His project was something that drove him with a fierce intensity.
His rooms were at the top of the house; none of his lodgers ever went up there. If they ever did, it was always locked when he was out. He was a private person and very few people would have any idea about what he was working on. That evening, while eating a late supper, then washing up, he’d constantly had the issue running through his head. He had to get it right. He knew that. He considered he was on the final stretch, but still had an issue with the software programming he’d written for the controlling of duration synchronicity. If only he could get this time advancement issue adjusted properly.
He kept imagining the thrill of making the announcement at the next inventers club meeting. This momentous event was scheduled for tomorrow evening. Beyond that, of course, the entire scientific community. In fact, the whole world! When he stopped and weighed it all up, his time machine development project had been consuming him for more than a decade, and now… now he was so close. He was well aware of the fact that for him there was a great deal of ego involved. This had been fuelled by the general attitude of disbelief he had encountered from just about anybody who knew what he was working on. After a general tidy up, he asked himself whether he should keep at it or work on it tomorrow.
He looked at the clock; 12:15.
He’d have another go at it before turning in. He went back to the screen. He’d been battling with the synchronicity counter. He lit a cigarette and sat staring at his lines of code once more. He tweaked a couple of characters and hit enter. He felt something shudder. He looked at the clock; 12:15. He’d have another go at it before turning in. He went back to the screen. He was surprised to find a cigarette burning in the ashtray, this was something he never did! Annoyed with himself, he took a puff and sat staring at his lines of code once more. He tweaked a couple of characters and hit enter. He felt something shudder. He looked at the clock; 12:15. He’d have another go at it before turning in. He went back to the screen…