• 
  
• Forum | Novel | Inspirations | Riddle

...Suddenly the machine stopped before even started and they saw flames in the backside of the engine and the hamster appeared running from the back, squeaking. Doctor Livingstone stood up and tried to put the fire off with his shirt while Hudson was putting the fire off Sparklees bottoms.

• - I am going to kill you little monster. What have you done back there? You destroyed our machine!
• - It's ok Hudson, calm down. It's not a big deal, only my shirt was burned. I think the engine is fine. My only concern is if the heat made any damages to the microchips. Let's start as soon as possible, as long we have power supply.
• - Your clothes are in a mess! Here boss, take the toga. You are very funny, like Julius Cesar! I think Nicole will love to see you in this outfit when we come back!

Hudson laughed but deep inside he was not so sure that the time machine would take them back home... They had to try one more time. The year was fixed 2007 and the final countdown started again!!! Hudson crossed his fingers; this was his last change to see the football game on Sunday. And then the familiar time whirlpool started... Hudson felt the machine bouncing one...two...three times and "baaaammm"! There was still smoke, red colored this time and still a big crowd were yelling.

• -Oh no! Not a volcano again! Or is it an arena? No more lions please!

Doctor Liv was holding his head. Hudson was still hearing the noise from outside and he finally decides to open the door of the time machine and then he sees the miracle... Could it be true?
They had landed in the middle of an enormous football stadium full of people. They were back!!!
In Pompeii were volcanoes and arenas but there were not any football stadiums. That's for sure!
And while the crowd kept cheering with even bigger enthusiasm, Hudson felt down on his knees and gratefully kissed the grass of the playground! Suddenly Sparklees jumped of the machine and started running happily on the grass and the crowds stood up and applaud the little hero! That was more that a warm welcome to these pioneers of time traveling!

But Hudson had a strange filling. This stadium was not familiar to him. He was sure he had never saw it before. And the strangest thing was that actually, Hudson knew all stadiums of Europe. He had a collection of photos at his attic. And this one was not in his collection. Something was wrong.

• - Ah, boss, you should come outside. There is something you have to see...

Doctor Liv came out wearing the white and red toga. And this time the crowds were in delirium! He stepped on the cloth and he felt down while people started laughing loudly! There was definitely something wrong...

• - Boss, where are we?
• - Hudson I think...

Hudson could not hear his voice anymore. Thunderous music where in the stadium and the fireworks and the smoke started again. Then groups of cheerleaders appear and started dancing round them. In a panic Hudson tried to catch Sparklees. It was not the right moment to loose him again! And the voice in the loudspeaker made the announcement:

• - Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the UEFA EURO 2012! Welcome to the Opening Match in our bright new National Stadium of Warsaw!

Now it was Hudson's turn to felt down. When he opened his eyes again, they were not in the playing field anymore. They were in the assistant buildings under the stadium seats. Doctor Liv was stepping up and down.

• - Wake up Hudson! I have important news to tell you!
• - Boss, please tell me that it was a bad dream!
• - Hudson, I didn't knew that you are such a coward! Ok, you may choose. The good news first, or the bad news?
• - Mercy me Boss! I am living a drama here! Yes, I should be in stadium today, but this one! How can you have good news about anything, right now?
• - But yes Hudson! I have wonderful news! Our machine travelled in the future! We are in a moment in time that has not been existed yet! I don't know how this happened, but it happened! We had never succeeded something like this in the laboratory but now it's true! We travelled in the future!
• - How much time I am unconscious boss?
• - Just a few minutes Hudson! They thought that the appearance of the machine was a special effect and the assistants took the machine inside. I had to tell them that I was responsible for the machine and you, and they allowed me to stay here. Thank God, they were speaking English with me and they didn't suspect anything!
• - But how this happened boss? The time was set on 2007. How did we end up in 2012?
• - Remember the fire during the countdown? I was afraid that the microchips had been overheated. Unfortunately they were, indeed. In fact they melted Hudson. That drinks us to the bad news... Without the microchips the machine will not travel again. We are trapped here.

For the second time today, Hudson fainted. He could not decide what was the worst. Been on 79 A.C. on a volcano or 5 years after their real time, in a stadium that was not truly existed yet, watch a football game that was not really taking place...

• - By the way boss, which teams started the opening game?
• - Poland and Greece Hudson. The match started 10 minutes ago.
• - What are going to do boss? Have you looked your pockets? You found the cables earlier. Is there any chance to find some microchips there, too?
• - Don't be foolish Hudson! You know that the only place in time and space to find the right microchips, is my laptop inside our lab!

Doctor Liv was right. But after five years what may have happen to their lab? For all people that they knew, they would be missing persons.
Maybe the first weeks the police tried to locate them. Maybe they had investigated Nicole. Maybe they had seized all the computers and the other stuff in the laboratory... Who knows...
The truth is that there was no way to have access to Doctor's laptop. If they only could communicate with Nicole... But when you start a journey through time, you usually don't take your telephone agenda with you, just in case... Or you should?

• - Boss do you remember Nicole's number?
• - Who is Nicole?
• -For Heavens sake, boss, Nicole is Miss Spenser!!! Your secretary!
• - Ah, yes, I forgot it again. How do you expect me remembering her telephone Hudson? That's not my job! My job was to built a time machine and now that I made it, I can tell any one...
• - But why boss? If we find some scientists here and explain them what happen, they might help us go back!
• - Hudson, how many times do I have to explain it to you? We may take evidences from the places we visit with the time machine, but we are not allowed to leave evidences. This could destroy the continuation of time and space!

Doctor Liv got in the time machine. He wanted to think quietly. He found his clothes. He could not wear the toga all the time. His jacket was ok. He wore it and putted his hands in his pockets... In a reflective movement his fingers searched the interior of the pockets.
... There it was. A small piece of paper. He took it. It smelted strangely. You could say that it was a perfume. Yes, a female perfume! And there was a number on it. And a name. NICOLE. Doctor Liv jumped off the machine!

• - Hudson! I have Miss Spenser's phone number!!! I think she put it in my pocket!

No. This time Hudson didn't faint. He started dancing like the cheerleaders in the playing field!

• - We need a phone device boss! I'll find it!

Hudson run in the corridors trying to find a phone. When suddenly found him self in the changing rooms of Greek players. The assistant coach was there. And he was very angry.

• - Where have you been Manusos? Coach is waiting to send you in the game. Karagounis had an accident. You have to go out there and clean up the mess. We are loosing 1-0 and the game is over in a few minutes!

Hudson look back, look left and right. There was none else there. The assistant was talking to him! That's a misunderstanding!

• -Who, me? No, ser, listen...

But the angry assistant grabbed him and in 20 seconds Hudson was in the playing field, wearing the Greek National football uniform. And he had to score.
While the assistant was dragging Hudson in the playground, Doctor Liv could not wait for him to come back. He searched by himself for a phone device and he found it in an empty office. It was now or never. He had to find Nicole. He pressed the buttons and waited for the signal. Yes, it was calling.. Back in the playground, Hudson was completely lost. He had ages since the last time he played football with his friends when he was a student in high school. But this is not a high school match, this is UEFA! Then suddenly, a group of Polish and Greek players, fighting for the ball, came close to him. Hudson never realised what happened before fainting for the third time that day. The ball hits on his head and goes directly in the net of Poland Team. Greek fans are in ecstasy. 1-1 is a fact... The assistants took Hudson inside for the first aids. Then, they left him alone to go back to game. Hudson opened his eyes the moment Doctor Liv that was trying to locate him, came into the room.

• - Here you are! We are saved Hudson! Miss Spencer will be here tomorrow! I'll meet her at the Royal Castle Square and she'll have my laptop with her!
• 
• - Boss I scored! I scored for Greek National Team!
• - I know that the excitement today was too big for you Hudson but please stop dreaming! We have to hide until tomorrow. Let's go to the time machine, hurry...

Nicole had answer the phone. For a few seconds she could not realize to whom she was talking to. Doctor Liv in a calm voice explained everything to her in 5 minutes. Nicole told him what had happened after they disappeared and about the fire that destroyed the lab. And about the laptop she managed to save from the flames. If there is a moment of revelation in a man's life, that was the moment for Doctor Liv. He realised that Miss Spenser had to be a very special person to jump in flames to save his computer. She was definitely cared about him! She promised to take the first flight to Warsaw and they decide to meet in the Royal Castle Square, a place they both knew, from a conference in 2004 where they had gone together because Doctor Liv needed his secretary. Hudson was not working with him that time.

It was already evening. The game ended 1-1. It was a great day to open EURO 2012. For Poland because the organization of the opening ceremony was magnificent and for Greece because the game was great and a new player made the right move and saved the team from the embarrassment to loose the first game.
Doctor Liv was anxious about tomorrow. For the first time in his life, he took the hamster in his arms and start making plans about a Nobel Prize. But Hudson felt asleep in a minute.
...He was in a big British style room with Christmas decorations. Doctor Liv and Nicole were opening gifts under a big Christmas tree and 3 little boys with carrot-color hair were playing with them. He looked the calendar and the date was December 25^th 2012. On the table was a Christmas card from his Polish grandmother:
Then the doorbell was knocking and he went to open the door. There was a gorgeous girl with a Santa costume and an Arsenal scarf, smiling to him... "Hudson, I am your Christmas present, Hudson, Hudson..."

• - Hudson wake up! I am going to the appointment with Miss Spencer. Stay here and guard the time machine!

Doctor Liv left the room and Hudson, unhappy for loosing the girl in his dream decide to walk inside the building. When suddenly the Greek angry coach assistant appeared one more time yelling!

• - Where have you been Manosos? In two hours we are living for Ukraine for the next game! Hurry! The coach wants to talk with you!
• Oh, no!... Hudson had to run and hide...

In the other corner of the city, Doctor Liv was waiting for Nicole. The very moment he saw her coming with the laptop in her hands, a tall man who was dresses like a policeman, approached Livingstone.

• - May I see your papers please Ser? Do you have an identity or passport?

Oh, no!... Doctor Liv had to run and hide...

Back in the room with the time machine, Sparklees was very hungry. Could try to find a nice donut for breakfast? The hamster was walking in the corridor when suddenly a big black cat appeared in the corner...

• - Miau!!!!!!!

Could it be the end of their adventure?