(Josie
Sayz: This is a follow up to my post ‘Outta Time’ (if you missed ‘Outta Time’
you can find it here: https://josiesayz.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/outta-time.html).
I’m not 100% sure on it, but I am content with it at the moment. I apologise for
any American history inaccuracies – not my expertise, sorry. Disclaimer: I do
not own ‘Back to the Future’, its characters or the film events that are
mentioned in my creative piece.)
November 5th, 2015
Dear
Marty,
I know it’s been a while – too long, in fact, but I’ve
finally found it in me to leave you a message. Believe me, Marty, isolating
myself from you for all these years has been tough – I daresay, one of the
toughest decisions that I have ever had to make my whole life. I hope that you
understand why I had to do this, Marty; it was for your own safety. I had
feared that the perpetual time travel which you experienced might lead to later
psychological dysfunctions. I did not want you transfixed on the changes that
we had made or on changing the past. I did not want you to become reliant upon
changing the outcome of past or future events. Also, I felt that seeing me may resurface
too many unpleasant memories.
That does not mean that I have forgotten about you, Marty.
As every day goes by, I think of you and Jennifer and the life that the two of
you now lead. I know that I shouldn’t, but on occasion, whilst time travelling,
I often stop by and see how you are doing. A rock star, ‘ey, Marty? It’s just
as I always told you: If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. You
have two wonderful kids, Marty. Many a time I have stopped by Hill Valley High
and caught a glimpse of Marty Junior and Marlene. Junior is the spitting image
of you, although you may need to help him out with the girls – there’s this
red-head that he’s been having trouble talking to; he almost reminds me of your
pop. Marlene’s a hard working student, straight A’s from what I can tell. You
and Jennifer must be so proud.
Since we last met you must be, good gracious,
forty-seven? Great Scott! I just realised the significance of this date! Is it
really 2015 already? Where has the time gone? Strange, not at all like it was
on our previous encounter. I’m sat in downtown Hill Valley, at the ‘Café 80s’ (nicely
done-out by the way) but nothing is as I remember it. What happened to the
flying cars, the cyborgs, self-altering clothing, barcode licence plates, Mr.
Fusion-powered automobiles and those hoverboards that you were so fond of? The
hover conversion! It would never have happened?! And what about my body
alterations that I undertook at the rejuvenation clinic during my earlier visit
to the twenty-first century? I added thirty to forty years onto my life,
replaced my spleen and colon and what about my blood alteration? If that no
longer exists, what will become of me now?
Great Scott! Marty, what have we done? I know that by
traveling the courses of time, we accidentally changed parts of mine, yours and
your parents’ future, but I didn’t think we had unsettled the space time
continuum so vastly. Okay, okay, I need to take into account all of the people
whose lives we may have altered. It wouldn’t have been you, no offence Marty,
but the old you from the alternate 2015 was a slacker (I’m sure Mr. Strickland
would agree) and would never have come up with the ingenuity of such creations
as the ones that we encountered thirty years ago. And it wasn’t Jennifer’s
doing. Going back in time further should not have interfered with your parents’
or your brother and sister’s careers (none of them appeared to hold any
interest in the sciences, apart from your pop, but he was more into the
science-fiction than actual construction. Nevertheless, our return to 1955 should
not have altered your father’s career choice). Unless you severely interacted
with anyone when we returned to 1955 to steal the almanac back from Biff and –
Great Scott, it couldn’t have been Biff whom created all those things, could
it? No, no, no, no, no! It couldn’t be Biff; we stopped him from making money
and he’s too incompetent to create such things – just think of the amount of
times he had your pop write his reports or do his homework. That only leaves…
oh no, oh dear… it can’t be. It can’t be; it just can’t – can it? Could it be me? Am I the one to blame? Am I the one
who invented all those amazing things? Now without me – Great Scott, this is heavy (as you would say). I am sorry future;
maybe I should never have abandoned you. Oh Marty, how stupid I have been. For
a man of science, I just gave up on the projects, the discovery, the new
creations… I can tell you everything from the past. I can tell you every inch
of the American Revolution, all the secrets that they don’t want you to know
about the Civil War and the secret campaign behind the election of George Washington.
I was even there to witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence! But
how I have missed modern technology – well it is probably ancient technology to
you today. The simple everyday items, like cornflakes, instant coffee, pop-up
toasters, stainless steel and good-quality cotton underwear are all things that
I have been without until their creation or have invented myself. Oh what a
waste that now feels, inventing something that has already been invented. Yes,
I may have done it better, but what a waste of my time, of my talents. With
your modern resources and my scholarly knowledge, I could have invented so much
more. Why, I could have invented a flying car. I should have invented the flying car – and more.
Oh Marty, I feel as though I have let you down greatly.
Not only you, but I have let the future down as well. As a scientist, I should not
have allowed my own personal gain to interfere with the space time continuum. I
am married to my work. I should have thought with my head. Something that has
worried me far too frequently Marty, by going back in time, settling down with
Clara and having children, because I was born in the future, that makes Jules
and Vern older than me. Clara gave birth to our eldest in 1886, yet I was not
born until 1920. Oh Marty, sometimes I feel like I have made a terrible
mistake. What sort of scientist alters history, like this? What sort of
scientist alters the future, like this? What have I done?
Clara is the love of my life. I know that I would never
have found love and settled down, like I did, had I continued to live in your
present day. She means everything to me, Marty. She is object of my affection,
the light of my life, the apple of my eye. And our children, Marty – Jules and
Vern, they are my world. Jules has
taken after his old man. He now runs my Blacksmith’s shop and has even taken an
interest in inventing and little Vern has become the town sheriff. Clara and I couldn’t
be more proud. We are both doing well too. We have long retired and are
enjoying the quiet life of relaxation in 1915 – time travelling whenever the
opportunity arises.
I do miss you, Marty. You are a big part of my life and
still hold a special place in my heart. I hope that you can find it in yourself
to forgive me.
Your friend in time,
‘Doc’ Emmett L. Brown
November 5th,
1915
-
Josie -
