professor wasn’t angry at this repetitive question because it gave him another chance to feed his ego, and simply said “In plain English, my experiment allows the viewer of the screen to watch a video history of the item that’s been placed into the chroniton machine”, each word spoken was dripping with pride. “That is why my learned friend you are appearing on the TV, because it is showing you finding the teddy buried in that thorny hedge”. “Oh” said the Assistant looking very perplexed. He carried on explaining ignoring his Assistant “and so when the power to the machine is stop, time runs forward, and the video footage on the screen plays like a reality TV show. But when the power is switched back on again it rewinds through time like a video tape… any questions” said the professor waiting for a response. His Assistant held up his hand and said meekly “what’s a video tape”. The professor bit his lip and was about to simplify the information even further. But when he saw the expression on the poor boys face, he gave up trying (he didn’t want to spend his whole afternoon cleaning up little fragments of brain from the laboratory walls, after his assistant’s head exploded due to him trying desperately to understand the experiment (It wasn’t the most eventful way to spend the afternoon, especially after discovering the scientific brake through of the century). So instead he said to his assistant “put the kettle on, I could do with a brew whilst we watch history unfold before our very eyes”. This news came as a relief for both of the men and with their warm beverages in hand; they made themselves comfortable beneath the warm glow of the flashing images on the large television screen.

Chapter 10 – This is your life, in reverse

Cuddles life story began at the end with him and the assistant travelling across the park to the lab. Professor Warkin pulled out the ordinary looking remote control again and said “well this is really dull, I wonder what other interesting things have happened to this bear”, and pointed the remote at the microwave cooker. The images on the screen began to run in reverse. He clicked it again and the picture zoomed backwards even faster. The blue light from the microwave grew brighter as it sucked more energy from the labs small generator and the single light bulb, dimed under the pull from the machine. The remote clicked at the Machine again and the footage played forward in real time. Both men watched a family getting in to car. The Mom and Dad packed a picnic basket into the boot, while a little girl with the teddy sat on the back seat. Before the girl had a chance to fasten the teddy’s seat belt, a long eared dog jumped into the seat and knocked the teddy bear onto the floor and said “this seat is reserved for VIB’s, Very Important Basset’s; you can ride in coach on the floor, ah ha”. The dog then turned to a very angry little ginger haired girl and added “what he asked for it”. The girl narrowed her eyes almost shut and said hoarsely “your comeuppance will come long ears, mark my words… “.