Jimmy Wheatley's Super Fantastic Time Machine (A Brief History of Time)

by Jim

Who knew? It really is possible to travel in time!

Everything being relative, however, I am unable to tell you exactly where I am at the moment. I know it is not in the future, I’ve been there (that's where you live). It could be the past but I’m pretty sure if I walk up the trail into the mountains here I will move further back in time.

Therefore, I must be in the present. But, this present is strange; I don’t understand anything.

Eating here is a problem. This morning I decided to follow the Peace Corps advice and take care of myself first. I was hungry. I decided to walk around 

the pueblo and visit the two colmados (tiny stores that sell rum and beer, soap, grain and the occasional limp carrot) and the two street venders that set up shop each day on the main drag, to see what I could find. I found one tiny onion, one tiny tomato, 4 pieces of bread and three mangos. There was nothing else. But when I returned home, a neighbor had dropped off a dozen mangos and some bananas.

We are not starving, and it seems like we always manage to find something (se Dios quiere) but it is pretty close to the edge. The fruit here is incredible and yesterday I found some avocados, today no.

I’ve been thinking of traveling further back in time. All I need to do is walk up the mountain. I am a little afraid, however, because I have heard that illegal Haitians live there. I know it is just fear of the unknown, but to me, “There be Dragons”! or, at least Haitians living in huts with no electricity, no running water and no latrines. That is what I think I will find. Another problem is that they speak different language back then.

I think there must be a worm hole nearby. There are military checkpoints along the road leading away from here. The soldiers are trying to catch the Haitians; the past is trying to sneak into the present.

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (last year in the US) the same thing was happening. As I recall it couldn’t be stopped. The past can be relentless.

I have learned a few things traveling through time. A lot of people living in the past are trying to travel to the future. Only Peace Corps volunteers, some religious folks, NGO’s and a few ne’er-do-wells are traveling the other direction. And, most of the folks living in the future just want everybody to stay where they are.