presidential Box. After the play began, President Lincoln's party finally arrived and Lincoln appeared in the Presidential Box, with the orchestra playing "Hail to the Chief." The audience rose for a standing ovation.

  Jim paid little attention to the play. He kept glancing toward the door of the Presidential Box and the bodyguard standing there. Jim's heart raced. History was about to be made and he was going to witness it!

  The bodyguard left his post and went downstairs to watch the play. Suddenly, Jim felt the urge to run over and guard the door. But he resisted the temptation, knowing that he should not tamper with history.

  During the third act, Jim observed a shadowy figure slip to the door, unnoticed by anyone else. As the audience, watching the play, burst into laughter, the figure swung the door open. A moment later, Jim heard a scream coming from the box. Impulsively, he jumped up and ran toward the door, just as a man with a smoking gun in one hand and a hunting knife in the other hand stepped out. The man hesitated when he came face to face with Jim, then turned back through the booth, jumped out the front and crashed onto the stage below. John Wilkes Booth struggled up, yelled, "Sic semper tyrannis," and hobbled off the stage.

  People began shouting and shoving for the exits. Even though had known what was about to happen, the moment still stunned Jim. Lincoln was carried to a house across the street and Jim followed the crowd to stand outside.

  Jim realized that he had nearly interfered with history by standing in the way of John Wilkes Booth. He felt privileged to be able to witness history and vowed that he must not get in the way of anything in his travels through time.

  Jim slept in a boardinghouse that night and had to wait for another thunderstorm before he could return to 1945. When he did, he set the time machine to return him to the moment he had originally left. That way, no one would know he had been gone.

 

 

 

Jim continued his time travels. He had gone back in time to witness historic moments and bad gone forward in time to see the future. His first visit to the year 1974 appalled him. He hated the clothing styles and longhaired men; He hated the music that was popular. Cars were ugly. The President of the United States was under investigation for covering up a crime. What kind of a world would he be living in when he reached the age of 54?

 

2007 - Jim emerged from his Cub in the year 2007 at the College Park airport.

Jim walked to Ford's Theatre and stood on the front sidewalk. A disheveled, longhaired bearded man with ragged clothes walked up to him.

  "Are you a tourist?" said the man.

  "Yes, I am," said Jim.

  "This is Ford's Theatre. It's where Lincoln got shot."

  "Yes, I know," said Jim.

  Then he pointed across the street and continued, "And that's the House Where Lincoln Died. I have some brochures here for tourists. I'm a Vietnam Veteran. For a donation to the Vietnam Vets, you can get this brochure and find all the attractions here in Washington."

  "You're a war veteran?" asked Jim.

  "Yes."

Jim looked him over. From his trip to 1974, he already knew that the war in Vietnam had been unpopular, but why were its veterans dressed like this and reduced to selling brochures on the street?

  "Here's a donation," Jim said, handing him a five-dollar bill.

  "Thank you," said the man. "Enjoy your visit to Washington."

 

  Jim saw the sights of Washington and ended up at the Air and Space Museum. He saw how aviation would advance through the years and that travel into space would be possible, even landing on the moon. It was all very exciting but he found it discomforting.

 

  His own world, the late 1940's, was ideal. The country was enjoying an economic boom that Jim knew, from his time travels, would continue through the 1950's. He loved the music, the cars, the fashions, and the patriotic atmosphere that enveloped society.

Yes, there were to be difficult times, including the Cold War and the Korean conflict, but Jim had an unusual vantage point that showed him the United States would survive these times intact. Thus, Jim knew that he could enjoy the 1940's and 1950's worry-free.

  Better yet, Jim would be able to profit from his foresight. He could make investments that he knew would shower him with huge riches. His investments would be totally risk-free. By using time travel, he could go into the future to determine which stocks would gain in price. Then he would return to his own time to invest in those stocks. He would continue to tell no one about his time travels or his process for choosing stocks. He would not tell Doris about his investments.

  Jim was losing interest in Doris. He was no longer attracted to her. He could not stop thinking about Margaret, whom he had seen in passing from time to time, but she suddenly moved away unexpectedly in the spring of 1946. She and her parents had left town and put their house up for sale without giving a reason.

  Jim formulated a plan for his life. He would continue his time travels in order to choose his investments, which would be used to quietly amass a huge fortune. He would enjoy his life through the year 1963. Then he would return to the year 1945, change his identity, and live through the 1940's and 1950's AGAIN! Since his body would continue to age, he would begin his second journey in 1945 and live through those golden years as a much older and richer 43-year old man. His older body would be his disguise. He could walk the streets under a new identity and no one would know he was the same person as the younger 25-year old Jim Meara. He would live through his beloved 1940's and 1950's twice and become very rich.

 

Jim thanked Herman, whoever he was, wherever he was, for writing the diary.

 

1963 - Jim helped Doris get her luggage out of the car and into the airport. She was going to visit some relatives. Doris gave Jim a kiss. "Have a good time," said Jim.

  As he stood there, an older man with a derby walked up to him and flashed a broad smile, then he turned and walked into the airport.

  Jim waited and watched as the plane took off and disappeared from view. He looked at his watch. He drove to a diner and ordered a cheeseburger and French fries. As he ate in silence, he frequently looked at his watch.

  "Are you waiting for someone?" a voice said. Jim was startled and he looked up. It was the waitress.

  "You keep looking at your watch," she said.

  "Huh? No, uh, I just want to make sure I get home in time to listen to something on the radio."

  "Was your food ready fast enough?"

  "Oh, it was fine," Jim said as he took a last gulp of cola.

  "Everything was fine. Even you were fine. In fact, you were great! The food was great, the service was great, and you were great!

  Jim set a twenty-dollar bill on the table. "Here," he said. "Keep the change!" The waitress' jaw dropped. "But it only costs-..."

  'Don't worry about it. Keep it!" Jim said as he dashed out the door.

Jim drove home. He unlocked the front door and walked into his house. He looked at a picture of Doris on the mantel and then he pulled out his wallet. He reached into a hidden pocket in his wallet and pulled out another picture. It was a picture of Margaret.

Jim turned on the radio, looked at his watch and sat down. Then he waited.

 

  Jim was drifting off to sleep when the announcer interrupted the music with the news of a plane crash. It was the plane Doris was on. There were no survivors.

 

  Jim had planned for this event. He no longer cared about Doris and wanted her out of his life. When she announced plans to visit relatives, Jim used time travel to find an airliner that would crash. Then he booked her on that flight. It was the perfect undetected murder.

  In the days following the crash, there was a memorial service and many friends and relatives visited Jim to pay their respects. He feigned depression.

  Jim had a large fortune in secret investments. It was 1963 and the world he loved was about to change; it was time to get ready to go back to 1945.

  Jim had to sell his investments. 1963 investments would be worthless in 1945. He used the profits to buy old currency that had been printed prior to 1945.

 

  At the airport, Jim loaded his duffel bag into the Cub. Its only contents were the money and Herman's diary.

  "You going flying today?" the airport mechanic asked. "There's some pretty stormy weather nearby."

  "Yeah, I am. With Doris being gone, I don't care anymore what happens to me," lied Jim.

  "Now, that's not good," said the mechanic. "If you're feeling blue, you shouldn't be flying."

  "Don't worry about me. I'll be all right," said Jim. The mechanic shrugged his shoulders, pulled the prop for Jim to start the engine, and Jim taxied to the runway. He was happy to have had this conversation. When his Cub disappeared into a thunderstorm and did not return, there would be no trace found of Jim Meara from 1963. The mechanic would state to authorities that Jim took off when bad weather was forecast.

 

1945 - Jim emerged from his Cub in 1945; this time he would be staying to relive his favorite years. Now he would be a 43-year old man instead of being 25 the first time he lived through 1945. He painted a different tail number on the Cub. Since he originally bought it in 1945, it now co-existed with itself and he could not have two Piper Cubs with the same tail number on it. He also planned to avoid running into his younger self and took on the name James Fisher.

  To do that, he bought a car with the vintage 1945 currency that he brought with him from 1963 and drove to South Carolina. He deposited his cash in a new bank account and bought an old southern mansion that was once a plantation. With his knowledge of world events to come, he would continue to invest and build up his fortune. It would be the perfect second half of his life.

 

  Months later, James drove to College Park to reminisce about his younger years there. As he walked into a restaurant for lunch, the waitress was Margaret! She was as beautiful as the last day he saw her in 1946 the first time around.

  "Hello, may I take your order?" she asked.

  "Your name is Margaret," he said, looking at her name badge. "What a pretty name."

  "Thank you. Are you from around here? I don't believe I've seen you before."

  "I come from South Carolina," said James. "I own an old plantation."

  "Oh! I love those old mansions! Do you have a crop?"

  "No, it's just a lot of land these days," he said. "I'm an investor, so I don't need to grow anything. The only people working for me are some maids and gardeners."

  "I'll be it's beautiful there."

  "It sure is. There are rolling hills and meadows with plenty of large trees. In fact, if you want to see it, I'd be more than happy to take you there," said James.

  "Oh, my!" said Margaret. "That's quite a proposition! But that's awfully far away to drive, isn't it?"

  "Yes, well, I have an airplane. We could fly there."

  "An airplane! I'd love to fly. I have a neighbor who just bought one. I think it's a Piper Cub."

  James winced. Margaret was referring to his younger self, who could be anywhere in town. "Ah, yes. A very nice airplane. I have a Cub, too."

  "This all sounds like fun! I'd love to visit your mansion. Would you like to order some lunch?"

  James ordered lunch and they exchanged some more small talk. He made arrangements to fly her to his mansion about a week later. Their visits continued and after several months, James proposed to Margaret and she accepted.

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