Leaving the office that evening, he had stopped for a drink with others from the office.
Arriving late at the station, he’d missed the 7:40. He felt he would miss his connecting train if he caught the 8:15. He checked the time, then walked over to one of the new booths that had been appearing on railway platforms around the country. The Quick Trip Corporation had apparently been given a contract to provide their ‘one person – one time’ booths for quick time hops between stations. They weren’t cheap, but there was no doubt that they’d have to be a good thing when you really had to cut corners, timewise. They hadn’t been operating long and he’d not heard any feedback about them. He stood, thinking about it. He supposed he could afford it, just the once. It would be nice to get home that little bit earlier.
He stepped into the booth and read the large sign that said: ‘Welcome to Quick Trip, we hope you enjoy your travel experience.’ Then he read the instructions. Most of it was pretty straightforward. There was a list of all the local stations; you just pressed the red button next to your destination and paid the fee that appears on the screen. Underneath, there was a notice that said it was advisable to place your feet on the two marked outlines on the floor and to hold onto the booth’s two handles that were fixed to the walls. It stated that transportation would commence when the large green button was pressed.
Beneath this was another notice that listed the four known possible side effects. It read: A mild headache, a tingling sensation in the limbs, diarrhoea and blindness.
He stepped out of the booth.
He’d catch the 8:15.