submitted by admin - Jun 10, 2002
A boy tries out the time machine he invented.
'So what's it do?' Max asked his buddy Stan.
Stan was proudly displaying something that looked like a combination hi-tech vase and a model of a space station. It was tall and slender in the middle with a couple of rings circling it. There were LED's and an LCD screen attached to it.
Both boys were 12 years old and best buddies although Stan was much more interested in tinkering with things than Max. Max liked computers but he never really cared to know what makes one work. Stan loved mechanical things. He loved math. He loved electronics. He was the proverbial book-worm and he fancied himself an inventor. Not all of his projects turned out like he wanted. The backyard was only now beginning to turn green again after his 'Eye in the Sky' model rocket and video camera experiment failed miserably. Not everything was a failure. His overclocked computer and custom built joystick was a smashing success as far as Max was concerned.
'Isn't it cool?' Stan said.
'But what is it?' Max replied 'It looks like something my brother and his friends kept holding a lighter to out in the woods.... 'cept they had hoses on theirs'
'Hmmmmm I don't think it was one of these! This is a 'Stanley Time Portal Machine'. That name's not for sure yet but I'll name it somethin' like that.' Stan replied
Max shook his head. His friend had really outdone himself this time. After all, the machine surely did look good. It had shiny lights and looked well constructed. The wiring was all neat and tidy. Very professional looking but then again Max knew Stan's attention to detail.
'Does it work?' Max asked figuring there was no way it did and still not exactly knowing what it did anyway.
'Sure... I guess.... I was waiting on you so we could try it!' Stan told him. 'How far back do you wanna go?'
'Far back?' Max asked.
'In time... I have to set the proper cooridinates to open the time portal. Wanna go 10 years?' Stan said.
'Stan, You mean you think you built a time machine?'
'Yip.... Just need to know where we're gonna go to for our first trip!' he answered.
'Ummmmmm Well.... 10 years ago we'd be about in diapers. I don't think I wanna see any of that! How about 20..... errrrrrrrr how about 30 years ago? That'd be before computer games I bet! You could get rich!' Max told his friend.
'OK... But I'm not sure about changin' anything. We'll just go back and look around.... at least for our first trip!' Stan told him.
'This isn't dangerous is it? You don't really expect it to work?' Max asked as Stan pressed some button and the device lighted up.
'There... let's go' Stan said.
'Where?' Max asked.
'In the time portal I've opened up...right here' he said as an area around them begin to look like heat rising from a hot highway. 'Cmon!
Stan grabbed Max and pulled him into the strange area. The next thing that they knew they were falling onto the ground somewhere outdoors.
'Whoa.... Where are we?' Max wondered.
'Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Oh.... I bet we're still where we always were. It's just 30 years back so the house isn't there yet!' Stan stated.
'You bet?' Max asked.
'Yeah.... I mean of course that's where we're at! It worked!' Stan stated triumphantly.
The boys looked around. Instead of houses and streets they saw woods and fields. The area did look familiar as far as the lay of the land.... but none of the construction had taken place here yet.
'Hey..... is that how we go back?' Max said as he pointed to the strange distorted area still near them.
'Ummmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmmm no.... it is the wrong phase.... that's funny....' Stan mumbled.
'What's funny?' Max asked.
'I woulda thought the portal would've already closed. Well, it must take a while. 30 years is WAY back you know. Ummmmm I knew it wouldn't be fast to close, anyway.' he answered as he checked his device. 'It's closing though. C'mon... let's go look around!'
'Where?' Max wondered.
'Ummmmm let's go to my Grammy's house. It should still be here.' Stan said.
'Are we gonna talk to her?' Max asked his friend.
'Hmmmmmmm Ummmmmmmmmm We'll wait. She wouldn't believe us because she hasn't met me yet and wouldn't believe me unless we take her to the future some time.' Stan decided 'We'll just look around at stuff'
'Can people see us?' Max said.
'Of course... I guess.... Why couldn't they?'
'I dunno... I just wondered....'
And with that the boys walked thru the empty field to a nearby road and followed it into town. Stan's grandparents house wasn't far and was located in one of the city's older housing additions. Of course now it was one of the newer ones!
'Wow! It looks like new!' Stan said as he spied the house up ahead.
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Meanwhile, back in Stan's house in the year 2000....
'Boys? Stan? I'm home.... I have dinner.... Boys?'
It was Stan's mother Margo. She was a 35 year old married woman with 2 kids. Stan and his 16 year old sister Liza. She was blond and still quite attractive despite having given birth to two children and the march of time. Margo had just gotten home from an interview and had brought take-out from a local drive-thru fast food place.
'Boys? Where are you? You said you'd stay here!' she said as she made her way to Stan's room. The door was open. She looked inside and saw the empty room. 'Dammit... that boy never listens!' She said as she now realized that he and his friend was no where to be found.
She almost turned around but she saw a strange sight in the room. She hadn't noticed it at first but there was a strange distorted look in the center of the room. Curiosity got the best of her and she slowly approached it.
'Hello?' She wasn't quite sure why she'd try and talk to the 'area' but she'd never seen anything like it. Was it supernatural? Her mind wandered. She reached out and her painted fingertips lightly touched it. She felt nothing but air. She walked closer. And closer. Finally, she bravely decided to walk thru it. Slowly she stepped into the area but instead of finding herself on the other side she immediately felt like she was drawn into a tunnel. Her next realization was stumbling to the ground on some field.
'What the hell? Where am I?' she yelled as she realized she had been transported somewhere very unfamiliar. 'Who did this? What's going on?'
Her first instinct was to go back thru the strange distorted vision in the air in front of her. Upon trying her hand couldn't enter. It was as if it was pushed back! Like a giant force field of some type was protecting the area. She suddenly wondered if the same thing had happened to Stan and Max! Glancing around she thought she could make out footprints.
Margo quickly realized that it was very possible that the boys had met the same supernatural fate! She had to find them and then figure out where they were. She hadn't yet realized that where they were was 30years in the past! Margo rubbed her head as she felt the tinge of a headache coming on. The happenings would appear to be a bit too much!
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The boys walked closer to the housing addition. As they got closer they saw two little girls skipping rope.
'Hey Margo... go faster' a little dark haired girl said to the other as she twirled the rope faster.
'Margo?' Max said 'Is that little girl your mom?!'
'Ummmmmmmmmm I guess so... ' Stan replied suddenly a little shocked himself to be seeing his mother as a living breathing child and not some photograph of her as a child 'And that other little girl looks a lot like YOUR mom... they always said they were best friends!'
Now it was Max's turn to be shocked. Could it be? It had to be! The girls continued to play and giggle until they noticed the two boys watching them. They then started whispering and giggling some more. Finally one sheepishly waved at them forcing them to wave back. This caused the girls to break up in a fit of giggling.
'Margo.... I need you to watch your baby sister for a few minutes while I run to the store. I'll be right back!' a woman said as she stepped out of the house.
'That's grammy!.... and aunt Lisa! Look how young grammy is... and Lisa is just a baby!' Stan said.
'Wow! This is freaky! Very freaky!' Max said as he watched the two girls sneer at having their rope skipping interupted for babysitting.
At about that moment two boys on bicycles rode by and passed the girls.
'Margo Smargo's got COOTIES!' one yelled as he rode by.
Margo stuck her tongue out at him and the two boys laughed and rode off chorusing 'DUMB OL GIRLS!'
'You know what, Stan?'
'What?'
'I think that was our dads!' Max told him still unsure himself.
'Hmmmmmmm .....well they weren't very nice.... hmmmmmmmmm' Stan replied seemingly a bit distracted.
'Now what is it?' Max said.
'Well... the portal finally closed.... but it says here that 3 things went thru the portal... Hmmmmmmm'
'Maybe it's wrong?' Max stated.
'Ummmmmmmmmmmm I dunno... I don't see how!'
'Well, we're the only two here' Max noted.
'Yeah... Anyway... it's dinner time... we better get back before we get in trouble.' Stan decided and they headed back to the spot in the field where their house would one day stand.
Little Margo decided to quit playing and make sure her little sister was OK. After all, her mother had put a lot of responsibility on her.
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Back in the field, 35 year old Margo tried to organize her thoughts. How did she get here and where was here? What about Stan and his friend 'what's his name?' she wondered. The area did look vaguely familiar and she kept feeling a strange sense of deja vu. She followed the footsteps for a while but stopped to collect her thoughts. Maybe she should wait for help? Wasn't that the thing to do rather than walk aimlessly when you are lost? And she knew she was lost! It was dinner time and she was far from home. The pressure of the situation about brought tears to her eyes. She wondered if Stan and one of his stupid inventions had anything to do with this! She began to get a little mad figuring this was all Stan's fault somehow. Now she was lost and decided he was too. There would be big trouble when they got out of here! And a sense that he might be getting her in trouble too washed over her. Her shoulders shivered at the thought.
She stopped and sit down in the path and frowned in frustration. Stan was gonna be in big trouble and she was gonna see to it! She was getting hungry and her thoughts turned to the sack of food that she had left behind. She began chewing on a blade of grass.
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'So anyway... Doncha say anything about this to anyone!' Stan ordered his friend as they walked along. 'It'll be our secret!'
'OK....' Max replied and then stopped. 'Shhhhhhhhh....somebody's up there'
Stan looked ahead in the field and could see blond hair in the tall grass. Margo was laying on her back watching the clouds and waiting for help and didn't hear the boys in the distance.
'Who is it?' Max asked.
'I can't tell.... c'mon... shhhhhhhhhh' he said as they crept closer.
Once they got close enough he saw that it was his mother! She had been the 3rd person to use the time portal. How he wondered?
'Mom?! How......? Stan said as he startled her and she jumped up!
'You're gonna be in BIG trouble.... this is all your fault and now we're lost!' She said as she stuck her tongue out at him.
'Hey..... we're not lost.... Stan invented a time machine so we're all just back in time' Max explained.
'A Time Portal Manipulator' Stan correceted his friend.
'That's a different name?!' Max said.
'Ummmmmmmmmmmm Well, I told you I haven't named it yet exactly!' Stan countered.
'I don't care what you two poopyheads call it.... you'll both be in BIG trouble cause I'm gonna tell! Margo said as her shoulders again shivered.
'Mom, are you OK?' Stan asked.
'Huh? You're just mad cause I found ya!' she replied as she spun around and wouldn't look at the two boys.
'Somethings going on' Max understated 'Whatsup? She's acting really funny.... and does she look different?'
'Maybe.... Kinda younger....' Stan answered.
'How could that be.......' Max asked.
'Ummmmmmmmmmmmm uhhhhhhhhhhhhh well...... ummmmmmmm Maybe it's cause she's a little girl in this time?' Stan said.
'Yeah... so???' Max replied.
'I'm thinkin'! Uhhhhhhhhh maybe we're ok cuz we don't exist here but she does and she exists as a little girl so time is just fixin' itself?' Stan deduced.
'Well... are you sure we're OK? And what can we do?'
'Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I bet if we just go back everything'll be fine. I'm sure that's what it is. ' Stan said after some thought.
'Well, we better hurry or else you're gonna have a little sister.' Max told Stan as he saw Margo wiping her nose with her sleeve. She also appeared to have entered her twenties physically.
'Mom, we better go back home because you're acting funny! It'll be OK once I use my machine though.... I think..... ' Stan told her.
'Nuh huh! You're gonna get me in BIG trouble with that dumb ol toy! You can't make me go!' Margo yelled.
'You hafta!' Stan ordered.
'Nah Nah Nah Nah I can't hear you' she sang mockingly.
'I'll just start it and we'll push her in' Stan declared.
'Nuh uh!' she yelled as she quit singing. 'You can't make me!'
She kicked off her heels and ran barefoot as fast as she could away from the two boys.
'Cmon... we gotta catch her..... she's gettin worse!' Stan yelled to Max as he took off in pursuit.
'And younger too!' Max noted.
'Mommy! Mommy!' Margo yelled as she ran toward the road.
'Wait......!!!!' Stan yelled to her 'You're getting worse! We gotta go back now!'
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Times are a Changin part 2
by Louder
Margo continued running as fast as she could. She was rapidly forgetting exactly why she was running from the boys or that she had ever been lost in the first place. In fact, she began to know exactly where she was. She was in her hometown and was late for dinner! She remembered her mom bringing food from McDonalds home but then she left instead of eating it. Left? To go where? Here? McDonalds? There is no McDonald's in this town.... yet! Confusion raced thru her regressing mind. Her body shivered again as it physically tried to catch up with 1970! She was easily only 25 now and the shivers were coming more rapidly.
She could now see the two little girls ahead at her house. One looked like her and was holding her little sister. That girl looked confused as well. Her mother had just pulled in from her grocery store trip and grabbed a camera to take a picture of her very responsible older daughter caring for her little sister. The scene was too cute to let pass she thought.
Margo started to yell for her mother when her path was cut off by Stan and his device. He had ran across a couple of yards to get ahead of his youthening mom while Max continued the chase from behind. They all came crashing into the portal that Stan had opened up. In a few moments they found themselves on the same street but now 30 years in the future.
"Whoa.... that was close!" Max said.... "I don't think she'd wanted to get much younger! Sorry Mrs. Miles" he said as he turned to Stan's mom.
Margo was now barely 20. A very youthful 20! Trim, tanned and her long hair a light shade of blond.
"Are you OK?" Stan asked.
She shook her head to indicate yes and the put her thumb in her mouth!
Stan grabbed her arm to force her thumb from her mouth. "Mom! Quit that! You gotta get back to normal!"
"I'm a big girl? " she said as she surveyed her 20 year old body and loose fitting clothing.
"Yeah... a little younger than before though...." Max said.
"I want my mommy" she sobbed.
"Hows come she still is acting weird? And is she gonna be stuck looking like a college girl?" Max said to Stan.
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I dunno.... I gotta think about it. C'mon... let's get her home!" Stan replied.
Confused, Margo obliged them and they walked her to their home even though she wanted to go to her 'old' home just up the street.
"Dad's gone for business for a couple of days and Liza won't be in until late. Maybe it'll all straighten out before very long!" Stan told his companions. "Mom, what do you remember? Maybe you can get it all back!"
She began speaking in an innocent voice "Uhhh.... Mommy brought us food from McDonald's and I went looking for you and saw..... something...." she began speaking in an innocent voice.
Stan and Max shared a glance at her description of the events. They knew she was confusing her old self as another person. That was a hurdle they hoped they could cross!
"And then I ummmmmmmm fell.... and ......... then I got scared..... looking for you guys...... I was in a big field.... " Margo nervously twisted her big toe into the carpet as she relayed her tale. It didn't make sense to even her. "And then you guys chased me....... So hows come I forgot about bein' big?"
"Ummmmmmm Because you went back to a time when you were little I guess" Stan explained "And time was trying to 'right' itself. But now that you're back I guess it'll all be OK"
"Shouldn't you know more than just guessing?" Max asked.
"I'm sure!" Stan answered confidently.
Just then the door swung open. It was Margo from 30 years ago! She grabbed Stan's time machine from the table.
"HA! I got it now!" she said.
Both Margo's stared at each other for a moment.
"How'd you get here!?" Stan demanded to know.
"I saw what happened to you and followed. You took your time closing it up!" Little Margo said. "So.... she gets young and dumb while I get smarter?" she said as she motioned to the very confused 20 year old Margo.
"You shouldn't be here. I don't know what will happen. You two shouldn't be in the same place" Stan pleaded.
"Ummmmm You've been getting 'smarter'?" Max asked the child.
"Yeah.... and it is great.... But it stopped. It stopped about when you disappeared into thin air. 30 years? She must've gotten younger too.... but why didn't I get older?" The younger Margo asked
"Uuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh Welllll ummmmmmmmmmm...... because 30 years ago you were...ummmm are.... a little girl. So you...she... was 5 years old 30 years ago. See? And maybe 30 years ago you were the real Margo? I mean, sure you were the real Margo. 'Cause you were first. Hmmmmm and so you couldn't get older because the real Margo was ummmmmm is... 5 years old. Maybe certain rules of time can't be broken? So future Margo, mom.... ummmm you..... just started getting younger and stuff to ummmmm equalize things? Maybe?" Stan explained as he mainly babbled.
"For a genius you sure leave a lot of questions.... So why did the REAL Margo get smarter then?" Max questioned.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm because that kinda stuff hadda go somewhere and so the real Margo gets it? The one that exists in real time! That makes sense to me!" Stan said.
"Me too" said young Margo "And I like being smarter. I don't know what'll happen here.... especially if you are right.... but I know what happens if we both exist 30 years ago! See ya!" she said as she clicked the time machine on and grabbed the hand of the still very confused 20 year old Margo.
Soon they were gone.
"Hey what's going on?" Asked Stan's 16 year old sister Liza who had returned home early.
"Just help us! Stan said "Follow us!" and with that Stan and Max entered the still open portal. Bewildered, Liza followed.
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1970
"RUN! You idiot!" Little Margo yelled to her older self as they hit the ground. In a matter of moments they were running toward an old abandoned farmhouse that Margo had spotted earlier. They had a slight head start on the others. The effects of time travel again began to work. Little Margo felt more knowledge filling her head. Her older self forgot more and more. She lost confidence and grew more frightened with every moment. She again began to youthen. With every step of her bare feet she grew smaller and younger as she ran. Running grew harder as her balance continued to change and her clothing grew ever looser.
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"Where the hell are we?" Liza asked her brother as she saw the now strange surroundings.
"No time to explain.... we gotta catch 'em!" he replied but was thwarted by her grabbing his arm! "Let go! Cmon!"
"Not until you tell me what is going on!!!!" She screamed in fright and frustration.
Little Margo heard the diversion and knew that it was affording her time to get away so she could gain all the knowledge possible! Her older self was shrinking through her teen years and becoming a mass of confusion. Her skirt slid off her thinning hips and her blouse hung like a dress. 13-12-11..... She was now younger than her children and stil growing younger.
Little Margo quickly directed the scared 10 year old inside the old empty farmhouse. The 10 year old Margo sat down and hugged her knees. She wanted to go home! Her younger self relished in even more knowledge pouring into her head. She felt like an adult! She smiled as she watched her older self youthen even more while she gained even more adult knowledge. 9-8-7-6..... Suddenly the knowledge didn't seem as important. She saw the frightened child swallowed by her large blouse crying. 5... and the transfer was complete. Little Margo had what she though that she had wanted all along. But with all of the future Margo's knowledge and expereince she now fully realized what she had done!
The door opened and Stan, Max, and Liza entered the room. They saw two identical looking little girls crying.
"What have I done?" one of them asked. It was 1970 Margo. "I've turned her into a child! She's me! I'm her! It was only when I had all her knowledge and experience that I could use it properly! I don't want to be a child! Not anymore.... and so I'm sure she doesn't either except she doesn't know any better! How could I have done this!?"
The other Margo could only sob for wanting her 'mommy'.
"Maybe Stan can make you older and she can stay here where she's a child?" Max offered.
"What is this all about.... who are these kids?!" Liza demanded.
"I'm your mother" 1970 Margo said "But not really.... SHE'S really your mother! I'm her 30 years ago but I've taken her essence! Max, it wouldn't be right.... I'm still 'me'.... a kid... I don't wanna be an adult stuck in a kid's body nor do I want to suddenly grow 30 years older even if Stan's invention could do that! I know what she knew.... but I'm not her... not yet... not for 30 years! Stan.... Liza...she's still your mother as far as the threads of time are concerened. ~I~ belong here in 1970. She belongs in 2000.... just not like that! I was just a kid or I'd never done this! Please forgive me!"
Liza didn't know what to believe or what to say. It all made no sense yet all the sense in the world considering what had just happened to them.
It was all very confusing. 2000 Margo was just a scared child in unfamiliar surroundings. 1970 Margo was also a child but had gained the knowledge that the future Margo had once retained. And they both were existing in 1970.
"So, I'm supposed to believe all this?" Liza asked incredulously.
"Yeah...." Stan said "It's my fault so we gotta figure something out!"
Max thought some more "You know, on Star Trek every time they have a problem like this they just use the memory in the transporter."
"Well, this isn't a transporter!" Stan sharply replied. "But hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ummmmmmmmmm maybe....."
"What?" 1970 Margo asked "An idea?"
"Uhhhhhh maybe. I guess. The Time Portal Mechanism can tell us exactly when someone used the machine. So if we pinpoint that moment in time when mom didn't exist in either time.... when she was between times..... then maybe......." Stan said as he thought aloud.
"Maybe what?" Max wondered.
"I'm not sure but it has to mean something. That's a point where she doesn't exist in the future anymore so maybe we send her back so they meet on the trip? Right in the middle!" Stan explained.
"Which one?" Liza asked.
"Ummmmmmm I'm thinkin' about that part!" Stan said.
"~Great~" Max said. "Plus won't we have 3 of 'em then in the same place?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ummmmmmmmmm no.... uhhhhhhh ~no~ because in the middle isn't really anywhere in time so maybe it can all come together!" Stan explained
"You and your -maybe's-!" Max said.
"We gotta try... It'll work.... We need both of 'em to go thru at the same time. We we all meet in the portal we won't allow mom to pass thru. We'll make her meet these two and let the real 1970's Margo come thru in her place and then mom should merge with her present self! It'll work! That's it!" Stan said. "Evrything'll correct itself in the portal since all the out of place elements will be grouped together. It'll do it to right the flow of time! When it happens I change the portal to send her back to a time after we've left. The portal will be running both ways."
It was then that Liza noticed that 2000 Margo was acting strange. She appeared to have a fever and didn't look well. "What's wrong with her?" Liza asked.
"Gee.... Maybe although she's grown younger she still can't exist here because there's already a Margo here? All her knowledge and experience have been retained by one of them so there is no reason for the other to continue on." Stan theorized "We gotta move quick!"
Stan extended his hand and helped his 5 year old mother to her feet. "Cmon, we're gonna go for a trip." He set the controls and opened the portal. It was set to return them to the time their mother first used entered the portal. She would be on her way thru to this side."
All of them entered the void and began their trip through the long tunnel of time. 2000 Margo held onto Stan's waist to stand as they seemingly floated forward. Ahead a fuzzy image come into view.
"Mom? Mom?" Stan said "It's her stop her..her...her...."
Their voices seemed to echo. Movements seemed in slow motion.
"You...You....You....." Stan echoed as he tried to get 1970 Margo to stand in his mother's path.
"Stan? Stan? Stan?" His mother questioned as she realized they were all someone very strange indeed.
1970 Margo and the Margo travelling through the portal touched. Both grabbed for their heads. The tunnel filled with light and sound. It was loud and bright.
"I want my mommy....mommy...mommy.....!" 1970 Margo screamed.
"It's working...working.... working....." Stan yelled as their voices bounced around and repeated. He felt himself starting to blackout. He quickly reset the portal to a different time destination so that 1970 Margo wouldn't arrive until AFTER she had left her own time. The machine wasn't really designed for two way usage and things were happening quickly now. They were being pushed and pulled in the flow of time. Now he had even redirected it. As he pressed the last button to complete his theory he collasped to the ground.
Max saw 1970 Margo reverse direction. "It worked....It worked...It worked...." Max's words went on and on and he also fainted
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1970 Margo found herself back in the farmhouse and back in 1970. She didn't know how she had gotten there. She only wanted to get home.
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Max, Stan, Liza, and Margo landed in a lot where the farmhouse had once stood. Once they all gathered their senses they began to take inventory. The biggest problem was that Margo was still 5 years old!
"You didn't get older!" Stan said upon seeing his mother was still a little girl.
"What?' she said as she grabbed her throat upon hearing her young voice. She looked down at her bare legs and at the blouse she now wore like a dress which was part of the outfit she remembered wearing earlier. "What happened to me?"
"You know who you are?" Max asked.
"I think.... I think I'm Stan and Liza's mother but I sure don't look like it right now! What happened?" Margo asked "And why is it so hot here?".
"Hot? Hmmmmmmm What happend..... Well, it's hard to explain..... ummmmmmmmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm " Stan said "You went back in time and it made you younger.... but now you have your memories back thanks to me! And anyway....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..."
"What now?" Liza asked him
Stan sniffed an odor he recognized well. It was the odor of burnt or hot electronics. He looked down at his machine and saw that it had dumped them out in 1980! Apparently the two way trip thru time had been too much for it and it had overheated.
"Uhhhhhhhh welll.... It looks like we're in 1980!" He said.
"1980? What have you done?" Margo asked Stan. "Make me older!"
"If your mom had problems existing in 1970 won't she have problems here too?" Max asked.
"Ummmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmm It's hard to say....." Stan answered.
"Problems... What kind of problems?" she asked as she felt a twinge of a headache.
"Mom, this is too freaky! I can't have a 5 year old for a mother!" Liza said.
Margo shook her head. She was feeling lightheaded. "Ya.... well..... geekboy better be figuring something out!" she said.
Stan noticed his mother begin to fan herself. Did she look like she was growing a bit? "Ummmmmmmmmmm I think I better try and get this thing working pretty quick!" he said.
"What is it?" Max asked.
"I got a feeling there is a 15 year old around here somewhere who just felt something come over her!" Stan said.
"Not again!?" Max replied.
"I'm afraid so....Nothin' changes except we're just 10 years down the road is all." Stan replied.
"Hey Geekboy! Make me older like right now!" Margo ordered.
"There's no way just yet" he told her.
"Yes, WAY!" she said as she fanned herself again.
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Times are a Changin part 3
by Louder
Stan surveyed his machine. It didn't look damaged but had just overheated and the CPU had shut down. He figured Margo was on a fast track to age 15 complete with a teenage mind to match. His original plan had worked and allowed her mental self to become in sync with her proper time frame but now that was all coming undone by being stuck in 1980.
"Am I, like, gonna be a teenager again? Is that what's happening?" Margo asked.
"Well...Uh huh. I'd say so.... That's how it seems to work I guess" Stan replied.
"Cool!" Said Liza.
"It's not 'cool'" Stan told her "Cause we're messing up the timeline because the real....well real for 1980 Margo will get a whole bunch of knowledge and it might affect how she acts and stuff! I gotta get this thing cooled down and try to get it to reboot!"
"So what?" Margo said.
"Ummmmm well.... I'm not sure but what if you errrrrrr she decides to be more responsible and put off dating for school 'cuz she gets so much smarter now? Maybe you and dad don't meet and so we don't get born! All kinds of weird stuff like that might happen!"
"That's stupid! We're already HERE! We're already born!" Liza declared "Besides, why wouldn't mom want to marry dad?"
"Ummmmm Liza... Have you ever paid attention to your birthday and compared it to mom and dad's anniversary?" Stan asked seriously.
"No???" she answered.
"Oh... so what if me and your dad didn't get married until after Liza was born? So what? Like, I didn't want to look all fat and stuff in my wedding dress!" Margo added.
"See..... maybe mom decides to... ummmm ya know.... ummmmm like wait? Ya know? No 'do it' until after she's married!" Stan explained.
"Oh???? Wow.... but we ARE already here??" Liza questioned.
"Yeah... I dunno what that means exactly but if we get out of here now it probably won't matter. If we wait I'm not exactly sure!"
Margo was crossing the thresshold from childhood into blooming into a young woman. She was taller and lankier and her features less child-like. The baby fat was gone.
"I think this is ready.... we better hurry. I think mom's about to go thru her growth spurt!" Stan told everyone. "Here goes!"
He set the machine for the year 2000 and to arrive at a period after they all had been gone so as to insure no one occupying the same place in time. The portal opened and they jumped in. The tunnel carried them toward their destination.
"Whoa! We're home!" Max said seeing familiar territory. He looked over to see what had happened to Margo. She looked all of 15. And only 15!
"Wow....mom... You're, like, a teenager!" Liza exclaimed.
"~Totally~ cool!" Margot replied as she examined her young body.
"But you still know you're mom and stuff...right?" Stan asked.
"Yeah, Unfortunately Geekboy! This is like soooooooo RAD!" she sang.
"Rad?" Stanley asked.
"Yeah, like ~tubular~, uhhhhh ~happening~, COOL! Ya know? Geez you need to, like, get a life!" Margot told him.
"Well, let's get back to the house and see if we can get everything back to normal!" Stan decided.
"Normal? Maybe mom doesn't want to be 'back to normal?' It's not like it's not WAY cooler bein' a teenager than an ancient geezer!" Liza said.
"Liza, We'll see.... I dunno....besides YOU'RE older than her!" Stan explained.
Margot seemed to think about that and Liza laughed. "Not by much!" she said.
"WAIT!" Max suddenly shouted.
"What?" Stan asked.
"Look at your house! It's different! And who's car is that? And who's that in the yard?" Max said.
This wasn't what they expected. Someone else was living in the house! It wasn't their house at all anymore.
"This is what I was worried about! Mom must've gotten too smart and decided to be more responsible or something! I bet we don't even exist anymore in this world!" Stan theorized "This isn't good!"
"~Great~ Max said sarcastically before pondering the situation "Hmmmmmmm but I woulda been born so at least I still exist!"
"I wouldn't be so sure! Or else you may exist and be here NOW. Coexisting in the same time!" Stan said worriedly.
"Huh? Whatdya mean?" Max asked.
"Well, IF Mom didn't marry Dad and have me and Liza then this machine never was invented. " Stan explained.
"And?" Quizzed Max.
"And.... so you never would've left here with me in the first place! You wouldn't have time travelled because you couldn't so you'd be here right now! Both of you!" Stan said.
That made sense to Max after he had time to think about it "Soooooo then what happens to me since I'm really the same person and the same age!"
"Ummmmmmmm I dunno...." Stan told him.
"But you guys should be OK because you don't exist in this world, shouldn't you?" Max asked.
"Hmmmmmmmm ..... Ya know... We don't exist at all maybe... We were never born! I dunno what happens! And Mom does exist here although with a different life! We gotta go back to 1980 and fix things somehow!" Stan said worriedly.
"But won't your mom totally lose it? I mean forget and just be a 15 year old again with no memories of this stuff?" Max said. "And can they both exist back there for long together?"
"Hey! Like.... what're you guys planning?" Margo asked the two boys.
"It's a risk we'll have to take. It's not like she isn't almost there anyway!" Stan said as he set the machine for 1980 and pushed the unwilling Margo into the void.
Again... they found themselves smack dab in the middle of 1980 where Stan and Liza's mother was a 15 year old girl.
"OK... I got a plan but it's getting too late tonight to do anything! Grammy's got a treehouse at her place and we can sneak up there for the night!" Stan ordered.
"But what about, mom? Won't that be too late?... I mean won't she slip too far back? Her memories?" Liza wondered.
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Well ummmmmmmmm we'll have to make do!" Stan declared.