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The alarm wasn’t supposed to go off yet. Graham cancelled it, showered and got dressed. He thought he had been quick, but the kitchen clock said that it had taken him an hour. He could hardly believe it. No time for breakfast. He jumped in the car and drove to work.&nbsp;The streets were deserted. He got to work in record time.&nbsp;The office door was locked. He pressed the doorbell. It spoke to him. “Yes. Who is it?”	“I’m Graham Jefferson, from Marketing.&nbsp;Why is the place shut up? I’ve an important meeting today.”	“I’ll be with you in a&nbsp;moment Mr. Jefferson.” True to his word, the security officer unlocked the door just seconds later.	“My my, your early today Mr. Jefferson.”	“No I’m not. I’m late.”	“But its only six-thirty.”	“What?” Graham checked his wrist watch.&nbsp;The security officer was correct, but when Graham locked the front door his watch read nine-thirty.&nbsp;Was he seeing things? He took advantage of the early start to prepare for the meeting.&nbsp;It went well.&nbsp;The boss was so impressed that he gave Graham the afternoon off.&nbsp;	The roads were much busier than on the way in and it took twice as long to drive home.&nbsp;Still it gave him plenty of time to cut the grass and then relax in the garden. Nobody to please but himself. It was lonely being single, but with any luck he would see Natasha that evening.&nbsp;She was the barmaid at the local.&nbsp;Really attractive. His mind was filled with potential chat-up lines. His ambition was to date with her and ultimately marry her. The thought of making her pregnant was bliss.	Graham pulled up outside his house at a quarter past three. The door was unlocked. Kids were shouting inside. What was going on?	“Oh there you are Lovee. Your late, was work bad today?” Natasha picked up some clothes that the kids had dropped before coming to give me a hug.	“Natasha! What are you doing here.&nbsp;Whose are these kids?”	“Oh Graham stop it, save your jokes for work and give me a hand getting Betsy cleaned up.”	He glanced up at the hall clock. Six forty-five. He parked the car two and a half hours ago, yet it seemed like only seconds had passed. He held Natasha’s hand stopping her from walking away. She turned and looked at him. She was so beautiful, yet she seemed older.	“Natasha, this may seem a daft question, but what year is it?”	She gave him a puzzled look. “Why 2034 of course.&nbsp;Why do you ask?”	“Because my love, when I woke up this morning it was 2024.”	“Oh come on Graham. I’ve had enough of your jokes.”	“This isn’t funny. You say I’m late home, in fact I thought I was early. I was planning to come and see you in the Bull and Pheasant tonight and ask you for a date, but I find I’m married to you, which is a dream come true for me.&nbsp;But what’s happened?”	“Graham, what are you talking about. You’re not making sense.”&nbsp;	“Doesn’t make sense to me either. I picked up some bottles of your favourite wine on the way home. Come to the car and help me carry them in.”	As they walked towards the car, Natasha lost the weight she had put on over the last few years and became ten years younger.	“What am I doing here?” she was now as confused as Graham.	“I’ve bought you’re favourite wine.” He held the bag in front of her.	She looked at it in disbelief then looked him in the face. “How did you know that?”	Before he could answer she simply disappeared, as did the bag he was holding. He couldn’t even remember buying the wine in the first place. All he could do was go back inside the house and see to the kids.	He unlocked the front door.&nbsp;The house was silent.&nbsp;He looked at the hall clock. Three Fifteen.&nbsp; Natasha put the finishing touches to her make-up, wondering if she looked attractive enough to win the heart of a nice man. She enjoyed working behind the bar, sharing banter with the lads. All except Graham.&nbsp;He was so shy he hardly said anything more than the necessity of ordering a pint. He got on well with the other guys, so he couldn’t be too bad, except for his jokes. Quite handsome though, and she often noticed a distortion on his trousers when he was with her. Strange really, all day she had imagined being happily married to him.&nbsp;	All such thoughts disappeared&nbsp;from her mind as the pub filled up. She turned from filling the glass washer for the second time to find Graham standing at the bar waiting to be served.	“Hello Graham.&nbsp;The usual?” She gave him a smile.	“No. Can I have a couple of bottles of Chateauneuf Du Pape to take away.”	“Certainly.” It was her favourite wine, but it had been on the shelf for ages as none of the locals ordered it. She could only find one bottle. She took it to Graham. “I’m afraid we only have one in stock.”	“That’s okay. I’ll just take the one.”	She took his money and gave him the change. “That’s a nice wine.&nbsp;Is it for you or your girl-friend?”	“No. I don’t have a girl-friend.&nbsp;It’s for you in the hope that you will go out with me tomorrow.”	Natasha was speechless. Her lips moved but the words wouldn’t pass through them. Eventually she stammered “I … I … I’m afraid, erm I’m working tomorrow, c … c … can we make it … can we make it Wednesday?”	“Wednesday is perfect. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty and I’ll book a table at the Ravendale. Hope that’s not a bus-man’s holiday for you.”	“That’s perfect,” she looked into his eyes. In a split second the images she had of having his children, that had recently dominated her thoughts, flashed before her resulting in the broadest of smiles. “It will be nice to be waited on for a change, and I don’t know any bus-men!” What a strange day. But for Graham, as he set his alarm for the morning, it was perfect. Two hours later, the alarm wasn’t supposed to go off, yet it did. Graham went into the kitchen for a glass of water. The calendar on the wall displayed the month of April 2027.	“That’s odd.” Graham took it off the wall. It was full of pictures he had never seen before. It wasn’t a printing error, it really was a calendar for 2027. The clock told him it was still night-time.&nbsp;He went back to bed.	“You okay darling.” Natasha said sleepily.	Graham cuddled up to her. “Yeah just needed a drink.”	“Oh. I think I need a pee. Can I put the light on.”	“Yeah, or course.”	“What am I doing here!” Natasha suddenly sat up aware she was in bed with Graham.	“It’s okay love. It’s the year 2027 and we’ve been married for a couple of years. I think in the morning we will be back in 2024, so don’t worry.”	“Okay.” It all sounded plausible. When she opened the toilet door, it was the one in her own house in 2024. She returned to her bed, and thought it was just a pleasant dream.	Graham was disappointed to be back in 2024. Its a cliché to say that the future has not been written yet, but on those occasions he was in the future he did some things right and sometimes he made a right mess. He learned from his mistakes, and in the present did things perfectly.&nbsp;&nbsp;	The alarm wasn’t supposed to go off, yet it was their Golden Wedding Anniversary.&nbsp;

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The House of Time

AstroGeoffrey

Dryfe (self published)

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The House of Time

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Geoffrey Hugh Lindop

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