by Gerry Howell
Benjamin Lidl was languishing in a videostore in Milton Keynes when he came across an ad in the local paper for volunteers to take part in a time-travelling experiment. It was being conducted by an American scientist named Bud Quark who had apparently set off from Houston, Texas in the year 2050 and ended up, due to a technical fault, crash-landing in Leighton Buzzard in the spring of 2012.
Benjamin Lidl called the number in the adand after a surprisingly brief telephone interview, Bud Quark invited him to participate in an experiment taking place the very next day. The experiment was a roaring success and Benjamin was sent flying forward in time into the middle of the following week.
Benjamin returned to work and found that he no longer had a job because he’d been away for a week without telling anyone where he was.
“But I’ve been time-travelling with Bud Quark!” exclaimed Benjamin.
“You’ve been watching too many movies,”said Benjamin’s boss.
“But I work in a video store in Milton Keynes,” said Benjamin.
“Not any more you don’t,” said his boss.
Downcast, Benjamin Lidl left the videostore; he was now jobless and thanks to Bud Quark, he’d also lost a week of his life that he was never going to get back.
Or was he…?
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Gerry Howell is an actor, writer and comedian. He lives mostly in London, sometimes on the North York Moors.
