Chapter 17 The Proof I know that all of this must sound incredible to you, the time traveler said.
I don't expect you to believe me.
You must think I'm lying or making it all up.
You could earn a living writing stories like this, the editor said with a sigh.
So, you don't believe me, asked the time traveler.
I didn't think you would.
I hardly believe it myself, but then how do you explain these?
We all watched as the time traveler reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out two wilted flowers.
He placed them on the table in front of us and we all stared at them.
They didn't look like any flower I knew.
The time traveler looked down at them with a smile on his face as if he was recalling a fond memory.
They're the flowers that Weena put in my jacket pocket, he explained.
The doctor got up from his chair to look more closely at the flowers our friend had taken from his pocket.
It's odd.
I've never seen this type of flower before.
May I have them? he asked.
Certainly not, answered the time traveler.
After a moment, the doctor asked, Where did you really get them?
The time traveler closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hands.
He took his hands away and opened his eyes.
When he spoke, he sounded upset.
I got them from Weena.
Then he looked around the room.
A look of doubt and confusion appeared on his face.
Or did I?
Did I really travel through time?
Or was it all a dream?
Is there really a machine sitting in my workshop?
He stood up quickly and grabbed the lamp from the table.
He opened the door and rushed into the hallway.
We all followed him as he made his way to the workshop.
The time machine sat in the corner of the room.
We gathered around it.
The metal, ivory, and crystal glimmered in the lamplight.
I reached out and touched its metal frame.
It looked the same as before, except for bits of grass, moss, and dirt on its frame.
I also saw that a metal rail was slightly bent, just as the time traveler had described.
The time traveler put the lamp on the bench.
He ran his fingers along the bent rail.
Seeing the machine again seemed to make our friend feel better.
It was as if the dirt and damage proved that his story was true. happened then.
It's all true.
He picked up the lamp and we followed him out into the hall.
He seemed very tired, so we put on our coats to leave.
The doctor shook the time traveler's hand and said, You should rest.
You've been working too hard.
The time traveler laughed loudly and said, Good night.
After I left, I spent most of the night thinking about the fantastic tale.
Could it be true?
The time traveler had no reason to make up the story, and I had no reason not to believe him.
The next day, I happened to pass by his house.
I decided to drop in and see how he was feeling after a good night's sleep.
I knocked on the door and was greeted by the housekeeper.
She told me the time traveler was in his workshop.
I walked down the hallway and entered the room, but he was not there.
I stared at the time machine for a moment and touched the lever.
I tried to imagine it journeying through the ages.
When the time traveler did not appear after a few minutes, I left the room.
I walked down the hall where I found my friend coming down the stairs.
He had a small camera under one arm and a knapsack under the other.
A large smile filled his face and he said, I'm very busy right now.
You really travel through time, was all I could think to ask.
Yes, he replied calmly, as he looked me in the eyes.
Yes, I do, and I'll prove it to you beyond any doubt.
Wait here and I'll be back in half an hour with all the specimens and proof I need.
He smiled and disappeared down the hallway and into the workshop.
So I sat down in a room off the hallway, took out my newspaper and began to read.
Just then I remembered that I was supposed to meet another friend shortly.
I got up and went to find the time traveler.
I wanted to tell him that I had to leave, but that I would be right back.
As I reached the door to the workshop, I heard odd noises coming from inside.
A gust of wind whirled around me as I opened the door.
The sound of the wind was followed by the crash of broken glass.
I stepped inside the workshop.
The time traveler was not there.
The time machine had not moved, but it had become a ghostly blur.
I thought I saw someone sitting in it, but I couldn't be certain.
The machine was slowly disappearing, and then it was gone.
I stood in silence, staring at the spot where the invention had been sitting.
I didn't know what to think.
I decided to wait, in the hopes of hearing another strange story and seeing my friend's photographs and specimens from the future.
But that was three years ago.
The time traveller has not returned, and I'm afraid that now he never will.
