Reversion - A Novel Part 5

a67,a I repeated.

Now his eyes were fascinated. aI take it the universes are very similar.a aThese two, yes, though not identical. I count it as luck. They could have been widely disparate.a aWhat persuaded you to a do this a" come back to 1947?a aThe process is called Reversion. I could say that I reverted as an experiment to verify my theories a" which I did. But it was also because I inherited your vascular system. I was facing a desperate medical gamble.a I allowed a wry grin. aI preferred to gamble on my own skill instead of othersa.a His tone betrayed his interest. aSo what did you make of your life, Timmy?a aI took a doctorate in physics from Chicago in 1967 and won the n.o.bel Prize in 1988.a He jerked upright and almost fell off his chair. His eyes glowed. aWhat was your discovery?a I grinned. aThe t.i.tle of the descriptive article was Cognitive Differentiation in Relative s.p.a.ce-time Continua.a He thought about it. aWhat was the gist?a aIt was almost Cartesian: aI think and you think, therefore we inhabit separate universes.a It turns out that far from a merely mechanical functionality, a consciousness capable of full self-awareness is a fundamental component of all s.p.a.ce-time. I was able, from certain unexplained anomalies in Quantum Mechanics, to deduce the Thorn Equation, which integrates the energy complexity we call consciousness into the mix of other fundamental variables such as s.p.a.ce, time and ident.i.ty. That equation contains some mind-boggling implications. The ability to revert is only one. Another, perhaps the most significant, is that the purpose of all universes is to serve as breeding grounds for consciousness, which may in turn imply that manas destiny is G.o.dhood. My discovery soon became more a question for your specialty than mine.a aI see,a he agreed dryly, arather as the nuclear bomb is fast becoming an issue more ethical than technical.a I shook my head. aI donat think Robert Oppenheimer would object to Reversion.a aHow do you know about him? He only recently moved to Princeton. His horror at what we did to the j.a.panese is not well known.a aIt was well known in 2002. In a few years heall register himself in opposition to our next, more fearful bomb based on nuclear fusion.a aFusion! You mean a"a I held up my hand. aOne disclosure at the time, please, Dad. The reason that compelled me to divulge my secret grows increasingly pressing.a aYour secret!a He shook his head. aYou claim to be a 67 year-old version of Timmy from another universe who now occupies my Timmyas mind, is that right? I can think of a simpler explanation.a aCan you?a aYes. Your mother suggests you may have damaged yourself in that bike accident you suffered a few weeks ago. Thatas when all this a strangeness began.a aSheas right about the date. Thatas the moment I reverted. I was riding the bike and lost control because of the momentary disorientation.a aThen you admit to brain damage?a aDamage?a I shook my head. aI know the future, Dad. Be patient and check out what I tell you.a aI want you to talk to Dr. Sloan,a he said with determination.

aNo!a I retorted with equal determination. aNo one else can know of this. Can you imagine what trouble Iad be in, if this became public?a aSloan is a psychiatrist, Tim. He would be able to understand this better than I. You can trust him. Weave been friends since kindergarten.a aIam sorry,a I said firmly. aNo one else can know. It would be just too dangerous. Iall write down some things I remember from this time, inconsequential events like little Cindy Emmons finding a fifty cent piece on the curb in front of her house, like Jimmy Fowler breaking his ankle. Those things happened, will happen on our street perhaps very soon.a aMake your list, son. I canat say I believe you, because that would take a leap of faith, and you know Iam not a religious man. So youare either telling the truth, which is improbable, or you have a serious problem.a I thought of another approach. aYour specialty is philosophy, metaphysics, the history of thought. Which school do you prefer, Dad: a.n.a.lytical, empirical or logical positivism?a His eyebrows rose. aItas a common mistake to compare positivism to a.n.a.lytical philosophy. They donat treat the same a"a He stopped suddenly. aMy G.o.d!a I smiled at him. aDo you find a tremendous increase in erudition consistent with brain damage?a He stared at me, taking a deep breath. aNo, I donat,a he admitted.

aOr the judgment based on experience that your question about tree bark revealed?a aThatas right,a he breathed. aA 67 year-old would have no trouble with that question.a aNor did he.a He studied me thoughtfully, musing, aAn old man in a young manas body.a Suddenly he chuckled.

aWhat?a I asked.

aItas just that I recall a saying about youth being wasted on the young.a aG. B. Shaw said that,a I replied. aItas an old manas fantasy, of being young once again with the experience of a lifetime.a aItas a fantasy all right, except perhaps for you. I donat consider myself to be an old man, though I can see the attraction Reversion might hold when I get there. That was another consideration, besides your medical problem and proving your theory, wasnat it!a I thought about it. aPerhaps so, but not consciously. To be completely honest, Dad, I didnat expect it to work.a aYou what?a Indeed for the first time I had just been completely honest a" with myself as well. I had thought I was committing suicide! But I doubted that Dad would sympathize. To change the subject, I leered and said suggestively, aYou havenat mentioned the strongest motive.a He chuckled slightly. aDonat tell me it was twelve year-old girls.a aYouare talking about s.e.x, of course.a aWhat else?a he grinned rather sheepishly. aTwelve year-old girls can be powerfully attractive, although one doesnat admit that in public.a aInteresting that you should put it in those terms. I find that age has very little to do with it, supposing that one is old enough.a His eyebrows rose. aYou have been investigating that point, then?a aOh, yes.a aWith what result?a aIn regard to age?a I winked at him. How old was Graden? aTwelve to 66.a a66?a He was appalled.

aHave you read Benjamin Franklinas remarks about age?a aSomething about grat.i.tude?a He shook his head with a wry grin. aSon, I hate to see such cynicism in one so young.a aDad, have you noticed that weave been conversing as adults?a aYes,a he answered dryly, afor some weeks.a He shook his head. aBut tonight tops everything. The a.n.a.lytical versus positivism, indeed!a I shrugged. aI only learned enough about philosophy to be comfortable with the epistemological reliability of the Scientific Method.a He goggled at me. aI confess it amazes me you even know that word!a I sighed. aThis is neither here nor there. Iam still faced with a major problem.a aThis Alice?a aYes. Alice Farnsworth, a brilliant woman. She took her PhD a few years after mine with an elaboration upon my thesis. She worked beside me for many years as a co-investigator and designer of the reversion machinery. She has reverted also. The letter was from her. I spoke to her on the telephone today. I donat understand why I never expected her to follow me. I never gave it a thought, and that is the most bizarre aspect of this.a aPerhaps to you!a aWell, yes.a I grinned, understanding his sarcasm. aBut tonight in Chicago the mind of a talented woman resides in a childas body, a ten year-old body with even less authority than the pitiful amount I possess. She told me today that her mother is deranged, that she fears for her own safety. I have to rescue her, Dad. Iam asking for your help.a aDoes she love you, Timmy?a I blinked. aI suppose she must. She killed herself for me.a aKilled herself?a He looked at me aghast. aTimmy, if thatas a joke it a"a aI killed myself, Dad. That is the effect of Reversion upon the old body. It cannot live without its mind.a His eyes held an indignant glint. aSuddenly this is becoming macabre and ugly.a aNevertheless we have reverted. Alice needs my help, our help. We have to go to Chicago.a aI need a drink,a he said wearily with a wave of his hand and got up from his chair.

aIad like one too,a I said. aDo you have any Stolichnaya?a aWhatas that?a aRussian vodka.a The confused, sweet man stared at me intently and then shook his head in resignation. aI canat afford a bar, Tim. All I have is a half bottle of Old Crow. Iall bring it upstairs. We have a lot more talking to do.a * * *

aBut why?a I heard my motheras voice as I came down the stairs.

They were in the kitchen, from which wafted the odor of coffee and toast.

aYou know why, Pat,a Dad said. aTim has convinced me that we truly must help him with this problem.a I paused just outside the door.

aHis problem with this Alice, this married woman?a Mamma managed to sound both concerned and scornful. Women are talented in projecting emotions a" and detecting them!

aSheas definitely not married. Thatas clear.a aOh? Have you talked to her?a aNo, dear one. But I shall, I promise you. Before Tim or myself actually gets involved Iall do a thorough investigation, believe me.a aSo where are you going?a aTim has the address in Chicago. Weall stay at Alanas cabin on Coldwater Lake for the overnight.a I came into the kitchen.

aWell, good morning, boy,a my dad said with a smile, looking me over critically. I winked at him. His unadulterated Old Crow had not been my cup of tea, perhaps fortunately in view of my relatively small ma.s.s.

Mom looked at me apprehensively, but I went to her as usual and gave her a peck on the cheek. She enclosed me in her arms and squeezed me with an inarticulate cry. Her eyes glistened. aYou must be hungry,a she said eventually. aWhat would you like before your trip?a aPancakes,a I responded in my soprano voice and sat down at the table next to my father, who returned my wink.

Like all men of that time, we waited to be served by the woman of the house.

aJimmy Fowler fell off his bike a little while ago, just in front of our porch,a Mom announced as she fussed at the stove. aHe broke his ankle.a Dadas eyes grew huge and he stared at me in wonder.

The address led us to an apartment building at the intersection of Lemolion and Woodlawn Avenue just north of the University of Chicago campus. I knew that neighborhood so well.

aWe canat park on this side of the street,a my father grumbled and made a U-turn.

Black Muslims used to dominate this area and keep it safe in their fascist manner, but the few faces I saw on the street were white. I suddenly recognized my logic error. I was in the past and remembering the future.

My dad was worn out from the trip and a bit on edge. He had refused to let me drive, despite agreeing that I likely had more experience than he, because it was daylight and we had thoughtlessly forgotten the cushions that might elevate me enough to see over the steering wheel.

aIs this the place?a he asked in exasperation as he finally pulled to the curb.

aYes, I believe so,a I replied in a distracted voice, wondering whether this was the building I had visited in the future for a seminar with a weird, brilliant professor who paced before his students in his pajamas.

We got out of the car, walked around the structure to the door marked with a battered bra.s.s nine and trudged up the half flight of cement stairs. I pushed the buzzer and waited impatiently. Eventually the door opened to reveal a young girl, tall for her age. Alice, as an adult, was an inch taller than I.

Her eyes lit when she saw me but the light faded when they rose to my father. aYes?a she inquired.

aAre you Alice?a I asked. aIam Tim.a Her mouth fell open most satisfactorily. aAre you really Tim, Timothy Kimball?a I bowed slightly, ironically. aThe old man himself.a aOh, you got here in time!a she breathed. She stood in the doorway staring at me, presenting an oval face that was almost pretty. Her light brown hair hung loosely, in need of a brush. She was not skinny; her limbs were well filled out and shapely, although her blouse betrayed nothing. She was just a few inches shorter than I. Either she or the apartment had a sour aroma.

aProfessor Kimball,a she said finally, ayou are a very pretty boy.a aNo prettier than you, Mrs. Farnsworth,a I replied with a grin.

aMy name is Colsen,a she insisted. aIam not married.a aGood G.o.d, Timmy, what is this?a my father protested. aSheas not ten years old and she talks like that!a aIam ten,a Alice declared, asince last week.a aI told you, Dad,a I warned. aExcuse me. My father, Dr. Frank Kimball, this is Miss Alice Colsen, the future Dr. Alice Farnsworth, also a world renowned physicist.a aHow do you do, Dr. Kimball,a Alice intoned, extending her hand palm-down.

aI, ah, very well, thank you, ah, Dr. Farna" I mean Miss Colsen.a Father had taken her hand but shook his head with a slight chuckle, commenting, aThis affair has its problems.a A blowzy woman appeared suddenly behind Alice. She demanded peremptorily, aWho are you people?a But the haughty effect of her high chin was ruined when she hiccupped loudly. The distinctive odor of whisky wafted from her hiccup, although it was just four-thirty in the afternoon.

Dad took a cautious breath. aMaaam, we are a"a aI know who you are now,a she declared positively, as if recognition had just arrived. One hand went uncertainly to the doorframe for balance.

Dad began, aDid Alice tell you a"a aThis one has told me a tissue of lies,a she interrupted, nodding at Alice. aYouare Martians just like her, arenat you! a" from the same UFO?a My father drew himself up. aIam sorry maaam. Iad like to introduce us, if you donat mind.a aNo need for that. I know all about you. You have green slime instead of blood just like this creature here who was my daughter before you took her over.a aMadam, please!a Dad countered. aYou are speaking unreasonably. Could a"a aUnreasonably! You find yourself a daughter with an old woman in her head and then tell me Iam unreasonable.a Dadas eyes widened.

She reacted with a feral grin. aYou know Iam right, donat you?a He looked around but so far no one else had appeared to take interest in our little tableau. aMadam, could we perhaps come inside and talk this over?a aIn my house?a Her eyes popped hysterically. She spat on Dadas shoe and shrieked, aGet out of here, all of you!a She pushed Alice onto the stoop, b.u.mping into me, and slammed the door behind her.

aNot one of her best days,a Alice said with disgust. aBut it couldnat have worked out better. Can we go now?a aGo?a my father demanded, eyebrows rising.

aYes, Dad,a I answered. aWeare taking her with us. Obviously she canat stay here.a aBut Tim, how can I dare to do this? It amounts to kidnapping!a aAn interesting point,a observed Alice, looking up at Dad with a twinkle. aIs it kidnapping if the kid fervently wants to be napped?a His stiff back relaxed marginally. aI donat think the kid is usually consulted.a I took his arm lightly. aDad, letas get into the car and drive away from here. Weall work something out.a Despite my soprano voice and pretty, twelve year old body, he knew I was old enough to be his father and was more accomplished than he. He took a deep breath and shook his head. aIall probably be in jail tomorrow, but, all right, letas go.a I felt sorry for the man as we walked towards his pre-war Studebaker. He appeared to feel utterly defeated and weary.

aWe need you, Dad,a I said truthfully. aYouare very important to us.a aYou are aliens,a he said somberly as he opened the car door, ajust as that woman insisted.a aYou know thatas not so, Dad,a I responded weakly.

Alice and I got into the back seat of the car and my father pulled away from the curb.

aHow did you find the right universe?a I demanded immediately.

aI didnat,a she replied shortly. aThat woman is not my mother.a Iam sure my shock showed. aYouare not serious! Have you looked in a mirror?a She nodded impatiently. aOh, Iam myself, if thatas what you mean, in the same body I recall at age ten. And that woman has my motheras face and figure, but thatas where the resemblance ends. As a child I never lived in Chicago at all.a aThat different!a I commented, thinking again of my good fortune to note only paperclips and bathtub drains a" so far.

aAnd I know what caused it.a Her voice developed a bitter edge. aMy father a" I started to say my real father a" was only wounded in the war. He returned, fathered my baby brother and gave me a happy girlhood. In this universe he died of his wounds on Okinawa. My mother loved him so terribly that it affected her mind. She became a drunk. When she read about the UFOs, she decided that aliens had killed him.a Alice barked a laugh. aThey probably did. He died of complications after battlefield surgery: an infection by tiny little aliens. I made the mistake of agreeing with her on that.a I studied the frowning face, thinking it likely that she had failed, as I had, to maintain conversations at a childas level of understanding. I shook my head. aWhat a terrible difference to fall into!a She smiled slightly. aWell, at least you and Dr. Kimball are saving this Alice from the horrible fate she would likely endure without you.a She leaned forward and touched Dadas shoulder. aYou have my heartfelt thanks, dear sir. In my 77 years I donat think anyone has ever done me such a great favor.a Dad turned his head enough for her to see his smile. He seemed to sit straighter.

I asked, aWhat do you mean, 77?a a67 and ten is 77.a aBut you are a" were a" 65!a aItas been almost two years since you a left. I needed to know more about this adventure you invented.a aWhy did you come at all, Alice? Did your health give out?a aYou know why I came, Tim,a she retorted dryly. aThe reason for the delay was an early discovery that while millions of the possible universes contain copies of Timmy and Alice, theyare only a small subset. By far the most are too different. The different ones contain no matrix for your scanner to fix on.a She laughed grimly. aDonat tell the SPCA, if this universe has one, but I killed a lot a rabbits. Most of them reverted a" that is, died a" on the first try. I had a spotted one that took three. But my grieving brain finally tumbled to the facts. I neednat have worried. I might find a copy of you with a few moles or scars different, but you never showed me your moles and scars, so it couldnat matter. When you hit the switch, millions a" only Gaea knows how many a" of other Timmies did, too, also when I hit it. And Iam confident each Alice found her Timmy.a aI detect a flaw in that logic. How could you be sure that all the found Timmies would contain reversions?a She grinned. aI couldnat. But it was worth the risk, even if my Timmy was but a child.a She actually chuckled, leering at me. aIn some respects it might have even been better.a I said to the young girl sitting next to me, aI donat want to pursue that, but Iall tell you this: youare not what I remember.a aIam the same person, Tim, as you well know, the one who dropped the beaker of mercury on your toe in 1991. But arenat our bodies so delightfully different?a Alice snuggled close to me and offered her face for a kiss. It was an adult kiss, the kind that an old, loving couple would exchange while they remembered their youth.

aI never touched you, Alice, for all those years.a I sighed into her ear. aI loved you when you were a dumpy, old woman, and you loved me, but we never kissed.a aI would have pushed you away, had you tried, and I would have been disappointed in you. We both had lovely marriages.a aBut weare dead now, in an odd form of Purgatory, and we can realize our fantasies.a aWeare hardly dead, Timothy. And you now have a chance to relive in a different way your experience with that girl who has always nagged at your mind.a aYou mean Sara. Iave already seen her, but Ritchie excites me more.a aRitchie?a aYes, my buddy since kindergarten. I never appreciated how beautiful he was until I saw him with the eyes of an old man.a aTimmy, you had better restrain yourself. You could get into trouble.a aHow? For having s.e.x with a twelve year old, when Iam twelve myself?a aWhat I mean, Professor Kimball, is that you could get into trouble with me. I died for you, you know.a She glared at me ominously. I averted my eyes in momentary shame before realizing with an internal chuckle that she was laying on me a guilt trip totally undeserved in one sense but richly merited in another a" both at the same time! Iave noticed that all females can do this. Apparently itas an instinctive mechanism.

aYouare behaving like a little boy,a she admonished me further. aYouare thinking only about s.e.x, when we have a world to conquer.a aMost world conquerors have had a hearty s.e.xual appet.i.te,a I suggested with a mischievous kiss to her soft cheek. The sour odor I noticed earlier did not emanate from her body, I was pleased to note.

aIam your woman, Tim. Iall bear your children. I know youall fool around in your youth, and maybe I will too. But never forget that you belong to me.a * * *

Dad finally stopped during the twilight and bought Alice a pair of pajamas and a toothbrush and me a pair of pillows to sit on. He watched critically from the back seat as I began by practically hanging my chin on the steering wheel to reach the floor-mounted starter. He visibly tensed when I edged out into the traffic, but I worked gearshift and clutch smoothly. I slowed down going into the first curve and speeded up while inside it.

aYouave driven a car,a he admitted, relaxing a bit.

aSeveral multiples of the earthas circ.u.mference,a I retorted.

He heaved a sigh. aI suppose so. Watch your speed. We canat afford to get stopped, you know.a I laughed. aYouare right. I left my driveras license at home. It was issued in the year 2000 anyway. Why donat you go to sleep?a Alice leaned against me despite the floor-mounted gearshift. aI remember cars like this. But I learned to drive in my fatheras Oldsmobile in 1952. It had an automatic transmission.a aThat early? Yes, I guess it might have.a After a while she said, aYour father is asleep.a aGood. Heas tired. Trips like these are hard on him.a aAh. You inherited his vascular problems, did you?a aYes.a aIs he stubborn as you about following the doctoras orders?a aI hope not. They could relieve high blood pressure even in 1947.a Suddenly she changed the subject. aTim, have you had s.e.x since your Reversion?a I glanced at her. She was serenely watching the oncoming headlights.

When I hesitated, she asked, aAre you deciding to tell me a lie?a aHave I ever done that?a aYes, you have!a Her voice was hot. aThat $3000 hotel bill for aSpecial Servicesa in Rome. You said it paid for ma.s.sages, for back pain caused by the terrible chairs in the conference room.a aHmm. My G.o.d, that was twelve years ago! What makes you think it wasnat ma.s.sages?a aTonio went with you, remember? Fifteen girls, Timmy! Good G.o.d, what an appet.i.te!a I grumbled, aWell, they werenat all present at the same time. Tonio! He always talked too much.a Suddenly a light dawned. aTonio! How did he tell you about it a" with his head on the same pillow in Oslo?a She giggled but sobered instantly. aHe was only the lab a.s.sistant.a aThen! As I recall he became the lab facilities manager shortly after Oslo.a aWell,a she purred, ahe had such a glib tongue, so long and flexible, so useful in several nice ways.a I had to laugh. aAlice, you amaze me!a aBecause Iam a pa.s.sionate woman? Was a pa.s.sionate woman? Now, sweetie, Iam a pa.s.sionate girl, as I hope you will soon find out.a She laughed. aThatas funny, you know. The first time around I never had a sensual feeling until I got curious, at 14 like so many other girls, and let a boy feel me up. I think Iave proven that itas all in the head.a She laughed again. aThatas what set my mother off. She caught me diddling myself on the back stoop.a aIs that all youave done?a aHuh! I asked you first, if you recall. But, yes, Iam still a virgin in all orifices. What about you?a aAlice, I didnat tell you a lie about Rome!a aBut you would have if Iad had the temerity to ask.a aI would not! All right, yes, Iave had s.e.x, several times, with several people.a aWhat kind of people?a I took a breath. In for a penny a aGirls, twelve and 16. A woman about 26. And an old man of 66.a She digested that a moment. Her next question was not about the old man, as I expected. aWhat about that lost childhood love of yours a" have you done more than just see her?a aYes, I have, but never again. She was already Ritchieas conquest before I reverted. From her observed behavior, I suspect the tales of her pulling a Mae West with the entire football team may not be so apocryphal.a aA s.l.u.t, is she?a I could feel her gaze, apparently meant to gauge my reaction to the accusation. I sniffed. aIn the making, perhaps.a aI want to be your s.l.u.t,a she announced. Her hand fell upon my fly. Her other hand joined it, fumbling. aWhereas the darn zipper pull?a aIt b.u.t.tons. For your information a s.l.u.t strips herself naked and f.u.c.ks anyone on demand and without hesitation. Are you sure thatas what you have in mind?a aNo, at least not yet. What I want tonight is only to be your s.l.u.t. Oh!a aI remind you, dear Alice: I am yet only a boy.a aBut enough for a 26 year-old woman? How big does it get?a aYouall find out if you keep that up.a aHey! Stay this side of the white line, please.a Suddenly her hands began closing the b.u.t.tons.

aI thought you were looking down.a aThat was by feel! Just tell me how big.a aBig enough, I gather. aOne size fits all,a they say of women. I think itall work even better for you.a aIn me!a She snuggled closer. aHow much further before I can find out?a I had to laugh. aWho was just warning me about s.e.xual obsession?a aThatas not it.a She sat up primly. aI want to establish our proper relationship as soon as possible.a * * *

It was deep night when we reached Uncle Alanas cabin on the way home. Dad was fast asleep. He awoke when the car stopped in the driveway and sat up. The headlights painted the familiar cabin. aMy G.o.d, whoas been driving?a he asked. I guess older people have to exercise an idea awhile before it sticks.

His ambivalence about us became apparent when we settled into the cottage and he a.s.signed sleeping arrangements.

aAlice and I will have the two bedrooms, Timmy. Youall have to sleep on the couch.a aIall sleep with Alice,a I replied, raising my chin.

aWhat? You canat sleep with a girl!a His face reddened.

aI want Tim to sleep with me,a Alice declared firmly. aWeave been waiting for twenty-five years.a I thought Dadas eyebrows would climb past his hairline. aBut youare just a child!a he bellowed.

aIam a virgin child, thatas true, but Iam older than you and I want Timmy tonight.a The exasperated man shook his head and turned to go to his room.

aYouare weird people,a he mumbled before closing the door.

Alice seemed a bit skittish, when we were alone in the bedroom.

aAre you shy about revealing your body?a I asked.

aNo, of course not, not this one. But I would never have let you see my old one. It was a shambles.a aThen why are you so nervous?a aWell.a She hesitated for a moment. aI really donat want to do it tonight, although I know thatas what you expected.a aI antic.i.p.ated it, Alice, but I never expected it.a aSome difference!a she sneered, then sighed. aIall sleep with you naked, Timmy, but Iam afraid of the hurt if you f.u.c.k me. The first time I lost my virginity was very traumatic.a Her eyes widened slightly. aDo you realize that no other women ever lost it twice?a aNo woman has lost it twice yet,a I pointed out. aDonat worry about it. Weall work up to it over the next days or weeks, whatever it takes.a I realized that I was secretly disappointed.

aThatas so sweet of you, darling,a she said, leaning herself against me. aIt was just ghastly that other time with the football player. Joel p.r.i.c.kler was his name. A girl doesnat forget her first man, however poor a specimen. To give you the idea, he thought it was a great compliment when I told him he should drop the -ler. I was fifteen and he was a senior. He had an enormous p.r.i.c.k that might have been wonderful if it wasnat mounted on one.a I chuckled. aYou are nervous.a She smiled. aAm I talking too much?a aOn a subject you never once mentioned before.a aWell, itas been on my mind tonight. 25 years, Tim! I used to dream about sucking you off.a aYou what?a aI would wake up and brush my teeth. Did you ever dream about me?a aAs a matter of fact aa I shook my head. aAlice, letas stick with the present. I have only a boyas c.o.c.k but I do know how to use it, although I wonat tonight.a aIam not s.e.xually attractive, am I, Timmy?a aYouare a flat-chested ten year-old, Alice, although you have a fine looking body otherwise. Youare like Chinese vegetables: not entirely cooked. May I undress you?a aYes, of course. Iad like that. Weall have pleasure tonight, although my body may be too immature to feel the big ones.a aIall give you a big one, before too very long,a I promised as I pulled off her shirt.

Of course her chest was as flat as a boyas, but she was not skinny. She had some heft, though Ritchie had more t.i.t. When I had completely undressed her and laid her on the bed, she was surprisingly lovely. Aside from the chest she was definitely arousing, especially the well-formed legs and hips. The pudendal pad was p.r.o.nounced and the unfledged c.l.i.toris formed a narrow V above the l.a.b.i.al slit. The old man in my head licked his figurative lips. A latent pedophile for females, too?

I undressed as she lay watching me. When I turned to her, her eyes fell to my partly aroused boyhood, then rose expectantly to scan over my whole frame.

aYouare beautiful, Timmy. Is it perverted of me to acknowledge it? Youare only twelve years old.a aAnd youare just ten,a I replied as I stretched out beside her.

Alice fell upon me and kissed my face desperately.

aLetas go all the way tonight, Timmy. Why put it off?a aBecause youare afraid it will hurt,a I answered reasonably.

aThat was only the little girl in me.a She chuckled. aDo you ever feel like two people, Tim, a child, then an old woman?a aAn old man. All the time.a aI, too. Sometimes my two halves have an argument.a aMine, too.a aBut in fact itas fun, isnat it?a aYes, it isa Alice, Iam sure youave enjoyed cunnilinctus. You implied it earlier when you mentioned Tonio. If youare in a hurry, perhaps I could arouse you enough with my tongue to prevent pain or at least reduce it.a aNo, Timmy. I want it to hurt. Do it now.a She pulled on my body and spread her legs.

aYou want it to hurt!a I repeated incredulously.

aI loved Joel, the p.r.i.c.k, with all my heart for the next week until he proved what a selfish one he really was. With you I think it will stick.a aYou think the pain did that?a aI donat know. It might have. Itas complicated. Come on, Timmy. At least I donat think youall split me open so horribly as he seemed to!a But we faced an immediate impediment. A lovely pre-teen p.u.s.s.y lay with gaping l.a.b.i.a before me, but my excuse for a c.o.c.k had not only shriveled, it seemed to be mostly withdrawn into my body.

aAh, Alice a This is embarra.s.sing.a She sighed. aMy old woman is a bit turned off, too, but she knows how to fix your problem.a She rolled up in the bed with youthful alacrity and encircled my hips with her arms and my c.o.c.k with her lips. Her tongue worked me within a suction powerful enough to make slurping noises. It was a curious feeling. This might have been a virgin orifice, but obviously these lips knew how to suck c.o.c.k a" probably from sucking a lot of c.o.c.ks. This was Alice, the demure scientist? Had she been a call-girl on the side?

In a jiffy I was hard as a boy can get.

aThere!a she exclaimed, releasing me. aNow make me truly your woman.a She flopped back and I positioned my c.o.c.k between her silken folds. Her nostrils flared in excitement.

aDo it!a she urged.

I pushed at her, producing only a groan. I jammed it into her and she cried out, but her hymen remained intact. I began to sympathize with monstrous Joel. Grasping her hips and lifting her body to meet my most violent thrust, I finally felt the flesh tear. She screamed in raucous agony. I quickly withdrew and lay beside her, gathering her head onto my shoulder. Her moans became whimpers, then sobs. She kissed me and licked my face and neck repeatedly.

aThank G.o.d thatas over,a she murmured at last.

aIam sorry, Alice,a I said lamely. aYou had a tough one.a aDid I? Iam so glad it was you, Tim. Iall remember you forever.a aEven though you now have two names to remember?a I asked playfully.

aThis time Iall have your name into my old age,a she mumbled as she kissed down my body toward my throbbing c.o.c.k.

The next morning I awoke before dawn, contrary to my usual custom. The reason was a sharp little elbow thrust under my ribs. Light appeared around the window shades, enough to see the sleeping face of my old-new love. Female faces seem transformed when the owners have been asleep for a few hours. They have a vulnerable softness, an infantile roundness, that tugs at the protective instincts. A b.l.o.w.j.o.b from such a face is the more stimulating, perhaps because of its emotional contrariness. Alice had played my meat flute with remarkable skill a few hours earlier. I was sorely tempted to wake her up for an encore, but her soft loveliness inhibited me. More to the point, my bladder was painfully full. I arose and pulled on my clothing.

The birds were just recently astir, and so was my father. He stood at the end of the dock with a pipe in his mouth gazing eastward where the sun would soon appear and proclaim a new day. He saw me coming from the cottage and waited for me.

aBeautiful morning,a he said laconically, and indeed it was. The air was crisp and fresh. The lake lay quiet, disturbed only by the splash of fish and shortly by my falling water.

I voiced my stray thought. aIt would be great to live here.a aNot in winter,a he retorted. aMy brother Alan and I went ice fishing here one January when we were teenagers. We froze our b.u.t.ts and didnat catch a thing.a We stood silently on the dock and watched the bottoms of distant clouds turn pink and orange. The aroma of his pipe smoke was delicious as burning leaves.

aI guess Iam committed to your story, Tim,a he said quietly after awhile, athat you and Alice are from the future of a different universe.a I said rea.s.suringly, aIt will all turn out okay, Dad. Weall make sure of it.a I chuckled. aThough in fact our reverted minds are most probably not from the same other universe.a He thought about it. aHave you discussed that?a aOnly a little. We have yet to look for differences.a aI see. Have you noticed any differences between your, ah, home universe and this one?a I told him about the paperclips and the bathtub drains. He was very interested in the latter. aBut it saves the plumbers money to locate the drain near the supply!a aDoes it? I would argue that itas six of one and half a dozen of the other. In my universe drain and supply are totally separate systems that run close together only under a small sink. We may even have the healthier arrangement.a He grinned. aDoubtlessly you think Iam displaying a certain provincialism.a aDoesnat everyone?a aSo youare from a science fiction sort of place with s.p.a.ce ships and death rays?a aSome of that, yes. But the biggest changes will be here on Earth. You know about the Autobahns in Germany. Can you imagine thousands and thousands of miles of such highways crisscrossing America? One of them, Interstate 69, will run right through where our house is now. It will destroy the neighborhood.a aSo they shall build it!a aOh? Where did you hear of interstate highways?a aThey were one of Rooseveltas socialist proposals that the war superseded.a aI missed that one! Then itas ironic that the likeliness of another war, World War Three, was the impetus that finally got the Interstate Highway System off the drawing boards. Your friend, General Eisenhower, who was elected president in 1952, rammed it through. He had been impressed by how much faster the army moved once it reached the autobahn.a aMy friend!a He laughed sarcastically. aAs to house and neighborhood, I wonat miss them. I wish I could afford a better house, but Iam always broke.a aAlice and I can change all that. We know what stocks will rise. Caterpillar for example will surge because of the highways. And IBM is like found treasure today.a aThat may be true, Timmy,a the man exclaimed in resignation and put his arm around my shoulders. aBut I just survive from month to month. I donat have any money for stocks.a aYou probably ought to find some, Dad. In me you have a unique information source. Once before you asked me to explain how I could know the future. Before my Reversion I memorized the New York Stock Exchangeas monthly high and low list for the last half of this decade. Itas almost like having access to tomorrowas financial section.a He took a very long pull on his pipe. aI believe you, which means Iad be a fool not to take your advice. But letas talk about something else. Thereas certainly more to the world than money, and Iam sure youall excel in those important parts of it, but money and s.e.x are what motivate most of us humans.a aIam not an alien, Dad.a aNo, of course not. I didnat mean to imply that. But you are, I must say, very strange. You and that girl. I heard her last night. It sounded like a difficult entry, but then she is just ten years old.a aSheas 67,a I corrected him, aalthough her body is only ten.a aTim, perhaps you see my difficulty with that. You say youare 67 years old and you took the cherry of a ten year-old last night. On the other hand youare a twelve year-old boy and you f.u.c.ked a woman of 67 who screamed like a ten year-old losing her cherry.a I grinned. aIam certain youall get it straight soon. Last night two old people made love. The fact that they occupied young bodies just made it more delightful.a aIt didnat sound like she was in delight. Did she bleed a lot?a aI didnat notice.a aYour mother bled a torrent on our wedding night.a Suddenly he was embarra.s.sed at his indiscretion.

aThatas all right, Dad. Weare both adults.a I touched his arm affectionately. He looked at me queerly and shook his head, but he gave me a light squeeze.

aWhere are we going to put Alice?a I asked. aCan we take her home?a aYou should have thought of that before we took the girl away from her mother. But I have an idea.a I saw the reluctance in his expression. aClara?a He nodded. aSheas rich and has a very nice house. I intend to ask her, in your name, to keep Alice for us, at least until we straighten out this awkward matter.a * * *

aWhereas your father?a Alice came out onto the dock, walking with her legs a bit apart. She still hurt from the wound I had caused.

aHeas gone into the village to make a call.a She breathed deeply and stretched her shoulders.

aItas so lovely here. Can we stay a day or two?a aToday is Sunday, Alice. He has to teach tomorrow.a aWhat about you? Donat you go to school?a aNo. I pa.s.sed the high school exams last week. The school board graduated me. That is, they will when my diploma is printed. Weall have to arrange the tests for you, too. Youall have no problem with them.a Alice sat down on the dock and splashed her feet in the lake water.

aYou look like a little girl,a I remarked as I sat down beside her.

aI feel like a little girl who has been violated.a aWas it so awful?a aYouall never know, Timmy,a she smiled and cuddled to me. aBut Iam the one who asked for it.a aA girl once told me it was like smashing a boil.a She grunted. aI suppose it varies from one girl to the next. If you want to know a" I wonder if it will make you proud a" you hurt me every bit as much as monstrous Joel.a aI did?a aPerhaps I had grown a bit by age 14. The real difference, Tim, was that you didnat keep pumping. Iall bet no other twelve year-old boy is half so considerate.a She kissed my neck. aI love you.a I pulled her tighter against me. We sat in comfortable silence, listening to the birdsongs.

I remembered my thoughts during the night with her head on my shoulder. aDo you have any ideas about our future, Alice? It just seems to be so awesome.a aI donat think we can do much until our bodies grow a few years older.a aA few years. Donat you remember the first time you were young? A few years then lasted an eternity.a aLetas just enjoy it, Tim. We can experience it this time with adult minds. Iam certain itall pa.s.s much more quickly.a aYes, I suppose. But itall be a daunting task, recreating ourselves. The first time was so spontaneous.a aCanat we just be kids again?a aBut itas not the same. We know too much. Sara and Ritchie were so obvious to me in how far they would go. I was astounded, because I never had an inkling of that the first time around.a aYouare talking about s.e.x again, Timmy.a aBut what else is on the mind of a p.u.b.escent boy?a aI suppose, but ten year old girls donat usually get f.u.c.ked.a aYou wanted me to do it,a I protested.

aYes, of course, darling,a she cooed and kissed my cheek. aBut the female who wanted it last night was much older than ten.a aI feel like a pervert nonetheless.a aSo do I,a she giggled in a girlish way.

aAnd you took no pleasure at all,a I pointed out, dropping my eyes.

aI wouldnat say that.a When I looked up, her eyes were sparkling. She added with a smirk, aI told you: Iave dreamed for years now of sucking your c.o.c.k.a I asked dryly, aWell, Iam glad your dream came true. Was it about what you expected?a aWell, no, it was a good deal smaller than my dreams of it, but Iam sure time will address that point. What was unique, Tim, was the mixture of tastes. Though itas certainly unheard of, I suppose Iam not the first in the history of the world to suck the juice from the c.o.c.k that just ripped through her hymen.a * * *

aThis is Alice,a my father said nervously as we crowded through Claraas doorway, patting the girl on the head. aAs I explained, we retrieved her from a difficult situation in Chicago. And Alice, this is Mrs. Clara Edgeworth.a Alice, too long an adult, bowed very slightly. aIam so pleased to meet you, Clara.a aAnd I you, Alice.a Clara ignored the faux pas. Wearing casual blouse, skirt and ballerina slippers, she might have stepped from the pages of a womanas magazine. That was her trademark, I recalled: every hair in place with makeup restrained and evenly outlined. Even when she and I had worked together to erect a flower trellis in her backyard the previous summer, she had remained crisp, cool and smelling of lavender. She took both of Aliceas hands in hers and gazed at the girl intently. She then turned to me, gave me a one armed hug and kissed my cheek. Perfect teeth gleamed behind her welcoming smile. The more my internal old man saw of her, the more impressed he became. What a remarkable woman! How did she get so rich anyway, given that she had been the wife of a professor comparable to my father? I recalled that a dead soldier was worth ten grand to his wife, somewhat more than two yearsa salary for a professor in 1945.

aCome,a she said, aletas go into the living room and relax.a Alice and I sat on a couch. Dad filled an armchair, and Clara remained standing.

aWould you kids care for some lemonade?a she inquired and headed for the kitchen before we could answer.

aMay I use your phone, Clara?a my dad called after.

aCertainly, Frank,a the woman answered from the kitchen.