“How do you know it works?” Albert asked Jason.

“You appeared at my house this morning,” Jason explained, “just as I was finishing it and told me you had just come from the future!”

Jason had called Albert early that Saturday telling him that he had something incredible to show him. Upon Albert’s arrival, Jason dragged him into the garage and unveiled his surprise, a time machine. Albert was justifiably skeptical.

“You haven’t been sleeping much, have you?” Albert said, worried about his friend.

“I’m not hallucinating,” Jason interjected. “I actually called you to ask if you would test it out for me and become the first time traveler known to humanity! I want to send you back so that what happened this morning can occur.”

“I don’t know,” replied Albert uneasily.

“Look,” said Jason. “If you don’t believe it works, there’s nothing to worry about. And anyway, I saw you when you traveled this morning. If it worked then, it’s safe now.”

“Well… can’t really argue with that, I guess,” Albert admitted.

“Great!” Jason exclaimed. “Let’s get started!”

Albert opened the machine’s door and stepped inside.

“Good to go man!” Jason said from just outside the door. “Good luck!”

The machine whirred to life and Albert felt himself fall through the floor. He crashed down in a familiar garage, startling Jason.

“Albert?” Jason yelped in shock. “Where’d you come from?”

“Your time machine. It works” Albert struggled to say, overwhelmed by what had just happened. “I just came from a few hours later today to tell you that.”

“I knew it!” Jason crowed triumphantly.

He performed a little dance as Albert sat stunned, still at a loss for how to respond to what had just happened.

“I assume you’ll be going back soon,” Jason said. “Hey, do me a favor and watch out for any side effects of the time travel.”

“Wait? Side effects?!?” Albert asked incredulously, then felt himself being pulled upward and found himself back where he’d started.

“How’d it go?” Jason asked with a grin on his face.

“Alright I guess,” Albert said, worry nagging at his mind. “Hey is there a chance of any side effects as a result of this.”

“Oh, did old me say something like that to you?” Jason said dismissively. “He worried too much, you’ll be fine.”

“Yeah alright,” Albert said breathing a sigh of relief, suddenly very tired. “I think I’m gonna go home now,” he said and left without another word, his mind still racing from what he’d gone through.

He fell asleep immediately when he got home and woke up to his phone buzzing on his bedstand. Jason was calling him.

“Hello?” he answered groggily.

“Dude, you have to come over now!” Jason shouted. “I’ve got something awesome to show you in my garage!”

“What?” Albert said. “We did this yesterday man. Is this some kind of joke?”

He pulled the phone away from his face and stared at the screen. It was the 18th of May. Saturday.